PROMPTLY #001- Spork Edition

You provided the prompts and here’s the best I could do in response…

From KR: On the topic of gun violence in the country: thoughts on the phrase “A rock in bad hands killed Abel. A rock in good hands killed Goliath. It's not about the rock.”

So we’re just going to go right in on the most intractable and controversial topics, huh?

Let me say first that I don’t pretend to have the right answer in the “gun debate” which itself is problematic framing as it connotes two sides. This is a 47,239-sided conversation. And with every new mass shooting that appears in the headlines, we add to the tragic complexity. We can agree that any number of mass shootings is too many. The number we have in America is absurd.

So let’s do a little thought experiment.

Let’s imagine that the local elementary school had a problem with lunch-time sporkings. Lots of kids with little lines of spork-shaped stab-marks. What is the solution? Take away sporks? They’ll just use forks. Or pencils. Or whichever of the compass and protractor is the sharp, metal, pointy thing. What if we flip the idea and give every kid a spork for self-defense? That might help certain kids avoid sporkings but might it also lead to a higher overall rate of spork-related violence? So what’s the answer?

Sporks not your thing? Let’s think about nuclear weapons. Does America’s nuclear arsenal make America safer or more vulnerable? The answer can be BOTH. Because we’d almost certainly win a nuclear war. But then we’d have had a nuclear war. Right?

The gun conversation is so frustrating because the answer can be BOTH. You can make a convincing argument that guns can make an individual safer and a society more dangerous. You could also credibly argue that it makes the individual more dangerous and the society safer. I don’t pretend to have any answers, much less expertise.

At the end of the day, the deep problem is human depravity. There is a darkness in us - in every heart in every nation. Our nation just happens to have a lot more sporks laying around.

From TB: Which is the more Christian platform in politics, Democrat or Republican?

When I suggested this idea, I did not expect gun control and political parties to be the first two prompts. That said, let me answer this question by setting down my ten foot pole and saying that making a traditional bolognese from scratch requires patience but is ultimately incredibly rewarding. 🫣

From RS: My barber of numerous years finally decided to retire. He is in his early eighties (not sure why the rush) but how does one go on and find a new barber?

I could not have needed this question more. Let’s say a barber only uses sporks to cut hair…

But seriously, folks.

I personally think you should approach random men, tell them that you think they’re handsome and well-groomed, and then ask them where they get their hair cut.

You could end up with a new barber, a new friend, or a black eye.

Unless you have a better idea, I say you should roll the dice and see what happens. Please report back.

From AF: Let's chat about the chicken craze that has hit the country.....I think there is a deeper need here being hidden behind chicken ownership.

Now we’re really getting into my area of expertise: farm animals in a non-farm setting.

Ya, people got really into chickens right after COVID…and it’s only getting more intense out there. I actually hold the belief that people in a non-farm setting get animals for two reasons: companionship and/or control.

Let’s take a random, suburban family man in his 30s. He gets a dog either because he lacks meaningful relationship in his life or because he lacks control in his life. (Most likely it’s both.)

Relationally, the dog has to be his friend - no choice. Immediate co-dependent satisfaction.

And since he is in charge of the animal’s food, water, exercise, and recreation, there is an element of control there as well. He can’t control his boss, wife, kids, parents, or in-laws. But that dog sits when he gets out the treat bag.

So how do chickens fit in? Well, the control is related in some way to suddenly-fragile food supply. A globalized world means we’re more disconnected than ever before from the source of what we put in our bodies. COVID accelerated these feelings of disconnection because supply chain issues often meant certain foods were hard to come by or, in the case of eggs, suddenly wildly expensive. While growing steaks or Skittles might be more important for typical American diets, the processes there are slightly more complicated than putting some chicks in a wooden box with some feed and a light bulb for warmth.

Moreover, Americans post-COVID are lonelier than ever. Chickens may not wag their tails like a dog, but dogs don’t lay eggs. Advantage: chickens.

From SM: Why can’t grandparents chose their own “grandparent” name…like Nana or Papa? Why do the parents of the child get to chose it?

This is fascinating. I hate to tell you this but, in my experience, the grandparent does choose. And the only way it changes is when the kid calls the grandparent some funny version of the name (like substituting Poo-Paw for Papa) so that it morphs into something new and independent from the original choice of the grandparent.

If, for instance, a certain grandparent wanted to update the name they’d been given and clearly dislike, they could simply refuse to respond to anything other than their chosen name. Passive-aggressive? Yes. Effective. Probably.

From JLL: Why do we as Christians criticize other religions? I mean Christ-centered religions. I have even heard these in church...

*tugs on collar

We do this because we’re insecure.

That’s the whole answer.

It’s easier to focus on someone else’s shortcomings than to deal with our own.

We are insecure. And we need to work on the telephone pole in our own eye before we go scratching for the sawdust in others’.

Did I already say that we are insecure?

We are insecure.

From KM: In Jeremiah 38:5, Jeremiah was thrown into a cistern, because the people did not like to hear what he was saying. There was no water in the cistern only mud, and he sank into the mud. A court official plus 30 other men went to retrieve him. Not only did God provide the rescue, but He provided old rags & worn clothing to be placed between the ropes & his armpits. I am blown away by this!! At God’s mercy, grace & comfort in this situation. He not only rescued him, He gave him comfort while rescuing him. That is the kind of God we serve, One who is interested in every detail of our lives. It brings me great peace and comfort to know that He is that interested in me & the details of my life.

Yup.

When I read that, I’m interested in the “death by cistern” concept - sort of a passive-aggressive move. We didn’t kill him! We dropped him into a muddy hole without food or water and I guess he died…

Same as in Genesis 37. Contrasting it with the way that Joshua decisively deals with the enemies of God, there is something to think about there.

From SM: Have you tried Raising Cane’s Chicken? What are your thoughts?

Why did it take us this long to get to fried chicken?

Raising Cane’s is fine. It’s pretty good. It’s awful for you. But the toast is buttery and the chicken is good. Crinkle cut fries. And that sauce. It’s special. And it’s full of MSG goodness.

Did you know that the anti-MSG thing was a racist invention of the mid-twentieth century? Chef David Chang (who for some reason is sweaty and out of breath in this video but makes the best chicken sandwich on earth) does a good job unpacking some of the history and gastro-science here: LINK

(An aside: I recently swore off all fried food. Pray for me.)

From KJ: 1 Thessalonians 5:16: "Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." I've been thinking today about what it means to "rejoice always" and how to cultivate joy in the midst of a culture of perpetual outrage.

This is maybe about unsubscribing from outrage culture. Or perhaps it is about re-subscribing to The Way of Jesus.

Life is increasingly about tuning out the noise, reducing the distractions, and consuming less so as to be more consumed by the love of Jesus.

What stirs your affection for Jesus?

If a given activity doesn’t stir your affection for Jesus, I can make a good argument that you shouldn’t be doing it.

For example, there are people in our church who are engaged in politics. And it’s good for their souls. They make a difference. It stirs their affection for Jesus.

I am grateful for them. But I am not them. I steer clear. I make bolognese.

For me (ymmv), half of the recipe for cultivating joy is keeping clear of all of the slippery-slope things that steal my joy and steal my affection for Jesus. The other half is immersing myself in the goodness of God. Walks in the woods. Intimacy with my family. Laughs with friends.

Ultimately, CS Lewis, in The Screwtape Letters (written as the correspondences between a demon mentor and student), said it best when it came to the sins and other distractions that steal us away from joy and our life in Jesus:

“You will say that these are very small sins; and doubtless, like all young tempters, you are anxious to be able to report spectacular wickedness. But do remember, the only thing that matters is the extent to which you separate the man from the Enemy. It does not matter how small the sins are provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing. Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick. Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one-the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.”

I simply try to identify the gentle slope that subtly leads me into the grinder that is our outrage culture. And then I avoid that slope at all costs, replacing it with the things I know will stir my affection for Jesus.

Have a glass of wine. Share an embrace. Watch a sunrise and sunset on the same day. Travel the world. Clean your basement. Serve a child. Cry with someone. Stir your affections for Jesus.

From KR: If a turtle doesn’t have its shell, is it naked or homeless?

And this, friends, is our Smaller Slower Lesser Lower tribe at its finest.

Vote now.

If you liked this, you can leave prompts for a future edition of PROMPTLY here:

- KB