September 16, 2026

Viewing all things through the lens of the True and the beautiful!

The True

The Giggles

My wife, Brooke, had the giggles. You know what I’m talking about. It’s that mood where anything and everything is funny—even the things that are objectively not funny in the least.

I love it when it happens. Everything she read or saw seemed funny to her, and it gave her the giggles. It must have been my refined sense of humor (note the sarcasm), but when I came over to see what was so funny, I left slightly confused and sans giggles. The content Brooke was viewing and reading was not that funny, but her spirit was light and that made all the difference. I was a little jealous, to be honest, because the giggles are the greatest.

An hour later, I walked into the kitchen to find a comic affixed to the frig. It depicted a cucumber facing away from the viewer with the label “bacteria” and another facing toward the viewer with the label “fronteria.” I did what any good dad armed with a dad joke sense of humor would do and quickly drew a cucumber facing to the right and labeled it “sideteria.”

I’m still waiting for the roaring laughter to commence.

It is a light-hearted example, but it illustrates a sobering truth—we often lose our laughs as we age. There are many studies on this, and the numbers vary quite a lot, but the bottom line is that a six-month old laughs way more than an adult! You know this to be true. One of the greatest joys in the world is watching a baby laugh uncontrollably. It’s simply tremendous! Multiple studies say the number of laughs per day for a six-month old is around 300, while an average adult laughs only a dozen or two times a day. Again, there is quite a bit of fluctuation between studies, but there is significant consensus in the conclusions—laughs diminish as we age.

There are certainly physiological reasons for this, among them the amazing reality that laughter helps shape and hardwire a developing brain, so it’s particularly needed as an infant! But there is also a spiritual component we should be intentional to hone!

Nehemiah 8:10 may be familiar to you. It declares, “Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” As with all of scripture, context is critical here, especially because other portions of scripture are clear that grieving is important. For example, we are to “mourn with those who mourn” (Rom. 12:15). But in Nehemiah 8, Ezra is reading God’s Word to the people returning from exile. He is exhorting them to celebrate what God has done for them, and to recognize where they will find the strength for the very significant task at hand—the rebuilding of the city! The source of that needed strength, says Nehemiah, is the joy of the Lord!

You see, my friend, the joy of the Lord is not just a case of the giggles, as glorious as that can be. The joy of the Lord is a soul-level grounding in God’s Word that makes your spirit light enough to take on the otherwise-too-heavy task of rebuilding what is broken around you! It is the way you can engage that which is bigger than you without being crushed by it.

The joy of the Lord is your strength, because the Word that carries that joy is infinitely more powerful than that which opposes you.

Giggles are so good. Truly, they are terrific and good for the soul. You should giggle today.

The joy of Lord is even better! If you root yourself in the strength of God’s Word, you just might laugh more than 20 times a day. But no matter the number of laughs, the joy of God’s Word will prove strong enough to support the work He has assigned you.

The work before you is real. So is His joy. Take on the latter as you engage the former!

Technology

AI Guardrails

It is rare for an industry to ask to be regulated, but the CEOs of two major Artificial Intelligence (AI) companies have done just that. Anthropic’s Dario Amodei and OpenAI’s Sam Altman are citing public safety and a pace of progress that exceeds human ability to guide it as the reasons for guardrails. Amodei penned an article detailing his recommendations and OpenAI put its initial public offering (IPO) on hold. Both companies suggested third-party auditors and global standards for advances in the technology.

Meanwhile, one employee has resigned from Anthropic because of similar concerns and another has claimed there is a greater than 10% chance AI will “kill all humans” within the next decade. U.S. President Donald Trump has taken the opposite position, saying the only guardrail needed is a “strong and smart (high IQ) President.”​

Analysis and eternal perspective: We live in an age where the technology that runs much of our life, and which promises to run even more of it soon, operates well outside most of our understanding. We love the convenience, benefits, and efficiency of emerging technology, but most of us—Yours Truly included—don’t truly understand the inner workings of it. Scripture tells us this is reason for caution.

​Proverbs 2 is a wonderful guide for pursuing and obtaining wisdom. It implores us to seek out wisdom and apply our heart to understanding (v. 2), and it promises that this pursuit leads to understanding the fear of the Lord and an uncovering of knowledge that comes from God (vv. 5-6). I encourage you to meditate on the entire chapter in response to this story, but the main takeaway for our community today is that no artificial intelligence should command your absolute trust. The source of true wisdom is authentic and all-knowing, and you have free access to Him!

It is also worth noting that the flip side of “no regulation” is a message of fear and paralysis, which 2 Timothy 1:7 clearly tells us to avoid: “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self-discipline.” AI appears to be the most advanced technology the world has ever known, and it would be fool hardy to put your trust in it. But it has not taken the God of the universe by surprise, and it does not diminish His supremacy over all. So fear not, abide in Him, and pursue His wisdom and understanding with all that is in you!

U.S.

Never Forget

It was 25 years ago last Friday that planes were deliberately crashed into the two World Trade Center towers in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, DC, and another went down in rural Pennsylvania after passengers fought back against hijackers. Memorials were held at Ground Zero and many other locations, and the promise was again renewed to “never forget.”

Analysis and eternal perspective: It is a day that is impossible for me to forget even if I tried. It is difficult to believe that a quarter century has passed since the morning I evacuated the U.S. Capitol complex with shouts of “there is another plane in the air” in my ears. In the moment, I, like everyone around me, did not yet fully grasp what was happening, but it was a day that would forever change my life, and in fact the world.

Looking back, “evil” is really the only word to truly describe the events of that day. The human heart was created to be filled, and when it is not yielded to the Creator it is susceptible to being guided by dark forces. Ephesians 6:12 reminds us, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

The actions of 9/11 were evil indeed, and at their core was a spiritual acquiescence to a power set against Truth. As we endeavor to “never forgot,” and as a growing percentage of the population know of that tragic day only through stories and history books, let us be sure to also remember the stark difference between a life and heart yielded to Jesus and one given over to the powers of this dark world.

Never forget. And let that remembrance guide you personally to the One who is stronger.

U.S.

Midterm Convention

Election Day is less than seven weeks away, and Republicans held a “Midterm Convention” in Dallas last week to make their pitch to voters. President Donald Trump headlined the event, and party leaders hope it will help buck the historical trend of midterms cutting against the party in power. Democrats, on the other hand, hope to take control of both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House, as well as build momentum for the presidential election in 2028.

Analysis and eternal perspective: Free and fair elections are an enormous blessing of liberty! This is an incredibly divisive story, and election season has a tendency to be anxiety-invoking for many, but it is appropriate to begin with a clear reminder that the freedom to chart one’s own governing course is a wonderful liberty that cuts against the grain of most of human history! You may not like the unending campaign commercials (who does?), but what a wonderful privilege to be collectively at the helm and guiding the course of our nation. Let’s not take that amazing liberty for granted!

Of course, it is also true that your eternity is not at stake in this election or any other. You will undoubtedly again be told (same as every other election in memory) that your fate hangs in the balance and on the outcome of the election. It simply isn’t true. There are undoubtedly consequential ramifications of each election, but your eternity is secure by the finished work of Jesus on the cross and your surrender to it.

Psalm 20:7 says, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” Both parties would have you believe they are the arbiter of Truth. You should take seriously your civic duty by carefully considering the platform and track record of those asking for your vote, but in doing so remember that your ultimate allegiance belongs to only One, and “he is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Col. 1:17).

What an astounding and comforting promise!

The Beautiful

Dig Out

Ginger is one of those plants you must dig out to find the goodness. The flavor is not in the flowering that appears above ground, but in the roots. You have to get a little dirt on your hands and be willing to unearth that which is hidden in order to enjoy the best it has to offer.

A life well lived is the same. It is rooted in Jesus and, while there should be flowering evidence in plain view, the richness is really under the surface. The beauty is in the heart fully immersed in and with its Creator.