“A Self-Help Influencer with Troubles of Her Own.” The headline appeared in last week’s New York Times and offered enough bait for me to click the link. Full disclosure: I think the existence of “influencers” is a bitter indictment of the sad state of our culture, and I wondered if I might take delight in the woes of one member of a breed of such pernicious persons. I was not disappointed

The article is about an influencer who, according to the Times, “millions look to (…) for advice on how to achieve contentment and maintain healthy relationships.” It turns out that she has achieved little contentment in her own life and that her personal relationships are a disaster, even according to the New York Times, which, in its current iteration, has not seen a left-leaning relationship trend it cannot endorse (currently all in for polyamory). The on-again off-again estrangement with her two partners and the lawsuits filed against one another do not paint a picture of contentment and healthy relationships.

The English Standard Bible translates the Greek word κανῶν as “area of influence” (kanon – from which we get the English word “canon” – a standard or rule of faith and conduct). As Paul writes to the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 11:13-18) he speaks of the area of influence God has assigned. He desires that he might influence others for the sake of the Gospel.

So, was the apostle Paul an early influencer? Must I add his name to the list of pernicious persons polluting the world around them? Maybe not.

The influencer, whose sad story is told in the New York Times, may give good advice and offer self-help on how to achieve happiness and maintain healthy relationships, but at best hers is an example of doing what she says and not what she does. I don’t intend to follow her Instagram posts, listen to her podcast, or read her books, but I will continue to read Paul’s letters.

Paul is a bold “do as I say and do as I do” influencer.

Again, the to the Corinthians, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:1).

To the Thessalonians he writes, “You ought to imitate us . . , (as we) give you an example to imitate.” (2 Thessalonians 3:7-9)

The writer of Hebrews expands the circle from apostles to pastors and elders and Sunday school teachers: “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.” (Hebrews 13:7)

One of the marks of the Christian life is becoming an influencer for the sake of Christ and the good news. We point not to ways we might help ourselves, however, but to the One who has promised his “Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name.” (John 14:26)

Oh, to be a member of such a breed! Who might I influence today?

This past week we visited our daughter, her husband, and our 8-year-old grandson.  In addition to Star Wars and Legos, the 8-year-old loves karate and, related, the old Chuck Norris television series, Walker, Texas Ranger, where the Chuck Norris Texas Ranger typically uses his karate skills to apprehend the villain of the week.

During our visit we were able to attend one of our grandson’s karate lessons and watch an episode of Texas Ranger (and Episode VI of Star Wars). I preferred the karate lesson.

At the karate studio, the sensei (teacher) instructs the karatekas (students) mostly by demonstration. The sensei makes a move and the karatekas mimic what they see. It is a fascinating process. I’m not sure most adults would fare any better, but among the under-10 set there are many lapses in replicating the moves of the sensei. Of course, because the sensei typically faces the karatekas as he or she teaches, the left-right mirror image can be confusing, but at other times the student just doesn’t see what the teacher has done – how high the knee was lifted or whether the punch was a lunge or a hook. Perfection comes through repetition. Continue reading →

If all goes well, Becky and I will be in Memphis visiting family about the time you read this. We should escape our upper Midwest smoke for some deep south heat and humidity – headed towards 100 degrees and 82 percent humidity in Memphis on Monday. Still, it will be warm enough in Indiana while we’re gone, with no or little rain in the forecast. Fortunately, we have a programmable sprinkler system to help keep the lawn half-way healthy. Every other morning the sprinkler heads will pop up and spray their life-giving water on the thirsty grass. 30 minutes for each section. Besides that, not only will the lawn receive its measured dose of water while we’re gone, if it does rain, the system knows not to add more moisture to the wet ground. The WR2 Wireless Sensor is an electronic rain gauge, and once a half an inch of rain falls, the irrigation system is turned off for 24 hours.  No wasted water. No sprinklers spraying while rain is falling. The idea is to keep the lawn green, to conserve water, and to save money on the water bill. It’s a nice system.

The Psalms begin with a description of the righteous person. Like our lawn that needs water in order to remain healthy in the hot summer, the righteous person needs God’s word to remain healthy in the droughts and storms of life. The righteous person is one who “delights in the law of the Lord” and meditates on it day and night. The law of the Lord, the torah, the written word of God given as a gift to the faithful. (Psalm 1:2)

The psalmist paints a picture of the righteous person as being “like a tree planted by streams of water.” (Psalm 1:3) Continue reading →

It was a bad customer service experience, and I was the victim. But I don’t want to talk about my victimhood. I’ll get over it. The short version of the story is that we had made a service appointment several weeks ago with a promise that we would receive text-message reminders as the service date neared. Well, the service date came and went with no reminders and no service. In fact, the reason for what we discovered was a cancellation was quite understandable, and, after all, it was a scheduled service call, not an emergency. The frustrating lapse in customer service came after the cancellation. The first time I called about the cancellation, I was told that it couldn’t be helped, but that I might be put on a waiting list for future service, but that they had no idea whether the new service call might be in a few days, a few weeks, or even a few months. Stuff happens. Yes, I was frustrated, and I am afraid my frustration showed – not in expletives or accusations but in tone.

I waited a week to make my next call, and as my frustration subsided, I vowed to myself not to add to the tension and anger that fills too much of our social interaction in our age of victimhood.

Back to customer service below. Continue reading →

The heatwave that hit much of the country the first week of July did not spare northeast Indiana. It was hot.

One of those hot days a friend asked me if I still went out to run in the warm mornings. Yes, I did (virtue signaled, please acknowledge – if virtue is its own reward, virtue seen is a close second). I am usually out at daybreak, and so avoided the worst of the high temperatures, but with a 75-degree morning the coolest part of the day, the 86-degree “real feel” put me well into the warm-running category. The 80% humidity didn’t help.

There’s a lot not to like about running in the heat, but there was something invigorating about it, too. Despite the sweat, it felt great. Was it a runner’s high from the heat causing more endorphins to be released? Were my muscles and joints more limber than on cold mornings? Or was it just the reward of my virtue? I asked Google why I was feeling so good, and I was told that one of the advantages of warm-weather running is, “increased maximum cardiac output (measured in liters/minute of blood flow) and increased blood plasma volume, both contributing to an increase in VO2max. (VO2max is the maximum rate of oxygen consumption, often referred to as the size of one’s ‘engine’.)”

Nothing makes you feel good like an increased VO2max.

This week’s morning temperatures, even “real feel,” have been back into the lower 60s. No virtue in such running and I think my VO2max may have decreased a bit. Still, there’s a lot to like about running in the cool(er) of the morn. Looks like we’ll be back to hot by the middle of next week, however. Get ready to rise, VO2max! Continue reading →