“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” [Matthew 6:21]

For years, I read that in the opposite direction: If I really love something, then I will invest my money into it. Jesus tells us, if you want to know where someone’s heart is, take a gander at their credit card. Whether it’s my local church or the symphony orchestra or the Dignity Freedom Network, wherever I choose to put my treasure, there my heart (including my prayers and my energy and my loyalty) will follow.

For your reading accompaniment: “Smile” by Charlie Chaplin (performed by Nat King Cole)
Nothing profound here, but whether it’s winter’s annoying presence or some unfortunate news, this little song by “The Little Tramp” might just adjust your mood, even a (little) bit.

Happy Birthday, Mr. Lincoln
That was yesterday. More than just a day to buy a new mattress or be off school, it is a day to remember Presidents Washington and Lincoln in particular near their birth dates.

In his second inaugural address, Lincoln invites a divided nation to seek peace and unity, punctuating his message with these timeless words:

“With malice toward none;
with charity for all;
with firmness in the right,
  as God gives us to see the right,
let us strive on
  to finish the work we are in;
  to bind up the nation’s wounds;
  to care for him who shall have borne the battle,
    and for his widow,
    and his orphan —
  to do all which may achieve and cherish
  a just, and a lasting peace,
    among ourselves,
    and with all nations.”

Those last words…
On a few occasions, I have had the pastoral experience of witnessing some “final words” of the dying. This is a very interesting study on the deathbed phenomenon by a linguist who writes extensively about language and the way people speak. (I do wish he would have added more of a “faith” component to his research, however.)

In case you were wondering (some telling images)

How far apart are we?

Okay, I found this funny
Denmarkification—the spoof of Denmark soliciting support to buy California.

Human being or doing
While browsing in a bookstore in Cincinnati, I came across this interesting book title: Human Being (Reclaim 12 Vital Skills We’re Losing to Technology) by Graham Lee. The back of the book asserts that our reliance on technology is having a profound impact on some of our basic human abilities. Yikes! But now I’m thinking: It really does! (Please note that my comments below are without having a read a single page of the book).

Lee lists twelve skills on our endangered list. They are:

1. Navigation (Yep, Waze’s fault. Though maps were always a bit of a hassle. Who remembers AAA’s Triptiks?)
2. Motion (Not sure what this one means.)
3. Conversation (It is certainly easier to text someone [or ignore them by reading one more post], but live, in-person, eye-to-eye conversation is still best!)
4. Solitude (The “noise” of my phone invades my quiet time all the time!)
5. Reading (Except in tiny little media bites produced by people we agree with. Oh Lord, save us from becoming too small-minded and mentally narrow!)
6. Writing (I guess so. Especially when the only writing that is done is in brief, incomplete sentences, often with added memes. I’m still a proponent of buying a nice pen and quality paper so I can get writing!)
7. Art (Not sure about this one. Call me a nerd, but I am “friends” with several of the world’s art museums. And as for music…technology has sure made music accessible to the young and the old.)
8. Craft (Huh?)
9. Memory (Who needs to remember that phone number or address or password when I can just take a picture of it?)
10. Dreams (No clue. Except maybe that technology and mindless scrolling keeps me only in the present and my mind disengaged from truly thinking about future things that matter.)
11. Thought (See above. Technology and scrolling has replaced creative and original thinking! And partisan posts keep the reader from thinking independently.)
12. Time (Let’s face it, the technology that was supposed to save us time is the biggest killer and waster of time ever!)

“Almighty and ever living God,
we humbly pray that,
as your only begotten Son was this day presented in the temple,
so we may be presented to you with pure and clean hearts by Jesus Christ our Lord;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God,
now and forever.
Amen.”
[Scot McKnight]