Brian Miller

[Ben Sasse @BenSasse]

Friends-

This is a tough note to write, but since a bunch of you have started to suspect something, I’ll cut to the chase: Last week I was diagnosed with metastasized, stage-four pancreatic cancer, and am gonna die.

Advanced pancreatic is nasty stuff; it’s a death sentence. But I already had a death sentence before last week too — we all do.

I’m blessed with amazing siblings and half-a-dozen buddies that are genuinely brothers. As one of them put it, “Sure, you’re on the clock, but we’re all on the clock.” Death is a wicked thief, and the bastard pursues us all.

Still, I’ve got less time than I’d prefer. This is hard for someone wired to work and build, but harder still as a husband and a dad. I can’t begin to describe how great my people are. During the past year, as we’d temporarily stepped back from public life and built new family rhythms, Melissa and I have grown even closer — and that on top of three decades of the best friend a man could ever have. Seven months ago, Corrie was commissioned into the Air Force and she’s off at instrument and multi-engine rounds of flight school. Last week, Alex kicked butt graduating from college a semester early even while teaching gen chem, organic, and physics (she’s a freak). This summer, 14-year-old Breck started learning to drive. (Okay, we’ve been driving off-book for six years — but now we’ve got paper to make it street-legal.) I couldn’t be more grateful to constantly get to bear-hug this motley crew of sinners and saints.

There’s not a good time to tell your peeps you’re now marching to the beat of a faster drummer — but the season of advent isn’t the worst. As a Christian, the weeks running up to Christmas are a time to orient our hearts toward the hope of what’s to come.

Not an abstract hope in fanciful human goodness; not hope in vague hallmark-sappy spirituality; not a bootstrapped hope in our own strength (what foolishness is the evaporating-muscle I once prided myself in). Nope — often we lazily say “hope” when what we mean is “optimism.” To be clear, optimism is great, and it’s absolutely necessary, but it’s insufficient. It’s not the kinda thing that holds up when you tell your daughters you’re not going to walk them down the aisle. Nor telling your mom and pops they’re gonna bury their son.

A well-lived life demands more reality — stiffer stuff. That’s why, during advent, even while still walking in darkness, we shout our hope — often properly with a gravelly voice soldiering through tears.

Such is the calling of the pilgrim. Those who know ourselves to need a Physician should dang well look forward to enduring beauty and eventual fulfillment. That is, we hope in a real Deliverer — a rescuing God, born at a real time, in a real place. But the eternal city — with foundations and without cancer — is not yet.

Remembering Isaiah’s prophecies of what’s to come doesn’t dull the pain of current sufferings. But it does put it in eternity’s perspective:
“When we've been there 10,000 years…We've no less days to sing God's praise.”

I’ll have more to say. I’m not going down without a fight. One sub-part of God’s grace is found in the jawdropping advances science has made the past few years in immunotherapy and more. Death and dying aren’t the same — the process of dying is still something to be lived. We’re zealously embracing a lot of gallows humor in our house, and I’ve pledged to do my part to run through the irreverent tape.

But for now, as our family faces the reality of treatments, but more importantly as we celebrate Christmas, we wish you peace: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned….For to us a son is given” (Isaiah 9).

With great gratitude, and with gravelly-but-hopeful voices,
Ben — and the Sasses

[PragerU @prageru]

NEW: Work to Live or Live to Work?

Presented by @DavidBahnsen
https://t.co/Qww3zvzgec

[Vanderbilt Baseball @VandyBoys]

1,000 career wins for #4. Congratulations, Coach.

[David L. Bahnsen @DavidBahnsen]

My long-time friend, @JohnFMauldin , who I have learned more from than I can put into words, made a pretty big announcement today!

https://t.co/OcHZXoUShZ

@TheBahnsenGroup is thrilled to be partnering with John on this journey!

[David L. Bahnsen @DavidBahnsen]

A special podcast mini-series in advance of my new book, Full-Time: Work and the Meaning of Life … The first episode features my own Pastor @JonTyson of @COTCNYC. Some other very special guests are still to come. Check it out, and feel free to share.
https://t.co/8EQWaczSgz

[New Founding @NewFounding]

-Hidden christian nihilism
-The road from band manager to wealth manager
-The spirit of the protestant work ethic
-Chasing what you’re good at, not dreams
-The telos of men
-Piety vs. competence

@DavidBahnsen join us this week on the New Founding podcast to discuss.

[Veritas Press @veritaspress]

What does a biblical approach to economics look like? Today @DavidBahnsen, the Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer with @TheBahnsenGroup joins us to discuss how important a godly mindset is when it comes to our work, wages, and resources. https://t.co/eBmw4YUCnL

[Saturday Night Live @nbcsnl]

Nate Bargatze’s monologue!

[David L. Bahnsen @DavidBahnsen]

Bloomberg TV yesterday. Just getting down to brass tax.

https://t.co/3j6U3Tl6I4

[Wall Street Mav @WallStreetMav]

The economy explained ... all over the world. I died laughing listening to this.

It is worth it.
3 minutes. 🤣

🔊sound ...🤣

[David L. Bahnsen @DavidBahnsen]

The Lord has taken home one of his most effective & faithful servants, Tim Keller. Few men in the last 50 years have been more unfairly maligned, by his own people no less; few people have cared less what others said about him. He was a man of the gospel. I miss him already

[David L. Bahnsen @DavidBahnsen]

https://t.co/BrpvGYSeXS
I am grateful for the feedback to and enthusiasm for this year’s Year Behind, Year Ahead economic analyis. I’m posting one last time as we enter the final week of January; I think it’s a good way to be up to speed on where we are and where we’re going

[Pittsburgh Pirates @Pirates]

Hat trick for Bryan Reynolds!

[David L. Bahnsen @DavidBahnsen]

https://t.co/XwGv3zyGqB
Lots of Markets stuff today, including my projection for the next few years ahead for Big Tech!

[David L. Bahnsen @DavidBahnsen]

Wednesday up
Thursday down
What it all means
And why dividend growth may be the solution
https://t.co/oAwjlVbKvg

[Brian Miller @bmill3022]

https://t.co/4nD7rD6qsP

[David L. Bahnsen @DavidBahnsen]

You give me and @adam_brandon @FreedomWorks eight minutes, and we'll give you economic love! https://t.co/DRhnXroNDh

[Brian Miller @bmill3022]

https://t.co/8HYF2jrX4E

[Brian Miller @bmill3022]

Great overview by author, David Bahnsen, on a book I highly recommend @CSPAN https://t.co/4mpJjq6T0O

[Brian Miller @bmill3022]

Shiny object Returns from peak
•cloud computing: -30%
•streaming: -35%
•IPOs: -41%
•SPACs: -48%
•Large cap “innovation”: -48%
•Crypto: -52%
•Small cap “innovation”: -60%

[David L. Bahnsen @DavidBahnsen]

https://t.co/07idpQJxes I think the present market environment has warranted some comments like this from yours truly. I think it is worth a few easy minutes of your time.