Latest / The Gospel Briefing / Jay-Z Picks Himself, Bishops Apologize, Comey Charged Again
Transcript
- Good morning. Let's begin. This is The Gospel Briefing. I'm Charles King. One question frames today: when a platform lands in your hands, what are you using it for? Start with the biggest stage in American entertainment. The NFL, Apple Music, and Roc Nation announced last night that Jay-Z will headline the Super Bowl halftime show on February fourteenth at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Here's the twist. Jay-Z's company, Roc Nation, has helped produce the halftime show since 2019. So the man picking the headliner picked himself. Commissioner Roger Goodell says he asked Jay-Z from the start to take the stage when the moment felt right. Jay-Z called it a dream come true. By the numbers, he's earned the invite. Twenty-five Grammys. Eighty-nine nominations. The Songwriters Hall of Fame. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Nothing scandalous here. But something worth sitting with. Proverbs twenty-seven, verse two is direct: "Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips." That isn't a rule against ambition. It's a warning about the quiet gravity of a platform you control. When you hold the microphone and choose who else gets it, handing it to yourself becomes almost invisible. Most of us aren't picking Super Bowl acts. But we do decide, every day, whose name goes first. If you want to sit with this, keep Proverbs twenty-seven open in Bible Copilot and follow along. Our second story stays on platforms, and who uses whose. Two Catholic bishops apologized this week for attending a White House prayer meeting with President Trump. Milwaukee Archbishop Jeffrey Grob and Des Moines Bishop William Joensen say the White House released photos and video of the prayer without their consent, less than two weeks before the midterm elections. Grob titled his statement "A Public Apology." He wrote that something sacred was manipulated for political purpose. Joensen said he wished he had been "more shrewd and less simple." Jesus said it first, in Matthew ten, sixteen: "Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves." Christian leaders have always been invited into rooms of power. The question is what the room does with your presence after you leave. Pray for wisdom today before you repeat what you have heard. Third story. The Justice Department has moved to charge former FBI Director James Comey a third time, over a decade-old leak allegation tied to a 2016 New York Times story. The department bypassed a grand jury and filed what's called a "criminal information" to beat the ten-year statute of limitations. Comey's attorneys call it invalid. Two prior federal investigations into the same matter closed with no charges. Whatever you think of James Comey, the pattern deserves sober attention. Deuteronomy sixteen, verse twenty: "Justice, and only justice, you shall follow." Not justice when convenient. Not justice when it serves our side. The practice today is simple: refuse to cheer when prosecution turns on someone you dislike. That restraint is a form of worship. This episode is presented by Bible Copilot. Today's verse is Philippians two, verse three. Open Bible Copilot and study the Verse of the Day first. You'll get a guided walk through what the passage says, what it means, what it teaches about God, and how to apply it. Three questions a day are free. Start at mybiblecopilot dot com slash gospel. That's mybiblecopilot dot com slash gospel, or search Bible Copilot in the App Store. Philippians two, verse three: "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves." Every story today turned on a platform. A stage. A photo. A courtroom. Paul says the mark of Christ in us is that we use what we're given to lift someone else. Thanks for listening to The Gospel Briefing. Carry that into your Tuesday. We'll see you tomorrow.