Even though you intended to do me harm, God intended it for good. [Genesis 50:20]

All things work together for good, for those who love the Lord and are called according to his purposes. [Romans 8:28]

God really can bring about redemptive good from the direst of situations. Life from the ashes.

• Sue and I were marveling at the lives that have been changed and the salvation that has been experienced from the aftermath from a recent moral morass and ministry disaster.
• “I am living life again. Getting to know my friends and become reacquainted with my adult children. And I am loving it!” This from a man who was “forced” to retire from his crazy busy career because of a serious heart attack.
• “When a missile hits your home, your theology will change immediately.” These words are from the president of Tavriski Christian Institute in Ukraine, Valentyn Synly. His recent book, Serving God Under Siege, describes the 2022 Russian invasion’s devastating effect on the school and its community of students, faculty, and staff. (This is on my short list for next reads. Here is a promo video of the book from one of my favorite theologians, Michael Bird.)

Oh, what a night!

World Series classic
Did you stay up till the end? Probably only if you are reading this from Honolulu or India you did. Sue and I went to bed after the 12th inning, well past midnight. This for-the-history-books, marathon-length game ended in the bottom of the 18th inning! That’s after midnight L.A. time.

And what a game. Ohtani was so good (two home runs and two doubles) that they stopped pitching to him after four at-bats. Not to mention so many other great plays and players. (TL;DR: the Dodgers won it with a walk-off home run.)

I am sure there are a lot of blurry-eyed employees in the office and students in the classroom today! But what a game!

Pray for Jamaica
Hurricane Melissa is soon to be steamrolling into that little island nation as a Category 5 storm! Could be quite a troublesome time for the people living there.

Scroll no more
Stanford University paid 35,000 people to quit social media for 6 weeks.

The results were quite drastic and measurable. Levels of anxiety and depression decreased. Happiness and peace were up. Supposedly 15% of the emotional boost people get from therapy was attained just by “logging off.” Participants in the study did not completely abandon their phones. They still texted and talked and listened to music and videos with their devices. What they stopped was the scrolling and the apps that spike dopamine levels and then leave you feeling empty. The study referred to such content as “adult pacifiers” that may momentarily calm you but never enough to help you grow.

The Stanford study observed real behavioral change in their participants. People said they spent more time outside. They read more. They called their friends instead of scrolling and liking posts. I don’t think the takeaway is the evil of technology but rather the need to be intentional and disciplined in how it is used.

Wherefore art

At least it wasn’t the “Mona Lisa” or a velvet Elvis
Did you see the heist of the French crown jewels from the Louvre last week?

In broad daylight, using a furniture lift and power tools from your garage, a group of thieves stole over $100 million worth of jewels! Among the items stolen were eight pieces of the French crown jewels—an exhibit dating from the 9th to 19th centuries—including a tiara belonging to Napoleon III’s wife, Eugénie. A bejeweled crown was also snagged but dropped in the getaway. Two of the four (or more) suspects were arrested at the airport over the weekend (none of the stolen artifacts have been recovered).

Gently weeping over that guitar no more
Speaking of missing artwork, Spanish police have solved a case that baffled detectives for weeks. Earlier this month, a Picasso painting was reported missing in Madrid. “Still Life with a Guitar,” a small painting from 1919, was supposedly taken from Madrid to Granada for an exhibit with 56 other works of art.

After an extensive search for the missing painting turned up nothing, it was discovered that a clerical error had occurred and that the $700,000 work was still at the warehouse in Madrid, having never made on the truck to Granada.

The following words are brought to you by FanDuel
Last week the FBI arrested not a few NBA personnel (players, ex-players, and a coach) who were involved in a mob-related gambling, illegal betting, and poker ring. Sports leagues and networks now embrace the once-forbidden vice (who can forget the Black Sox scandal and the Pete Rose ban?). Today it is impossible to watch any game or sporting event without being bombarded with ads for gambling. That sanctioned ubiquitous gambling is now a part of the American sports scene is a travesty. Fans will put up with a lot of shenanigans from their teams and the sports world in general. But when the integrity of the game is in question and players or teams are suspected of nefarious motives other than winning, then all is lost. May as well be watching the WWE.

Random acts of kindness—food style…

• A Chick-fil-A cashier encouraged a deaf four-year-old to sign his name for the first time! This is very sweet!
• Patyn McCune, owner of Lelulo’s Pizzeria shop in the Pittsburgh area, is preparing to help give back to the community as SNAP benefits in Pennsylvania are being paused due to the government shutdown. “As someone who relied heavily on this as a child, this is important to me,” McCune said. Beginning next week, any child who needs a meal can have one.
• Musician Jon Bon Jovi and his wife have established five “soul food” restaurants/kitchens in New Jersey that are meant to serve and feed the people of their communities with a “pay it forward” policy of billing. Bon Jovi has invited furloughed federal workers to enjoy free meals at their place.
  
  “If you’ve been affected by the government shutdown, JBJ Soul Kitchen is here as a resource. You’re welcome to enjoy a three-course, chef-prepared meal in a welcoming space. Our doors are always open to the community. If you’re in need, please come by, we’re here to support you.”

Our prayer for today
“We beg you, Lord, to help and defend us.
Deliver the oppressed.
Pity the insignificant.
Raise the fallen.
Show yourself to the needy.
Heal the sick.
Bring back those of your people who have gone astray.
Feed the hungry.
Lift up the weak.
Take off the prisoners’ chains.
May every nation come to know that you alone are God,
that Jesus is your Child, that we are your people,
the sheep that you pasture.
Amen.”
[Clement of Rome, first century]