One Good Thing This Week
I spent a few days in Colorado speaking at a BetterMan launch. While I was there I had some time with an older saint who has traversed many mountains and valleys (literal & spiritual). He told me one of the best practices/exhortations I have ever heard… He said that he prays every day, “Lord, make me Paul from behind and Timothy from the front…”
I asked him what he meant. He said, “Those behind me would look to me for guidance, and those coming towards me would see someone open and willing to learn.” So good.
I asked him where he picked that up. He said from the GOAT, Bill Bright (also 2 Timothy 2:2).
More of us need to adopt this prayer… “Lord, make me a Paul from behind and Timothy from the front.”
One Concerning Thing This Week
86 years ago, this week, the Evian Conference convened in France. Representatives from 32 nations attended the conference, and 24 voluntary organizations, gathered to address the problem of German and Austrian Jewish refugees wishing to flee persecution by Nazi Germany. The conference turned out to be ill-fated; aside from the Dominican Republic and later Costa Rica, delegations from the 32 nations failed to come to any agreement about accepting the Jewish refugees fleeing the Third Reich. The conference inadvertently proved to be a valuable tool for the Nazi propaganda. Adolf Hitler responded to the news of the conference by saying,
“I can only hope and expect that the other world, which has such deep sympathy for these criminals [Jews], will at least be generous enough to convert this sympathy into practical aid. We, on our part, are ready to put all these criminals at the disposal of these countries, for all I care, even on luxury ships…”
Turns out Hitler was lying. He had other plans.
I do not play much in the geopolitical space, but I do know this: the strong should always help the weak. The rich should always help the poor. Everyone who falls should have access to an outstretched hand. Bad things happen when good people do nothing.
Cicero was right “Non nobis solum nati sumus” (Not for ourselves alone are we born).
My 3 Favorite Quotes of the Week
“Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them.” ―Dalai Lama
“A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.” ―James Keller
“I don't know why it is, but every time I reach out for something I want, I have to pull back because other people will suffer.” ― Arthur Miller, All My Sons [This one hit different]
I’m throwing in an extra one this week… “Don't push your way to the front; don't sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.” — The Apostle Paul [Phil. 2:3-4, Message Bible]
Stat(s) I Found Fascinating [And Alarming] This Week
On average, a child smiles 400x per day. Adults smile 20 [source: National Insitute of Health].
On average, children ask 125 questions per day. Adults ask 6 [source: Ed.Gov].
On any given day, the average adult spends 95% of their time thinking about themselves. We spend 47% of our time thinking about something other than what we are currently doing, checking email every 6 minutes, and getting pulled into conversations at least 10x a minute.
Brothers, a self-centered, mindless day can easily compound into a self-centered mindless week, month, or year. The habits we allow today point to our future selves. As Aristotle said, “We are the sum of our actions, and therefore our habits make all the difference.” Smile more. Ask questions. Spend less time thinking about yourself.
My Favorite Meme This Week
Looking for my Batman T-shirt as we speak…
Song I had on Repeat This Week
Okay, this is more of a “poem” but I love it. And I have listened to Zach’s new album non-stop. Bass Boat. Funny Man. Great American Bar Scene. Unreal. My fav on the album… today it’s Northern Thunder…
“Why's everyone actin' like they ain't human?
Take me back to green grass and knowin' what I's doin'
'Cause I just need a friend right now
Sittin' close until the daylight's out
It ain't been my week, it ain't been my year
And I hate to admit I just need you here”
Book(s) I Read This Week
Born Standing Up by Steve Martin
Phenomenal book. I laughed out loud and cried listening to this book (the Audible version is Martin reading the book). I had no idea how ingenious Steve Martin is. How determined. How haunted he is by his past. The subplot (that kinda becomes the main plot) is the relationship between him and his father… I won’t spoil how it ends, but here is an excerpt from the book:
“...My father muttered something to me, and I responded with a mumbled "What". He shouted, "You heard me," thundered up from his chair, pulled his belt out of its loops, and inflicted a beating that seemed never to end. I curled my arms around my body as he stood over me like a titan and delivered the blows. This was the only incident of its kind in our family. My father was never physically abusive toward my mother or sister and he was never again physically extreme with me. However, this beating and his worsening tendency to rages directed at my mother - which I heard in fright through the thin walls of our home - made me resolve, with icy determination, that only the most formal relationship would exist between my father and me, and for perhaps thirty years, neither he nor I did anything to repair the rift.
The rest of my childhood, we hardly spoke; there was little he said to me that was not critical, and there was little I said back that was not terse or mumbled. When I graduated from high school, he offered to buy me a tuxedo. I refused because I had learned from him to reject all aid and assistance; he detested extravagance and pleaded with us not to give him gifts. I felt, through a convoluted logic, that in my refusal, I was being a good son. I wish now that I had let him buy me a tuxedo, that I had let him be a dad. Having cut myself off from him, and by association the rest of the family, I was incurring psychological debts that would come due years later in the guise of romantic misconnections and a wrongheaded quest for solitude.
I have heard it said that a complicated childhood can lead to a life in the arts. I tell you this story of my father and me to let you know I am qualified to be a comedian.”
For anyone who grew up listening to/watching Steve Martin, this is a must-read. And if you don’t know who Steve Martin is, read it anyway. You’re welcome.
Video I Watched This Week
Psalm 24 was part of my bible reading this week. It reminded me of a short clip of Paul Washer sharing about the ascension of the Lord. Spend five minutes watching this. Jesus is the King of Glory. Amen and amen.
What God Showed Me This Week
John 8:36, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
The Lord showed me something so simple, yet so profound this week:
Conviction is feeling guilt over unconfessed sin, and it comes from the Holy Spirit.
Condemnation is feeling guilt over confessed sin, and it comes from the Enemy.
Sometimes seeing the difference is difficult. Author Michael Foster shares what he calls the Five Condemnments, the rules we inflict ourselves with that run through our minds…
1. I don't deserve a second chance.
2. I am my shame. I am my secrets.
3. I will always feel and be this way.
4. I am defined by my worst moments.
5. My life, my dreams, my hopes no longer matter.
We have to push back against condemnation with Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. If God has forgiven you, it is right and good to forgive yourself. Christ is in the business of second chances. And third. And fourth chances. As Dr. Hershal York once told me, “Chris, when your repentance is more notorious than your sin, you're okay.”
Forgive yourself today friend, God already has.
I hope you have a spectacular week. May the road rise to meet you, may the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, the rains fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of his hand.
Love y’all,
—Harp