One Little Word newsletter - November 14, 2022
Finding your calling, America's engagement in the world, school of choice programs, and a midterm election analysis
Dear Friends,
The temps are dropping here (finally) in Fort Worth. It feels a bit like Nashville feels in, say, October and Chicago feels in, say, September. So the sweatshirts and sweater-vests are out again and all is well in the world. I’m cranking up Christmas music, but also not totally swamping Thanksgiving, which is a glorious holiday. We’ll spend that week in Chicago with my family. This time of year is awesome.
Awesome and busy. I’m wrapping up classes this semester and jumping into prep for a January two-week class on ethics for Texas Baptist College. I’m also scrambling to finish the syllabi for two classes in the Spring semester: Religion and Public Policy and The Church and The Digital Age. I’m also busy raising money for The Land Center. If you like what we are doing, would you consider and end-of-year gift?
Speaking of Christmas, don’t forget my book The Characters of Christmas for your advent reading. A few things I’ve been working on:
If you missed my latest for USA Today Opinion, evangelicals have said they want both a porous border fixed, and they want a broken system fixed. Will the political parties listen?
My latest for Lifeway Research: 8 steps for finding unity in the church after an election.
My piece for SWBTS shatters three myths about finding your calling to help people understand what it looks like to know how God will use you for his kingdom.
My podcast conversation with Mark Sayers whose insights on leadership are uniquely insightful, profound, and relevant.
If you missed it, I wrote something here last week on the 5 common mistakes leaders make.
Here are a few interesting things I've been reading:
Rebeccah Heinrichs has a really good piece on the importance of America's engagement in the world:
“The US cannot simply leave entire regions of the world alone because they are ‘far away...’ Harmful ideologies land like a spark on parched leaves when taught to a classroom full of hopeless and hungry youth, spreading across the globe like violent wildfires.”
This is a good story by Holly Meyer of the AP on the school of choice programs offered at St. Marcus Lutheran Church’s attached school, highlighting this movement’s success.
Here’s a great analysis of the midterm elections here by Fred Bauer.
"The 2022 midterms also indicate the limits of disruption. Instability likely increases the appetite for candidates and parties who seem steady."
This is a must read by Tim Keller on how Christian should speak in public.
Here are the books I’m reading:
I’m going thru Invitation to Conservatism by Roger Scruton. This will be one of the required books in my Religion and Public Policy class. It’s so good, a basic run-thru of the history of conservatism. Scruton is always good to read.
Today I’m going to read and download and start So Help Me God by former Vice-President Mike Pence.