impact

Be Available

“For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.” – 2 Corinthians 8:12 When I was living with my family in Oklahoma in my teenage years, we really weren’t going to church a lot. We were all believers, but our spiritual life was kind of stagnant. Thankfully, there was an older couple named the Meechums who lived in the house behind ours. They were super-nice Christian people, and full of the Holy Spirit. My sister started going over there when she was 17, and simply by being in their presence, she caught a fire in her soul that was just amazing. We all befriended them, and before long, each of us was sharing in their passion and enjoying a newfound connection with Jesus. All of this simply because they welcomed us into their home, offered us

February 20, 2023 2 Comments

The Anti-Fragility of Jesus

“So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” – Galatians 3:26,27 After discussing how love is anti-fragile, I want to continue our conversation focusing on God’s anti-fragility, more specifically Jesus and the early church. Jesus Christ exemplifies what it means to be resilient. More people followed Him when others cursed Him and lied about Him. More people talked about Him when they said He was sent by demons. They grew jealous as He grew in popularity, and eventually crucified Him; but little did they realize, that was the worst thing they could have done! Why? Because new life spilled into the universe as a result of His death and resurrection! Everything shifted at that point, and time was snapped in half like a twig. Because the veil was broken in half, history

December 6, 2021 No Comments

You Are History

“They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.” – Isaiah 61:4 We learned yesterday that Queen Mary I, who has been designated “Bloody Mary,” reigned in terror and was determined to “cleanse” her country of the protestant faith that was propagated by her father, Henry VIII. However, in order to continue her conquest, she needed an heir. After a series of miscarriages and stillbirths, she was certain she had become pregnant, but what was actually growing in her stomach was a tumor. Before long, she passed away and her half-sister, Queen Elizabeth I, ascended to the throne. Interestingly, the new monarch was about as different from her predecessor as night and day. She re-established protestantantism in the nation and was tolerant of other faith practices, avoiding the systematic religious persecution propagated by her ancestors.

October 15, 2021 No Comments

God Turns it Around for Good

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” – Romans 8:28 Well, here I go again with a lesson in history, but it’s always amazing to me how much we can learn by studying those who came before us. That said, today, I want to talk about Henry VIII, who was the King of England in the 1500’s. His first marriage was to a Catholic woman named Catherine of Aragon, and she was from Spain. As time went on, she was unable to bear him a son, and since having a male heir was the only way to ensure that his royal lineage would outlive him, he wanted the marriage annulled. He was certain that if he wed another woman, he would finally get his baby boy; the only problem was that in

October 13, 2021 No Comments

The Allure of Gentleness

“Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.” – Philippians 4:5 I don’t know about you, but the world we’re living in wears on me sometimes. Especially since the dawn of the pandemic, it seems like there’s an angry energy that’s permeating society. While I believe it’s fueled by political tensions, a barrage of fear, and the pressures put on us by an increasingly media and image-driven culture, at the end of the day, it’s draining. Sharp edges and harshness seem to be all too common in interactions and reactions, and this is precisely why the children of God need to step up and be the antidote. Like Dallas Willard once said, there’s an “allure in gentleness,” and especially in times like these, we can be a source of healing and comfort to people. Because we’re filled with the Holy Spirit, we have the power to forgo

August 15, 2021 3 Comments

Giving Sight to an Invisible God

“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.” – John 16:13-15 One of the most important lessons I’ve learned through years of studying the Bible and doing ministry work is that we gain greater authority when we understand our call. The Lord’s gift to us in Jesus is one of impartation; in other words, He has given us His Spirit to make us holy and powerful like He is. Though it can

August 10, 2021 No Comments

The Call is Not to Comfort

“The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says.’ And whether they listen or fail to listen—for they are a rebellious people—they will know that a prophet has been among them.” – Ezekiel 2:4,5 Yesterday, we saw that God met Ezekiel in the middle of a season of exile with a divine vision that led him to his call as a prophet. Because the Israelites in Babylon were blatantly rebelling against their Heavenly Father in acts of idolatry and paganism (such as child sacrifice and temple prostitution), He needed to warn them that judgment was coming if they didn’t change their ways. Always faithful and long-suffering, the Lord chose to speak through Ezekiel to give the Jews a chance to turn from evil and return to His heart. Following the Holy Spirit’s prompts, the prophet faithfully delivered

July 19, 2021 No Comments

The Vitality in Vision

“In my thirtieth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day, while I was among the exiles by the Kebar River, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.” – Ezekiel 1:1 Yesterday, we talked about Ezekiel and how he was captured by the Babylonians when he was just 25 years old. After spending five years in a strange city wondering if the Lord had forgotten him, he finally got a glimpse of what His Creator was up to. As he sat by the banks of the Kebar River with his fellow exiles from Jerusalem — probably feeling sad since this was the time he was supposed to come into his own as a priest — he saw something greater than he could ever have fathomed. In fact, with no warning, the heavens opened up before him and he beheld a vision of glory. While at first

July 18, 2021 No Comments

Preservation

“He has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping.” – Psalm 66:9 Yesterday, we talked about the presence of salt in the ancient world, and we learned that it was valuable enough back then to play a role in the founding of the Roman Empire, was the basis for the name given to soldiers, and was sometimes even used to pay wages. Knowing this, we’re logically inclined to wonder why. What was it about salt that made it so vital to life in that time? Since answering this question gives us insight into our role in the Kingdom of God, I want to spend the next few days unpacking three important properties of salt. First of all, it was critical because it preserves. If you were a family of five in the Middle East 2,000 years ago and you needed to store enough meat and provisions to feed

June 13, 2021 No Comments

Give Up Credit, Even if It’s Due

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” – Colossians 3:23 Harry Truman once said, “It’s amazing what you can accomplish if you don’t care who gets the credit.” And though this statement wasn’t made specifically in the context of ministry, it pretty much encapsulates how Jesus led. Rather than managing His reputation, our Lord spent all of His time pouring into others. In fact, the bulk of His energy was invested in a motley crew of twelve disciples who came from all walks of life and were as diverse as they could be. Though there were large crowds of people who followed Him, He didn’t seem to care about having their adoration. On the contrary, He preferred sitting down with His closest friends and working through the issues of faith with them. He welcomed their honest inquiries, and

May 8, 2021 1 Comment

Be Available

The Anti-Fragility of Jesus

You Are History

God Turns it Around for Good

Giving Sight to an Invisible God

The Call is Not to Comfort

The Vitality in Vision

Preservation

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