The Friday Update - We Need Scripture to Avoid Stumbling in a Dark World

— October 18, 2024 —

Happy Friday,

Your Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light for my path.

Psalm 119:105

Just as we need light to avoid stumbling in a dark room, we need Scripture to avoid stumbling in a dark world. And just as it makes little sense to carry a flashlight but fail to turn it on when we need it, it makes little sense to have access to God’s Word but fail to read it. 

 The Baby Bust: A WSJ headline this week read, Worldwide Efforts to Reverse the Baby Shortage Are Falling Flat. If the title fails to get our attention, the first line should. “Imagine if having children came with more than $150,000 in cheap loans, a subsidized minivan and a lifetime exemption from income taxes. Would people have more kids? The answer, it seems, is no.” What does it say about this moment that governments are enticing young people to have children (i.e., future citizens), but it is not working? 

 Things Yancey: I’m a long-time fan of Phil Yancey—Jimmy Carter’s favorite writer, a recent Lakelight speaker, and the author of numerous bestsellers (e.g., What’s So Amazing About Grace?, Where is God When it Hurts?, The Jesus I Never Knew, etc.). I mention him here to comment on his latest book––What Went Wrong? Russia's Lost Opportunity and the Path to Ukraine––which seems outside his field but is not. Trust me. (BTW, if you’re looking for an easy first step into his work, try “The Death of Reading is Threatening the Soul,” a WAPO piece from a few years back. And be encouraged; when I spoke to him two weeks ago, he said he has fought his way back to more serious reading, suggesting we can do the same.) 

 Fear and the Future: I don’t say much here about politics, in part because most people are exhausted by it (or exhausted by those yapping about it), but mostly because I’m trying to get people to think more about the City of God than the City of Man. Of course, thinking about the first requires us to engage in the second. So, as we march towards Nov. 5^th, let me encourage you to avoid appeals shaped by fear, greed, hate, and panic. And to be sure that your hope rests in God’s kingdom, not a lesser one. 

It Seems to Me: 1) IS2M that the power of recent storms invites us to reflect on the power of God; 2) IS2M that China, Russia, and Iran believe the West is crumbling; 3) IS2M that few realize that freedom and equality cannot co-exist in a society; and 4) IS2M that the Christian faith requires more maintenance than many give it.

Encroachment: I’m throwing a yellow flag at the NFL. I’d not realized until the Bears’ game in London that afternoon that games across the pond aired on Sunday mornings in the States. (My wake-up call came when attendance at our Saturday night service spiked because people wanted to be home on Sunday AM to watch the game.) At the risk of sounding like an old man yelling, “Get off my lawn,” I want to note that once we cede sacred space, it’s really hard to get it back. 

WOTW: Honorable mention goes to Teslavestors (those who hold Tesla stock), ratiocination (which I saw 2x in the last 2 weeks. It refers to thinking logically), romantasy (a hot literary genre that mixes romance and Game of Thrones), and mail-ballot panic (which refers to any dis-ease associated with the security, logistics, legal disputes, or impact of mail-in votes). Full honors go to mono-tasking. It was cited by Felicia Wu Song, a cultural sociologist who studies technology. After noting that many are no longer content to multi-task––preferring to hyper-task instead––she suggested we do our best work when we mono-task.

 Speaking Of: Speaking of, Dr. Song––who joined Phil Yancey as a presenter at Lakelight’s Good Work Summit last weekend––recently said: “What we have discovered in our digitally saturated society is that we have a remarkable endurance and capacity to remain attuned to our devices—it is the first thing we greet in the morning and it is the last thing we take into bed with us at night… What would it be like if we were to cultivate such a permanent state of expectancy for God’s desire to communicate with us? What if my antennae were always outstretched toward checking in with God as much as I am always checking my smartphone? What if I was filled with great expectancy that there would be a word for me? And that I could trust that that word would not be a word that simply demanded something from me but a word that came to nourish me?”

Stunned: If you click here, you can listen to an 11-minute 100% AI-generated podcast on my recent book, On the News. After loading my book into NotebookLM, it took 90 seconds to read it and then create this fictional podcast. I’m amazed and horrified at the same time.

SNL to the Rescue: Given the abundance of challenges and sufferings I am seeing when I look around, we need to find reasons to laugh. This Nate Bargatze sketch is one.

Indianapolis Event: On Tuesday, Nov. 12^th, I will be in Carmel, IN, for a Lakelight reception/discussion about On the News. The event is free, but space is limited. If you are interested, click here to register.

Other Resources: Here is my Ephesians 2 sermon on our desperate need for unity at this time of division. If you’re interested in my latest book, On The News, you can get a free digital or audio copy.

Closing Prayer: Most loving Lord, Give me a steadfast heart, which no unworthy thought can drag downwards; An unconquered heart, which no hardship can wear out; An upright heart, which no worthless purpose can ensnare. Give me also, O Lord my God, understanding to know you, diligence to seek you, and a faithfulness that will finally embrace you; Through Jesus Christ, my Lord. Amen. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)

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