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Philippians 3:12-14

28 Jul

12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Philippians 3:12-14

Dear God, so this is ironic. Yesterday’s verse of the day was Hebrews 12:1,

12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.

That was the theme for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in 1986, the first year I went to the national conference in Estes Park. Today’s verse, Philippians 3:14, was the verse the next year in 1987. The real irony is that I am traveling today to see my best friend from high school who got involved in FCA with me our senior year. We both had shirts that had these verses on them.

What does this mean? Holy Spirit, are you trying to prepare me for something on this trip and visit with him? I don’t know, but the coincidences are remarkable.

But let me go back to this passage. I was having dinner with a couple of friends last night and we were talking about where to draw the line when deciding whether or not to confront someone else about sin in their lives. When it comes down to it, the Holy Spirit and I are working out my sin. Someone else is working out their sin with the Holy Spirit as long as they are working towards discipleship. I’m more interested in helping someone learn how to walk the narrow path of discipleship and then confront or work out their sin as you present it to them than I am just going around and telling people they are wrong.

I was thinking about the “press on” part of this verse this morning as I worked out. I did a virtual bicycle climb that took almost two and a half hours. There were times I thought about quitting. Then I thought of this verse and the metaphor for “pressing on.” I am on vacation this week, taking a break from my normal responsibilities. But when I get back next week, I need to press on.

Father, help me to forget what is behind and look forward to what lies ahead (verse 13). Help me to press on to finish the race you have called me to. It’s not necessarily an amazing race with amazing glory. It might just be a common life among the 7-ish billion people on earth. But if it could just be useful to you and your plan in some little unseen way that I might not even realize then I can live with that. “Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee.”

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 28, 2026 in Philippians

 

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Hebrews 11

27 Jul

11 Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. 2 Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.

3 By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.

4 It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel’s offering gave evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed his approval of his gifts. Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith.

5 It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—“he disappeared, because God took him.” For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God. 6 And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

7 It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith.

8 It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. 9 And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. 10 Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.

11 It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed that God would keep his promise. 12 And so a whole nation came from this one man who was as good as dead—a nation with so many people that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them.

13 All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. 14 Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. 15 If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. 16 But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

17 It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, 18 even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.” 19 Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.

20 It was by faith that Isaac promised blessings for the future to his sons, Jacob and Esau.

21 It was by faith that Jacob, when he was old and dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons and bowed in worship as he leaned on his staff.

22 It was by faith that Joseph, when he was about to die, said confidently that the people of Israel would leave Egypt. He even commanded them to take his bones with them when they left.

23 It was by faith that Moses’ parents hid him for three months when he was born. They saw that God had given them an unusual child, and they were not afraid to disobey the king’s command.

24 It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward. 27 It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible. 28 It was by faith that Moses commanded the people of Israel to keep the Passover and to sprinkle blood on the doorposts so that the angel of death would not kill their firstborn sons.

29 It was by faith that the people of Israel went right through the Red Sea as though they were on dry ground. But when the Egyptians tried to follow, they were all drowned.

30 It was by faith that the people of Israel marched around Jericho for seven days, and the walls came crashing down.

31 It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute was not destroyed with the people in her city who refused to obey God. For she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.

32 How much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets. 33 By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight. 35 Women received their loved ones back again from death.

But others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection. 36 Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons. 37 Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword. Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated. 38 They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.

39 All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. 40 For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us.

Hebrews 11

Dear God, I don’t know that I’ve ever really spent a lot of time with this chapter, but it feels really important. “It was by faith…”

  • Abel’s offering
  • Enoch’s assumption
  • Noah’s ark
  • Abraham’s obedience
  • Sara’s conception
  • Abraham’s sacrifice
  • Isaac’s blessing
  • Jacob’s worship
  • Jochebed’s disobedience
  • Moses’s choice
  • Moses’s exodus
  • Moses’s Passover
  • Israel’s journey
  • Israel’s march
  • Rahab’s welcome
  • Gideon
  • Barak
  • Samson
  • Jephthah
  • David
  • Samuel
  • The prophets

Some received earthly rewards, but some suffered and died for their faith. Their faith was “better life after the resurrection.” Therefore, since I am surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let me strip off every weight that slows me down, especially the sin that so easily trips me up. And let me run with encdurance the race you have set before me. I will do this by keeping my eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects my faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside your throne. When I grow weary and want to give up, I will think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people. After all, I have not get given my life in my struggle against sin.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 27, 2026 in Hebrews

 

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“Secure” by Grace Pelley

26 Jul
“Secure” by Grace Pelley. From the poetry collection A Measured Universe.

Dear God, I was listening to the Voxology podcast two weeks ago, and they were talking about this special camp in Alabama for children with disabilities. One of the hosts, who is a pastor and also the father of a son with Down Syndrome, described the camp from his experience of having just taken his son there and also being a volunteer. The place sounds amazing.

During his description of the camp, he talked about this woman with cerebral palsey. Her name is Grace Pelley, and she has written a wonderful book of poetry called A Measured Universe. He read two poems from the book, and I knew I had to get it for my wife. It came in last week. I’ve only looked at a few of the poems, but knowing the personal pain and frustration from which they are written makes them incredibly rich in meaning.

I decided I wanted to spend some time with one of these poems and see what kind of insights Ms. Pelley might have for me. What I might learn about you through her. But being someone who doesn’t spend much time with poetry, I wanted to start with a shorter one. I’ll pick some longer ones later.

This first one–“Secure”–did not disappoint. Just starting with the title, this makes me think about the pastor I heard back in 2020 who said we make an idol out of “certainty.” We want to feel certain, i.e. secure. We want to know what’s going on.

Before I start with the poem, the title alone makes me think of Job 38:4-5, when you are setting Job straight, so to speak:

4 “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
    Tell me, if you know so much.
5 Who determined its dimensions
    and stretched out the surveying line?

Your universe is measured and intentional. I have to accept that I cannot always see why. I’m sure Ms. Pelley has struggled to see why sometimes too. But she has found your universe to be measured, indeed.

So what do I see here?

  • “Beyond what we can see is the real Reality and its good, gracious King.” Beyond the reality I can see. I can see so little of what is happening around me. Powers. Principalities. Plans beyond my comprehension.
  • “He exalts children.” Jesus and the children. Those who offer nothing. As adults, we think we have something to offer, but to you, we have no more to offer than the child who brings us a fingerpainting and thinks they’ve given us the world. And to their parent, they have. And to you, our Father, we have. I wonder if we get disappointed in ourselves because we don’t realize just how much closer to being children we are than being like you.
  • “And crowns those the world discards.” I think of the people who Jesus healed. Then I think of the man on the cross Jesus forgave. A discarded person if ever there was one. He didn’t even repent. He just worshipped and revered.
  • “Already his rule is slipping out from the veil and finding us.” We can’t see you, but we get glimpses. We get moments. Visitations. Maybe from angels we are hosting unaware. Maybe through the words of a friend or a poetry book suggested by a podcast host. Maybe through the nature you created that sometimes breaks beyond what we can control. You are too big and mighty to be hidden. And then you sent Jesus. We got a real good look at you through…well, you. You lifted the veil for 33 years and gave us a good look.
  • “The curatin will be lifted soon.” In death? Certainly. Possibly in the second coming of Jesus in my lifetime, although I doubt it. More likely in death, I will see through this veil. This curtain. I’ll see it all. It reminds me of the last letter in Screwtape Letters, when, after the human “patient” dies in a bombing, the master demon Screwtape asks the demon Wormwood what it was like when the human saw him for the first time. I cannot imagine what the first moment looking through the curtain will look like.
  • “and we’ll know He never could have lost.” This goes back to the idol of our certainty. The reality is big and it is obvious. We just cannot see it–yet.
  • “There is nothing to fear.” ‘Nuff said.

Father, there is nothing to fear. There are things to mourn. There are things to struggle against with your power and for the sake of others more than myself. But there is nothing to fear. The reality is that you will never lose.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 26, 2026 in Musings and Stories, Miscellaneous

 

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“I Will Be Here” by Steven Curtis Chapman

25 Jul

“I Will Be Here” by Steven Curtis Chapman

Tomorrow morning if you wake up,
And the sun does not appear
I, I will be here

If in the dark we lose sight of love,
Hold my hand, and have no fear
Cause I, I will be here

I will be here when you feel like being quiet
When you need to speak your mind,
I will listen and
I will be here when the laughter turns to cryin’
Through the winning, losing and tryin’
We’ll be together ’cause I will be here

Tomorrow morning if you wake up,
And the future is unclear
I, I will be here
As sure as seasons are made for change,
Our lifetime’s are made for years
So, I, I will be here

I will be here and you can cry on my shoulder,
When the mirror tells us we’re older,
I will hold you and
I will be here to watch you grow in beauty
And tell you all the things you are to me
I will be here

I will be true to the promise I have made
To you and to the One who gave you to me

I, I will be here

And just as sure as seasons are made for change
Our lifetime’s are made for years
So, I I will be here we’ll be together

I will be here

Dear God, my wife’s aunt sang this song at our wedding 34 years ago (today). It’s amazing how we can bravely, naively, and ignorantly make these promises. My wife and I were 21 and 22, respectively, when we made ours. Pretty young. Pretty naive. Pretty ignorant. Life would have challenges for us. And we’ve made it this far. I’m grateful we are still happy together. I’m grateful we still love and enjoy each other. I know many don’t. In mathematical terms, our relationship has not been the solid positive slope we anticipated. It’s been a sine wave with a positive trend: an oscillating wave. There have been many times when we’ve take two steps back to only get one step foward. But there have been other times when we’ve take five steps forward and only lost one step backward. My point is, it’s been harder to keep the promises of this song than we thought it would be, but because we have kept the promises we still have each other.

I don’t think I’ve made this link between the parable of the sower I read yesterday and the life of a marriage, but I suspect it might be as true for relationships as it is for individual lives.

  • The seed that falls on the path is the encouter between two people that just doesn’t work from the start.
  • The seed that falls in the rocks is the encounter that leads to a short-term relationship, but roots never grow, and they end up flaming out when things get uncomfortable.
  • The seed that falls in the thorns is the encounter that leads to real relationship, but we allow our hearts to get distracted by the pursuit of money and the cares of this world.
  • The seed that falls on the good soil is the relationship that works to till its soil. It works to love selflessly. It works to serve. It ignores the idols of even the relationship itself and gets each person to selflessly given themselves to you and to the other.

I want to be careful to say I don’t think there is a magic potion that will give someone a completely happy marriage. There is no solid “if/then” statement. “IF I do this, THEN this will definitely happen.” No, things can still go very wrong. The loss of a child is one. Sickness. Mental illness. The wheels can completely come off, and we might not end up living the life we want to live.

So back to the promises of this song. Steven Curtis Chapman and his wife are still married, but I know they’ve encountered difficult times. He’s talked about them. The most outwardly known one is when one of their young children died through an accident at home. They hadn’t taken that into account when they made their promises. I have a long list of things I didn’t take into account when I made my promises to my wife. But here we are, living up to the promises.

Father, help me to be here for my wife regardless of what it costs me. She’s your daughter. I’m your son-in-law. You have given her to me in marriage. Regardless of what it costs me, I am responsible for loving her the way you want me to love her. “I will be true to the promise I have made to [her] and to [You] who gave [her] to me.”

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 25, 2026 in Hymns and Songs

 

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Matthew 13:18-23

24 Jul

18 “Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds: 19 The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts. 20 The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. 21 But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. 22 The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced. 23 The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”

Matthew 13:18-23

Dear God, it’s funny that this is the gospel reading today because I accidentally read it last night at the graduation ceremony. It was one of the more surreal moments I’ve ever had public speaking. I’m assuming it was of the Holy Spirit. I intended to read the parable of the wheat and the weeds, which happens to be right after these verses, but when I was copying and pasting the scripture into my outline from which I read I accidentally copied the parable of the sower instead. So I started reading the passage from my notes and, in real time, I realized I was reading the wrong passage. I could go with it and ask the Holy Spirit to just speak through me with this passage instead, or I could stop everything, tell them I was reading the wrong passage, and then gotten the right passage on my phone. I decided to go with the wrong passage and trust that those were the words the people in the crowd needed to hear. I think it went okay.

Father, I want to pray for the men and their families. This is day one their post-Christian Men’s Life Skills class experience. And they have decisions to make today. Their loved ones have decisions to make today. I pray that they will lean into their “floor,” do the work that is healthy for them to do, and find a way to draw closer to you today. I pray for forgiveness between them and their families. I guess I pray for repentance too. I pray for humility. I pray for a servant’s heart. I pray that they will find the narrow path and have the courage to walk it. I pray the same for myself. Help me to find the narrow path today. Help Megan to find it too. And help me to get exactly what you need me to have from this unconventional vacation I’m taking this next week.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 24, 2026 in Matthew

 

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Graduation Night

23 Jul

Dear God, we are going to try this again tonight. Last week, the flooding in South Texas prevented us from having the graduation for the men in this Christian Men’s Life Skills Class, so we are doing it one week later. I hope all of the men and their families can come.

And I have the opportunity to speak to them. I’ve prayed through what to say before, and I have a lot of ideas. Here they are in raw form:

  • I need to start with a story. I need an entry point for them. I’ll come back to this.
  • I want to integrate the organization’s foundational verse, Proverbs 27:17 – As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend. I think this is important. You saw early on, before the fall, that it was not good for humans to be alone. We need someone. Adam needed Eve, and Eve needed Adam. And they both needed you. We need positive peer pressure. We need influence. That makes me think about the Fellowship of Christian Athletes picture called “Influence.” I have a copy of it hanging on my office wall.
  • I want to talk about the influence our friends have on us. How I’ve heard it said that we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with.
  • One of the teachers who has been through the program suggested I really stress the importance of participating in the weekly alumni program and encouraging the families to positively reinforce the good changes they see in their husbands/boyfriends/fathers/sons.
  • And I want to lean into the parable of the wheat at the tares from Matthew 13. I spoke about this the other night at the alumni meeting. Jesus made a point that it would not be good to rip up the weeds because some of the good wheat would get ripped up too. No, wait until the harvest, take it all up together, and then sort it out. All of us, including me, were spared a good weed-pulling. You spared us and gave us a chance to change. We’ve been through pain. It’s time for us to make the pain count.

Father, given what I just typed above, I think a rough outline will be:

  • Opening story. I have some thoughts, but I still need a good one.
  • I think I want to do the parable of the wheat and the tares next.
  • Then I want to do “we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with.”
  • Then the iron sharpens iron verse.
  • Then encouragement to not let this pain be wasted. Make it count.
    • Make it count for all of us to grow.
    • Get involved in alumni.
    • Encourage your loved one who completed the course.
    • Maybe learn from the material he learned from.
  • Finally, this was Christian Men’s Life Skills. All of the teachers and leaders did this because, ultimately, we want the men and their families to know the Jesus/God we know.
    • Love your enemies.
    • Serve the poor.
    • Die to yourself.
    • Find the narrow path.
  • With that said, tonight is everyone’s chance to commit themselves to Jesus and then spend the rest of your earthly life in relationship with you and becoming more and more like you.
  • Close with prayer.

Father, please help me tonight. Help me decrease as you increase. Prepare the hearts, minds, and souls of everyone in the room. Help the two men who have been arrested for previous crimes in the past two weeks.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 23, 2026 in Miscellaneous, Musings and Stories

 

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Matthew 16:13-20

22 Jul

13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

14 “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”

15 Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”

16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

17 Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. 18 Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.”

20 Then he sternly warned the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

Matthew 16:13-20

Dear God, I just had this thought while reading this passage this morning. According to our modern-day mission philosophy, we should be working every moment of every day to “save” every person on this planet that we can, yet Jesus seemingly spent his first 30 years on earth not really reaching out to anyone, and then he spent most of his public ministry obscuring the fact that he was the Messiah. Now, I understand that he couldn’t be completely inflammatory about himself being the Messiah or it would get the Pharisees to kill him sooner than he planned, but it’s still interesting that there was something of a cloak of secrecy about this.

I got to be with a group of eight men last night who have graduated (or are about to graduate) from the Christian Men’s Life Skills class. It was a lot of fun. Eleven weeks ago, we started with 24 men. Two have been re-arrested (I don’t know if they are out), two more left after the eight-week minimum, and a couple couldn’t come last night, but let’s say we are moving forward with 10 who intend to do this, and six end up walking this path together long-term. The men last night were talking about their changed lives. They were talking about their wives seeing the changes in them. They talked about the changes they see in each other and even a couple of guys who weren’t there. It was cool. But it reminds me that the path is narrow and difficult to walk and few will find it (Matthew 7:13-14).

Father, help me to continue to find the narrow path today. Help me to walk with these men on this path. And I’ll admit I’ve been feeling very selfish lately. Yes, I need a vacation, which I’ll get next week, but it feels beyond that. It feels like I’ve picked my ways to serve, but I’ve picked some pretty comfortable ways. I’ve thought of needs that I’ve ignored. They sounded too hard to help. So, Holy Spirit, move me and convict me when I need to be convicted. Show me what you would have me to do today.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 22, 2026 in Matthew

 

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Matthew 12:46-13:2

21 Jul

46 As Jesus was speaking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. 47 Someone told Jesus, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, and they want to speak to you.”

48 Jesus asked, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” 49 Then he pointed to his disciples and said, “Look, these are my mother and brothers. 50 Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother!”

13 Later that same day Jesus left the house and sat beside the lake. 2 A large crowd soon gathered around him, so he got into a boat. Then he sat there and taught as the people stood on the shore. 

Matthew 12:46-13:2

Dear God, this is one of those synoptic gospel stories that Matthew, Mark, and Luke give us, but I wish each of them gave us more. I want to know more about the behind the scenes conversations between Jesus, Mary, and his siblings. I want to know more about what the conversations were like between Mary and Jesus’s brothers and sisters. How much did she wish she had Joseph, Elizabeth, or Zechariah (the others who knew of the angel visits and messages all those years ago) to talk through all of this with? But that’s obviously not the point of Matthew, Mark, and Luke telling us these stories. So what is the point?

I don’t think they wanted to make a point of Jesus dismissing his family and relegating them to a lesser position. After all, that wouldn’t be honoring his mother. No, I think he was elevating in importance everyone else. He was admonishing the crowd to look on each other as family. That’s a totally different thing. In fact, Luke boils this story down to three verses in Luke 8:19-21: 19 Then Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but they couldn’t get to him because of the crowd. 20 Someone told Jesus, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, and they want to see you.” 21 Jesus replied, “My mother and my brothers are all those who hear God’s word and obey it.” He doesn’t dismiss his family here. He elevates everyone else.

Father, there’s no one more important to me in this world than my wife, followed closely by our two children. All three of them live rent-free in my head, and I welcome it. My children would be shocked to know how much I think about them and love them. And I get that it’s different for them and how they see me. For Mary, this must have been so hard. There was no one on earth for her like Jesus. And maybe she was feeling pressure from the other children to rein him in. I guess what I’m saying is that I want to really care about the people around me. I want to love them more. I don’t want to be codependent with them, but I want to see each person with love and mercy. And not only other Christians. I want to love everyone richly. Help me to know how to do that in any given moment.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 21, 2026 in Luke, Matthew

 

1 John 1:5-10

20 Jul

5 This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. 6 So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. 7 But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.

8 If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. 9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.

1 John 1:5-10

Dear God, I can’t read verse 7 without thinking about dc Talk and their cover of Charlie Peacock’s “In the Light.”

I worked for a Christian music publisher for seven years. As I look back on it now 30 years later and I see the struggles many of the young artists we promoted (who were my age back then) have had since then with their personal lives and faith in you, I cannot help but see the irony of this song. We are so encouraged to not let our real selves be known. Our sins be known. Our struggles be known. Living “in the light” is difficult.

So how do we live in the “light?” It’s right there in verse 9: 9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. But we have to confess them. We have to confess them to you. But we also need someone else to confess them to. Catholics would say we need reconciliation through a priest. I wouldn’t go that far, but we need someone. Going back to dc Talk, a couple of the guys have had well-documented struggles. Did they have someone to confess their sins to? We need others. We need accountability and community.

Father, I have a couple of men in my life with whom I can be vulnerable. Thank you for that. Help me to be truly vulnerable with them. I want to live in your light. I will not be like verse 8: 8 If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. I don’t want to be like verse 10: 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts. I want to live out verse 9. Help me to do that with others, and make me the kind of person with whom others can do that as well. Help me to be that safe person who can inspire and help someone grow.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 20, 2026 in 1 John

 

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Matthew 13:24-43

19 Jul

Parable of the Mustard Seed

24 Here is another story Jesus told: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. 25 But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away. 26 When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew.

27 “The farmer’s workers went to him and said, ‘Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds! Where did they come from?’

28 “‘An enemy has done this!’ the farmer exclaimed.

“‘Should we pull out the weeds?’ they asked.

29 “‘No,’ he replied, ‘you’ll uproot the wheat if you do. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn.’”

Parable of the Mustard Seed

31 Here is another illustration Jesus used: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants; it grows into a tree, and birds come and make nests in its branches.”

Parable of the Yeast

33 Jesus also used this illustration: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.”

34 Jesus always used stories and illustrations like these when speaking to the crowds. In fact, he never spoke to them without using such parables. 35 This fulfilled what God had spoken through the prophet:

“I will speak to you in parables.
    I will explain things hidden since the creation of the world.”

Parable of the Wheat and Weeds Explained

36 Then, leaving the crowds outside, Jesus went into the house. His disciples said, “Please explain to us the story of the weeds in the field.”

37 Jesus replied, “The Son of Man is the farmer who plants the good seed. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed represents the people of the Kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the evil one. 39 The enemy who planted the weeds among the wheat is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world, and the harvesters are the angels.

40 “Just as the weeds are sorted out and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the world. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will remove from his Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42 And the angels will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s Kingdom. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!

Matthew 13:24-43

Dear God, I’m so grateful Jesus gave us this parable of the wheat and the weeds. It low-key explains so much about how you call the church to work. It would have been so easy for this parable to not be there and then for Christians to justify going around and “getting rid of” (whatever that might mean, up to and including death) people who weren’t righteous enough for our standard. For example, the Spanish Inquisition, which ran almost 400 years. But Jesus was clear about this. Tearing out the weeds now while we are on this side of life could destroy us as well. In fact, who’s to say I wouldn’t be on the other side of someon else’s cut line? Who’s to say that I am not holy enough and don’t live up to the standard someone decides to set? What if my life it too weedy?

That’s the part that people (including me) miss when they try to set a standard for others to live up to? What if I am on the wrong side of the cut line I have laid out? I remember years ago when a donor didn’t think they were getting enough preferential treatment from our organization because they gave a certain amount of money each year. They gave about $3,000. I never told them this, but I wondered at the time, “What if your $3,000 isn’t considered to be a large gift here? What if I set the standard for preferential treatment at $5,000?” At the same time, there was a couple who would send $7 as a memorial donation every time a friend would die. It was the sweetest thing. I imagined the wife sitting down and writing her $7 check to mail in. I imagined them balancing the checkbook and seeing they had made two $7 donations that month for $14. How big of a percentage was that? Was that a moderen-day example of the widow’s mite? (Mark 12:41-44)

Father, I still have a lot to learn. I have parts of my life that are weedy. In the grand scheme of your world church and body, I could be so much better and holy. I almost skipped church this morning because I don’t want to go. Then I was lying in bed and I wondered if I wasn’t just incredibly ungrateful for a couple of the amazing things you’ve done for me lately. And that you’ve done for our community? Why am I not wanting to get there and really worship you? Because I’m selfish. Because I’m ungrateful. That’s why. I’m sorry, Father. I’m about to leave now to join my wife and a few hundred other people to worship you. I give you my heart, Father.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 19, 2026 in Matthew

 

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