Five on Friday: Succeeding at Life, Why Atheists Are Really Christian, and Tool’s Schism
Issue II
Every Friday I send an email with five pieces of content. These are things I’ve found insightful, inspiring… or just interesting.
If you want to receive Monday’s Disciple Notes email but not this one, simply unsubscribe below.
Here are five things from my week I thought were worth passing on.
Today at a Glance
Quote: Embracing the process
Tweet: Getting down to the roots
Article: Why you’re Christian
Podcast: Return of the God hypothesis
Bonus: Schism like you’ve never heard
One Quote
“I want the pain, I want the process, I have the patience. I don’t care when I have setbacks. I know that I’m asking for something special. And if you’re asking for something special, it should be hard.”
– Gary Vaynerchuk
I was talking with my boys this week about what it takes to succeed in life. In my view it’s pretty straightforward. To flourish you must become the type of person who can make yourself do hard things. And that requires loving the outcome more than hating the up-front cost.
It doesn’t matter if it’s your faith, family, fitness or finances. Are you willing to pay short term costs for long term gains?
Discovering the grind is the adventure is a major unlock most people never find.
One Tweet
This resonated for a couple reasons. First, “looking at the tops of trees” suggests being somewhat removed from them. We’re viewing things from a distance, not really seeing what’s happening up close.
Second, there’s a lag between what’s going on with the roots and what shows up in a tree’s leaves. A tree may look healthy from the top but be dying in its trunk and root.
When assessing health,
get close to the person/situation and
look at what’s going on at the root level
One Article
Why You’re Christian - David Perell
First off, this article was written by someone who is not a Christian. That’s part of what makes it one of my favorite reads from the past year. It’s an intellectually honest account from someone trying to make sense of the world.
From the piece:
“I’m not saying that we should force people to be religious. After all, I’m a tepid non-believer myself. But being secular doesn’t give you a hall pass to ignore your Christian influences. We should study religion not to dogmatically accept faith, but to understand the foundations of our worldview. As we do, we should ask ourselves: ‘Is Christianity true?’ And if you think it’s bogus, then: ‘Why do I let these ideas influence my worldview so strongly?’”
High recommend, worth the read.
One Podcast
Stephen Meyer on Intelligent Design and The Return of the God Hypothesis - Uncommon Knowledge
Apple Podcasts / Spotify / YouTube
Dr. Stephen Meyer directs the Center for Science and Culture at the Discovery Institute in Seattle. His book Return of the God Hypothesis details three scientific discoveries in the 20th century that have challenged the theory of evolutionary materialism. The most up-to-date science makes the case for our universe being the product of an intelligent mind.
While his book is good, it’s on the technical side. This conversation with Peter Robinson is a good introduction.
One Bonus
Classified by many as a ‘90s progressive heavy metal band, over the decades Tool’s music has evolved from a hard-edged industrial sound to a more atmospheric and psychedelic one, with songs extending into long instrumental ambiance.
It appears this makes their music the perfect source material for composer Nick Proch, who leads this orchestral presentation of their hit song Schism. Take a listen.
If you’ve never heard the original or want to compare it with the video above, check it here. Warning: the video is a trip.
Personal Note
My mom is one of my heroes. Abandoned as an infant and then abused physically and sexually during her childhood years, she overcame a lot just reaching adulthood. Then she raised my siblings and me in a loving, nurturing environment. She broke generational cycles of pain and abuse to create the family she always wanted.
I think she would say that was due to the strength she found after putting her faith in Christ in her early 20s. And because of her relationship with my dad, who she was married to for over 40 years before his death in 2011.
Right now she’s sick with COVID. Would you say a prayer for her? She’s a strong woman and a fighter. She’s hanging in there so far but I’d love to see her back at 100% soon.
Will definitely say a prayer for her bro!