Great Britain has a new royal baby, and the world has a new celebrity.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, went into labor yesterday, delivering her first child, a boy. He is now seventh in line for the throne. The couple had previously announced that their new child would not make his or her public appearance on its first day, a departure from royal tradition.

But their son will not need to inherit the throne to change the world.

Prince Harry served in the British Army for ten years and now works to support those wounded in service. He also helps build programs to improve sports coaching and mentoring, supports children living with HIV/AIDS, and works for African conservation.

Prior to marrying Prince Harry, Meghan Markle was the United Nations Women’s Advocate and a Global Ambassador for World Vision. She now serves as a patron for charities supporting vulnerable women, education, the arts, and animal welfare.

Their son is already changing the royal family. In years to come, we will watch to see how he changes the world.

Two who died so others could live

On a somber note, Riley Howell was buried last Sunday. When a gunman opened fire in Riley’s classroom at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte last week, Riley charged the shooter, saving the lives of others. A ROTC member, his memorial service was conducted with military honors.

The same day, a Russian passenger jet caught fire after an emergency landing at one of Moscow’s main airports. At least forty-one people were killed.

According to TASS, the Russian News Agency, one of the deceased was a flight attendant who died trying to save passengers. Maksim Moiseev was in the rear of the aircraft when it caught fire. After trying unsuccessfully to open an exit door, he started helping people leave the plane.

He stayed on board until everyone had evacuated, then died in the fire.

Why older people can change the world

Friday marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s inauguration as president of South Africa. He was seventy-seven years old at the time. As his nation holds elections tomorrow, Mr. Mandela’s story reminds us that it is never too late to leave a legacy.

The Wall Street Journal is carrying an essay that makes this point brilliantly. Rich Karlgaard, a noted journalist, bestselling author, and former editor of Forbes, argues that “early blooming is not a requirement for lifelong accomplishment and fulfillment.”

Karlgaard reports that “fluid” intelligence—our capacity for reasoning apart from past knowledge—peaks earlier in life. However, “crystallized” intelligence—the ability to use skills, knowledge, and experience—rises in performance well into middle age and beyond.

For instance, the field of software coding favors the young and “fluid,” while managing projects and the business requires “crystallized” skills typical of older people.

Karlgaard cites J. K. Rowling, a divorced mother on public assistance who created Harry Potter at the age of thirty-five. He also points to Toni Morrison, who published her first novel at the age of thirty-nine and won a Pulitzer Prize at fifty-six and the Nobel Prize in Literature five years later.

Following cloud and fire

The new royal baby, Riley Howell, Maksim Moiseev, and Nelson Mandela each remind us that one life can change the world.

How can you and I make a difference that matters?

Numbers 9 continues the narrative of Israel’s journey through the wilderness of Sinai. I have traveled numerous times through this vast landscape filled with mountains and deserts. It is a parched, lonely area, nothing like the “land flowing with milk and honey” God promised his people (Exodus 3:17). But it was part of their journey to their destination.

Since they had never been here before, the Lord guided them with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. When he led, they went. When he stayed, they stayed.

Across forty years in the wilderness, even when his people abandoned him (cf. Numbers 14), he never abandoned them. And day by day, mile by mile, he led them into their world-changing future.

“Answer the call to be selfless”

You may never achieve celebrity like the royal baby has already received. You may never be called upon to stop a shooter, save lives in a burning plane, or run for president of your country.

But know this: you are on this planet for a reason.

God did not make you because the world needs another human to add to the 7.7 billion already here. He made you because he has a purpose for you that no one else can fulfill.

Stay faithful to the last word you heard from God and open to the next. If you will ask your Father to use you today, he will use you today. And whether you see the results or not, eternity will never be the same.

In their obituary for Riley Howard, his family included this statement: “Riley died the way he lived, putting others first. Our hope is that his example resonates with everyone. We hope others will, if ever the need arises, answer the call to be selfless and do the right thing without hesitation.”

Will you?

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Country House won the Kentucky Derby last Saturday. At sixty-five-to-one odds, he was the second-biggest long shot ever to win America’s most famous horserace. The way he won was even more unprecedented.

Maximum Security finished first but was later disqualified for veering out of his path on the final turn. Country House, after finishing in second place, was then declared the winner. This was the first time in Derby history that a foul voided an apparent winner.

Whether we know much about horse racing or not, Americans care about the Kentucky Derby. We are fascinated by the race itself, often billed as “the most exciting two minutes in sport,” but we are also captivated by the Derby’s heritage.

The race has been run every consecutive year since 1875. Churchill Downs, the location of the Derby, was organized by Col. Meriwether Lewis Clark, Jr., grandson of William Clark (of the Lewis and Clark Expedition). Mint julips, lavish hats and clothing, and the playing of “My Old Kentucky Home” are part of the annual tradition.

Mother’s Day and Memorial Day

Other traditions are making news as well.

Ramadan began last night. I have been in the Middle East many times during this sacred month on the Islamic calendar. It is fascinating to watch Muslims flock to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and to observe their passion for their faith.

By contrast, Jews in Israel observed Holocaust Remembrance Day last Thursday. (Click here for my thoughts on this somber tradition.) In two days, Israelis hold their Memorial Day, remembering the country’s fallen soldiers and police as well as victims of terrorist acts. The following day, the nation celebrates its independence.

Continue reading Denison Forum – The Kentucky Derby and Rachel Held Evans: A faith that changes everything →

Ten-year-old Sara Hinesley recently won a national handwriting contest.The third grader’s writing is much better than mine ever was. She won $500 for her efforts.

She also has no hands.

Sara holds a pencil between the ends of her arms to write. She told reporters that when her teacher first taught her how to write in cursive, Sara found she had a natural talent for it. She also likes to create art, ride her bike, read, and swim.

Sara’s family briefly considered obtaining prosthetic hands for her, but decided she is doing fine without them. “She is so amazing and functional without prosthetics that really there is not a need,” her mother said. “She can do just about anything—often times better than me or my husband.”

Have you cried at work?

Such hopeful stories are especially powerful in a time of great anxiety.

In fact, Gallup reports that Americans are among the most stressed people in the world. Our rates of stress and worry are higher than ever before. Remarkably, our negative emotions are even higher than during the Great Recession.

According to a recent survey, 81 percent of Americans say stress impacts their work negatively. Forty-eight percent have cried at work; 50 percent missed at least one day of work during the last year because of stress induced at the office.

However, we’ve been here before.

A hard year and an historic announcement

1961 was a difficult year for America. Despite the hope engendered by President John Kennedy’s inauguration, world and national events were deeply discouraging.

On January 3, the US severed diplomatic relations with Cuba. On January 9, British authorities announced the discovery of a huge Soviet spy ring.

On April 12, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to travel in space, signaling the Soviet Union’s growing superiority in the space race. On April 19, the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba failed.

On May 14, civil rights protesters were beaten by a mob of Ku Klux Klan members. On May 21, Alabama Governor John Patterson declared martial law in an attempt to restore order after race riots broke out.

Then, on May 25, 1961, President Kennedy announced before a special session of Congress the goal of sending an American safely to the moon before the end of the decade.

“Knights of American exceptionalism”

Douglas Brinkley’s new book, American Moonshot: John F. Kennedy and the Great Space Race, explains why the new president made his announcement when he did: “World War II and the Cold War, he knew, had aged the country. With instincts reinforced by his own life experiences, he realized that the United States needed youth and new frontiers. It needed energy, originality, optimism, and a sense of both individual achievement and teamwork.”

According to Brinkley, “NASA astronauts were going to be seen as knights of American exceptionalism—when a Mercury astronaut eventually broke the shackles of Earth to soar into space . . . the buzz would be that America had pioneered into the galaxy, proving definitively that democratic capitalism was superior to state-run communism.”

Tragically, Kennedy did not live to see the lunar landing on July 20, 1969, but Brinkley believes that his vision and leadership made it possible: “What Kennedy had miraculously done was bring together Americans on the political right and left in a collective we’re-all-in-it-together endeavor of great scientific merit.”

Brinkley concludes: “Throughout the United States there is a hunger today for another ‘moonshot,’ some shared national endeavor that will transcend partisan politics.”

“Surely, I am coming soon.”

The National Day of Prayer was held again yesterday, concluding with an observance last night in Washington, DC. Leading up to the day, a group set up in front of the Capitol for a ninety-hour Bible reading marathon. They concluded by reading aloud the final chapter of Revelation.

Here we find the “moonshot” that transcends partisan politics and gives us a purpose greater than ourselves. It calls us beyond the stress and negativity of our fallen culture and summons us to our best selves.

In Revelation 22, Jesus declares, “Surely, I am coming soon” (v. 20a). This is the fifth time our Lord makes this promise in the Revelation. “Surely” adds even greater weight to his proclamation.

Imagine a nation in which every person lived ready for Jesus’ return. A culture in which we made Christ our Lord and King, living by his word for his glory and loving each other as he loves us.

Now decide that whether anyone else lives as if Jesus were coming soon, you will. Your passion for your Father and love for your neighbor will then mark your life in a way that will impact other lives.

“Come, Lord Jesus!”

If you live every day as if it were your last day, one day you’ll be right. In the meantime, every day will be the best you can make it.

John responded to his Lord: “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (v. 20b).

Can you say the same?

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