My all-time favorite movie is The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. It’s the story of a man who lives more in his head than in reality. He works at Life magazine yet he has no life. Until he’s caught up in an adventure that requires more of him than he thinks possible.

In past readings, I’ve quoted passages from Neil Postman’s prophetic book, Amusing Ourselves to Death. Today, I want to share a powerful thought from a later book he wrote titled Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology.

In Huxley’s Brave New World, the drug Soma was used to help people escape or avoid reality. A passage in the novel describes its effect this way: “Swallowing half an hour before closing time, that second dose of soma had raised a quite impenetrable wall between the actual universe and their minds.”

More than forty years ago in his prophetic book Amusing Ourselves to Death, Neil Postman contrasted the opposing futures imagined in the novels 1984 by George Orwell and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. He warned that “an Orwellian world is much easier to recognize, and to oppose, than a Huxleyan future.”

In the last three graduation ceremonies I attended, the school presidents and valedictorians gave empty, forgettable speeches. These were secular school graduations, so I knew God wouldn’t be the foundation of the talks. But what quickly became apparent was how, once God is removed from the narrative, nothing else makes sense.

Nothing causes our internal flame to dampen quicker than when we lose heart. And we live in a world that constantly comes after our hearts. It’s almost impossible to get through a day without hearing more devastating developments—whether at home, work, or on the evening news. But the strikes are also personal. The true story we were born for is being attacked, bent, and warped in ways like never before

One of the best ways to grow your creativity is to stay curious. Because curiosity adds a sense of wonder and awe to how you see yourself and infuses your art with new life. But as you practice curiosity, don’t miss the main thing—being curious about God.

During a recent flight, the lady sitting next to me had a unique tattoo of / / on the side of one finger.

Many wonder if AI can ever replace genuine creativity. There’s a growing concern that it will soon be able to duplicate, if not exceed, their specific talents. Is that possible? And if so, what happens then?

My kids have learned not to ask me to wish them luck on a test or job interview.

They know I don’t believe in luck. Instead, I pray God’s favor over them. Because I do believe in that.

Those who love God are more hard-pressed than ever. Not just in a few areas, but on practically every front.

A lot of things are opposed in this world. Order is opposed. Peace is opposed. Freedom is opposed. Hope is opposed.

Our first glimpse of God in Genesis is as Creator. From nothing, he spoke oceans, mountains, forests, whales, hummingbirds, and humans into existence. He isn’t just the most creative being ever. He created creativity.

The world is constantly trying to conform us to look like it. And God is constantly trying to transform us…to look like Jesus.

Yuval Noah Harari of the World Economic Forum recently made this stunning statement about using technology to control others—and his view of the reality or supremacy of God: “We have reached the point when we can hack not just computers; we can hack human beings and other organisms.... Humans are now hackable animals. The whole idea that humans have this soul or spirit and they have free will and nobody knows what’s happening inside me so whatever I choose, whether in the election or the supermarket, this is my free will—that’s over.”

We are addicted to our screens. Just observe those around you at the airport, the restaurant, or your kitchen table. We’re constantly gazing into our screens, scrolling through endless data and images yet never finding whatever we think will fill our souls.

Where are the modern prophets, poets, and storytellers for today’s world? It’s a really good question. The Chronicles of Narnia and Lord of the Rings novels have stood the test of time…but it’s been almost 70 years since those series were completed. Where are the new stories that we can place on the shelf next to these classics?

We are expected to take our cues from social media, blindly embracing whatever agenda the entertainment, business, educational, and political leaders tell us is important. It’s full-on indoctrination that demands full allegiance to an upside-down world where wrong is right, evil is good, and false is held up as true. Veer from that script and your voice will be mocked or silenced.

Imagine you’re sitting around a crackling fire with a handful of kindred spirits in the forest. The mountain air is fresh and the sky is ablaze with stars.

As you risk well for what matters most with God, you will face opposition. Count on it.