Immaturity

In an issue of CT magazine, author Jen Wilkin writes:

Individualism says that I should do what’s best for me regardless of what’s best for others. Instant gratification assures me that waiting is an enemy to eliminate. At every turn, I am told that I can and should have what I want when I want it.

Earlier this year, my husband and I spent two weeks with an apparent narcissist named Charlotte. From the moment we stepped into her space, it was all about her. She demanded our full attention day and night. Forget rational arguments or the needs of others; it was The Charlotte Show 24/7. She thought only of herself and demanded loudly and often that her needs be met. Our schedules bowed to her every whim. She uttered not a word of gratitude during the entire 14 days.

And we didn’t mind one bit. Because all 7 pounds and 15 ounces of her was doing exactly what she should. Our newest grandchild’s age-appropriate focus is to declare, Me, right now! Any time she is tired, hungry, or needs a clean diaper. Babies self-advocate as a survival instinct. They understand only the immediate need.

But what is appropriate in an infant is appalling in an adult. In its obsession with “me, right now,” our culture doesn’t just worship youthfulness; it worships childishness, legitimizing it into adulthood. An adult who demands what he wants when he wants it is a costly presence in any community, prioritizing his own needs above those of others and of the group. He has not learned to “put away childish things,” as the Bible says (1 Cor. 13:11, KJV); he has managed to grow physically from a baby to an adult without shedding the childish mantra of “me, right now.”

Possible Preaching Angle:

As parents, our first challenge is to meet the needs of babies crying out, “Me, right now.” But our greater task over the years is to train our children to mature and outgrow their entitlement, to resist the narcissistic norms of our age. It is our job as Christian parents to move our children from the immaturity of individualism and instant gratification to the maturity of sacrificial service and delayed gratification.

Clinical psychologist Jenny Taitz writes, “I see so many clients who don’t have the ability to wait, and it is no wonder. In a world where it is possible to get the answer to any question instantly with Google and to order coffee for immediate pickup on an app, why should any of us have to deal with delays and unknowns?”

Unfortunately, for many of us, the challenge is that being patient now feels harder than ever before. A 2023 study involving more than 28,000 adults and adolescents found that the average person’s mood got steadily worse every minute they sat doing nothing. Waiting patiently is so difficult that we often react by doing things that actually make us more impatient, like constantly checking our phones for updates or seeking reassurance from everyone we know.

Michael Dugas, another psychologist in the same article notes, “Technology creates the illusion that certainty is possible, which leads to trying to attain certainty in all situations, contributing to worry and anxiety.” When a loved one doesn’t pick up the phone, we track their location instead of waiting for them to call back. When an email doesn’t get a prompt response, we can find out precisely when it was opened. Such behavior only adds to our worry and anxiety.

Going to the doctor can seem tedious as a child and even as a teen, but it might surprise you to find out how long it really takes people to actually start taking their health seriously. According to a survey of 2,000 adults in the United Kingdom, people don’t start seriously monitoring their health until the age of 38—and often only after some sort of health scare.

The study found that starting to experience new aches and pains or reaching a milestone birthday were also among the triggers that encouraged them to take better care of themselves. Others were prompted to take action after a loved one passed away or experienced a health issue.

Celebrities also play a part in making people take notice of their health. Around one in 30 admitted that a famous person suffering a medical problem shocked them into taking things more seriously.

Following the announcement that King Charles is undergoing treatment for an enlarged prostate, the U.K. National Health Service’s webpage about the condition received 11 times more visits than the previous day—resulting in one person visiting the site every five seconds.

Dr. Elizabeth Rogers says, “It can be very easy to disregard your health – particularly when you are young or you feel that everything is OK. Sometimes it can take a bit of a wake-up call before you start taking your health more seriously, whether that is falling ill yourself or seeing a loved one or even a well-known person experience an issue.”

The study also found that nearly half (45%) of adults didn’t take much notice at a younger age as they felt broadly fine and 25% felt that nothing bad would happen to them. In hindsight, 84% feel they took their health for granted when they were younger, and 39% regret not taking more care of their health before they reached their mid-twenties.

Dr. Rogers adds, “Making even small changes to your exercise regime or diet can make a real difference to both your physical and mental health, as well as helping to prevent future conditions developing.”

Possible Preaching Angle:

At the beginning of the New Year people begin to give attention to their physical health. We might also take this occasion to ask Christians, “When did you start to take your spiritual health seriously?” When you are young it is easy to feel that it really isn’t necessary and that you have plenty of time, but later in life you will certainly regret not developing healthy spiritual habits of Bible reading, prayer, and church attendance.

It’s so hard to be comfortable during commercial air flight, that many TikTok influencers have begun advocating for an unorthodox seating position. Catering to the more flexible among us, these influencers are taking videos with their knees at their chest, perching their feet at the edge of their seat, and securing their seat belt around their ankles

But experts call it risky and unsafe, primarily for one simple reason. Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants, said “The seat belt is designed to sit low and tight across your lap. This is not only for your safety; if you are not properly buckled in you will likely hurt someone else when thrown in turbulence.”

Delta Airlines spokesman Drake Castañeda said, “Buckling your seat belt is chief among the ways to stay safe on an airplane. Especially as you see all these stories in the news and on social media of severe turbulence.” Castañeda says this is why flight attendants explain the federal laws that apply to each and every flight before takeoff.

Flight attendant Sabrina Schaller said, “I’ve heard many, many stories where flight attendants have told me they’ve had an unexpected hit-the-ceiling-type situation. So always wear the seat belt. Always, always, always, just to be safe.”

Do you ever find yourself reminiscing over your favorite childhood toys or memories? A new survey reveals that four in five Americans may be “kidults”—still looking up their childhood favorites for nostalgia.

The poll of 2,000 American Gen Zers and Millennials found that, if given the opportunity, 67 percent would try to buy a replica of something from their childhood and 76 percent feel a sense of nostalgia in the process. This comes as two in three (65%) adults realize they can now buy things for themselves that their parents would never let them have or couldn’t buy for them as a kid.

Commissioned by MGA’s Miniverse, the study found 59 percent of people consider themselves kidults—adults who hold onto their childhood spirit through consumer products like video games, toys, books, movies, fashion, and so on.

Isaac Larian at MGA Entertainment said,

Embracing nostalgia is a big part of being a ‘kidult.’ That feeling gives us the ability to hold onto the imagination and creativity we often associate with childhood. In many ways, holding onto toys and collectibles from our past is both liberating and entertaining, and miniature versions of them makes this experience more accessible. ... (Having) mini toys on display is a constant reminder of being a kid at heart.

Possible Preaching Angle:

It can be enjoyable to relive childish memories and even collect childhood toys. But it can also become a snare for some who never grow to maturity, especially spiritually. Some are content to remain a spiritual babe and never grow to adulthood in their faith (1 Cor. 3:1-3; Heb. 5:12-14).

A Sydney police officer was recently sentenced to a two-year good behavior bond and a conviction stemming from an incident where he threatened to shoot someone. (A good behavior bond requires the offender to show good behavior for a set period under a probation officer’s supervision along with counseling.)

In this case, Constable Dominic Gaynor was sentenced for his threats to another officer while working behind the counter at the police station in Sydney’s central business district. According to court documents, officer Morgan Royston was working with Gaynor, and had just seen the Tom Cruise blockbuster film Top Gun: Maverick. In casual conversation, Royston said to Gaynor, “I’ll spoil it for you.”

Gaynor responded by telling Royston not to spoil the film, and according to witnesses, threatened to shoot Royston on the spot. According to the court document, “He pointed his firearm at the vicinity of the complainant and held it stationary for five seconds. The offender's finger was on the receiver and not the trigger. The offender was laughing throughout this incident.”

Gaynor was eventually suspended without pay, and as part of the good behavior bond, was required to perform 100 hours of community service. During sentencing, Magistrate Maher noted the “power imbalance” between the defendant and his more junior colleague, saying that a police officer was entitled to carry a firearm but that doing so was “a great responsibility.”

Possible Preaching Angle:

Working in service of others requires us to always be in control of our behavior. We must allow common sense to avoid dangerous and foolish actions.

Gospel singer Bobbi Storm would seem to be aptly named, for her latest actions created a firestorm of controversy, testing the axiom that there’s no such thing as bad publicity. In Storm’s case, she might wish she had done things differently.

Storm is part of the Grammy-nominated praise-and-worship group Maverick City Music, which was recently nominated for two Grammy awards. In her excitement over the nominations, Storm stood up during the middle of a recent flight on Delta Airlines in order to make an unsolicited performance for the people in the cabin.

In a video posted to her Instagram Live account, Storm is heard saying, “I sing for the Lord … I'm doing what the Lord is telling me to do.” After a flight attendant insisted she sit down, she sang a portion of her new song, “We Can’t Forget Him,” at a lower volume, while seated.

Since it went public on Instagram, the video garnered a variety of comments, many of them negative. Storms actions were deemed by commenters as “wildly out of pocket,” and “one of the most egotistical things I’ve ever seen.”

One user summarized the criticism by saying: "Imagine the entitlement of thinking you are the only one with something that can bless folks and it happens to be in an airplane where they have no choice but to hear you because they can’t go anywhere?!?”

Possible Preaching Angle:

While it's important to be bold in our faith, that boldness should be clothed in humility and kindness, truly seeking the best for those around us.

At one point, U.S. Men’s Soccer Team star Christian Pulisic was dropped from the starting lineup by head coach Gregg Berhalter. Pulisic said, “There were moments when he benched me and I wanted to kill the guy — I hated him, I was so angry. But then the next game comes along, and then I find myself in a better place. The way he handled a lot of situations, I have to give him a lot of credit.”

Pulisic said that he developed an understanding for Berhalter’s coaching methods during his first camp under the coach. In that camp, Pulisc suffered a slight injury. After getting a scan on the injury, Berhalter summoned Pulisic for a meeting. The coach suggested that the injuries may have happened because Pulisic wasn’t training with the intensity at which he played in games. Pulisic was taken aback at first, but eventually he took in the advice. He said:

It changed the way I look at training, even today. ... Listen, it wasn’t easy, and it took me a little while, but I said “Let me take this onboard,” and since then I’ve been in a much better place. It’s things like that. The way that he deals with players, you can tell he is passionate, and he cares about his players. He’s not going to tell you it easy, or what you want to hear, he is going to tell you what he feels is going to improve you.

The Federal Aviation Administration sent a letter to Trevor Jacob on April 11, 2023, informing him that his pilot’s certification was being revoked. The letter read, “On November 24, 2021, you demonstrated a lack of care, judgment, and responsibility by choosing to jump out of an aircraft solely so you could record the footage of the crash.”

Jacob had denied the accusation on numerous occasions, including in a statement to The New York Times, stating flatly, “I’ll happily say I did not purposely crash my plane for views on YouTube.” In May, however, as part of a guilty plea he admitted the truth that the crash intended to boost views for a sponsorship deal on his YouTube channel.

That lie was only the tip of Jacob’s iceberg of falsehoods related to the crash. He lied to FAA investigators by telling them he didn’t know the location of the plane’s remains, when he’d previously contracted a helicopter firm to airlift the wreckage to a nearby hangar for disposal. Jacob also lied when he told investigators the initial reason for the crash was that his plane lost all its power and he parachuted after not being able to find any safe landing options. In their letter, the FAA noted that Jacobs’ own footage showed that he’d failed to take all the necessary steps to attempt a safe landing. According to the FAA’s analysis, Jacob’s actions were “egregious and intentional.”

Andew Madsen is a representative of the Los Padres National Forest, the location where Jacob’s plane crash landed. Madsen called the stunt dangerous and noted that anyone who intentionally causes a wildfire can be held liable for all costs associated with fighting the fire. He said, “Thankfully this incident did not spark a fire.”

Possible Preaching Angle:

Taking shortcuts to fame and success often involves reckless behavior that can threaten our safety and/or ruin our reputation. You can lose more than you can gain.

When Tanner Cook approached Alan Colie in the food court of the Dulles Town Center mall, he was hoping to obtain prank footage for his YouTube channel. Instead, he got shot.

Security footage from the incident shows Cook approaching and following Colie for a little over a minute. After repeatedly asking Cook to go away, Colie pulled out a firearm and shot Cook in the abdomen. For the shooting Colie was charged with aggravated malicious wounding, using a firearm while committing a felony, and discharging a firearm in a building. Loudoun County attorney Buta Biberaj said,“There is nothing that would suggest, based on information we have to date, that what Cook did warranted this response.”

However, the Loudoun County attorney has not ruled out the possibility that Cook will face charges for his role in the altercation, especially if evidence showed that Cook threatened or touched Colie. She said, “You don’t know the recipient of this type of prank, where they are, or what their trauma might be — they may receive it as being a threat.” When asked if such evidence exists, she simply responded, “the collection of evidence continues.”

Jeramy Cook, Tanner’s father, thinks any potential charges would set a troublesome precedent for entertainers who specialize in public interaction. He said, “If you’re going to bring charges against my son, go bring charges against TV celebrities in prank shows. And everybody else — all the videos of people getting punked on social media — let’s make it so no one can do that anymore.”

Possible Preaching Angle:

Immature and reckless behavior often results in unintended consequences. Young people need to be instructed toward mature thinking and should be taught the consequences of their actions at an early age.

When Keith Stonehouse started receiving a flurry of orders from the takeout service GrubHub, it didn’t take him long to realize what had happened. Stonehouse had allowed his six-year-old son Mason to play on his phone before bed. Mason rewarded his kindness by ordering a whole lot of food. “Why did you do this?” asked Stonehouse to Mason, who hid under his comforter. Mason replied, “I don’t know. I was hungry.” Mason then proceeded to interrupt his father’s lecture to ask if the pizzas he ordered had arrived yet.

Stonehouse later said that the $439 pizza order was canceled by his bank for appearing fraudulent. But that more than $1,000 worth of food was successfully ordered and delivered, creating a very full refrigerator and emergency offers to friends and neighbors to share the unforeseen bounty. Stonehouse said, “I had to keep stepping out of [his] room and calming myself down. You want to yell at your son, but he’s only six.”

The next day, Stonehouse and his wife sat down with Mason and had a talk with him, explaining the gravity of his actions. They explained that because he did this without permission, they would have to use the $150 in his piggy bank to help pay for all the hot dogs, chili cheese fries, jumbo shrimps, and other foods. Stonehouse said, “We showed him one-by-one. He was a little devastated but he understood.”

​Possible Preaching Angle:

We've all had moments where our eyes are bigger than our stomachs, but immaturity only increases our susceptibility to temptation.

Stuart Briscoe preached his first sermon at age 17. He didn’t know much about the topic assigned him by an elder. But he researched the church of Ephesus until he had a pile of notes and three points, as seemed proper for a sermon. Then he stood before the Brethren in a British Gospel Hall and preached.

And preached. And preached. He kept going until he used up more than his allotted time just to reach the end of the first point and still kept going, until finally he looked up from his notes and made a confession.

“I’m terribly sorry,” he said. “I don’t know how to stop.” Briscoe recalled in his memoir that a man from the back shouted out, “Just shut up and sit down.” That might have been the end of his preaching career. But he was invited to preach again the next week. And he continued preaching for seven more decades.

In the process Briscoe became a better preacher, discovered he had a gift, and was encouraged to develop it. He ultimately preached in more than 100 countries around the world and to a growing and multiplying church in America.

When Briscoe died on August 3, 2022, at the age of 91, he was known as a great preacher who spoke with clarity, loved the people he preached to, and a had deep trust in the work of the Holy Spirit.

He once wrote,

My primary concern in preaching is to glorify God through his Son. I’ve worked hard to preach effectively. But I’ve also learned to trust as well. Farmers plow their lands, plant their seed, and then go home to bed, awaiting God’s germinating laws to work. Surgeons only cut; God heals. I must give my full energy to doing my part in the pulpit, but the ultimate success of my preaching rests in God.

How do trees grow the strongest? Surprisingly, too much sunlight and too much easy, fast growth does not produce healthy trees. Most young tree saplings spend their early decades under the shade of their mother’s canopy. Limited sunlight means they grow slowly. Slow growth leads to dense, hard wood.

In contrast, something interesting happens if you plant a tree in an open field: Free from the shade of bigger trees, the sapling gorges on sunlight and grows too fast and too easily. Fast, easy growth leads to soft, airy wood that didn’t have time to densify. And soft, airy wood is a breeding ground for fungus, disease, and ultimately a short life.

As the acclaimed nature writer Peter Wohlleben (author of The Hidden Life of Trees) writes, “A tree that grows quickly rots quickly and therefore never has a chance to grow old.”

Just when pandemic-related misinformation was started to recede from public awareness, the Food and Drug Administration had to recently issue a warning against a new dangerous trend: misinformation resulting from viral video challenges. The latest concerned something called “NyQuil chicken.”

The FDA said in a press release, “A recent social media video challenge encourages people to cook chicken in NyQuil (acetaminophen, dextromethorphan, and doxylamine) or another similar over-the-counter cough and cold medication, presumably to eat. Social media trends and peer pressure can be a dangerous combination to your children and their friends, especially when involving misusing medicines.”

One of the reasons why the challenge is dangerous is that the chemical properties of NyQuil change when the liquid is heated to a boil, and high levels of the chemicals can be inhaled as vapors. An FDA spokesperson said, “The challenge sounds silly and unappetizing – and it is, Put simply: Someone could take a dangerously high amount of the cough and cold medicine without even realizing it.”

Parents can keep young people safe by following three common-sense practices:

Keep medicines away from children in a safe, inaccessible place.

Speak with children about the dangers of misusing pharmaceuticals.

Use all medications according to the directions given.

Possible Preaching Angle:

As Christians parents we need to protect our children from foolish pranks spread by social medial. Instead, in a supportive and loving way we should encourage our vulnerable children in wise living and thinking before they act on foolish trends.

In a recent issue of CT magazine, Jen Wilkin writes:

When the first ATM was installed in my hometown in the 1980s, it felt like magic: Insert your card, take out cash. Since then, we’ve learned to love not having to wait in just about every area of our lives. Products arrive at our doors within a day. Meals in a matter of minutes. Movies, books, and music appear on our devices instantly.

It’s wonderful. And it’s also worth weighing carefully. Rapid delivery teaches us that waiting is an enemy to be eliminated, standing between us and what we desire. With each quicker, more convenient development, we are attenuating our ability to wait.

But being able to wait is distinctly Christian. In fact, it is a mark of Christian maturity. The Bible speaks of waiting on the Lord, of being steadfast, and of bearing the spiritual fruit of patience. While most of us recognize that instant gratification is the habitat we inhabit, few have assessed how “waitlessness” may be forming us spiritually—specifically, how it may be shaping our approach to the Bible.

Around fourth grade, I was taught the spiritual discipline of spending “time in the Word.” Like many, I was encouraged to have a “quiet time,” 15 or 20 minutes in Scripture, preferably in the morning (because, you know, Jesus rose early in the morning). This practice was supposed to calibrate my day, to fill my spiritual tank for whatever the rest of that day may hold.

When we think of quiet time as transactional, we treat Scripture as a debit account that offers us meaning or feeling on our timetable. Each day we insert our debit cards and withdraw 15 minutes of inspiration. Instead, we should take a savings account perspective, where we make faithful deposits, investing ourselves over days and weeks and years without expecting immediate emotional or intellectual yield.

When artificially-intelligent robots began to first play chess, many analysts regarded it as a game-breaking innovation. But in Russia, you don’t break the game; the game breaks you. At least that was the case at the Moscow Open in July. According to local media, a seven-year-old boy named Christopher was playing against such a robot when it grabbed the boy’s finger, eventually breaking it.

Sergey Lazarev, president of the Moscow Chess Federation, acknowledged the incident in a comically understated fashion. Lazarev said, “The robot broke the child’s finger. This is of course bad.” Lazarev went on to explain that the robot had played several matches with other children without incident, and explained that the injury occurred because Christopher had probably forgotten to abide by one of the safety guidelines where players are supposed to let the robot finish its move before starting another move in response.

According to Lazarev, Christopher was not overly traumatized from the injury. He said, “The child played the very next day and finished the tournament.”

A federation official was quick to affirm that such injuries are rare and that the robot is still safe to engage. “There are certain safety rules and the child, apparently, violated them. This is an extremely rare case, the first I can recall. ... Apparently, children need to be warned. It happens.”

Possible Preaching Angle:

Sometimes technology that seems harmless can contain hidden dangers. We should be careful in how we make consumer decisions, particularly when deploying technology around our loved ones.

During an appearance on the "Debatable" podcast, Thomas Haden Church discussed Will Smith's slap heard round the world.

Smith apologized just moments after slapping Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars for a joke at Jada Pinkett Smith's expense. While accepting the award for Best Actor, he directed his remarks to the academy and his "fellow nominees." But on the following Monday, Smith again publicly apologized, this time including to Rock. On Twitter, he wrote:

Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada's medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally. I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.

Church, who played the villain Sandman in the Spiderman franchise, was asked to comment on what consequences he felt Smith should face. Here was his response.

I think that Will Smith should be banned from the Oscars for the rest of his life. I think he should have his Academy membership stripped, but I don't think he should have the Oscar taken from him.

Church then concluded his thoughts by stating that Smith's actions are forgivable, "but it's not going to be forgivable on his terms."

Possible Preaching Angle:

Forgiveness is available, but it is not available on your terms. Forgiveness is based on God's terms. And what are the terms he has set? Faith in Christ alone.

A retirement village in Palm Beach was the site of a golf-related shooting. On the evening of April 24, 2022, authorities say Robert Levine fired five shots at Herbert Merritt because Merritt was walking his dog too close to the golf course. Merritt was wounded in the ankle and fell to the ground after being shot. Levine then grabbed a golf club and struck Merritt at least four times. Several residents who observed the attack called 911.

Local resident Terry Eichas said, “This is something that does not happen around here. Everyone is a bit on edge. People are very much aware of what happened, but it could have happened anywhere.”

Merritt told deputies that he was walking his dog when Levine, who he’d never met before, complained about the dog’s presence. After Levine approached in his golf cart, an altercation ensued, concluding with Levine pulling out his weapon and firing at Merritt, who was in full retreat by that time.

Levine was arrested and charged with first-degree attempted murder, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, and discharging a firearm in public.

Possible Preaching Angle:

Violence should never be a way of resolving interpersonal conflict. God’s blessing is on the peacemaker (Matt. 5:9).

I’m in the express-lane at Wal-Mart. I have two items, and I’m in a hurry. That makes no difference in my situation unfortunately. There is a lady in front of me with a cart full of groceries. Why didn’t the checkout lady tell her that this was the express lane? Oh well, I am a patient person, right? This is okay. I’ll be out of here and speeding on my way in a few minutes.

Oh good, the checker is done scanning her abundant mass of provisions. It’s almost my turn. Hold on a second … the lady is pulling out her wallet, and she isn’t grabbing a debit card. She is grabbing a handful of legal tender and they are not large bills. Ones. She is going to pay for her $70 tab with one-dollar bills! I almost faint from the rapid rush of blood to my head. This is a nightmare.

You know exactly how I felt at that moment because we live in a culture of urgency. We are constantly in a hurry. We always need to be someplace other than where we are, and we need to be there right now.

Let me impart to you what has become an obscured truth in our culture: Activity is not better than rest. We get home from a long day’s work, and we might as well punch an extra-curricular activity timecard because we don’t pause from the bustle until our head hits the pillow. The only problem then is that we stare at the ceiling with blood-shot eyes, wondering what it’s like to sleep.

Here are a few phrases from the Psalms that have been catching my eye lately. “Wait for the Lord.” “Wait patiently for Him.” “I wait for you, Oh Lord.” “For you I will wait all day.” “I wait for the Lord more than the watchmen wait for the morning.” “I wait patiently for the Lord.” “I wait in silence for God.” “Those who wait for the Lord will inherit the land.” (Psalms 27, 37, 25, 25, 130, 40, 62, 37 respectively.) And from Isaiah: “Those who wait on the Lord will find new strength” (40:31).

Possible Preaching Angle:

The next time you feel rushed or overwhelmed, remind yourself of God’s words which tell us to rest in him. We most affectively feel the power of God in us when we patiently sit in silence before his throne. Turn off your electronic devices or whatever distraction is before you just now, and spend some real time in silence, waiting on the Lord. “It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones” (Psalm 127:2).