Happy Friday
The rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.
Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.
Jesus, Matthew 20:25f
I asked a friend if he’d noticed how many strong men currently occupied the world stage. “Think about it,” I said. “Putin, Xi, Erdoğan, Orban, Lukashenko, Modi and a half dozen others. That’s more than normal.” His response? He laughed. And then he said, “It has always been this way. ‘The rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them.’” Oops. Right. There is no holiday from history or human nature. Tragically, remembering the first part of Christ’s statement is not the difficult part of this passage. It is embracing the second half. “Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
The Lakelight Institute: Last fall we launched the Lakelight Institute, with a goal of recovering timeless wisdom for modern life, especially in the arenas of work and culture. Two weeks ago, our first class of Fellows graduated. You can learn about the Institute here, watch a 3-minute video on the Fellows Program here, or sign up for our monthly newsletter here. (This month’s issue is focused on the power of beauty.)
Quote Worth Requoting: Twenty years from now the only people who will remember that you worked late are your kids. Sahil Bloom
IS2M: 1) I read about evidence of the spike in anxiety, depression and PTSD, but I am not reading about the more serious mental health issues I observe; 2) Christians in America need to prepare to move from being a subculture to being a counter culture; 3) Too many people ask if Christianity works rather than if it’s true; 4) It doesn’t seem to matter what is going on, complainers complain and thankful people are thankful; 5) One of the benefits of immigration is that it helps populate the country with people who have a more grounded understanding of life, something often missing from the elite on both the left and the right; 6) When I was in middle school, I had to worry about minor things; peer pressure to cut class or steal beer, I did not have to navigate the sexual chaos of the moment; 7) Big Tech is starting to be viewed like Big Tobacco; 8) Watching Bud Light and Target posture and then pivot (making everyone mad and shedding market value in the process) leads me to believe CEOs are looking for ways to keep their company’s head down. They are also citing Michael Jordan’s famous 80s statement, “Republicans buy shoes too.”
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Without Comment: 1) In 1969, 48% of students walked to school; today 11% do; 2) The U.S. averages one fatal shark attack every two years, meaning Americans are 120x more likely to be killed by their lawnmower than they are a Great White; 3) White evangelicals are now twice as likely to oppose school vaccines as they were in 2019; 4) According to this report on religious persecution, last year 360M Christians lived with some level of daily persecution; 5,621 Christians were killed for their faith and 2,110 churches were attacked; and the most dangerous countries in which to be a Christian unfolds as follows (from 10 down to number 1) Sudan, Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Nigeria (where more Christians were killed than all the other countries combined), Libya, Eritrea, Yemen, Somalia and the most dangerous of all, North Korea; 5) When Americans are asked to name the major brands with the worst reputations, three of the seven most cited are social media companies; for a list of the top ten brands, click here; 6) 100 years ago, Christians made up 25% of the population of Jerusalem. Today it is 2%; 7) 7.3% of workers tested positive for marijuana following workplace incidents in 2022, up from 6.7% in 2021.
WOTW: The WSJ’s use of Diet of Darkness in this alarming article about Tik Tok, almost led me to replace the WOTW with the POTW (Phrase Of The Week), but I’m resisting. I’m also not giving honorable mention to drag laurate– a new award announced by London Breed, Mayor of San Francisco. Drag Laurate is too SF and too predictable. I am granting honorable mention to friendshore (relocating supply chains away from risky countries – e.g., China – to friendlier ones), goblin mode and algospeak (the way TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. rely on algorithms to moderate content). WOTW honors goes to roorback, which is “a defamatory falsehood published for political effect.” I have a feeling it may trend in the next 18 months. (BTW, 500 roorbacks were posted on Facebook in the time it took you to read this Update.)
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Resources: Click here to listen to last week’s sermon on Encouragement (from Acts 4:32) or here to listen to The Optiv Theology Podcast, on which I was interviewed on service, evangelism and futurism.
Tim Keller, RIP: As you likely know, prominent NYC pastor, cultural apologist, mission strategist and best-selling author, Tim Keller passed away last week. His death – which is a painful loss – has generated a lot of press. I read much of it – including comments by George W. Bush. If you want a flavor of what was said, here is David Brooks’ NYT piece. But, you’d be better served by reading any of his books. Reason for God put him on the map. Prodigal God is outstanding, as are his works on suffering, prayer and marriage.
Closing Prayer: O Prince of Life, teach us to stand more boldly on your side, to face the world and all our adversaries more courageously, and not to let ourselves be dismayed by any storm of temptation; may our eyes be steadfastly fixed on you in fearless faith; may we trust you with perfect confidence that you will keep us, save us, and bring us through by the power of your grace and the riches of your mercy. Amen. (Gerhard Tersteegen 1697-1769)