I wrote recently about the intentional blindness of the folks who still believe the earth is flat, even when presented with evidence that disproves their theories. Two blog readers made some astute comments that I don’t want you to miss.

First, my son Mark shared the following:

Reminds me of the dwarves in The Last Battle [of Chronicles of Narnia]. Not even Aslan can save them because they refuse to believe what is happening around them. 

Or tangentially, Upton Sinclair:

It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on his not understanding it.

– from I, Candidate for Governor: And How I Got Licked

Replace salary with anything else important. Self-worth. Worldview. Ego. YouTube follower count. 

Sometimes it’s far easier to turn away from the truth than admit you’ve been living a lie. – Mark Ewell, email on January 23, 2025

Wow. I hope I’m not holding on to false beliefs .

Then long-time friend and blog-reader Laura McGlothlin shared this with a really good verse:

I guess it takes all kinds!!

Claiming to be wise, they became fools. (Roman 1.22, ESV)

Psalm 27 has been a favorite for a long time…

I was talking with a friend of mine recently, and he was differentiating trials you get “through” to the other side and trials you don’t. I summarize his musings this way:

Let’s say there are two types of situations:

• Type 1: it’s temporary, there is a fix, and life will return to normal or even better than before.
• Type 2: it’s permanent, there is not a fix, and life will not return to “normal.”

His neuropathy is a Type 2, there’s no known cure. My knee replacements were Type 1. And, yes, this prostate glitch is a Type 1. There are treatments for enlarged prostates.

Here’s a newsflash: LIFE is a Type 2. There’s even a verse for that:

Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4.16 – 18, NKJV)

But along the way, God delivers us from “Type 1” situations. That’s what Psalm 27 is about.

1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When the wicked came against me To eat up my flesh, My enemies and foes, They stumbled and fell.
3 Though an army may encamp against me, My heart shall not fear; Though war may rise against me, In this I will be confident.
4 One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD, And to inquire in His temple. (Psalm 27.1 – 4, NKJV)

David expects deliverance:

11 Teach me Your way, O LORD, And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies.
12 Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries; For false witnesses have risen against me, And such as breathe out violence.
13 I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living. (Psalm 27.11 – 13, NKJV)

I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. The Lord is the strength of my life: of whom shall I be afraid?

There’s a beautiful choral arrangement of Psalm 27, done very well by The Stonebriar Community Church Choir of Frisco, Texas. It’s worth the five minutes.

“The Lord Is My Light and My Salvation” by the Stonebriar Community Church Choir

Back to the psalms, when I read, I look for themes and any special word God might have for me.

Psalm 25 has a lot of guidance/teaching verses:

Show me Your ways, O LORD; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day. (Psalm 25.4, 5, NKJV)

Good and upright is the LORD; Therefore He teaches sinners in the way. The humble He guides in justice, And the humble He teaches His way. (Psalm 25.8, 9, NKJV)

Who is the man that fears the LORD? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses. He himself shall dwell in prosperity, And his descendants shall inherit the earth. The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him, And He will show them His covenant. (Psalm 25.12 – 14, NKJV)

And throughout, David is acutely aware of his sin:

Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; According to Your mercy remember me, For Your goodness’ sake, O LORD…For Your name’s sake, O LORD, Pardon my iniquity, for it is great. (Psalm 25.7, 11, NKJV)

Then he closes with a prayer I’m praying with one word change:

Turn Yourself to me, and have mercy on me, For I am desolate and afflicted. The troubles of my heart have enlarged; Bring me out of my distresses! Look on my affliction and my pain, And forgive all my sins. (Psalm 25.16 – 18, NKJV)

“The troubles of my prostate have enlarged; bring me out of my distresses! Look on my affliction and my pain, and forgive all my sins.”

I’ll keep you posted!

Yesterday’s Read It! blog needs to be followed up with this story about Pope Francis asking folks to prevent Brain Rot by avoiding social media. Sean Craig, writing on the Daily Beast, January 27, 2025, reported:

The leader of the Roman Catholic Church calls on his followers to abstain from a lot. Pope Francis’ latest request: stop scrolling. The Vatican head, 88, told an audience at the Jubilee of the World of Communications in Rome at the weekend that too much social media should be avoided because it causes “brain rot”—or putrefazione cerebrale in the more elegant Italian. “Let’s put respect for the highest and noblest part of our humanity back in the center of our hearts, let’s avoid filling it with what rots and makes it rot,” he told an audience of thousands of writers and journalists. “The choices of each of us count, for example, in expelling that ‘brain rot’ caused by the addiction to continuous scrolling on social media, defined by the Oxford Dictionary as the word of the year.”

Good stuff. But I think the Pope missed it when he prescribed a cure:

The pontiff added that the “cure for this disease” is education, especially for young people to ensure they are equipped with media literacy and critical thinking beyond the pull of constantly refreshing feeds.

Education is fine, I guess, but I would say that the cure, for believers, is more time meditating on the Word! I wonder if Psalm 1.1 could apply to too much time on social media:

Oh, the joys of those who do not follow evil men’s advice, who do not hang around with sinners, scoffing at the things of God. (Psalm 1.1, TLB)

Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers. (Psalm 1.1, NIV)

The cure is clear:

But they delight in doing everything God wants them to, and day and night are always meditating on his laws and thinking about ways to follow him more closely. They are like trees along a riverbank bearing luscious fruit each season without fail. Their leaves shall never wither, and all they do shall prosper. (Psalm 1.2, 3, TLB)

“Always meditating on his laws” results in “Their leaves shall never wither…” That is, no brain rot! (Our meditation on Psalm 19 also suggests no brain rot for those who are in the Word.)

Back to my son’s pastor:

Read it!

I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, As much as in all riches. I will meditate on Your precepts, And contemplate Your ways. I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word. (Psalm 119.14 – 16, NKJV)

I thought about my ways, And turned my feet to Your testimonies. I made haste, and did not delay To keep Your commandments. (Psalm 119.59, 60, NKJV)

My son David recently sent me this description of his pastor’s sermon:

You would have loved …the sermon yesterday. Sermons are never perfect, but it was a great message on getting in the word, based on 2 Timothy 3.16-17:

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (NIV84)

One profound and simple moment you would have enjoyed was when Pastor Jed, talking about “now what” once we believe the Word is important, said, “We over complicate things. Read it. Open the book.” The phrase “Read it” was literally a bullet on the screen by itself.

I love it:

READ IT

I wrote him back: “Love it. Doesn’t matter what you believe about the Word if you don’t read it. By contrast, I listened to an online sermon recently that was well-crafted with a lot of good points, but I have no idea what he wanted us to do.”

If you’re a pastor, I beg you, keep it practical. Tell the folks what you (or God!) want them to do. Don’t assume they can figure it out on their own. I wrote about the importance of practical teaching, quoting Andy Stanley:

Practical teaching that moves people to action is one of the primary things God uses to grow our faith...That being the case, our messages and lesson preparations are not complete until we know what we want our audiences to do with what they are about to hear. To grow our congregants’ faith, we must preach and teach for life change. – Andy Stanley, from Deep and Wide

If you’re not a pastor, encourage your pastor to keep it practical and actionable. Don’t demand that your pastor teach you some deep truth you don’t already know. And make every effort to apply at least one thing from every sermon you hear.

And no matter how your pastor preaches, you are responsible to do with the Word what my son David’s pastor recommended:

READ IT

And, put it into practice:

But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. (Matthew 7.26, MSG)

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. (James 1.22, NIV)

Back to Psalm 24 for a quick meditation:

The earth is the LORD’s, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein. (Psalm 24.1, NKJV)

“The earth is the LORD’s, and all its fullness,” which includes spectacular beauty on an ordinary winter day. We didn’t get much snow last weekend, and it wasn’t super cold (for Colorado), but we did get a haze that nicely frosted all the trees before the sun came out. I was looking for just the right place for a picture, and I found it on my own street, returning from an errand:

Have you entered the treasury of snow, or have you seen the treasury of hail…? (Job 38.22, NKJV)

He gives snow like wool; He scatters the frost like ashes. (Psalm 147.16, NKJV)

Psalm 24 has several memorable parts starting with:

The earth is the LORD’s, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein. For He has founded it upon the seas, And established it upon the waters. (Psalm 24.1, 2, NKJV)

“He has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters” takes us back to the first words in the Bible:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light… (Genesis 1.1 – 3, NKJV)

Then something reminiscent of Psalm 15’s answer to the question: LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill?

Here’s Psalm 24’s answer:

Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive blessing from the LORD, And righteousness from the God of his salvation. (Psalm 24.3 – 5, NKJV)

We New Testament believers are tempted to say, “I can’t have clean hands and a pure heart, that’s why we have grace.” True at one level, but we shouldn’t let ourselves off the hook so easily. Jesus said,

Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. (Matthew 5.48, NKJV)

The Apostle Paul told Governor Felix:

So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man. (Acts 24.16, NIV)

And, as we shared the other day, the Apostle John wrote:

All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. (1 John 3.3, NIV)

And we remind ourselves that no matter what is going on, the King of Glory is reigning:

⁷ Lift up your heads, O you gates!
And be lifted up, you everlasting doors!
And the King of glory shall come in.
⁸ Who is this King of glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
The Lord mighty in battle.
⁹ Lift up your heads, O you gates!
Lift up, you everlasting doors!
And the King of glory shall come in.
¹⁰ Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts,
He is the King of glory. Selah (Psalm 24.7 – 10, NKJV)

It’s worth the three minutes to listen to the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square sing “Lift Up Your Heads, O Ye Gates” from Handel’s Messiah from the magnificent 21,000-seat Conference Center of the LDS Church. (I attended a secular concert there about 10 years ago. It’s quite a spectacular building and for this song, reminds us of God’s majesty.)

The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.” And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying: “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign.” (Revelation 11.15 – 17, NIV)

As I wait for my Psalm 20-inspired healing, Psalm 22 reminds me that things don’t always go as well as we’d like. Jesus quoted Psalm 22 from the cross!

My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning? O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; And in the night season, and am not silent. (Psalm 22.1 – 3, NKJV)

It’s a tough read, so I admit that I’m taking a little more comfort in Psalm 23:

1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.
3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever. (Psalm 23, NKJV)

I’m not quite in the shadow of death, but “I will fear no evil” reminds me of a section from one of my favorite psalms:

Surely the righteous will never be shaken;
    they will be remembered forever.
They will have no fear of bad news;
    their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.
Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear;
    in the end they will look in triumph on their foes. (Psalm 112.6 – 8, NIV, emphasis mine)

As I write this, and as I read Psalm 20, I’m in the middle of a bout with a severely enlarged prostate. Three trips to the ER to get some help, and I finally got into the urologist’s office last Wednesday, January 22, where they put in a catheter that works and scheduled me for a cystoscopy on February 10 (way farther out than I would like). We can’t take any action to fix the prostate until after that. So I’m laid up, operating at less than half speed…

Psalm 20 feels like the prayer I need:

May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble; May the name of the God of Jacob defend you; May He send you help from the sanctuary, And strengthen you out of Zion; May He remember all your offerings, And accept your burnt sacrifice. Selah (Psalm 20.1 – 3, NKJV)

Yes, Lord. Please remember me in this day of trouble. May your name defend me. Please send me help from the sanctuary and strengthen me out of Zion. Please remember my offerings.

The psalm ends with a promise:

Now I know that the LORD saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven With the saving strength of His right hand. Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the LORD our God. They have bowed down and fallen; But we have risen and stand upright. (Psalm 20.6 – 8, NKJV)

I appreciate the help I’ve gotten from the medical establishment, some more helpful than others. But I can’t trust “in chariots and horses.” I have to trust “the name of the LORD our God.” I’m praying for healing, however God chooses to send it. I’ll keep you posted.

So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. (Mark 11.22 – 24, NKJV)

…who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. (1 Peter 2.24, NKJV)

Monday, January 20, Ohio State defeated Notre Dame for the College Football Championship. I’m a Clemson guy so I have a right not to be an Ohio State fan. Look it up. That said, I had read before the game and again after the game that there were committed Christians on both sides.

John Stonestreet of BreakPoint wrote an article about the Christians on both teams. Click anywhere on the picture to see the whole article.

Here are some snippets:

Outspoken faith has also been part of the story line in college football this season. This is especially the case with Notre Dame and Ohio State, two teams who put together incredible runs of victories to advance to Monday’s College Football Playoff National Championship game…

Though it’s not unusual for athletes and coaches to thank God after big games, faith in Christ was consistently and specifically credited for the culture of both programs. So much so in fact, that, ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt and Rece Davis made it a point of emphasis in their post-game analysis. As Davis said,  

We hear a lot of times people talk about their faith and people sort of dismiss it. These guys were sharing their faith and reaching out and baptizing guys on campus … not just football teammates. And it became something powerful, not because they thought it was going to be handed to them to win a game, but it changed their relationships. It changed selfishness and made it go away. … It didn’t guarantee they were going to win. And Notre Dame had a lot of that going on as well. We heard [Notre Dame coach] Marcus [Freeman] talk about that a lot this year … that it made guys selfless, and I think that’s the power in it. It’s not some magical thing … it helps you relate to your teammates differently.

The quarterbacks from both sides confirmed this analysis. Ohio State’s Will Howard, accepting the Offensive Player of the Game, said, “First and foremost, I gotta give the glory and the praise to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” He then went on to talk all about his teammates and coaches, emphasizing the strong relationships that made this year so special. 

The losing quarterback, Riley Leonard from Notre Dame said:

Us and Ohio State were the two teams who praised Jesus Christ the most, and I think we strengthened each other in our faith. … I’m happy to see Godly men come out on top no matter what the circumstance is. I’m happy to praise Jesus in the lowest of lows. 

And that’s something we don’t see every day. It’s a false narrative that if we follow Jesus, we always come out on top. It wouldn’t even be possible in this case because both quarterbacks followed Jesus!

It is good that God has people everywhere, even Ohio State! In fact, I already wrote about one football player reaching another at Ohio State – see Priests in ALL Places.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (1 Peter 2.9, ESV)

And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe. For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out… (1 Thessalonians 1.6 – 8, NKJV)