When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. [Genesis 3:6]

Narcissism has been around since the beginning. And it is also quite the go-to vice for many accusations today. I wonder why that is…sort of.

“He is such a narcissist” is quite a popular label for all kinds of annoying behavior. I don’t know if it all is technically narcissistic. But what I do know is that our society seems to be increasingly self-absorbed. Not that there was a time when it wasn’t—it just seems more pronounced in our age. (Note: I began writing this in Venice, and I can’t count how many selfies I inadvertently interrupted every day while walking to the grocery store to get more lunch meat or toilet paper 😉.)

Several books on narcissism have caught my eye. One is Bully Pulpit: Confronting the Problem of Spiritual Abuse in the Church by Michael Kruger. The phenomenon Kruger describes (power wielding and pastoral bullying) is not uncommon among Lead Pastors in these days. The fact that many pastors flock to conferences which instill a sense of strong leadership that translates into a supposed compelling mission with the power to pull it off seems to foster such bullying. Certainly, the fear of not having a large church, a loud voice, or name recognition is the very definition of narcissism. I know; I was in such a setting. I have seen it and the damage it leaves in its wake.

Narcissism is not going away any time soon (in the world, in the pulpit, or in the pew). Just ask Eve. But from Eve we can learn the pitfalls of listening to the lies of the Evil One in our society and in our hearts. We can become better aware of our desires to look good or smart or better. And we can choose to humbly seek relationships and friendships that provide honest and mutual accountability.

(Other books on the subject I am familiar with or that have been recommended to me by trusted friends are When Narcissism Comes to Church: Healing Your Community From Emotional and Spiritual Abuse by Chuck DeGroat and The Christian Narcissist: How to Recognize This Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing (Healthy Christian Relationships) by Brian Howard.)

Indian plane crash and disturbing report
Reports from the recent Air India crash that killed 260 people say that the fuel switches on the airliner were turned off three seconds after takeoff, which immediately cut the power to the engines! The flight recording reveals that one pilot asked the other pilot why he “did the cutoff.” Yikes! Life is an ongoing emotional push-pull between the sovereignty of a good God and the unpredictability of a fallen world, isn’t it?

Comment related to my message on Christ’s compassion for the man born blind
“From the earliest centuries, Christians took Scripture’s commands seriously—care for the sick, feed the hungry, visit the prisoner, protect the widow and orphan. These were not optional suggestions. They were acts of obedience. More than that, they were reflections of God’s character. That’s why the first hospitals weren’t founded by governments but by churches and monasteries. Compassion wasn’t a program. It was discipleship.”

Click here to listen to the sermon from John 9 contrasting “The Assign Blame Model” versus “The Acknowledge Dignity Model.”

European heat wave…
…from Wimbledon to Italy (Sue and I sure experienced the sweltering heat while there) to Portugal. And here’s a weird phenomenon: An odd and rare weather happening was experienced by many Portuguese beachgoers. A “roll cloud” came across parts of the northern and central Coast of Portugal. Pretty amazing; take a look.

Speaking of Wimbledon
Yannik Sinner (unfortunate last name, I know) became the first Italian tennis player to win this greatest of tennis’ Grand Slam tournaments. The win was good for the balance of men’s tennis. Sinner defeated his Spanish rival, Carlos Alcaraz. The Spaniard had won the last five times they had played. Not much of a rivalry if the #2 player in the world keeps beating the #1.

On the women’s side, former #1 Iga Swiatek from Poland “double bageled” American Amanda Anisimova (6–0, 6–0). (That means Amanda didn’t even win one game!) The humiliated American couldn’t hold back her tears after the embarrassing loss. (I guess that’s why my tennis coach used to tell me never beat another player 0 & 0.)

And maybe next year
On my bucket list has always been to go to Wimbledon and see the best players play in the best tournament. (To play there used to be on my list. Gotta keep it realistic.) The price of a ticket makes it somewhat prohibitive. But there is always “The Queue.”

The tournament saves hundreds of the best tickets at low prices for people who camp out for hours or days. The Wimbledon grounds get filled with thousands of campers who pitch their tents less than a quarter mile from Centre Court. These tennis fans camp out and party while waiting in line for affordable tickets to this great tournament. Sounds like a plan!

Too late for the 4th, but not for the rest of the summer
The top-rated hotdogs in our galaxy were ranked by Delish magazine. They have everything from the famous to the obscure, all-beef to plant-based (that’s a thing?). I love George Washington’s (aka Nate Bargatze) answer on SNL to the question “What are hot dogs made of?” His answer: “Nobody knows.”

Here is what they say about my favorite: “Hebrew National wins the best classic hot dog because ‘it tastes like a hot dog should taste,’ one of our testers said. ‘There are no surprises, the snap isn’t over the top, and the texture is dense, but not too thick. It’s the hot dog you feed someone who has never had a hot dog—an introductory dog, if you will.’”

Read it first
A colleague texted me in a self-righteous uproar about what he heard a theologian had written. (I read it. Context is everything.)