There's a term in the whole podcast, YouTube, content creation world that is evergreen. You want to make content that's evergreen, that is, that it feels just as relevant whether you encounter it the day it was published or whether somebody encounters it months or even years after the fact as they scroll through the back catalog. And generally speaking, that's what I'm going through here because what we're talking about is very timeless. I think that evergreen principle is what the Bible's going for. I mean, there are acknowledgments of current events in a few places in the Bible. Jesus at one point even mentions, like, hey, you know, you guys heard about that tower that fell on those people. And there's an allusion to an incident that was in the news at the time about Pilate mingling the blood of certain people with the sacrifices, referencing maybe one of the massacres or really unfortunate incidents that happened on Pilate's watch that we know about from outside the Bible. So the Bible is evergreen in that the principles are, I mean, they're just universal forever across culture. But there's also an acknowledgement of moments and what's going on that that are meant to illustrate a point or get the audience to think about something. And I think we have one of those moments in front of us right now. And so I want to talk about it just for a second. And that is this coronavirus thing. I know it's on everybody's mind. I'm recording this a couple of days before I actually publish this episode just because I happen to have time to sit down at the microphone and make this go. So I don't even know where it's going to be by the time I actually hit the button and upload this thing. But uh, I can tell you, people are talking about it. People are nervous about it. Experts are saying, you know, hey, it's a big deal, but there's nothing you can really accomplish by panicking or freaking out. And big deal doesn't necessarily mean, you know, terrible, horrifying pandemic that leaves some giant swath of wreckage behind it. Like, you know, smart people are saying, hey, yeah, there's like reason to pay attention, but this is going to be okay in the grand scheme of things. So that's encouraging. And even if that proves to be the case, which you know, who knows? I this is one of those things where it certainly raises questions about what we know or think we know or how we know things at all. That is frankly, it raises a lot of questions, regardless of how this plays out, that I think generally speaking, we kind of try to avoid thinking about questions like about life and death and people you love. And to think about this thing rightly, you kind of have to think about humans a little bit less abstractly than just a population number. And you start gaming this out and you're like, man, life is a pretty special thing, and being a person is a pretty special thing. And uh, it's a little bit fragile. And again, even if the experts are right and there isn't anything to panic about, this is different than watching a TV show that makes you think about those questions through the lenses of fictitious characters who, you know, when they say cut, they all go home and they hang out with their families or grab a drink or do whatever they do after they get done acting and making shows. Here, we're gaming it out in a little more practical simulation. And I think that part of it is good. I certainly wouldn't wish harm on anyone for the purposes of a thought exercise ever, but it's good to reflect on these things from time to time. And I'm glad that we're kind of having a global moment of shared humanity right now, where we do think about the value of somebody else's life, where we do think about the value of our own and how unique and how special that actually is, and where we think about our relationship to each other. And, well, this is what we talk about here, where we think about our relationship to things that are eternal, things that even transcend that object we most desperately cling to, which is well, the act of continuing to draw breath. I mean, life and and us as an individual is it's for the most part our most treasured possession. This is this is the thing that you know, whether you credit it to evolution or a creator god or some combination of them, like this is the thing that it would seem we have been hardwired to care about and to care about in people who we love. And it seems that it's it's one of the great motivating factors in the decisions we make and the anxieties that we feel, and even one of the great motivating factors in how we rear our young and and how we understand love through empathy and how suffering and pain and uh the bittersweetness and brevity of things is part of the equation there. And if this is all sounding like a downer, maybe I'm saying it wrong, because I I really don't mean it to sound that way. Instead, what I mean to say is I'm really glad we're here. I'm really glad that you and I talk about these things. I'm glad that this kind of stuff is something that you've had the foresight to invest in. Again, assuming that what we're seeing here is, you know, a medical phenomenon and that things don't get crazy and out of control and that everything turns out to be okay. I mean, it's still, no matter what happens here, it's really cool that you've made the decision to say, I need to think about spiritual things. I need to think philosophically and theologically about the point of existence and that this isn't something that suddenly at the last second here, you're trying to wrap your brain around. You know what? If this is the first time you've ever turned this on, or you the first time you ever have thought about it, cool. Well, you'll get up to speed quick. And it's better to be thinking about it now than never, right? That's what the old saying about planting a tree. The best time to plant a tree was 10 years ago, the next best time is right now. So, okay, well, if we're planting the tree right now, that's still awesome. But one way or another, you've made it a priority. I'd like to think I've made it a priority to try to think about the bigger picture than just the news cycle. But every now and then, the news cycle creates this feedback loop where it reminds us that we should be thinking about the eternal things and the big things and the what is the point. And when you do that, all of the things that we bicker and squabble about and all of the things that divide us and that make us feel malice instead of empathy toward other people, they they do seem kind of ridiculous. And there's a there's something very healthy about that finding yourself in a circumstance or a moment of abstraction or thought that makes you feel more care and more concern for others. So I think that what you've been doing, that is investing in thinking through eternal things, the big questions of life, God, faith, Jesus Himself, the kingdom. I think you've put your time into good things, even if this is your first day thinking about that stuff. And I'm glad that we get to do it together. And I think what we should do in response to a time where people are feeling some stress and even a few people are feeling under the weather, I think we should continue to consider this because this isn't just some abstraction or a balm to feel better about difficult times. This is truer and realer than coronavirus. This is truer and realer than economic pressures that we feel and social pressures that we might feel with each other. And so, you know, for the last several weeks, we've flipped open the Bible and we've looked at these absolutely center-cut, paramount words of Jesus in Matthew chapter five, talking about the beatitudes and the values of the kingdom. And maybe to an extent, you and I have mostly thought about that very abstractly, which is good. That exercise is part of what brings us to a place of understanding the credibility of what we're looking at, uh, thinking through the wrinkles in these words and how seriously we should take them. It's important to do that. But there's also a moment to allow those things we think about abstractly and with a healthy degree of skepticism and with a healthy degree of academic coolness to us. There's also a time to let those things break through the academic mental exercise kind of thing and get into the now, let's ruminate and reflect on that. And, you know, I spent the uh the last few days here doing just that. I've kind of been buzzing around, you know, moving some stuff around and we're spending a little time with family right now. Not for any like medical reasons. It's just kind of the way our schedule and our spring is working out at the moment. But I've had, you know, some windshield time and some time to think about the things you and I have been talking about in a little more. What does this mean for me and what do I actually do with it kind of way? And trying to think about this afresh. If the only time you think about it critically is the first time you hear it, then the last brain that I use to think about these words of Jesus that I've heard a bazillion times is when I was like five. And my five-year-old brain was nice, I guess, but I'd kind of like to subject these timeless truths to my adult brain, my dad brain, my husband brain. And I've been doing that lately. And so, yeah, I guess this is just a little bit of a pause in the action to say, hey, I know there is some stuff cooking right now. And I know there's stuff on your mind, and I'm with you. I empathize. I am feeling that stuff too. And I'm also finding tremendous, meaningful, deep, abiding encouragement in thinking about the comfort and the hope that comes not just from smart people saying, hey, we're on it and we're thinking about stuff, but from a God who holds himself out as being transcendent over all of these things and not just having to listen to those words of comfort and then just take it or leave it one or zero, blindly believe or, you know, blindly reject, but instead to intellectually try to break down the credibility of the claims behind that, which, well, I've found to be very encouraging. And then also to uh try on precise what it looks like for uh those claims and those promises to be true and to affect the way I think about others and the world and myself and these big questions. I hope you're finding benefit in that as well. And in light of that, I want to read to you something that we have read again and again over the last few weeks as academically minded people, maybe that's too fancy a word, as people who are trying to think really hard about this stuff and wrestle with it in terms of nuts and bolts. Um, but I'd like to read it again. And whether you are um somebody would say you're a Christian, whether you're somebody who would say, I'm not a Christian, but I find this interesting, or anywhere in between, even if you're somebody who's mad at all of this because of the way life's worked out or you've been treated or reasonable doubts that you have, even if you're that person, I would encourage you to listen to this and consider the implications if truly the God who is the first cause of all things and is behind all of this stuff is the one who is saying it and what that would mean. So I'll read it and we'll sign off, and then we'll pick up with the whole light of the world stuff tomorrow. Matthew 5.1. Now when he, Jesus, saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him and he began to teach them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they'll be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven. For in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. You're the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You're the light of the world. A city on a hill can't be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.