NOW!

This guy knows his stuff. Microsoft paid him a cool $115 million for something he created—Farecast, a predictor of airline ticket prices in the future. It’s now incorporated into the travel website of Bing, with those green, light green, yellow, orange, and red arrows that indicate whether the fare you have searched for is worthy buying (green: “fares will rise”) or not (red: “fares will drop”).

Oren Etzioni. That’s the guy. Expert on data mining and artificial intelligence. Teaches computer science at University of Washington and is Director of its Turing Center. Professor Etzioni.

In time for the season, Prof E decided to direct his skills to the unique phenomenon of Black Friday shopping. According to the New York Times, after examining billions of prices of consumer electronics, Etzioni decided to spend his Black Friday scuba-diving in Bali (sunny; 84°F; winds from the W at 5 mph). Smart man!

The guy’s research points to early December as being the best time to get bargains for electronics, that many of us misguided folks think we could get cheap on Black Friday. Etzioni explains: “The bottom line is, Black Friday is for the retailers to go from the red into the black. It’s not really for people to get great deals on the most popular products.” “Black Friday is about cheap stuff at cheap prices, and I mean cheap in every connotation of the word,” said another deal tracker who works with Dealnews, Dan de Grandpre. Cheap laptops, and cheap models of other stuff. de Grandpre agrees with Etzioni that the week beginning Cyber Monday is the moment of opportunity, the time to buy!

The explanation for all this is simple, according to de Grandpre. Toys and stuff like that are useless after Dec 26 for the retailer, so they cut prices early in December. However, there is only a brief moment of opportunity, a window, if you will, for grabbing things at low prices at this time. For, in a week or so before Christmas, prices escalate again, to exploit those procrastinating last-minute shoppers, who then are left with no choice but to ante up. You wait, you pay!

Aforementioned Professor Etzioni has a website dedicated to searching for deals on electronics. It is appropriately called decide.com. It will tell you when to buy something you want. And it will also inform you how confident it is about the decision. The opportune moment … to decide.

Oh, yes, and there is an app for that: “decide com.” To help you come to the time of decision.

But the Bible tells us, regarding another important matter:

Behold, now is the acceptable time,

behold, now is the day of salvation.

2 Corinthians 6:2

Now! Don’t put it off. Salvation comes with believing in Jesus Christ as your only God and Savior.

For God so loved the world,

that He gave His only begotten Son,

that whoever believes in Him

shall not perish, but have eternal life.

John 3:16

Sorry, no app for that. But it is as simple as placing your trust in Jesus as the one who died for your sin and rose again.

Delay can only create problems!

For the wages of sin is death,

but the free gift of God is eternal life

in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6:23

Etzioni, from Bali, urged everyone to “look at all the amazing volatility, and wait for the price drops.”

I’d say, look at the volatility of life. And don’t wait.

It is appointed for men to die once

and after this comes judgment.

Hebrews 9:27

The arrow is GREEN! Now!

POSTURE!

Apparently Mom was right! “Don’t slouch!” “Stand up straight!” “Keep your head up and your chest out!” Etc. She was right after all.

It seems, or so the studies say, that not only does poor posture wreak havoc on your spine and neck, not to mention the awful impressions of yourself that you make, it can also make you emotionally susceptible to feeling more pain!

University of Toronto scientists claim in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology that adopting a “submissive posture” increases your sensitivity to pain. And those who adopted “dominant poses” displayed higher pain thresholds. This complements earlier studies that showed that powerful postures in some way change hormonal levels and enables them to take greater risks. It has also been demonstrated perceptions of self-control affect mothers’ sensitivity to pain in childbirth.

People feel more powerful, sense more control, and tolerate more distress. Who knew? I’m gonna keep a clenched fist and tight jaw from now on.

Because curling up into a ball or appearing cowed into submission makes the painful experience more painful, perhaps by one’s sense of losing control or by one’s anticipation of pain. Instead standing up straight and performing expansive gestures (e.g., arms away from the body, etc.) create a sense of power and make whatever the painful stimulus is, more tolerable.

Hmm ….

That led me to wonder about postures children of God must adopt before their heavenly Father.

All kinds of postures seem acceptable to God.

Kneeling, of course, is standard policy.

For this reason I [Paul]

bow my knees before the Father ….

Ephesians 3:14–15

But so also is standing …

“Whenever you stand praying, forgive,

if you have anything against anyone,

so that your Father who is in heaven

will also forgive you your transgressions.”

Mark 11:25

And sitting …

Then David the king went in

and sat before the LORD, and he said,

“Who am I, O Lord GOD,

and what is my house,

that You have brought me this far?”

2 Samuel 7:18

And lying down …

When I remember You on my bed,

I meditate on You in the night watches.

Psalm 63:6

Or prostrating oneself …

And He [Jesus] … fell on His face

and prayed, saying,

“My Father, if it is possible,

let this cup pass from Me;

yet not as I will, but as You will.”

Matthew 26:39

Heads bowed? Sure.

Come, let us worship and bow down.

Psalm 95:6

Hands raised? Why not?

Lift up your hands to the sanctuary

And bless the LORD.

Psalm 134:2

Eyes open? Jesus did it.

Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said,

“Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.”

John 11:41

Loudly …

Then falling on his knees,

he [Stephen] cried out with a loud voice,

“Lord, do not hold this sin against them!”

Acts 7:60

Or silently …

Now it came about,

as she continued praying before the LORD,

… she [Hannah] was speaking in her heart,

only her lips were moving,

but her voice was not heard.

1 Samuel 1:12–13

Or even weeping …

She [Hannah], greatly distressed,

prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly.

1 Samuel 1:10

Rejoicing …

O clap your hands, all peoples;

Shout to God with the voice of joy.

Psalm 47:1

And singing …

Serve the LORD with gladness;

Come before Him with joyful singing.

Psalm 100:2

Or even dancing!

Praise Him with timbrel and dancing.

Psalm 150:4

Thankfully, the efficacy of prayer is not gauged by posture or the levels of hormones.

O You who hear prayer,

To You all people come.

Psalm 65:2

He hears! Ours is a prayer-hearing God!

GENERATIONS!

Last week I was in Chicago. Moody Bible Institute had its Spiritual Enrichment Week and I was the designated chapel speaker for this event. What fun!

The preaching itself was fun, of course! I enjoy preaching anyway and to do something you enjoy with an appreciative crowd is makes it even more enjoyable.

But the energy of these kids was contagious and innervating. Add to that a delightful staff, friendly faculty, and a gracious President, you have a mix that is a powerful influence for Jesus Christ in the world.

Moody is a huge enterprise of education, radio, and publishing arms. The education part is the Bible Institute for undergrads with 20 odd programs catering to about 1500 students, and the Theological Seminary for several hundred grad students.

I was impressed with the students. Besides the fact that they hoot and cheer enthusiastically in chapel (we need to do that at Dallas Seminary!), they also sing wonderfully. And having a music department means that the student-led music, with a different band each day, is of high caliber. What joy!

And, then, as guest speaker, during my free times, the school signed up students who wanted to chat with me, giving each a half-hour slot. What a delight. Lots of questions. Lots of probing. Lots of zeal. (Not surprisingly, celibacy and singleness was the area that had many of the students curious.) Inspiring!

Then the casual conversations over lunch (and over the din in the Student Dining Room). Breakfast with President Nyquist. Coffee with a DTS alum and a former student, now a youth pastor in the area, who was visiting with a few of the youth in his church interested in Moody. Delightful!

A visit to a dorm floor at the request of an RA, led to a one-hour chat with a “round table” of students. More questions. More probing. More demonstration of zeal. And then these guys laid hands and prayed for me! Powerful!

I was thrilled with their fervor for Christ and their passion for ministry. It was wonderful to see that their parents and churches and mentors were successfully passing on the faith to the next generation.

I could see why Paul wrote to his ward Timothy:

For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you,

which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois

and your mother Eunice,

and I am sure that it is in you as well.

2 Timothy 1:5

Somebody had done a good job in the previous generation.

You, however, continue in

the things you have learned

and become convinced of,

knowing from whom you have learned them,

and that from childhood you have known

the sacred writings which are able

to give you the wisdom

that leads to salvation through faith

which is in Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 3:14–15

Youngsters taught well. Youths pointed to the Scriptures. Godliness modeled to the next generation. What a blessing!

It is a tremendous feeling to know you are part of a passing generation that is responsible to hand on the baton to the succeeding new batch of youths. It is joy inexpressible to realize that that baton-passing is happening successfully. Praise God! May they, in their own time, pass it on further.

You therefore, my son, be strong

in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

The things which you have heard from me

in the presence of many witnesses,

entrust these to faithful men

who will be able to teach others also.

2 Timothy 2:1–2

Nope, we are not the last generation. There is hope in the next. Much hope, thank God!

BROKEN!

In the early eighties James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling, both social scientists, introduced the “broken windows theory” in criminology. While the debate continues about the virtues of such a theory, it is quite an interesting idea.

Here’s how the name came about: A building with a few broken windows that aren’t repaired, might be a temptation for vandals to break a few more windows, maybe even to break into the building, or even occupy it as squatters, and so on. Or if there is a sidewalk with some litter, soon more litter accumulates, and even bags of trash. With all of these, the neighborhood becomes unlivable, respectable residents flee, unscrupulous and unruly elements take over, and the rest is history!

Wilson, Kelling and their cohorts believe that a successful strategy to prevent crime is to take care of problems when they are small. Repair the few broken windows quickly; clean up the sidewalk daily; and the tendency for vandalism to escalate is neutralized.

Low-level antisocial behavior leads to petty crime leads to major crime.

Apparently the logic of all this is that an orderly environment sends the signal that this is a locale that is monitored and that residents conform to the norms of law-abiding behavior. On the other hand, an environment that is littered and studded with broken windows sends the opposite signal: “You can do what you want and you can even get away with crime, because no one cares and no one is watching.” It’s that slippery slope idea.

This “broken window” theory was implemented by NY City’s Transit Authority and Police. When Rudy Giuliani became mayor in 1993, the strategy was adopted more widely, as a “zero tolerance” philosophy against fare evasion, public drinking, urination, and squeegee extortionists (who wipe windshields, demanding payment). Crime, both petty and serious, fell suddenly and significantly, and continued its downward trend for a whole decade. Albuquerque, NM, and Lowell, MA, have reported similar successes. In the mid 2000s, Netherlands worked to clear not only broken windows, but litter and graffiti as well; officials secretly monitored the locations to see if people behaved differently, now that the environment had become orderly. They did.

Small bad behaviors can encourage more bad behaviors.

While the Broken Window Theory is still controversial in criminology, I think there is something to it, in the Christian life.

Small bad behaviors can foster worse habits in one’s own life. One thing does lead to another. Sloppiness in one area of life is pervasive and soon other areas are affected. Lack of control with regard to food, time, leisure, expenditure. Loss of discipline in thought, in feelings, in words spoken, in actions undertaken.

Weeds tend to grow if the yard is neglected. Satan needs only a toe-hold to start his nefarious operations. I need only a gentle nudge to topple me down that slippery slope. One thing invariably leads to another.

Like the Holy One who called you,

be holy yourselves also

in all your behavior;

1 Peter 1:15

Be holy FULLY!

… because it is written,

“You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

If you address as Father the One

who impartially judges

according to each one's work,

conduct yourselves in fear

during the time of your stay on earth;

1 Peter 1:16–17

Be holy FEARFULLY!

… knowing that you were not redeemed

with perishable things like silver or gold

from your futile way of life …

but with precious blood,

as of a lamb unblemished and spotless,

the blood of Christ.

1 Peter 1:18–19

Be holy GRATEFULLY!

No more broken windows!

MEMORY!

Information. We’re addicted to it. And we have incredible access to it.

A ballgame score? A chi-square test? Weather in a particular zip code? Treatment options for psoriasis? Dustin Hoffman’s character in Rainman? Directions to a specific street address in a specific city in a specific country? Particulars of the most esoteric kind—all available on the net. Things that would have been virtually impossible to locate, find, or identify a decade ago are within finger-reach today.

Laptops, tablets, smartphones. Google, Bing, and Wikipedia. Information sources outside the finite confines of our skulls. External brains. To keep us from forgetting all that stuff—mostly trivia, inanities, and minutiae.

But some things we must remember.

Bless the LORD, O my soul,

And forget none of His benefits;

Psalm 103:2

This external brain deal is not entirely new. In days past (and perhaps even now) our companions, parents, teachers, etc., served as sources of information from without our bodies. Somebody knew what we were seeking, and we simply tapped into their brains.

And that’s true about remembering God as well. In a community of believers, we remind one another about who he is and what he has done. Especially the future generation, our kids.

… tell to the generation to come

the praises of the Lord,

And His strength and His wondrous works

that He has done.

For He established a testimony in Jacob

And appointed a law in Israel,

Which He commanded our fathers

That they should teach them

to their children,

That the generation to come might know,

the children to be born,

That they may arise and

tell them to their children,

That they should

put their confidence in God

And not forget the works of God,

But keep His commandments.

Psalm 78:4–7

These days online search engines, internet archives, encyclopedias have become the first recourse for information of every kind.

Complaints have been raised galore about how our thinking patterns have changed—for the worse—since we don’t need to retain all that information in our sulci and gyri of our cerebral cortices. In fact, researchers have shown empirically that believing the information will be available easily elsewhere enhances memory not about the information or data itself, but where and how that information may be accessed. Often our memories prioritize not the “what” of memory, but the “where,” especially when we expect the “what” to remain continuously available, as we wont to expect with online access. It’s all on the web! So, more than remember the actual details of the item, we are more likely to remember where to find those details. Thus internet and all its fractal arms and appendages serve us as external memory storage devices that may be accessed at will and as necessary. Whenever. Wherever.

But to remember God, we must go to the most reliable source, the “external brain” par excellence.

I shall delight in Your statutes;

I shall not forget Your word.

Psalm 119:16

The processes and practices of human memory are adapting to new computing and communication technology. One writer declared that we are becoming symbiotic with our computer tools; we know not the datum of information itself, but where to find it. Of course, this depends on being constantly wired and online—a possibility that has become reality in most places.

Constantly wired and online … with God.

When I remember You on my bed,

I meditate on You in the night watches.

Psalm 63:6

Remember!

I shall remember

the deeds of the LORD;

Surely I will remember

Your wonders of old.

Psalm 77:11

And pass it on!

ADDICTION!

Yes, it’s true. What dermatologists have been declaring for a long time now has been proven. It’s true: Tanning is addictive—tanorexia!

Addiction researchers at ye olde city, Dallas (at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center), have shown that ultraviolet from a tanning bed stimulates reward pathways in the brains of those who tan frequently, not very different from the response pathways caused by other pleasurable stimuli, including food and sex and drugs and stuff. Beta-endorphin (a naturally occurring molecule related to morphine and opium) is released by the skin and reaches the brain, activating those pathways that induce feelings of relaxation and euphoria.

“Frequent tanners” (those who had used sunbeds at least twice weekly in the past 3 months) were recruited to be exposed to UV light and non-UV light. Of course, the “experiementees” did not know which was which. But they did, even without being told! The researchers found an increase in cerebral blood flow in those areas of the brain associated with rewards. Tanners could tell the difference between a sunbed generating the real thing and one producing non-stimulating rays!

These folks were also asked, before and after UV exposure, to rate their desire to tan again. The level of desire went down when they received the actual UV rays, but remained high with the fake light. They knew what they had gotten! And they wanted more: engaging in the suspect behavior despite negative consequences, is a characteristic of addictions.

More than 1 million cases of skin cancer per year in the US. One in five Americans will get it in their lifetime. Incidence of melanoma increasing steadily for the past 30 years, and it is the most common form of cancer for young adults 25–29 years of age, and the second most common cancer for adolescents. One American dies of melanoma every hour.

And people still tan! The power of pleasure!

I know, I come face to face with this weekly: Folks unwilling to give up tanning. Even some who have had skin cancers. Unbelievable, but true.

Tanning “addicts” also demonstrate other common symptoms of addiction: tolerance (needing more and more of the behavior to get the desired pleasurable effect), withdrawal (unpleasant symptoms arising when the behavior is abandoned), guilt, and an unhealthy mental preoccupation.

It’s not very difficult to get trapped, whether it is addiction to ultraviolet or to some other disturbing behavior (and it doesn’t have to be food, drugs, or sex). We are primed to go after the instant gratification, the pleasure generated, the kick, the ecstasy, the enchantment. No, not difficult at all.

Do not love the world

nor the things in the world.

If anyone loves the world,

the love of the Father

is not in him.

For all that is in the world,

the lust of the flesh and

the lust of the eyes and

the boastful pride of life,

is not from the Father,

but is from the world.

1 John 2:15–16

Rather the Bible tells us to seek gratification in the things of God, in the things above.

Therefore if you have been

raised up with Christ,

keep seeking the things above,

where Christ is,

seated at the right hand of God.

Set your mind on the things above,

not on the things that are on earth.

Colossians 3:1–3

It may not result in “instant” gratification, but gratify it will, one day, soon, and that will be a gratification for eternity.

In Your [God’s] presence is fullness of joy;

In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.

Psalm 16:11

Let’s not be hooked!

AMBITION!

A study in the Journal of Consumer Research reports that ambition makes you happier!

Study subjects, 134 in all, were part of an experiment that involved them picking stocks, fixing a target goal—a rate of return that would be satisfactory—and then finding out how happy they later were with the actual financial yields of their portfolios. Measuring the level of satisfaction with achieved goals, it was found that those who had set high goals for themselves were happier. Ambition makes you happier!

“The moral of the story,” observed University of California-Riverside professor Cecile K. Cho, “is don’t sell yourself short. Aim high.”

Apparently safe bets are less valuable. One’s satisfaction is somewhat reduced once the safe and easier goal has been met, since it didn’t cost one much to attain it. On the other had if one aims high—a risky shot—and achieves it, satisfaction is much greater, since the cost was also greater.

Aim high. How high? As children of God, we have one grand ambition:

Therefore we also have as our ambition,

whether at home or absent,

to be pleasing to Him.

2 Corinthians 5:9

This is the essence of Paul’s ministry, to see his flock pleasing God.

We have not ceased to pray for you

and to ask that you may be filled

with the knowledge of His will

in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

so that you will walk in a manner

worthy of the Lord,

to please Him in all respects ….

Colossians 1:9–10

How exactly does one go about pleasing God? Here’s Peter’s answer:

Applying all diligence,

in your faith supply moral excellence,

and in your moral excellence, knowledge,

and in your knowledge, self-control,

and in your self-control, perseverance,

and in your perseverance, godliness,

and in your godliness, brotherly kindness,

and in your brotherly kindness, love.

For if these qualities are yours

and are increasing,

they render you neither useless

nor unfruitful in the true knowledge

of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 1:5–8

Useful! Fruitful! Pleasing God! A high aim, indeed!

Of course things are not as simple as that in the social science studies that were reported. Just aiming for the sky doesn’t make one happy. All of that mighty ambition must be balanced by a healthy dose of realism: Is the grand goal achievable, even remotely? If not, and when failure inevitably ensues, depression, rather than happiness, is bound to be the result.

So what about the Christian life? Is it remotely possible to please God? Is this a realistic goal? If not, why bother? Why fret about something beyond our reach, to end up in depression?

If you backtrack a few verses in 2 Peter 1, the reasonableness of the Apostle’s recipe for pleasing God is explained.

Grace and peace be multiplied to you

in the knowledge of God

and of Jesus our Lord;

seeing that His divine power

has granted to us everything

pertaining to life and godliness,

through the true knowledge of Him

who called us by His own glory and excellence.

For by these He has granted to us

His precious and magnificent promises,

so that by them you may become

partakers of the divine nature ….

2 Peter 1:2–4

That’s amazing. Not only does God require of us a life pleasing to him, he then proceeds to grant us the means to achieve that great goal.

Do this and live, the Law commands;

But gives me neither feet nor hands.

A better way His grace doth bring;

It bids me fly and gives me wings.

Aim high and fly! Please God!

JOBS!

Steven Paul “Steve” Jobs, “a crazy round peg in the square hole,” “an insufferable and unrepeatable genius,” passed away on October 5^th, 2011 after a long struggle with pancreatic cancer. He was 56. The Apple chairman and former CEO put the “personal” in “personal computer” and the “smart” in “smartphone,” and made both fun to use. And he introduced them into every bag, pocket, desk, and dorm. If there is one in yours, it is because Mr. Jobs created it, or because others were wise enough to copy his genius. “He changed the way movies are made, music is sold, stories are told, and the way we interact with the world around us.”

In a way, he endowed machines with … humanity! That is to say, he made them creative, he made them artful, he made them beautiful, he made them fun!

From humble beginnings to greatness. Given up for adoption by unmarried parents. Grew up in all the strangeness of the 60s. Had an illegitimate child. Dropped out of college. Started Apple in a garage. Developed the Mac. Was fired. Started Pixar. Married. Reunited with biological mother and sister. Came back to Apple. Made it the most valuable company in the world, surpassing, for a time, even the behemoth Exxon-Mobil. Seven times on the cover of TIME.  

In the line of great American entrepreneurs, Ford, Rockefeller, Walton, …. But, unlike these, who created new business models, Jobs just made a bunch of cool products everyone decided they wanted. And wanted again. And again.

iMac. OS X. iPod. iTunes. iPhone. iPad.

Bill Gates, yesterday, said: “The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come.”

Someone else wrote: “Goodbye, Mr. Jobs. … Now the world will suffer a bit more without your love for perfection, your hyperbolic obsession with magical devices, your insanely great ideas and ‘booms’ and ‘one more things.’ Fanboys and haters, friends and foes—especially your foes, who now will not be able to imitate you anymore—will miss you.”

This century is only a decade old. But it's a safe bet that in 2099, when analysts and pundits turn their eyes back on the decades past, Steve Jobs will be remembered as one of the giants of 21st century business.

He will be missed—501 Levis, black mock turtleneck, New Balance running shoes, and all.

Several years ago, delivering the commencement address at Stanford, Mr. Jobs observed:

“When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: ‘If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right.’ It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: ‘If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?’”

Life is short. Do your best. Trust in God.

You turn man back into dust

And say, "Return, O children of men."

For a thousand years in Your sight

Are like yesterday when it passes by,

Or as a watch in the night.

As for the days of our life,

they contain seventy years,

Or if due to strength, eighty years,

Yet their pride is labor and sorrow;

For soon it is gone and we fly away.

So teach us to number our days,

That we may present to You

a heart of wisdom.

Psalm 90:3–4, 10, 12

Be wise.

And … have fun!