1. “Loving your (political) enemies” is an important command for us because it calls us to love those we disagree with and who wish us harm.
2. Up until about a 75 years ago, philosophy and theology were the main disciplines for understanding human behavior and getting direction for how a person should live. Now psychology dominates that field. Freud and Jung are given more ground that Aristotle and Augustine. And Jesus is a nonstarter. And this is true for many Christians.
3. If hatred and fear and contempt are how we respond to what is happening in the news then our real enemies are winning.
4. And so what should we do in this world that is becoming so at odds with our convictions? What do we do when this new left cancels those of us who name the name of Christ and believe a person cannot change their gender?
We love them. Having confidence that God will care for us because he is our shepherd and loves us, we love them with the same determined love. We do not ridicule them and look on them with contempt. We love them. We look evil in the eye, yes. But we also look into the eyes who wish us evil and we look at them with love. Of course if you have not practiced doing that now when things are easy, you will not be able to do when it is hard.
5. Faith is not opposed to knowledge. Faith is opposed to the need for sight.
6. We’re planning on building a fire in the fire pit tonight and I’m looking forward to it like your kids look forward to Disney World.
7. The hardest part of my day is lying in bed at night, trying to keep reading while also struggling to keep my eyes open.
8. “Each one hopes that if he feeds the crocodile enough, the crocodile will eat him last. All of them hope that the storm will pass before their turn comes to be devoured.” – Winston Churchill, January 20, 1940
9. Something is wrong with sports in western culture.
10. On the “right side of history” is a cross.
Echoes and Stars 