It’s St Patrick’s Day. I can’t do better than reprise what I first posted in 2023.

For all the hoopla and wild parties that some practice on March 17, the real story of St. Patrick is worth remembering. A friend and Navigator colleague who is from Northern Ireland summarizes it this way:

It’s important to remember that Patrick was a great missionary. He was an apostle to the Irish in the AD 400s and was used by God to convert the Celts of Ireland to Christianity, despite opposition from those who practiced the Druid religion. – Andrew Henderson

There’s more to the story, including the fact that Patrick was taken from his home in Britain to Ireland and sold as a slave, escaping after six years. Then he returned, years later, to evangelize the people who enslaved him. A nice summary written by Chuck Colson in 2006 is worth the read.

Last year, my friend and Navigator colleague Bill Mowry wrote an extraordinary piece on how Patrick incorporated art and imagination to reach the Irish. This is also an excellent read.

I can’t add to what Chuck and Bill have said except to note that the Apostle Paul was St Patrick’s model:

Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” (Acts 21.13, ESV)

For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. (1 Corinthians 9.19 – 22, ESV)

Yesterday’s Fret Not piece was triggered by two essays encouraging us not to fall prey to negative news about AI. Isaiah’s warning bears repeating:

For the LORD spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: “Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But the LORD of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. (Isaiah 8.11 – 13, ESV)

But Isaiah is always telling us to fret not. Here it is in our reading for today, Isaiah 51:

Listen to me, you who know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear not the reproach of man, nor be dismayed at their revilings. For the moth will eat them up like a garment, and the worm will eat them like wool, but my righteousness will be forever, and my salvation to all generations. (Isaiah 51.7, 8, ESV, emphasis mine)

I, I am he who comforts you; who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, of the son of man who is made like grass, and have forgotten the LORD, your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth, and you fear continually all the day because of the wrath of the oppressor, when he sets himself to destroy? And where is the wrath of the oppressor? (Isaiah 51.12, 13, ESV, emphasis mine)

Some people say that “Fear not” appears in the Bible 365 times, one for every day of the year. It’s an important message.

And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. (Matthew 8.23 – 26, ESV, emphasis mine)

I’ve said before that when I get the same word from two disparate sources, I pay attention.

First, a preface: I’ve written about Artificial Intelligence (AI) negatively twice recently. Once was to note that some popular “singers,” both secular and Christian were completely AI generated. The other time was to caution against using AI as a life coach. But I have not participated in the gloom and doom talk that’s prevalent these days.

Both Seth Godin and Sahil Bloom spoke to that phenomenon a couple of days apart. First Seth. In his daily blog of March 4, he links to an interview he gave recently. I haven’t listened to all of it yet, but the opening grabbed me.

Responding to a prompt “Are you pro-AI?” Seth said something like this:

Let’s think about it like the weather. You can be pro-snow or anti-snow, but if it’s snowing out, it’s still snowing out.

I’m glad there are electric typewriters instead of manual typewriters. I’m glad there are spell checkers. Am I glad AI is going to cause disruption to people I care about and industries I care about? It doesn’t matter.

Let me interrupt here. Seth said his reaction to AI’s (possible) disruption doesn’t matter. Like snow (Seth lives in New York, and I’m sure snow was fresh on his mind.), AI is here whether we’re for it or against it. I think that falls under the category of why have opinions about something you can do nothing about? Seth continues:

Here is this tool…and I’m playing with it joyously. I’m aware that people can make arguments about it all day long. It’s just a waste of time. When photography came along, painters were furious. So were wedding photographers when the iPhone came along.

Again, it’s a waste of time to make arguments and say that AI technology is going to put people out of business. I notice we still appreciate artists and some folks still make their living photographing weddings. A few months ago someone writing in the Wall Street Journal pointed that out that a “You’d better believe it” prediction was made several years ago that AI would put radiologists out of business. A few years later we have more radiologists than ever.

Sahil Bloom, writing just three days after Seth’s March 4 blog said that his news feeds are blowing up with negative reports about AI. Why? Quite simply:

Negativity drives online news consumption.

Sahil cites research that claims, “For a headline of average length, each additional negative word increased the click-through rate by 2.3%.” Graphically:

Sahil’s piece is worth the read in its entirety. He opens the second part of his essay with:

So, yes, I feel like I need to say something about AI…And this may not be popular…I’m optimistic about the future. – Sahil Bloom, emphasis his

In other words,

Fret not!

The day I read Sahil Bloom’s optimism about AI, Christianity Today published an article by a professor who used AI to help him research Jesus’ teaching and miracle priorities. Seth Godin uses AI to do “tasks” so that he freer to create new content. Sahil Bloom closes with…

So, let’s all strive to be a bit more optimistic. Not blindly, but thoughtfully. By becoming aware of the overwhelming bias towards negativity. By making a concerted effort to balance your information diet…I don’t think there is any denying that the coming few decades will have periods of uncertainty. Jobs that felt safe may no longer be. Career paths we planned for will get shaken up. To paraphrase Mark Twain, a lot of things we know for sure probably just ain’t so. But despite all of that, you’ll make it through. – Sahil Bloom, emphasis his

Isaiah told us centuries ago:

For the LORD spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: “Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But the LORD of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. (Isaiah 8.11 – 13, ESV)

Here I am with my oldest son, Mark, celebrating last year’s Pi Day at the Pi Bar in Colorado Springs. (Note the pot pies!) He’s sporting his pi cufflinks, and I’m wearing the shirt that shows the 6-digit version of my birthday, 121346, occurring about 5.3 million digits into the decimal expansion of pi.

I reprise what I wrote last year…

Is it important that my birthday sequence occurs 5.3 million digits into the decimal expansion of pi? Not at all. But pi is important for a variety of mathematical reasons as I have written about before.

Pi is also a reminder about truth. Some things are true, and your opinion and mine don’t matter. “I think pi should be 3.1 (or 3.2 as the state of Indiana tried to legislate in 1897).” Nope. Doesn’t work that way. Neither do boys identifying as girls or the other way around. On a television talk show, a panelist said something like, “Parents are understandably upset that their daughters are forced to compete against boys.” To which another panelist said, “They’re not boys!” Uh…yes, they are. Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, not a believer as far as I know, took a lot of heat for saying something like, “You don’t get to be a woman by declaring yourself to be one.”

So enjoy a pot pie or piece of pie on Pi Day and remember, there is such a thing as truth.

“You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” “What is truth?” retorted Pilate. (John 18.37, 38, NIV)

For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. (John 1.17, NIV)

Yesterday we began to look at “The Servant,” first introduced in Isaiah 42. Today we continue in Isaiah 50 and see, I think for the first time, the Suffering Servant, which will culminate in Isaiah 53. Not a bad section to meditate on during Lent.

Isaiah 50 opens with the Servant’s daily Time with God:

The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary. Morning by morning he awakens; he awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught. The Lord GOD has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious; I turned not backward. (Isaiah 50.4, 5, ESV)

A good model: “morning by morning…the Lord GOD has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious…”

Then comes the Suffering Servant part:

I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting. (Isaiah 50.6, ESV)

Fulfilled…

Then they spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him…and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified. (Matthew 26.67, 27.26, ESV)

And Jesus got through it through strength provided by the Father:

But the Lord GOD helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame. (Isaiah 50.7, ESV)

“I have set my face like a flint” is often conflated with this verse in Luke’s Gospel:

When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. (Luke 9.51, ESV)

“Set his face to go to Jerusalem.” The “like a flint” comes from Isaiah 50. But knowing what was coming, Jesus persisted. It gets worse as we continue through Isaiah. Stay tuned.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. (Hebrews 12.1 – 3, ESV)

PS We’re blessed with another Friday 13th! Two months in a row.

We enter into a series of chapters in Isaiah that talk about “The Servant of the Lord.” We already saw him in Isaiah 42. It begins:

Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. (Isaiah 42.1, 2, ESV)

Note the theme: “Justice to the nations.” It continues in chapter 49, which we looked at briefly last week:

And now the LORD says, he who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him; and that Israel might be gathered to him— for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD, and my God has become my strength— he says: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” (Isaiah 49.5, 6, ESV)

Both Jesus and Paul claimed guidance from these verses, and Jesus certainly lived it out. We just watched the episode in The Chosen (Season 2, Episode 1) where Jesus and the disciples are in Samaria, and James and John just want Samaritans to be consumed by fire!

When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” But he turned and rebuked them. (Luke 9.51 – 55, ESV)

“Jesus turned and rebuked them.” Jesus came for everyone, including (hated) Samaritans. The Chosen has Jesus explaining to James and John that it’s hard to reach people if we’re busy calling down destruction on them!

Isaiah was clear that the Good News is for everyone, and Jesus was even clearer in his parting words:

Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” (Luke 24.45 – 47, ESV)

All nations, beginning from Jerusalem (because that’s where they were!). Lorne Sanny, the second International President of The Navigators said, “You cannot reach the world starting from where you are not!”

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. (Acts 1.8, ESV)

Jerusalem -> Judea -> Samaria -> to the end of the earth

It’s for everyone and that idea is not new!

If we’re not careful, we see obedience to God’s Word as an arduous, distasteful challenge. In fact, a recurring theme of scripture is that obedience is for our good:

Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go. Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea; your offspring would have been like the sand, and your descendants like its grains; their name would never be cut off or destroyed from before me.” (Isaiah 48.17 – 19, ESV)

“If you had paid attention…your peace would have been like a river…”

As I say, a recurring theme. Look at Moses’ near-final words to the Israelites:

But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.

See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you today, by loving the LORD your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it.

But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse.

Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.” (Deuteronomy 30.14 – 20, ESV)

“Therefore choose life…” When people today live an undisciplined life, pursuing the pleasures of the moment, I want to say, “How’s that working for you?” In our area, there’s the sad story of a quarterback for the University of Colorado. 23 years old. At first we were told simply, “The young man died…” Then the story came out as reported in the Denver Post:

The Opa-locka, Fla. native was involved in a single-vehicle crash in Boulder early Sunday morning, according to a release from the Colorado State Patrol.

Ponder was driving a 2023 Tesla Model 3 and heading west on Baseline Road when he lost control on a right-hand curve around 3 a.m.

“The Tesla went across the eastbound lane and hit a guardrail,” the release says. “The vehicle continued through the guardrail. The Tesla then struck an electrical line pole and rolled down an embankment, landing on its wheels and catching on fire.”

Ponder was pronounced dead at the scene.

Sometimes you only get one oops. What’s he doing out at 3am? Did his football money enable him to buy a Tesla? We know Teslas are VERY fast. Possibly, he had been drinking, but it’s probably hard to administer a blood-alcohol test on a burned body.

Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment. (Ecclesiastes 11.9, ESV)

For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 12.11, ESV)

Continuing through Isaiah, chapter 46 contains a lovely word for those of us advancing in years (I turn 80 in December):

…even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save. (Isaiah 46.4, ESV)

There’s another diatribe against idols (Isaiah 46.5 – 7), then a reminder of God’s power:

Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors, remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’ calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it. (Isaiah 46.8 – 11, ESV)

And God will use his power against Babylon:

Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon; sit on the ground without a throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans! For you shall no more be called tender and delicate…Sit in silence, and go into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans; for you shall no more be called the mistress of kingdoms. I was angry with my people; I profaned my heritage; I gave them into your hand; you showed them no mercy; on the aged you made your yoke exceedingly heavy. You said, “I shall be mistress forever,” so that you did not lay these things to heart or remember their end. Now therefore hear this, you lover of pleasures, who sit securely, who say in your heart, “I am, and there is no one besides me; I shall not sit as a widow or know the loss of children”: These two things shall come to you in a moment, in one day; the loss of children and widowhood shall come upon you in full measure, in spite of your many sorceries and the great power of your enchantments. (Isaiah 47.1, 5 – 9, ESV)

Evil is temporary. We don’t yet know the outcome of the current Middle East war, but for sure, Ayatollah Khamenei is dead.

This much is clear: Ayatollah Khamenei will not be a part of that future. Any way you look at it, that’s good news. These massive attacks have forced open a door for a new future in Iran. Let’s pray that the right leadership emerges to point the Iranian people through that door. – Al Mohler, World Magazine, March 2, 2026

It is not a given that “right leadership” will emerge in Iran. It’s a challenge because of lack of “institutions” in the Middle East. My friend Mike Metzger writes in his essay “Tactics without Telos:”

It’s hard to imagine [“right leadership”] ever happening in Iran under Islam. Which is why, while I see merit in removing a murderous regime, my concern is that it is merely tactics without telos. The real losers will be Iranians who, like the Lebanese since 2005, have had their hopes raised, only to be dashed because Islam is not ruled by reliable institutions. Mike Metzger, March 4, 2026.

I told Mike that in a culture that eschews institutions for one powerful leader, the only cure is not democracy but a benevolent dictator. Unfortunately, those are hard to come by since “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

We’re back to reliance on God:

I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, “My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose…” (Isaiah 46.9, 10, ESV)

Jesus is our benevolent dictator!

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. (Luke 4.18, 19, ESV)

I confess I’m only dimly aware of Dennis Prager. Wikipedia summarizes him this way:

Dennis Mark Prager (born August 2, 1948) is an American conservative radio talk show host and writer. He is the host of the nationally syndicated radio talk show The Dennis Prager Show. In 2009, he co-founded PragerU which creates content advocating capitalism and promosting conservative viewpoints on various political, economic and cultural topics.

Regardless of your political and economic views, his essay Mostly Paralyzed but Happy to Be Alive, published February 26, 2026, in the Wall Street Journal is worth the read in its entirety. Here are some snippets:

I wrote a book called “Happiness Is a Serious Problem” in 1998, which stressed two important insights. First, happiness isn’t to be awaited but must be pursued. Second, expectations are a major impediment to happiness. They undermine the greatest source of happiness: gratitude.

The more you expect, the less grateful you will be for what you have; the less you expect, the more grateful. In 100 or so talks I’ve given on happiness, I said, “While I have good reason to assume I will be healthy tomorrow, I do not expect to be. I may have a heart attack or discover a cancerous lump, or I may have a stroke, or some other life-threatening event or illness. As a result, I walk around every day with gratitude for my continued health.”

On Nov. 12, 2024, everything I wrote was put to the test. I had a catastrophic fall at home, which left me paralyzed from the shoulders down. The doctor at the hospital told my wife and son that I should be put on palliative care to make my final days as painless as possible. Truth be told, the fall should have killed me.

…Tested as they were, none of my views on happiness changed. They enabled me to forestall depression. I still believe happiness isn’t to be awaited but must be pursued. And because I have almost no expectations, I am not battling traumatic disappointment.

I’ve experienced considerable pain, both physical and emotional. I’ve gone from broadcasting a daily radio show, writing a weekly column, flying to deliver at least one lecture a week, and taking at least one listener cruise a year to a bedridden life. These monumental changes arrived in a split second, and I’ve replayed the fall in my mind countless times.

…Life’s traumas come in many forms: the loss of a child, divorce, drug addiction, illness, financial disaster and depression. It’s human to mourn one’s situation, but it’s our responsibility to fight our way back to a happy life or at least to make the most of our situation. Life is too precious and too short for self-pity, even under trying circumstances.

…From the day I regained consciousness, I realized I had only three alternatives: death, depression or perseverance. Since I don’t want to die and I don’t want to be depressed, my choice is obvious. I will continue enjoying my family and friends, resume broadcasting, write books and columns and produce more PragerU videos. – Dennis Prager, emphases mine

The Apostle Paul would agree…

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned, in whatever situation I am, to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4.11 – 13, ESV)

Rejoice always …give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5.16, 18, ESV)

…as would Abraham Lincoln:

Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be.

On Wednesday we considered the calendar’s command to “March Forth!” My friend and Navigator colleague Debbie Friley, who lives in St Petersburg, Florida, gets up every day with a clear vision to “march forth” and share the gospel. She sent this story a couple of weeks ago. Too good not to share:

What you’re about to read was bathed in prayer long before these men arrived to deliver my new table. I prayed over my living room and kitchen, asking God to fill each room with His presence. I even put on praise music while they were here because “God inhabits the praises of His people.” 🥰

Today, my new table was delivered and assembled by three guys. I made them espressos, and afterward I asked if I could talk with them for a few minutes. They all agreed — and even said they had time. They are all from Venezuela. We stood together in my kitchen as I clearly shared the gospel with them. Each one acknowledged that they are sinners and that they could not get to heaven by their works. All three prayed to receive Christ right there in my kitchen. We joined hands and prayed together, and immediately afterward one of the men texted his wife to tell her what had just happened!

The angels were rejoicing in heaven today!

“There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” — Luke 15:10

Please pray for Ricardo, Jesus, and Dioskar.

We all rejoiced that they came to Jesus on ❤️ Valentine’s Day — and I reminded them they will never forget that! They wholeheartedly agreed. Please pray that God will send believers to follow up with them (they work for Wayfair).

Of course, I tipped each of them generously. One of the new believers held up the Bible and said, “Thank you for the tip — but this is the greatest gift of all.” ❤️

Debbie attached a picture of the guys and a (not so good) picture of herself:

So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” They went out of the town and were coming to him…Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” (John 4.28 – 30, 39, ESV)