The Gospel Coalition

Strangely fascinating – “What Kids of the World Eat at School” – a photo essay

When Jon Stewart Cried on TV:

Stewart gives a lengthy opening monologue which is interrupted at numerous points by his attempts to choke back tears. He swears-off making jokes about President Bush for the foreseeable future. And he makes an apology for the fact that his show must go on.

Holland’s Post-Secular Future - Christianity is Dead. Long Live Christianity!

When the “corporate prayer” movement first started in 1996, few people in Holland took any notice. Why should they have done so? After all, Holland’s manifest destiny was to become a fully secularized country, in which prayer was considered at best an irrational but harmless pastime. That was then.

Justin Wise – “Social Media Are About Sharing Content, Not Conversation“:

The more time and effort I invest into social media, the more I’m convinced these platforms exist to enable people to share content they care about, not conversation. In other words, what matters most to people on social networks is sharing a content-centered, communal experience with their online community.

To put it bluntly, people don’t care about your organization. They care about the experience your social networks allow them to have with their friends, family and co-workers.

By A. W Tozer

This is the prayer of a man called to be a witness to the nations. This is what he said to his Lord on the day of his ordination. After the elders and ministers had prayed and laid their hands on him he withdrew to meet his Saviour in the secret place and in the silence, farther in than his well-meaning brethren could take him. And he said:

O Lord, I have heard Thy voice and was afraid. Thou hast called me to an awesome task in a grave and perilous hour. Thou are about to shake all nations and the earth and also heaven, that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. O Lord, our Lord, Thou has stopped to honor me to be Thy servant. No man takes this honor upon himself save he that is called of God as was Aaron. Thou has ordained me Thy messenger to them that are stubborn of heart and hard of hearing. They have rejected Thee, the Master, and it is not to be expected that they will receive me, the servant.

My God, I shall not waste time deploring my weakness nor my unfittedness for the work. The responsibility is not mine but Thine. Thou hast said, “I knew thee—I ordained thee—I sanctified thee,” and Thou has also said, “Thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.” Who am I to argue with Thee or to call into question Thy sovereign choice? The decision is not mine but Thine. So be it, Lord. Thy will, not mine, be done.

Well do I know, Thou God of the prophets and the apostles, that as long as I honor Thee Thou wilt honor me. Help me therefore to take this solemn vow to honor Thee in all my future life and labors, whether by gain or by loss, by life or by death, and then to keep that vow unbroken while I live.

It is time, O God, for Thee to work, for the enemy has entered into Thy pastures and the sheep are torn and scattered. And false shepherds abound who deny the danger and laugh at the perils which surround Thy flock. The sheep are deceived by these hirelings and follow them with touching loyalty while the wolf closes in to kill and destroy. I beseech Thee, give me sharp eyes to detect the presence of the enemy; give me understanding to distinguish the false friend from the true. Give me vision to see and courage to report what I see faithfully. Make my voice so like Thine own that even the sick sheep will recognize it and follow Thee.

Lord Jesus, I come to Thee for spiritual preparation. Lay Thy hand upon me. Anoint me with the oil of the New Testament prophet. Forbid that I should become a religious scribe and thus lose my prophetic calling. Save me from the curse that lies dark across the face of the modern clergy, the curse of compromise, of imitation, of professionalism. Save me from the error of judging a church by its size, its popularity or the amount of its yearly offering. Help me to remember that I am a prophet; not a promoter, not a religious manager—but a prophet. Let me never become a slave to crowds. Heal my soul of carnal ambitions and deliver me from the itch for publicity. Save me from the bondage to things. Let me not waste my days puttering around the house. Lay Thy terror upon me, O God, and drive me to the place of prayer where I may wrestle with principalities and powers and the rulers of the darkness of this world. Deliver me from overeating and late sleeping. Teach me self-discipline that I may be a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

I accept hard work and small rewards in this life. I ask for no easy place. I shall try to be blind to the little ways that I could make my life easier. If others seek the smoother path I shall try to take the hard way without judging them too harshly. I shall expect opposition and try to take it quietly when it comes. Or if, as sometimes it falleth out to Thy servants, I shall have grateful gifts pressed upon me by Thy kindly people, stand by me then and save me from the blight that often follows. Teach me to use whatever I receive in such manner that it will not injure my soul nor diminish my spiritual power. And if in Thy permissive providence honor should come to me from Thy church, let me not forget in that hour that I am unworthy of the least of Thy mercies, and that if men knew me as intimately as I know myself they would withhold their honors or bestow them upon others more worthy to receive them.

And now, O Lord of heaven and earth, I consecrate my remaining days to Thee; let them be many or few, as Thou wilt. Let me stand before the great or minister to the poor and lowly; that choice is not mine, and I would not influence it if I could. I am Thy servant to do Thy will, and that will is sweeter to me than position or riches or fame and I choose it above all things on earth or in heaven. Though I am chosen of Thee and honored by a high and holy calling, let me never forget that I am but a man of dust and ashes, a man with all the natural faults and passions that plague the race of men. I pray Thee therefore, my Lord and Redeemer, save me from myself and from all the injuries I may do myself while trying to be a blessing to others. Fill me with thy power by the Holy Spirit, and I will go in Thy strength and tell of Thy righteousness, even Thine only. I will spread abroad the message of redeeming love while my normal powers endure.

Then, dear Lord, when I am old and weary and too tired to go on, have a place ready for me above, and make me to be numbered with Thy saints in glory everlasting. Amen.

-As quote in A Passion for God: The Spiritual Journey of A. W. Tozer by Lyle Dorsett (Chicago, IL; Moody, 2008), pp. 65-68.

One of the greatest and longest-running gags in humor history. Enjoy!

(Note: There are some years in which the strip is not available at the Peanuts archive at GoComics.)

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Seven links for your weekend reading:

1. Truth, Beauty, and Rob Bell – Matthew Lee Anderson interacts with my earlier post this week on Francis Chan’s Erasing Hell. He makes this point, and I agree:

“Because we live in a world where beauty is hardly valued and her imitators adored, we need a more subtle way of discerning what will be around in 500 years from what we will have forgotten in 50.”

2. John Stott and the Weary Evangelical

3. Short video with Matt Chandler and Geoff Ashley discussing the question: “Is Seminary Necessary?”

4. A Look at one of Christianity’s foremost theologians – Irenaeus

5. Ed Stetzer looks at demographics from SBC annual meetings – “What is Trending in the SBC?”

6. How to Throw a Tomahawk Like a Mountain Man (you know, just in case you were wondering)

7. Jared Wilson – “Lessons Learned from 15 Years of Awkward Ministry and Occasional, Providential Brilliance”

I am always encouraged whenever I see teenagers and college students doing amazing things for God’s kingdom. Joshua Guthrie (son of Dr. George Guthrie, professor at Union University) is a young guy making a difference. Inspired by Alex and Brett Harris’ book, Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations, Joshua started a non-profit. I’ve asked him if he would be willing to share his vision and his heart with the readers at Kingdom People.

Trevin Wax: Joshua, tell us a little about yourself.

Joshua Guthrie: Well, my name is Joshua Guthrie; I’m 19 years old and will be an incoming freshman in college at Union University in Jackson, TN this Fall with a major in Mechanical Engineering (so pumped!). I live with my mom, dad, and younger sister here in Jackson, and my hobbies include reading great books, playing video games, dreaming up a fantasy novel and running a non-profit organization.

Trevin Wax: Tell us a bit about that — what is Dollar for a Drink?

Joshua Guthrie: Dollar for a Drink is a 501c-3 non-profit organization (translation: we are an official entity that makes no profit for itself) whose primary mission is to provide fresh water to people around the world, specifically now in Africa. But I’ve also got a secondary mission, and it is this: to get teens and youth involved in the project. The concept behind DfaD (and hence where it gets its name) is to get as many people to donate $1 as you can. This mindset works great with larger group settings (such as a church youth group or school)

Trevin Wax: What can be said about the needs for fresh water around the world?

Joshua Guthrie: Quite a bit. Approximately 1 billion people in the world today (that’s one 7th of the world’s total population!) lack access to clean water, and two out of seven lack access to improved sanitation. This leads to expected issues such as disease and death; waterborne diseases such as diarrhea, typhoid, and cholera are responsible for 80% of illnesses and deaths in the developing world. Ever 18 seconds, a child dies due to a water-borne disease — that’s equivalent to eleven 747 Boeing airplanes crashing and killing all passengers every. single. day.

But the global water crisis doesn’t just affect health; it keeps women from productivity and children (especially girls) from education — Women in developing countries walk an average of 3.7 miles to get water every day. And here we are channeling $100 Billion to the production of bottled water every year, or 10x the amount needed to fix the crisis!

Trevin Wax: When did you start DfaD, and what was your motivation?

Joshua Guthrie: I started DfaD back in the Summer of ’08. Growing up, my family always supported the organization World Vision, through which you could purchase various items for the needy (such as food, farm animals, medicine, etc.), and I had always thought it would be so cool to buy the $10,000 well which would service a whole village. Of course, being 15 I really didn’t have any means of saving up that much and buying one. Or so I thought.

And so my dad just said to me one day, “Why don’t you consider challenging other teens to raise money for wells?” He then got me Alex and Brett Harris’ book Do Hard Things for me to read over the summer, and that’s what gave me the encouraging nudge I needed to get going. This is also where I got my interest to get teens involved especially. So dad and I did the research, got set up with the IRS (a tedious task), and I just… took it from there. Or rather, the Lord did.

Trevin Wax: What have you accomplished thus far, and what are your goals for this year?

Joshua Guthrie: So far DfaD (over the course of two campaigns) has raised approximately $37,000 and installed four wells in Darfur, Sudan, Africa. Since the beginning, DfaD has worked with the organization Baptist Global Response, an org much like World Vision, to install these wells, each of which has gone to an individual village and impacted thousands of people.

But this year we’re expanding our horizons — the goal is for 2 wells in Sudan (if we can get permission with all the chaos that’s going on over there), 9 wells in Mozambique, and 480 in-home filtration systems in Kenya (a single filter system will serve a whole family), for a grand total of $50,000 by the end of the year.

Trevin Wax: How can churches get involved?

Joshua Guthrie: As I said earlier, I have a specific interest in getting teens involved in the project, but people of all ages and walks of life can get involved! What would be neat would be if a youth group adopted the project of their own and then took it to their whole church. The group could either go for a generic goal (i.e. “everyone lend a dollar”) or they could go for something specific (i.e. 10 filter systems @ $25 apiece, or, if the church is large enough, a whole well in Mozambique @ $2,000). You could take up an offering for the project, or the youth could do some sort of fundraiser drive. It’s all up to what the group wants to make it — let your creativity run wild.

In the end, the point is to get fresh water to those who don’t have it. If anyone is interested, they can contact me on the website to ask questions and/or let me know that they’re on board!

Trevin Wax: How does your mission relate to the gospel?

Joshua Guthrie: Everything. As a Christ follower, it is my desire to have His heart for the poor. The whole point of the organization is to spread the living water of Christ to the lost and hurting of the world. You’ve probably noticed in the Bible that whenever Jesus went into town or village he always met the people’s physical needs before he addressed their spiritual needs. In the same way, BGR goes in, installs the wells, and then comes back later for follow-up visits with the people. These visits consist of health and sanitation training, classes, and of course, the spreading of the gospel.

A good friend of mine who has done extensive work in Africa was recently telling me of how they were able to show the Jesus Film to some of the villages DfaD has worked in — the first ever movie translated into their own language, and the first time they had ever heard the gospel in their language! So yes, DfaD is very much about opening doors to gain access for the gospel in closed or semi-closed areas.

Trevin Wax: Thanks for sharing your heart with us today, Joshua. God bless you and your work!

“You Can’t Teach an Old Dog New Tricks?”

Such expressions may seem harmless enough but they are actually little anti-gospels that, repeated over and over, bore into our souls and train us in the lies of hell, rather than the truths of God.

Going against the grain of recent conversations about church architecture, Ben Simpson argues for extravagance:

Generosity must be displayed by the people of God in response to the grace of God that has been given in Jesus Christ.  Therefore, we must both display that truth in all of its beauty, sparing no expense with all willingness to be extravagant, yet simultaneously exercising good judgment and prudence in the allocation of our resources, so as not to squander the gifts we have received as a result of Christ’s ultimate gift, the bearing of our sins on the cross so that we might be reconciled both to God and to one another.

Fred Sanders – “Evangelicals recommending books”:

“Buying and selling books with some, is like buying and selling potatoes.” But evangelicals are in earnest about the books they recommend and pass around to each other. The simple question, “What’s a good book to read on subject X?” is not just a bibliographic query; It can provoke considerable soul-searching. On that book recommendation hangs serious responsibility, and the possibility of great blessing.

Nathan Finn debunks a myth about the Baptist Faith and Message:

I would love to see Southern Baptists refrain from calling our confession The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 because that is not really what the document is. Rather, it is the current edition of the BF&M, and until it is revised again in the future, it will remain the current edition. If and when the BF&M is revised, then and only then will there will be a Baptist Faith and Message 2000—a historic confession of faith, just like the earlier editions that have been replaced by later editions.

I’m not a gadget guy. Unlike some good friends of mine, I can walk into any store without salivating over the newest electronic toys. Knowing there is an iPad2 does not decrease my contentment with iPad1. My older-model Blackberry smart phone still works just fine for me, though I admit the new models look pretty neat.

Even though I’m not one who just has to have the latest technological marvel, I do enjoy tools that help me do other things well (read, connect, write, etc.). Late last fall, my church gave me an iPad as a going-away gift. My pastor knew that I wouldn’t be one to go out and buy one, so he thought it would be nice for the church to treat me to the new Apple tablet.

After a few weeks, I wrote down my initial impressions of the iPad, remarking on its battery life, the multiplicity of features, ease of use during travel, and the stunning visual display. The iPad was like a mini-computer for me. I bought some eBooks and dipped my feet into the pool of e-reading for the first time.

After a couple months, I noticed that I was using my iPad mainly when going on trips. It became primarily an e-Reader for me in airports and hotel rooms. The iPad became a travel companion. I used it less and less at home and more and more on the road, mainly for reading.

Then, earlier this summer, everything changed. I was sitting next to a guy on an airplane who was switching back and forth between an iPad2 and a Kindle. I asked, “Why would you need a Kindle if you’ve already got an iPad? Everything you want to do on the Kindle you can do on the iPad.”

He replied, “The iPad is great as a mini-computer. But when it comes to reading, the Kindle knocks it out of the park.” He then proceeded to mention a few reasons why the Kindle was a superior reading device.

Needless to say, I was intrigued. A couple weeks later, my wife and kids got me a Kindle for my birthday. I downloaded a few books and started using the Kindle on my bus ride into work every morning and afternoon. Since that time, I have largely replaced the iPad with the Kindle. The man on the plane was right.

As an e-Reader, the Kindle beats the iPad. Here are the reasons why:

• Easy on the Eyes: I thought the talk of the Kindle’s natural screen to be overblown until I started using it myself. I quickly realized why my eyes had gotten so tired so fast with the backlit screen of the iPad. The screen of the Kindle is indeed like reading a book page.
• Focused on the Book: The Kindle is an e-reading device, period. It does one thing only, but it does it well. Pick up your Kindle and you lose yourself in the world of reading. The content stands out, not the impressive features of the device. With the iPad, e-reading is just one of the many features, which means that there are any number of distractions from keeping your nose in that eBook.
• Light and Easy: The Kindle is lighter than the iPad. Sometimes, I stand on the bus on the way to work, which means I’ve got to use one hand to hold on to the rail. I wouldn’t be able to hold an iPad with my other hand and easily click the pages. The Kindle’s size and weight make it easy to read anywhere.
• Cost: The iPad costs more than $500 compared to the Kindle at $114 (or $139). That’s not to say the iPad is overpriced. It does have more features, after all. But the Kindle excels at doing one thing – providing a reading platform.

Logic Lessons: Attack the Argument, Not the Person

General George S. Patton’s standing order during the Second World War was to “attack, attack, and, if in doubt, attack again!” That approach certainly worked well for the U. S. Army in Europe during World War II. However, when it comes to logic (and peacetime), the attack needs to be focused on the argument, not on the person.

Praying for Your Pastor:

About nine years ago I developed the following list of prayer requests that I gave to every willing hand. I haven’t passed them out in at least four years, but I decided to resurrect them. Why? I need prayer…badly! And so does your pastor. As leaders in the church we have unique and often more intense temptations (“Strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter”). So will you consider praying for your pastor the way I ask my people to pray for me?

Interesting article - How the Tea Party “Hobbits” Won the Debt Fight:

Today, no one is talking about tripling the national debt or passing a “second stimulus.”  Congress is about to cut spending by about $2 trillion and put us on a trajectory to balance the budget within a decade. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid complained Saturday evening that Congress has raised the debt limit 74 times since 1962 without conditions.  He is right. This is happening for the first time in history, thanks to the Tea Party.

A thoughtful review of Alan Jacobs’ The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction:

Jacobs’s “one dominant, overarching, nearly definitive principle for reading,” and one of his few prescriptive statements, is, “Read at Whim.” He borrows this exhortation from the poet Randall Jarrell, though the capitalization is Jacobs’s own. Whim, he suggests, is not “thoughtless, directionless preference” but inclination guided by your natural desires, by what brings you pleasure. Jacobs conveys the joy of losing oneself in a good book and issues a bracing call to the life of a literary omnivore.

And yet something is amiss in his argument…

Reading about hell is never pleasant, which is why Francis Chan and Preston Sprinkle’s book-length response to Rob Bell’s Love Wins begins with an appropriate statement:

If you are excited to read this book, you have issues.

It’s unfortunate that the current state of evangelicalism would necessitate the writing of a book that outlines the historically orthodox perspective on heaven and hell. But Chan and Sprinkle are right: “When it comes to hell, we can’t afford to be wrong.” The gravity of the issue is what grounds Erasing Hell: What God said about eternity, and the things we made up. This is a serious, somber book written for laypeople.

Chan and Sprinkle should be commended for writing a book on a difficult topic and challenging us to interpret the Scriptures without letting our emotions drive our exegesis. The big takeaway from the book is that we are bound to what Jesus said about hell and judgment. Scripture is our final authority, even when we sometimes dislike what it says. Furthermore, the authors want us to live according to the implications of Jesus’ teaching, not merely believe doctrine for doctrine’s sake.

Chan and Sprinkle should also be commended for the respectful way in which they engage Rob Bell’s arguments. In contrast to Bell’s smug, often sarcastic approach to mocking the historically orthodox view, Chan and Sprinkle remain seriously devoted to the topic at hand. The result is a respectful contribution to the discussion, one that digs deep into the biblical texts, expounds them within context, and then offers conclusions based on Scriptural teaching.

But though this book is a perfectly appropriate response to Love Wins at one level, it misses the point at another level. Before I proceed any further, allow me to explain why I am about to break one of the cardinal rules of book reviewing. A good book review appreciates and critiques the book that is written, not the book that the reviewer thinks should have been written. I’m about to break that rule.

In appreciating this book for what it is, I am largely in favor of it. It’s a careful, biblical study on the doctrine of hell. Sure, I’ve got quibbles here and there. I thought the book could have probed a little further than just saying, “Jesus says there’s a hell, so we’re going to believe that, even if we can’t understand it.” Steadfast devotion to whatever Jesus says about judgment and hell, despite our emotions or lack of understanding, is commendable, of course, but the Bible goes further. In its portrait of God’s glory and majesty and its gritty view of the heinous nature of our sin, the Bible offers many hints that deserve exploration, particularly as to why eternal hell is not only included in the Bible, but is integral to the storyline. Chan and Sprinkle tell us what the Jesus says about hell, but not why this doctrine is necessary. Still, I appreciate the authors for writing a lay level book about this difficult subject.

Now, on to my breaking of the book-reviewing rule. I wish this book had been something else. On its own, Erasing Hell is a helpful book. But as a response to Bell’s Love Wins, and as a contribution to the conversation about the character of God, it falls flat. It’s not the kind of book that needed to be written.

Chan and Sprinkle approach this topic from an analytical, exegetical point of view. And like I said above, at the exegetical level, the book succeeds. But that’s not where the battle is being waged. No one is discarding hell because of the convincing nature of Bell’s eisegesis. No… people are following Bell because of the compelling way he has made his case.

Chan and Sprinkle are analysts. Bell fashions himself as an artist. (It’s no coincidence Bell’s first book is Velvet Elvis.)

Chan and Sprinkle are theologian-pastors. Bell fashions himself as a risky explorer.

The power of Love Wins is not in Bell’s exegesis or in his thoughtfulness. The power of Bell’s book is in its aesthetic qualities. Bell is appealing to the sentiments and emotions in a way that proves effective for many disaffected evangelicals today.

Bell’s book is troublesome, not because it is a thoughtful representation of the optimistic inclusivist position. (See Clark Pinnock’s work if you’re looking for that!) It’s troublesome because it is seeking to make inclusivism beautiful. Bell succeeds at “dressing up” falsehood. Meanwhile, his evangelical critics aren’t even bothering with the wardrobe. We are Nixon, and he is Kennedy. From a purely rhetorical, debating standpoint, we win. But Bell understands the medium.

What is needed is a response that takes into consideration the beauty of Truth. We’ve got the truth portion down when it comes to propositions. What is needed is a beautiful and compelling portrait of Truth – the Person. God is inherently beautiful, but many times, we don’t do well at drawing out the inherent beauty of Truth with a capital T.

I’m not calling out Francis Chan and Preston Sprinkle alone on this. God bless them – they care about precious truths and they are working to preserve them. No, I’m indicting myself in this too. We struggle in the area of aesthetics, and I’m not sure why. After all, the Reformed wing of the church is influenced by Jonathan Edwards, who wrote more about beauty than virtually any theologian in Christian history. The study of true beauty is the study of God. So why doesn’t the result of our study reflect that? Of Edwards, Tim Keller writes:

Reason tells me about the truth, but I really cannot grasp what it means; I can’t understand it without art. Edwards said that unless you use imagination, unless you take a truth and you image it – which of course is art – you don’t know what it means. If you cannot visualize it, you don’t have a sense of it on your heart.

Chan and Sprinkle have put forth a historically orthodox understanding of hell, demonstrating the biblical foundation for their views. But Bell challenges this understanding by seeking to appeal to a more beautiful vision of God. The tragedy of Love Wins is that the character of God as described by Bell isn’t, in the final instance, much more than a glorified vision of 21st century man.

The problem with the responses to Love Wins is that, while we are experts at critiquing Bell’s vision of God, we aren’t stepping up with a more compelling portrait of God’s magnificence. We are scribbling down our thoughts under Bell’s chalk drawing instead of taking up the paint brush and creating something that reflects the beauty of biblical truth.

We can write 50-page criticisms of The Shack. Meanwhile, men and women like William Young continue to craft great stories. We grasp the issues, but others grasp the medium.

Beyond that, we often appear pedantic in the grasping of these important issues. In the study of the communication arts, there is a part of the brain known as Brocha’s Area which acts like the gateway to whether people actually listen. Surprising or intriguing Brocha is one way to get that door to open – something that art in its many variations is capable of doing.

Erasing Hell is functional, but not beautiful. From a functional point of view, I recommend it. But I think we need to be pushed on the beautiful side of this equation as well. The gospel shouldn’t shut down our imagination, but rather fuel it and direct it toward the beauty that is inherent to the truth. We need more than analysis; we need artistry.

When Hubris Comes to Church:

Simply defined, hubris means pride or arrogance. It has its origins in Greek tragedy where an excess of ambition or pride ultimately causing the transgressor’s ruin.

In churches hubris is an insidious enemy. It comes at a time when members are typically feeling great about the health of the church. Indeed, it often comes when the church is on its best growth trajectory, and when the congregation is receiving accolades for its ministries and programs.

Mike Wittmer interviews James Hamilton:

Jim has already contributed much to the church, and we’re going to be hearing a lot more from him in the future. God’s Glory is a thoroughly researched, well-written, and compelling read. I admire how Jim kindly yet firmly interacts with those, such as I. Howard Marshall, who have offered some critique. God’s Glory is a model of evangelical scholarship, the kind of intelligent writing for the church that we desperately need. Jim has graciously agreed to carve out a few minutes from his hectic schedule to answer a few questions about God’s Glory in Salvation through Judgment.

He Loves Me, He Really Loves Me:

Maybe in that way God isn’t so different from the proud parents I see at conferences. Maybe in that way they are a reflection of their Creator. He loves us. He loves me. More than that, He’s proud of me. He isn’t petty, filling His mind with all those things I’ve done wrong, but rather He is gracious, seeing all those evidences of His grace in my life. Somehow I had lost sight of the fact that God truly does regard me as a child, His child, a child He not only loves but one He genuinely likes. And there’s a dif ference between the two, isn’t there?

A Brief History of Apple Not Buying Other Companies:

For years, Apple has confounded the rest of us by not buying things that it should clearly be buying. Not purchasing other well-known companies is so core to Apple’s strategy that it must have a whole department devoted to non-mergers and un-acquisitions.