Bob Dylan
received the Nobel Prize in Literature yesterday. One of his most famous songs was recorded in 1964. It
ends:
"The line it is drawn the curse it is cast / The slow one now will
later be fast / As the present now will later be past / The order is
rapidly fadin' / And the first one now will later be last / For the
times they are a-changin'!"
Dylan is more right today than ever.
The Wall Street Journal reports
that just one in five millennials has ever tried a Big Mac. To win them
back, McDonald's has created digital media hubs in Singapore, London,
and Illinois.
According to
The Washington Post,
TV ratings for NFL games are down 11 percent from last season. One
significant factor is the number of people watching games on digital
platforms that do not contribute to television ratings. For more, see
Ryan Denison's
Why the NFL is losing viewers.
A robot was unveiled yesterday that will cut your grass, collect leaves,
and shovel snow—all autonomously. It costs a mere $3,999. According to
CNN,
Facebook and Google are teaming up to build a gigantic Internet cable
under the Pacific Ocean to China. And Marie Osmond turned fifty-seven
yesterday. If you don't know who she is, that's my point.
Cultural transformation leaves casualties in its wake. Note this
Wall Street Journal headline:
"Students Flood College Mental-Health Centers." The number of college
students diagnosed with or treated for anxiety problems has risen 50
percent in the last five years. The
Journal also
reports
that America's technology boom has not produced enough jobs—employment
at computer and electronic firms has fallen by more than 40 percent
since 1990.
How should we respond to the angst of our day?
The best way to deal with a changing world is to depend completely on an
unchanging God. When you need guidance today, remember that "the fear
of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Psalm 111:10). When last did
you fear God?
Tim Keller
tweeted
yesterday: "Western cultures want a God who is loving and forgiving but
not holy and transcendent." Of course, we cannot separate the
attributes of a person, much less of the Lord. His love and forgiveness
are expressions of his holiness and transcendence.
Take a moment today to envision God as Isaiah experienced him: "I saw
the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his
robe filled the temple" (Isaiah 6:1). Hear the seraphs shout his
holiness. Feel the "foundations of the thresholds" shake. Smell the
temple "filled with smoke" (vs. 2–4).
Now say with Isaiah: "Woe is me!" (v. 6). Confess God's utter majesty
and your utter need. Receive his forgiving mercy (vv. 6–7). Then
surrender to his call to your culture: "Here I am! Send me" (v. 8).
Are you awed by God today?
Note: For three reasons to be encouraged in today's moral climate, please see my new website article,
The latest Cover Girl is a boy.
Also, I want to invite you to join our ministry and the Dallas Baptist
University Institute for Global Engagement for the Leadership Lecture
Series featuring Irish singer/songwriters and recording artists, Keith
and Kristyn Getty. Best known for the hymns "In Christ Alone," "Speak, O
Lord," "Solid Ground," and "The Power of the Cross," the Gettys are
among the preeminent hymn composers of this generation. Their music has
been shared at the GMA Dove Awards, Franklin Graham Festivals, the Third
Lausanne Conference on World Evangelization, and television
performances for Public Television and the BBC.
This night of worship will take place on Monday, October 17, starting at
7 p.m. in the Patty & Bo Pilgrim Chapel of Dallas Baptist
University. Visit
www.dbu.edu/gettyconcert to reserve your space. Seating is limited. Tickets are $5.00 per person.
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar