1.“The little satisfactions in daily life – a cup of tea, the swirling snow, Christmas lights on a dim afternoon, a bird singing at the end of summer – can be unavailing if they take place within a crown failure.”

As soon as I read the above sentence in Helprin’s book, I stopped and read it again and really could not move past those words until I read them aloud to my wife. I think we were listening to the Cello Suites played by Yo-Yo Ma. I could not get over that sentence. There were two reasons. First, I know that reality all to well. When I worked at the bank I struggled to enjoy even the simplest joys, for even those simple joys were colored by the specter of going to back to a job in which I was failing. Second, I now counsel this kind of person. It may not be a job. Could be a marriage. But that sense of failure colors everything in the dark hues of 4 am. It is wise to understand how fundamental our vocations and relationships are in God’s economy and our machinery.

2. There are no easy answers on how to do schooling in a pandemic. There are too many variables involved for easy answers. Part of the discussion is the effect all this will have on a child’s mental health. I have one very serious question about this – why do we assume school as it has been done as of late is good for a child’s mental health? Surely, we cannot assume this is true for every child. And what do you mean by “mental health” anyway? What of bullying and peer pressure and the consistent (epidemic?) rise of anxiety with school-age children being reported and studied before the pandemic?

For Christians, the way we understand mental health is radically different than the way unbelievers do. Or should be. They will look at mental health as conformity to a standard that excludes the person of Jesus. We cannot do that. Jesus is the standard of mental health by which we should guide all our vessels. So when the prognosticators tell you not being in school could damage your child’s mental health, raise your eyebrow a little bit and think about why they assume this. It is not a given.

3. I keep seeing people post something to the effect of “How come social media can remove a video on Hydroxychloroquine but can’t remove all the porn?” This sounds like a good question. But it’s not. It’s like asking, “Why are you able to eat an apple but not all Italian food?” An apple is one thing. Italian food describes dozens upon dozens of foods. A video about a drug is one video. Or maybe even twenty videos. But when you talk about pornography, you are talking about millions of pictures and videos. My guess is that much pornography is removed from social media on a regular basis and if there is one in particular that gets traction, that video gets removed quickly. I was not a fan of Facebook removing that video from a couple of weeks ago, but the above question is like comparing oranges and Cadillacs. It’s just not a good question.

4. When I see people protesting the police, which usually by force of logic requires a police presence, then complain about the behavior of the police at said protest, I get confused. I know police officers can often abuse their power. But this all reminds me of teenagers complaining to their parents about how they are being treated and then asking for the keys so they can go be with their friends and continue to complain about their parents. Maybe this is why the early Christians neither sided with Rome nor saw Rome’s actions as an obstacle. Maybe this is why they honored the Emperor and also called Jesus “Lord,” which got them imprisoned and killed. The picture of the first disciples’ interactions with the authorities looks almost nothing like ours. Ours is all about rights and privileges and done with anger, whereas theirs was all about Christ and even love of their enemy. And speaking of Christ, when a Roman official came to him for help, Jesus lovingly helped him and did not lecture him about the injustice he was a symbol of.

5. I know the prevailing wisdom is that when the world is talking about “X,” the church and its leaders should also talk about “X.” But I kind of wonder if wisdom would be found in talking about “Y” or maybe even “A” instead.

6. Last night we were with some friends and one of them pointed out that it seems as if we are all going to be voting against a candidate (or candidates) rather than voting for one. And even when we spout our slogans, even that is a sign of what we are against and not what we are for. It’s a perceptive realization and one we need to think long and hard about.

7. I think we underestimate the power of beauty to do good. I’m not talking about “pretty.” I’m talking about beauty that transcends the tastes and the fads of the day. What if just like we have medicine, which can heal by coursing through our bodies, what if all that is beautiful can course through our spirits and heal us in the unseen places. Beauty quieter than the falling of a leaf in October and louder than the marches of a thousand armies. I’m talking about Mascagni’s “Intermezzo” and the smile of a old man who refused to grow grumpy because there is glory everywhere the light shines and sometimes even in the dark if you have eyes to see.

8. Trust seems to be at premium these days.

9. I hope someone writes a book about all the small wonders we have rediscovered and begun to appreciate again during the pandemic: good books, libraries, a quiet evening, home-cooked meals, dinner as a family around the table, sunsets, summer dusks, hugs from friends, laughter with friends. I am sure you have your own.

10. Question Everything.

Be like the Bereans. Read your Bible like them and watch and read the news like them and listen to the experts like them. Listen to your friends and enemies like them. Question everything. Not as a jerk. But as one so committed to the truth you do not make snap judgments with easy answers. Don’t buy it just because the people on your side said it. Don’t discount it just because the people on the other side said it. Question everything.

Even this post.

1. Moms, do you remember when almost every other post on Facebook was some novel variation on how to be a better mom? Do you remember how it destroyed all your confidence and joy? Do you remember how it often made you want to give up? Do you remember how debilitating it was and how it affected every part of your life because the guilt felt like an anvil on your soul?

That is what is happening with racism.

2. The gospel according to John is an inexhaustible mine of precious gems.

3. Not only is money deadly, the dream of money is too.

4. From now on, when I talk to men about going in to the ministry, I am going to ask them how comfortable they are at funerals and hospitals.

5. I am consistently amazed at the wisdom of Dallas Willard.

6. My prediction is we will see a mass exit from the church due to the pandemic. Those who were on the periphery or only attended because of programs and children’s events will fall away. They were not animated by a desire to follow Jesus so much as by tradition and convenience. They can get community at the ball field and the country club. Cultural Christianity may very soon be a thing of the past.

7. Obedience and joy are inextricably linked for the Christian.

8. I did the funeral of a friend I have known for over 40 years. That was a first and was bittersweet. Trying to comfort family and friends you have known that long is something very different. Beautiful but different.

9. The irony of fasting is how it not only helps you pray but causes feasting to be a help in prayer also.

10. The value of books and music outside of your current context is they give you perspective outside of your current social media feeds.

1. Unlike our culture, Jesus does not define the members of his kingdom by their sins.

2. Just in case no one told you, change is possible. And I’m not talking about changing the world. I’m talking about changing from a life of fear and frustration, anxiety and anger…death, to a life of peace and joy. If that is not true, then Jesus, our King is a liar.

3. Having access to the internet makes it possible for you to find what you need to be critical of the people you already did not like.

4. What do you dream of? Do you dream of walking with God or just a better and newer version of the American dream without any troubles? Do you dream of walking with God now or only later as a sort of consolation prize after this life is done with? We should assume our dreams are forming us.

5. The Screwtape Letters is a uniquely brilliant piece of writing.

6. If you never read books and listen to music that is hundreds (or thousands) of years old, it will be hard for you to see how many of modernity’s assumptions you hold. But of course, because those books and pieces of music have stood the test of time, they can help us understand this cultural moment.

7. I had an old friend go on ahead of us a couple of days ago. I didn’t find out about it till last night. Hit me like a brick in the chest. We were the same age, though now she stands outside of such notions.

8. I can find no evidence of Paul’s anger at the Empire, even while he was in prison. He doesn’t ridicule them or complain or rail against them. It’s weird.

9. Maybe what we are seeing in our cultural moment is not the problem. Maybe we are now seeing on the outside what has always been the problem on the inside.

10. What is happening in the kingdom of God is never in the news. But it is the best news imaginable.

1. What if God does not look at 2020 like we do and does not think it is a bad year but a year in which his purposes for his people are being furthered?

2. The problem with slogans is they are propaganda. They are meant to do something besides say what you believe. They are more marketing than anything else. And because they are terse, they can be used to mean many things by a variety of people. And that can cause confusion. And what do you think about the ones who will not use the slogan you think is needed? Will you assume the best of them? Also, slogans are usually for a moment or a movement and not for the long haul over a lifetime. We ought to be very cautious with them.

3. To not hold Jesus up as a picture of spiritual, emotional, and mental health would be irresponsible.

4. Most people yearn for the life of the first century church they see in the Scriptures until someone points out the first century Christians lived and taught as if the Empire was a non-issue in their mission.

5. It is possible you can have spiritual health without starting your day with the Scriptures and prayer and instead reading the news and social media first thing in the morning. But I don’t how.

6. If you want to love like Jesus loved when he said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing,” I recommend starting with the cars that cut you off as you drive to and from work.

7. Anger at the Empire is almost entirely absent from the NT, except when we see how the disciples did not understand what Jesus was doing. It is possible the great majority of the American Church does not see what Jesus is doing, either.

8. You will have to dig for beauty in this world that prizes clever and cute and ugliness.

9. The primary political question of those who are citizens of the Kingdom of God is, “How do I love the King and other people?” This does not mean it is wrong to have any concern about the economy and the other concerns of earthly kingdoms. But those concerns are swallowed up in the love of God and neighbor. As soon as we look at the “other side” and scorn them and have no desire to love them, we have slid back into the operating according to the kingdoms of this world.

10. In setting up Redmond Christian Counseling, it is easy to think the important work is done by me and forget all the truly important work is done in places I cannot see.

1. Most every action and statement prescribed by the culture-makers (believer and unbeliever) assumes the highest realities are the seen realities. Think of how different things would be if we all took Paul seriously when he told us to keep our eyes on what is unseen. Not only would it make us more kind, it would make us more patient, and gentle. And loving.

2. Be so enraptured with the kingdom of God that the toppling of the kingdoms of this world are as nothing.

3. Arguments on social media seem to lead to more extreme positions taken by each person and they rarely seem to lead to more moderation or understanding of the other person’s conviction. They only escalate. So if you started at level 3, the argument leaves you at level 6. The next day something else happens and now you are at level 7. That is until someone else argues with you, and now you are at a 9 or 10. Then you “cancel” that person or write them off as a bad person, irredeemable. Though just a few days earlier you would have been far more willing to engage them. Our convictions are not becoming more firm. Our anger is becoming inflamed.

4. There is a moment In A Hidden Life when Franz is in prison and he is being asked to say he will support the Nazi Regime. He is asked, “Don’t you want to be free?” And he responds with, “I am free already.”

5. The news is rarely new.

6. A “canceling” culture cannot separate you from the love of God in Christ.

7. In my theological world, there is not much good news. One group is trying to decide who is Reformed enough and the other is trying out woke everyone. Again, there is not much good news among them.

8. I have twice recently seen someone wearing a shirt with “Change the World” on it. One was a boy who was about 8 years old. The other was a middle-aged woman. What are the assumptions behind such a statement? Do we have a responsibility to approach the world this way? Where does such an idea come from? Is this a command and from whom?

9. They will not stop with toppling statues.

10. I can find no teaching in the NT calling the church to fight anything except their own personal temptations and unbelief. Not the empire. Not the culture around them. Not the Gentiles. Not the Jews. Modernity has blinded us to this reality. It has told us there is always a fight to fight outside of ourselves. Modernity has blinded us to the ever-present need to fight for confidence in the King and his Kingdom.

1. Whatever you think about furnishes the “room” of your mind. So, if you watch a lot of the news, that will be what you think about. It will not only be the furniture in your head but will become what you find comfortable to think about. It’s where your mind will go when at rest. This is critical knowledge for those who want to follow Jesus.

2. “I want to develop discernments that say an unapologetic “no” to ways that violate the gospel of Jesus Christ.” – Eugene Peterson, The Jesus Way

3. The Apostle Paul seems to have seen every move by the state against him as an opportunity to display the glory of Christ.

4. You were not created to bear the emotional weight of daily tragedies throughout the whole of space and time. Social media and the news will try to convince you otherwise. But what if just as we are to focus on the present day’s troubles, we are also meant to focus on the troubles surrounding us? Sufficient are the griefs in our own sphere.

5. We live in a world dominated by entertainment. It was not always like this. Entertainment as we know it and experience it is new on the historical scene. This is why no one stops to think about its effects on us as individuals, families, and a culture. It is neither a right nor should we assume it is good. Even how we evaluate it needs to be thought through. To evaluate entertainment by assessing its entertainment value, assumes it ought to be done for that reason, to entertain. But that ignores God, wholly. Think about it, we are so accustomed to watching TV as a culture, the decision to watch something is made based on its quality. And that quality usually has no reference to God whatsoever.

6. Anxiety is addictive.

7. Silence is not violence. But the statement that says otherwise, by definition is.

8. Nothing in our culture is an aid to contentment. Everything leans into “more” and “better.” Outside of the Scriptures, I would have nothing to convince me of that need.

9. I love that Paul says in Romans 8 that setting our minds on the things of the Spirit is “life and peace.” It would be easy to rush past those words. But that’s important teaching.

10. What if God created us and the world in a such way that not worrying about tomorrow is the healthiest way to live: spiritually, biologically, physiologically, physically, emotionally, and financially?