Yes, I believe you can hear God through the “loud thoughts” which often drive our lives. So, have you tried to hear God through this practice of the Lectio Divina?

Last week, I shared the 4 steps (with two optional extra steps) and a video link where I led our church through this practice. In that session, we read through a short passage from the Gospel of John, and I wonder:

You Can Hear God!

If you took the time to engage with that practice, I firmly believe you heard God. But you may have discounted what you heard.

Earlier this year, I met with a member of our church who told me he had never heard the voice of God, but I reminded him that he was the one who invited me to that coffee meeting. He was the one asking me questions about God. He obviously heard God speak to his heart. He just didn’t recognize it.

You, too, hear God, whether you recognize it or not, and you can hear God in this passage:

When the people saw him do this miraculous sign, they exclaimed, “Surely, he is the Prophet we have been expecting!” When Jesus saw that they were ready to force him to be their king, he slipped away into the hills by himself.

That evening Jesus’ disciples went down to the shore to wait for him. But as darkness fell and Jesus still hadn’t come back, they got into the boat and headed across the lake toward Capernaum. Soon a gale swept down upon them, and the sea grew very rough. They had rowed three or four miles when suddenly they saw Jesus walking on the water toward the boat. They were terrified, but he called out to them, “Don’t be afraid. I am here!” Then they were eager to let him in the boat, and immediately they arrived at their destination!
-John 6:14-21

If you didn’t already engage with this bit of Scripture through the Lectio Divina, I encourage you to try it now. As a reminder, the Lectio Divina is a series of 4 simple steps: Read, Meditate, Pray, Contemplate. Simply read the above section of Scripture four times; each time engaging with it through one of those four lenses.

It does often help to have context.

In this case, Jesus had just fed a group of 5,000 men (plus women and children, whom scholars believe inflated the count to 10,000+). This is why the crowd was ready to make him king, and Jesus slipped away.

What did you hear?

I’d love for you to share what you heard as you read or listened to this passage this past week. Go ahead and take a moment to share with me and the community.

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Here is what I heard.

1. Why didn’t the disciples wait?

Maybe I am sensitive to the disciples’ impatience because my 2026 Word of the Year is WAIT, so their decision to leave Jesus behind immediately stood out to me. I have no idea why they left. There may have been a predetermined plan between Jesus and these men, but more likely, they got worried.

I don’t have an answer, but I noted the question in my heart. This led me to this next observation:

2. Darkness.

A major theme in the book of John is light and darkness. We find it in the opening passage of John:

The Word gave life to everything that was created,
and his life brought light to everyone.
The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it. -John 1:4-5

For John, darkness is not a physical issue…it represents a spiritual state.

It seems the disciples somehow fell into a dark spiritual state, and honestly, that makes sense. I imagine many of us have known the feeling of being on a spiritual high, only to quickly fall back into reality. The disciples had just witnessed Jesus magically multiply a few loaves and fish into a feast for the equivalent of a stadium’s worth of people. Maybe the moment had come?

Then Jesus slips away, so they too quietly got into their boat to row home.

The 16th-century mystic and theologian, St John of the Cross, writes about the Dark Night of the Soul: When things don’t go the way they are supposed to go. The disciples, impatient and in the dark, find themselves only halfway home and rowing against the wind.

From the highest of highs to the lowest of lows.

3. Suddenly.

When Jesus shows up, it is without warning. He just appears…suddenly.

Last night it stormed at our house. I was aware of it at night, but even more so when I woke up this morning. It was no longer raining, but it was still cloudy, making it much darker than normal. For most of my morning routine, it remained dark and cloudy, but then the sun suddenly broke through. There was no warning; what once was darkness was now light streaming through the clouds.

Jesus, as the light of the world, acts similarly in our dark nights of the soul. When he appears, he does so suddenly, and with him comes illumination.

4. Don’t be afraid.

When I asked church members what they heard, one of the more common responses was this line from Jesus:

It reminds me of when my class engaged in the Lectio Divina on a similar passage from the book of Luke. There Jesus was already in the boat and calmed the storm. As I listened to the passage read, I heard a simple line:

In the darkness, in the storm, in the hard times of life, Jesus is there with you. Back to St John of the Cross, he writes that God inhabits the deepest place of our lives. We are literally never without Him. In your storm, Jesus is present. You don’t need to be afraid.

Yes, this is easier said than done, but it is a truth you need to remind yourself of in your dark moments. Don’t be afraid. Jesus is here.

5. Shalom

In the middle of the lake, futilely rowing toward the other side, nothing seems to be going the disciples' way. That wasn’t the way it was supposed to be.

But did you notice what happened as soon as Jesus stepped into the boat? They arrived at their destination.

Okay, that’s crazy. Were they closer to shore than they realized? Did time seem to fly by? Was it some sort of Star Trek teleportation? I have no idea, but things became as they should have been.

That is shalom: the way things ought to be. When you allow Jesus into your life, things become right.

Now, don’t confuse this with perfection. Shalom does not mean that all of your problems disappear. You will continue working through your marital problems. Your health won’t magically improve. You will still need to straighten out your finances. Shalom means your problems become manageable because there is light in your darkness and calm in your storm.

Jesus is here.

This seems to be what St John of the Cross teaches in his discussion of the dark night of the soul. The dark nights teach us to find Jesus in our storms. When we find Jesus, we encounter shalom—peace in the chaos.

That is my prayer for you. This week, may you experience the shalom of Jesus. In your storms, may you find peace.

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Don’t Cheat :) I’d love to know what you heard from this passage in the comments. What did you hear God speak?

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So, how do you hear God?

We Hear God Through His Word

Technology has changed how we hear God. The 15th-century invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg spurred one of these changes. It took time because books were expensive for the average person, who was often illiterate, but through the years the printing press and widespread literacy put the Bible in the hands of people like you and me.

What was once the role of the priest or pastor is now available to everyone!

We most often hear God through His Word, the Scripture. But let’s be real, most of us don’t have much training in interpreting or understanding this ancient text, so when we read it, we leave more befuddled and confused than when we started. And often, we’ll hit a section of the Bible that will be so difficult to read that it stops us in our tracks. In the past, I’ve given tips on how to handle those moments—things like where to start reading in the Bible, what version of the Bible to read, or how to approach any passage of Scripture.

Who is the master?

These are great tips, but let me tell you one thing I missed in all of my past advice. It wasn’t something I was purposefully holding back, but it was a key I never understood for myself. I showed you ways to grasp a passage of the Bible, tear it apart, and take complete control over it.

I taught you to master the Bible.

And I don’t want to completely discount this skill. It is important to understand what you are reading, and if you are brand new to the Bible or church, it can be very confusing to try to read the Bible for the first time. However, if the Word of God is an extension of sorts of the living, breathing Word of God, Jesus, then our first goal should never be to master the Bible.

Our goal should be to let the Bible master us.

It is impossible to master Jesus. He is the Master. This being the case, you cannot master His Word, so you must allow the Bible to master you.1

A Change in Perspective

There are two aspects of allowing the Word of God to master you. First, there is a perspective shift, and this is true of most of us born and raised in the West. We have been taught to control knowledge, including the Bible, and as I said, this isn’t all bad. But we don’t often hear the voice of God by mastering His Word. And your goal is to hear the voice of God to know God in order to be transformed.

A Change of Action

Second, we must change our actions, and while a change in perspective can lead to a change in process, the two are not always linked. Sometimes there is a change, but it needs more action. Let me give you an example.

In 2020, I began journaling my walk through Scripture. I didn’t have words for it then, but it was a way to allow Scripture to master me. The process was simple: I would read from a series of passages (most days, around 3-4 chapters from across the Old and New Testaments), highlight and copy a verse or two that stood out to me, then write a few thoughts around that verse. Often this reflection would point back to me.

It was the Bible mastering me.

However, this process was equally about mastering my walk with God. While my stated goal was to hear God, it often became confused with reading through the entire Bible in a year, or seeing how many short studies I could read throughout the year. I often heard God’s voice in my process, but I was subtly working to control (or even win) the process. My process was actually a subtle attempt to wrestle God into submission.

So, what is my practice/process now?

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The Lectio Divina

If you are tuned into church culture in the United States (zero judgment if you are not), then you may be aware of the name John Mark Comer, who is a leading voice in the Christian Spiritual Formation movement. Through him or his influence, you may have then heard of an ancient way of reading Scripture called the Lectio Divina.

Latin for “Divine Reading,” the Lectio Divina is a four-part process of reading the Bible to hear God. It was developed in the 2nd and 3rd centuries by men and women known as the desert mothers and fathers. It was later codified by 5th- and 6th-century monks, and it was lost in the rise of the Protestant and Evangelical church, but has made a recent comeback as a way to slowly marinate in God’s Word.2

The 4-part process is simple, and you don’t need anything but your Bible.3 You will read the same passage four different times, so I suggest a short 10-15 verse passage (maybe shorter). Personally, I read through the Gospel of John using this method, and it took me about three and a half months to read John’s 21 chapters.

The Divine Reading Process

Here is the process:

1. Read.
   Slowly read or listen to the passage and be aware of any word, phrase, or idea that stands out as you read. It may be nothing. While your goal is to hear God’s voice, there is nothing wrong with simply being in God’s presence for a few moments. After reading or listening, stop for a brief moment of silence.

2. Meditate.
   Slowly read or listen to the passage a second time, listening for that word or phrase. What comes to your mind as you hear it? What might God be speaking to you in that passage?
   Be really slow as you read, considering how one part connects to another. If you are familiar with the context in which the part of the Bible was written, this is a great time to consider this. However, that knowledge is not necessary. What is most necessary is being open to what God is showing you. End with another few moments of silence.

3. Pray.
   Slowly read or listen to the passage a third time. As you read, change your intention to prayer. What rises up in you as you read? What do you need to tell God or dialogue with Him about as you read? Again, end with another moment of silence.

4. Contemplate.
   In this final reading of the passage, enjoy the presence of God. Meditation and contemplation are often difficult for me to separate, but the key is to reflect back on the Father. Thank him for being with you. You may not have heard anything, or you may have more than you could imagine…either way, know His presence was with you.4

That’s it. It is that simple.

Over the years, those who practice this have added different steps. Here are two which I think are really helpful—one to begin with and the other to end the process with.

1. A moment of silence.
   Begin with this initial step of silence. Invite the presence of God, and ask Him to speak as you read, meditate, pray, and contemplate His Word.

2. Close with journaling.
   Personally, I have continued my practice of highlighting a particular verse(s) and writing my thoughts on that verse. I have tried to be very cognizant of pointing my thoughts inwardly. I am not reading for someone else. I want to hear God in a way that changes me. If my transformation impacts someone else…praise God! But my goal is God mastering my heart.

Now You Try!

If you are interested in how this practically works, I led our church through this process in a recent Sunday morning service. I encourage you to practice along with our church.

I led them through John 6:14-21, but what I didn’t get to was what God spoke to me as I personally practiced the Lectio Divina with this passage. That will be the subject of next week’s newsletter.

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I’d love to hear your story or reflection in the comments. What changes when you read Scripture to encounter God rather than simply collect information?

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In this story, the young boy, Samuel, hears a voice calling his name as he lies in his bed. Thinking it is his mentor, Eli, calling for him, Samuel runs to Eli’s room, but Eli had not called for Samuel. This scene plays out several times until Eli tells Samuel to continue lying in bed the next time he hears the voice, but to reply, “Yes Lord, your servant is listening.”1

This begins a lifetime of Samuel hearing the voice of God sometimes audibly…but not normally.

In our small group discussion about this chapter, I asked the question, “Who has heard the voice of God?” One of our members quickly spoke up, “I’ve never heard God’s voice.” In her mind, this meant she had never heard God’s audible voice. Based on the text, it was easy to understand her thought, and I had to admit, I had never heard the audible voice of God either.

But I HAVE heard God’s voice.

What does this mean? How can someone hear God’s voice if it is not an out-loud sound? More importantly, how do you hear God’s voice?

Loud Thoughts

This question is vital for those who call themselves followers of Jesus.

This isn’t just an abstract theological debate with minimal impact on most of the Church. As I shared in last week’s post, Jesus told us that we know God by hearing His voice, and in 30 years of ministry, I’ve found that the most common reason people leave their faith is that they don’t personally know God. Their pastor, their mother, their spouse, their friend may know God, but they have never learned to hear or recognize God’s voice.

So, how do we hear God’s voice? What does it sound like?

My pastor often says, “The voice of God is the ‘loud’ thought in your mind.” I’ve found this is a good description, and I’ve found that these thoughts often make me wonder, “Where did this come from?” To be clear, these thoughts are not intrusive. In fact, it is just the opposite because if I’m not careful, they can be fleeting. I have to work hard to find ways to hold onto them.

So, what is the source of these thoughts?

They can come from anywhere — a statement from a friend or family member, but also a random person you meet in the store. It could be a sermon or a discussion you hear at church, on the radio, or in a podcast. The voice of God comes through music, movies, books, or art hanging on the wall. The voice of God may be the quiet prompting to act or speak…it’s a sense within you. I often hear the voice of God when I am in God’s creation—especially when I am in a part of creation foreign to me.

All of those are common ways people hear the voice of God, but the most common way is through Scripture.

The Word of God

The Apostle John began his Gospel with these words:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. -John 1:1-2 NIV

John goes on to say:

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. -John 1:14 NIV

There is a link between the Scriptures as the Word of God and the person of Jesus, the Word of God who lived, died, rose again, and ascended into heaven. Jesus is the living, breathing Word of God, but we are assured the Scriptures are also alive.

Living and Active

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. -Hebrews 4:12 NIV

When you read the Bible, you are engaging with something unlike any other book available to you. While you may hear God’s voice reading Shakespeare, Jane Austen, or even Stephen King, their text is not alive. Scripture is an extension of the person of Jesus, who is alive and active in the heavens, so it too is alive.2 Jesus uses the Word of God to speak to us and to mold and shape us into people who reflect who he is.

The key is to read the Bible in a way that you hear God’s voice.

Hearing God’s Voice Through Scripture

God can do anything, but I’ve found there are certain ways to approach Scripture that help me hear God. Next week, this is exactly what I will teach you. I’ll show you an ancient way men and women have been approaching the Bible to hear God’s voice. But let me close with a warning.

If you enter this tried-and-true method of hearing God speak, it will first challenge you, and then it will change you. This is not approaching Scripture to master it or make it say what you want or even need to hear. You will find that this system of reading will cause God’s Word to master you. It will expose your flaws, wounds, and doubts. You will open yourself up and make yourself vulnerable.

It is not for the faint of heart.

If you are ready for transformation, open next week’s email.

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I’d love to hear your story or reflection in the comments. What assumptions have shaped the way you think God is supposed to speak?

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Any church that has been around this long has a rich history, and Cross Points Church is no different. I’ve seen a lot of things.

The Ups and Downs of Church

On the positive side, I represent the third of four generations who have called Cross Points Church their home. My aunt found Jesus in the Jesus People Movement of the late 60s and early 70s, which led my mom’s side of the family to follow in her footsteps. My grandparents, my mom, my sister and I, and now my children have all been impacted by this church (originally named Full Faith Church of Love…gotta love those hippies!). I honestly have no idea where my life would be without the men and women of the church.

But I’ve seen the ugly side of church, too.

When I was 19, the founding pastor of our church had an affair with a secretary, and they ran away to Florida. It ripped a church of 4000 members in half overnight. With this in mind, it is amazing the church continues, and I would say thrives, today. Those were hard days, and that specific moment may be the hardest I have ever faced, but there continue to be difficult moments at our church (as in every church).

One of the things you develop a thick skin for in pastoral ministry is when people leave the church. That is a tough experience, but I understand that there are often valid reasons to leave a church. I don’t like to see it, but I’ve learned to have open hands. What is most difficult about this experience is hearing that a person is no longer following Jesus. Maybe they aren’t an atheist or antagonistic toward God, but they have given up faith in God.

How to Never Give Up

My wife told me she recently listened to a podcast that stated that when people leave a church, they most often leave the faith.

This breaks my heart.

It breaks my heart because I have a core conviction: Every person can know God. And if you know God, you might leave a church, but you would never leave the faith.

So, the question is how? How does a person know God in such a way that they would never consider leaving the faith?

The answer is found in the words of Jesus:

“But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice.

“I AM the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep.”
-John 10:2-4,14-15 NLT

Notice what Jesus says.

Jesus is God

First, Jesus claims to be God. He refers to Himself the same way God named Himself at the burning bush a few thousand years earlier…I AM. This context is really important because it sets us up to know God in such a way that we won’t ever lose complete faith in Him.

Yes. I wrote “complete” faith. Doubt is a natural part of faith. There are times I doubt. I wonder where God is, was, or has been. I can’t see his goodness in difficult circumstances. Yet, in all of those doubts, I have kept faith in God because I have heard His voice.

Know God Through the Voice of Jesus

This is the second thing to notice in the passage above. Followers of Jesus, know his voice. As God, Jesus speaks, and his followers hear and recognize his voice. This is how we know God: We hear and recognize the voice of Jesus. The more often you hear Jesus, the better you will begin to know him. The better you know Jesus, the less likely you will be to leave your faith because of difficult circumstances in your life.

You might leave your church, but you won’t leave your faith when you hear God’s voice and know Him intimately.

So, do you know how to hear and recognize the voice of Jesus?

That will be the topic of next week’s newsletter, but let me leave you with this hint, also from the Gospel of John:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” -John 1:1-5 NIV

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I’d love to hear your story or reflection in the comments. When have you found it easiest—or most difficult—to believe that you can genuinely know God?

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When you choose your Word of the Year and begin the process of learning and growing from it, you cannot expect linear growth—all up and to the right. Typically, you will find amazing nuggets of truth early in the process. Little phrases or verses in the Bible will jump out at you. You’ll have conversations with friends, family, or co-workers that will remind you of your word. A scene from a movie or television program will relate back to your word.

But slowly, over the course of the following weeks and months, the Word of the Year project will lose that honeymoon steam. This is where the truth growth begins.

This is also when it becomes vital to have been collecting the revelations and thoughts in some sort of journal. That collection of notes will surprise you when you look back at them in the middle of a hot summer when it seems like you haven’t learned a thing from your word. Let me give an example from my 2026 Word of the Year.

WAIT.

Glancing through my 2026 Word of the Year journal, I had a ton of January notes, just one in February, a handful from March through May, and then just one again in June. Then I wrote something on the last day of June that began a series of notes and ideas that is truly challenging me. It began with a short passage from the Gospel of John. In the narrative of the Last Supper, Jesus begins by washing his disciples’ feet, and Peter strongly protests.

Here is a bit of their exchange:

Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” -John 13:7-8

Reading this interchange between Peter and Jesus led me to wonder,

As I processed this, my mind went to big things: saying no to job opportunities, moves, and ministry partnerships. From there, I jumped to dreaming about moving forward in one or more of those areas; what would it look like if I took God back up on that offer?

This is exactly where my Word of the Year came crashing in, because God said, “Wait.”

In the past, my “Yes” meant action, but today my “Yes” means to wait. Not just waiting to act, but waiting to dream. Why? I’m not ready.

You Can’t Handle the Truth

In the 1992 movie A Few Good Men, Tom Cruise’s character is interrogating Jack Nicholson’s character in a military tribunal, and in that famous scene, Cruise demands: “I want the truth!” Nicholson famously responds, “You can’t handle the truth!”

I couldn’t help but think of that scene, reading Jesus’ words to his disciples the night he was betrayed. He speaks them toward the end of his discourse, saying:

“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.” -John 16:12

Sometimes we can’t handle the truth. It’s too much. We can’t bear it.

Just a few weeks ago, I was asking Jesus that question, “What can’t I handle? What are you keeping from me?” I didn’t get an answer, just that I need to wait. Importantly, I didn’t hear distrust, but I wasn’t ready. God does trust me, but because he trusts me, He knows I’m not quite ready for what He has for me.

Some things we aren’t ready for, so Jesus holds them back from us. It is a gracious move on his part, and thankfully it isn’t forever; he is waiting for me to be ready. This means I must wait too, and waiting reveals my truest nature.

Crackin’ Open Your Chest

My last note was from just a week ago, and I noted something interesting about this season of waiting.

I pride myself on being a non-anxious person. That’s unusual in today’s culture. When so many people are dealing with anxiety, it is something I haven’t struggled with, partly because I am a person who takes action. I am able to ease my anxiety by making a decision and moving forward.

Waiting means not acting.

I’ve found myself over the last several weeks with an underlying sense of anxiety. Honestly, for a bit, I couldn’t figure out what was going on. I genuinely had to ask myself, “What am I experiencing?” The honest answer is I’m a little bit anxious. Here is what I wrote about his experience:

I’ve given my future into the hands of God, so it is out of my control. This is revealing hidden parts of my life which I didn’t know existed. But note: this isn’t a moment of shame but of learning and growth. I can’t do anything other than take these feelings into the presence of Jesus, so he can teach me about myself.

So, as I begin the second half of 2026, I am right in the middle of what God has for me. It isn’t what I expected or even wanted, but it is what I need.

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I’d love to hear your story or reflection in the comments. What have you learned so far from your 2026 Word of the Year? Where and when do you find it hard to wait? Why?

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I’ve added a few thoughts to tie in with my current Word of the Year and to make the Scripture reference more understandable.

Under Siege

Ever feel like every part of your life is under siege? The kids (preschoolers, elementary schoolers, teenagers, or adults) are going crazy. Your home is the definition of disorder. The boss at work hasn’t let up for weeks. Try as you may, your income and bills won’t match up. The people who were once close to you now seem far away (literally or figuratively).

As Ferris Bueller put so well, “Life comes at you fast…” What once felt so good now seems like a struggle.

A Kingdom Under Siege

There is a story in Scripture of a city under literal siege. The outside forces have surrounded the city, so the people were struggling through famine. In the text, the king comes across a woman who shares her story, including cannibalism…of her own son.

Things are bad. Really bad.

The king's response is to demand the head of the prophet Elisha. Why? The king blames God. It is God’s fault he was under siege. It was God’s fault there was a famine. It was God’s fault his people were forced into cannibalism. It was all God’s fault.

It was God’s fault, and the king was done waiting on God.

2026: A Year to Wait

“Why should I wait for the Lord any longer?” -2 Kings 6:33

A line like this in the Bible tells you something is about to go down. In this case, God comes through...the next day. If only it were this easy in our lives, too. If only we could see so clearly that our best choice is to wait on God.

Maybe it’s not God’s fault?

We don’t normally see clearly because the circumstances are difficult. We barely keep our heads above water, so how can we wait any longer? Another moment and we might be completely underwater, out of breath, and out of hope. Our lives are under siege!

Yet God asks us to wait.

I don’t exactly know why, except that it’s for His glory. When we have nowhere else to turn, when we have no other hope but Him, then He comes through. He receives the glory.

So wait...just a little longer.

My Word of the Year is WAIT. I cannot tell you how hard this is for me. I’m a nervous actor. I move to ease my anxiety.

That is a difficult thing to write…to admit. I have prided myself on being a non-anxious presence, but I’ve found that as I force myself to WAIT, I cannot move, act, or go forward. But what I’m learning is that when I wait, I find the presence of Jesus…which leads me to wonder: how often have I missed Jesus in my impulse to act?

I wrote the note below as I read the verse from above. It encouraged me then, and it encourages me now. May it encourage you today.

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I’d love to hear your story or reflection in the comments. Where do you find it difficult to wait on God? How does it change you when you do wait?

Leave a comment

If you’d rather, send me a message directly. Let’s begin a conversation!

If this post encouraged you, share it with someone who could use a reminder that hope still lives.

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I didn’t really realize it until this week, but I have pulled all from my 2014 year—VISION. My goal is to challenge and inspire you to dig into your 2026 Word of the Year…or begin again…or start fresh. It’s not too late.

I encourage you to keep reading because this post will encourage you no matter where you find yourself this week. If you are struggling, this is for you. If you are just coming out of a wilderness season, this is for you. If you have a friend or family member struggling in life, this post is for you.

Vision: Word of the Year 2014.

Last week, I shared my 2014 Word of the Year. I was so excited when it came to me. It was exactly what I had been trying to put into a single word for weeks.

VISION.

I want to have a clear and distinct VISION for my family, life, work, and more.

California is the place you outta be...

Last week, I vacationed in California with Kia. We had a great time.

I always love to read when on vacation, but leaving for the trip, I didn’t give myself nearly enough time to pack. I was in a hurry, so I quickly grabbed a couple of books, threw them in my bag, and headed out the door.

The next day, I had my Word of the Year revelation, and the day after that, Kia and I spent a generous amount of time at our hotel pool (where I met, oddly enough, KC Weather Guy - Gary Lezak). Before walking to the pool, I looked into my bag and pulled out one of my books - Visioneering by Andy Stanley.

Wow. It was further confirmation that I had chosen the right word for 2014.

Visioneering

I’ve been going through the book slowly. Most of the time, I will devour a book like this and forget it. This has been different.

Each chapter ends with a series of 4-5 questions, which I’ve actually been answering. I’ve taken the time to keep notes on my phone or iPad for each chapter. I’m over 1/2 done, and it’s been great!

Visioneering approaches the concept of vision from the story of Nehemiah. While Stanley uses Nehemiah as a blueprint, he also draws from other characters from the Bible and present-day life.

Walking Through the Desert

One of those people is Moses. In chapter one, Stanley talks about how Moses had a vision for his people (the Hebrews) to be free. However, he is banished to the desert for 40 years before he can do a (meaningful) thing about it.

Stanley then drops this bomb -

I need that line. I read the book for that line.

You need that line. You are reading this email for that line.

Even if you have a God-birthed vision, there are times when you walk through dry, empty, and lonely days. How long you walk determines how big the vision is. The question becomes, how do we get through the desert?

3 Ways to Get Through the Desert.

If you have a vision for your life, your family, your job, your business, but feel like you’re getting nowhere, there is hope. There is an end - whether in sight or not. Here are 3 ways to make sure you get to the other side.

1. Don’t Give Up.

In 2009, due to various circumstances, my family and I found ourselves in a desperate situation. We had gotten our business into over $100,000 of debt in a matter of months. In addition, rather than getting better, the economy was getting much, much worse.

What were we going to do?

During that time, I found a t-shirt online that literally gave me hope every single time I wore it. It gave me hope every single time I saw it. The message was simple:

No matter where you are in your walk, no matter how far away you seem or feel from the vision you have for your life, don’t give up.

You can make it. It may not look or feel like you thought it would, but you can make it.

Don’t give up.

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2. Die tryin’.

During our trip, Kia and I visited Joshua Tree National Park.

The South Entrance to the park is nearest to Cottonwood Springs. When we stopped at the Welcome Center to pay our fee, I noticed a panel talking about the Springs. It mentioned that settlers who came through the desert died trying to reach the Springs. They knew it was the best and last hope for water and survival.

If you’re in a desert, you must be desperate for sustenance.

How desperate are you to get out of your desert? Are you willing to die trying to make it out?

3. Find a companion (or two).

Kia and I had the luxury of driving through the 70+ miles of high-desert country of Joshua Tree in an air-conditioned car on paved roads. I can only imagine the difficulty of attempting it on horseback or in a wagon on a dirt road, or no road at all.

Tough trips are always easier with a friend. It’s even easier with a few friends.

If you’re in the desert, you need to find a friend or two you can confide in. You need them to travel with you.

It will make that much sweeter when you make it out on the other side.

Today is a Blip.

In 2011, I began to come out of a 3-4 year desert experience in my life. Looking back, it was both horrible and invaluable. I never want to go back, but I wouldn’t trade it in for anything.

In addition to the 3 points above, let me encourage you with this. Whether you're in the desert, just out of the desert, or heading to the desert, it’s just a blip. It will pass.

The days may be long, but the years will be short.

Join the Conversation

I’d love to hear your story or reflection in the comments. Have you been through a desert? How did you make it through??

Leave a comment

If you’d rather, send me a message directly. Let’s begin a conversation!

If this post encouraged you, share it with someone who could use a reminder that hope still lives.

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I’m here to help! If you need a few tips on how to choose, learn, or grow from your Word, start with these three posts:

But it is possible you know your Word, you know how to learn and grow from your Word, but you just need a little inspiration to get moving in the right direction.

7 Reasons You’re Avoiding the Word of the Year.

This is a post from early 2014. As I look back at what I wrote, I can see that I was writing mostly for myself. This was the push I needed, so later that month, I chose my Word of the Year.

I totally believe in the Word of the Year project. One word to focus on the entire year, and allow it to work in your mind, soul, and spirit. In a nutshell, the Word of the Year is a New Year’s resolution summed up in 1 word. It is an intention for your year. But I often run into resistance when sharing the concept.

You don’t believe

I know some of you don’t believe in it. You are a doubter. You can’t imagine how one word can really change your life. Maybe you’re right, but maybe note…If I’ve described you, you probably fall into one (or more) of these 7 categories:

1. Busy.
   You’re a busy person. You’ve got a lot going on - kids, job, activities, pet, work around the house, church, bowling league, and 12 more things. You want to commit to something like the Word of the Year, but you’re overwhelmed by life.

2. Forgot.

   This might be a subcategory of busy, but you fully meant to take some time to choose a Word, yet it got buried in the to-do list and never resurfaced.

3. Failed.

   You’ve tried it before (or some New Year’s resolution), and it bombed. It wasn’t a great feeling, so you are just protecting yourself from failing again.

4. Lazy.

   You aren’t that busy. You didn’t forget. You just don’t want to put in the effort self-improvement requires. It’s too much work.

5. Arrogant.

   You don’t believe anyone can possibly have a better way. You don’t want to hear how your life can be better… not from me… not from anyone.

6. Blind.

   We all have blind spots, and this is yours. You truly don’t see the point. You’re not lazy, arrogant, or busy; you really can’t see.

7. Apathetic.

   You don’t want to get out of your rut. You’ve spent years developing your rut, and there is no way you are going to risk messing it up.

   ---

The Chicken Exit

Wow. I’m calling you out! Did I really just accuse you of being a lazy, arrogant, blind failure? Pretty bold, right? Now, you could just delete this email, click off this page, and never think about it again. But wait just a moment!

But before you move on to the next item on your list, I want to let you know you could be taking the chicken exit.

You do remember the chicken exit, right?

When I was a kid, the scariest roller coaster at our local amusement park, Worlds of Fun, was called The Orient Express, and the “chicken exit” was the side door exit just before you loaded onto the roller coaster. No self-respecting kid ever wanted to be seen taking the chicken exit. As a 5th-grade boy, I would rather pee my pants and lose my lunch (a very real possibility on that ride) than take the chicken exit.

All seven of those excuses, and any others like them, are chicken exits from your Word of the Year.

Walk past your chicken exit.

Chose a word...any word. Find something you want more of, less of, or changed in your life. Spiritual or completely practical, it doesn’t make a difference. Then take some intentional time to focus on it this year.

Do it. Seriously, do it.

It might change your life. Choosing a Word (now, 15 years ago) changed my life.

What’s your Word of the Year?

Join the Conversation

I’d love to hear your story or reflection in the comments. What is your Word of the Year? Have you found yourself walking toward one of the above “chicken exits” when it comes to learning or growing from your Word in 2026?

Leave a comment

If you’d rather, send me a message directly. Let’s begin a conversation!

If this post encouraged you, share it with someone who could use a reminder that hope still lives.

Share

Finally, I’d like to thank you for subscribing! Knowing that hundreds of you read this every week and a few dozen financially support me encourages me to continue. If you would like to upgrade to a paid subscription, click the link below:

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Welcome to the midpoint of 2026. Yep, we’re halfway through the year, and all at once it seems like the year has been much longer than 6 months but has sped by. As we are midway through the year, I thought it would be good to come back to the Word of the Year.

If you are new to this newsletter, you may not be familiar with the Word of the Year project, but it is as simple as it sounds. The WOTY is choosing one word to focus on and grow from throughout the year. I’ve engaged in this practice for the last 15 years, and I’ve found that a lot is often said about it, but it is difficult to find good information on how to choose a word, focus on it, and grow from it throughout the year.

So, off-and-on for the past 15 years, I’ve been writing about it. I’ve gone back and culled through some of these posts; here are three to start with:

After 15 years of practice, I’ve found that we can start strong with the practice of learning and growing from our Word, but as the year progresses, we lose steam. It’s possible you chose a Word, but haven’t thought about it for weeks or months. Maybe you never even chose a Word. You are normal, and this is a moment of reset for us.

I’ve gone back and culled a few of my old posts. For the rest of this month, I’m going to share a few of my past posts on choosing and learning from your Word of the Year. Let’s make this a reset moment!

2014: A Year of VISION

This is a post from early 2014. This was my fourth year of having a Word of the Year, and my life was still in transition as I moved from the business world back into ministry, as Kia started a new business, and as we moved our family from the small bedroom community near KC, 30 minutes, to the suburbs of KC.

On the one hand, 12 years ago seems like nothing, but on the other hand, it seems like a lifetime ago. My kids were 14, 12, 9, and 6. That year of VISION, we began to develop what we saw for our family, Kia’s business, and our ministry. I can’t help but see how it drove what we have today.

The past couple of weeks, I’ve attempted to clarify my 2014 Word of the Year. I’ve had a general sense, but I just couldn’t hit on the exact word.

That is until Thursday.

Kia and I are on a week's vacation (sans children!) in sunny California. We are spending plenty of time by the pool, but we are also checking out the sights. I was inspired by what we saw on Thursday.

Salvation Mountain

We visited an amazing piece of folk art in the California desert called Salvation Mountain. It’s right outside of Niland near Slab City (made famous by the 2007 movie Into the Wild. The art is the vision of Leonard Knight, who began working on it over 40 years ago.

Salvation Mountain is tough to describe in words. It’s an adobe-built structure over 40 feet tall built into the side of a hill. The theme is simple: God is Love. There are old vehicles, mud huts and more all decorated with paint with the same theme repeated over and over...God is Love - Repent.

Kia and I spent nearly an hour there looking, exploring, taking pictures, enjoying Leonard’s vision.

Vision

Driving the hour and a half back to our hotel from Salvation Mountain, I had some time to think.

I began to ponder what it took for Leonard to create Salvation Mountain. He dedicated the end of his life to this mission (In 2014, at 87, Leonard was still alive, but he passed away in February of 2014. Until 2011, he worked on the project every day. Salvation Mountain is overseen by a volunteer team).

In interviews, Leonard estimated he used over 250,000 gallons of paint at Salvation Mountain. He spent 30 years building it. It was originally made of concrete, completely failed, and he had to start all over. Now dead for over a decade, Salvation Mountain remains and has been named a national treasure.

It hit me. Leonard Knight had vision.

More than a dream. VISION.

The word I had been pondering up to that point was DREAM. I want to do big things...bold things in my life. I want to dream in 2014. I want to dream, but I want to dream dreams that matter. I want to dream things I can and will do.

What I want is VISION.

I want God to give me VISION for my life, my family, my job, my future, my marriage. I don’t just want to dream; I want VISION.

I want something bigger than me. I want something only God can do through me. I want to dream something that can actually get done... even if it takes the next 30 years.

My 2014 Word of the Year is VISION.

What’s your Word of the Year?

Join the Conversation

I’d love to hear your story or reflection in the comments. What is your Word of the Year? How did you choose it?

Leave a comment

If you’d rather, send me a message directly. Let’s begin a conversation!

If this post encouraged you, share it with someone who could use a reminder that hope still lives.

Share

Finally, I’d like to thank you for subscribing! Knowing that hundreds of you read this every week and a few dozen financially support me encourages me to continue. If you would like to upgrade to a paid subscription, click the link below:

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All of us are living within a story, and most of us are attempting to change or reshape it. By the time we hit adolescence, there is a part of our stories we are uncomfortable with. I remember being in the 5th or 6th grade and realizing that our family was poor. Of course, poverty is relative, but in the middle-class world we lived in, my single mother struggled to keep all the financial balls in the air. She did it, but it meant we didn’t have some of the things that others did.

When I was younger, the disparity was irritating, but it didn’t affect me socially—many of my friends were in similar places as I was. So, I vividly remember the advent of Air Jordan sneakers in sixth grade, when a kid in my class wore a pair to school. Suddenly, my Payless knock-offs didn’t match his actual Air Jordans!

No doubt that moment pushed me to change my story. In part, it shaped my desire to figure out how I could make my marriage work. It pushed me to build a life where I could provide my kids with some of the things I couldn’t have when I was growing up. But I would be arrogant to believe I could change my story on my own. My story would not look like it does today without God’s intimate involvement, but it also required me to be an active player in my story’s transformation.

These two truths are vital to changing anyone’s story: I cannot move toward God unless He first moves toward me, but I must move toward God. So, how do you do this? To change your story, you must partner with God, and the linchpin is prayer.

The Power of Prayer

The power of prayer to connect you with God and change your story may sound obvious to you, and while it “sounds” right to my ears, practically, it is not how I’ve lived much of my life. It is difficult to admit, but prayer has always been hard for me. As I read and study the thinkers and leaders from across the ages, it is clear to me how vital prayer is to changing the story we tell about ourselves and God.

Here are a few quotes about prayer from some authors and thinkers I’ve grown to respect.

So, how do we actually do this? If you are like me and love Jesus but find prayer a struggle, how do you interact with Jesus to transform your story through prayer? Let me begin by sharing a general thought that has been so helpful for me, and then I will give you three tips that I’ve been using over the past several months.

Intro: Pray Like a Monk

Brother Lawrence was a French Friar who lived in the 1600s. He is now known for a book he wrote, Practicing the Presence of God, but his notoriety is mostly posthumous. He joined the monastery at the age of 26, worked in the kitchen for most of his life, and later worked as a sandal repairman. Within the monastery, there was an expectation of how he should pray, but Brother Lawrence didn’t find that these methods worked for him. Practicing the Presence of God is a collection of letters and thoughts about conversations he had throughout his life about how he found prayer worked best for him.

There is no “right” way to pray. The way that you connect with God and find transformation is the right way for you. So, I have three ways of prayer I have found helpful, but these aren’t the “right” way. The way you successfully pray is the right way to pray.

With that in mind, here are three tips to approach prayer:

1. Pre-Written Prayers

I grew up in a tradition where prayer is a spontaneous practice, but it can be difficult because I sometimes don’t know the words to say. Sometimes I’m too tired. Other times I’m overwhelmed. There are times when I cannot keep my concentration. Pre-written prayers are a great way to combat these struggles in prayer. Two resources include praying Scripture and praying through the Common Book of Prayer.

Last year, I prayed through the Lord’s Prayer daily. I used it as a template for my prayer. Let me show you how:

1. Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name: Begin by giving God honor and glory.

2. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven: In areas where you are worried or concerned, ask for God’s will to be done. Allow this to release your fear and remind you of who is in charge and in control.

3. Give us today our daily bread: Ask God to provide what you and others need, and force yourself to distinguish between needs and wants.

4. Forgive me my trespasses, as I forgive those who trespass against me: Think through people and situations where you are holding on to anger, hurt, or disappointment, and forgive or release them into the hands of God. Then ask God to forgive you for your own shortcomings.

5. Lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from evil: Ask God to lead your loved ones and yourself into places of safety and away from difficult times. In areas where you do encounter evil or difficulties, ask for the grace to honor God in all you do.

6. For Yours is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever, amen: End with a time of praising God and recognizing Him in all areas of your life.

Two great resources that helped me have a better perspective on the Lord’s Prayer are Dallas Willard’s The Divine Conspiracy and The Bible Project’s podcast series on The Sermon on the Mount. I highly recommend both of these to help you better grasp how to pray the Lord’s Prayer yourself.

2. Meditation + Contemplation

A trap I fall into during my times of prayer is filling the entire space with words. I tell God all of my thoughts, my requests, my concerns, and even my hopes and dreams, but I never stop to listen to him. The practices of meditation and contemplation have helped me enter these spaces by quieting my heart and mind, allowing me to listen.

I don’t always hear God, but meditation and contemplation are not necessarily about hearing… It’s about listening.

A quick note on the difference between meditation and contemplation. Meditation is the practice of quieting our hearts and minds—sometimes by emptying our minds, but often by focusing on and thinking deeply about scripture or a theological principle. In this way, meditation is hearing God more deeply through what has already been written or said.

On the other hand, contemplation can mean worshipping God with what you have heard in meditation, but it can also mean noticing God in the world around us. It is being open to seeing God in unique places—even in spaces where it seems antithetical to the presence of God. Prayer is much deeper than simply speaking the words of need, praise, or thanksgiving.

3. Prayer As a Way of Life.

Maybe the biggest takeaway for me as I study the spiritual lives of the saints from the past centuries is how they integrated prayer into their lives. It wasn’t simply a moment or act in the course of their day; prayer was a way of life for the saints of old. This is not how I was taught about prayer in my formative years of faith.

Here are two simple methods that men and women have used to be in what the Apostle Paul described a state of prayer “without ceasing” (I Thessalonians 5:17).

1. The Jesus Prayer. This simple prayer can be repeated throughout the day in any situation. The longer version:
   “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
   This is often shortened to:

   “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me” or “Lord Jesus, have mercy.”
   The idea is simple: whether it is a need or a moment of praise, this thought/prayer brings you back to a place of dependence on God.
   The key is training yourself to recite this prayer throughout your day, but another similar prayer may be a better option for you.

2. Psalms 70:12. John Cassion was a 5th-century monk and theologian. He wrote this little life hack for those attempting to create a life of prayer:
   “To keep the thought of God always in your mind you must cling totally to this formula for piety: ‘Come to my help, O God; Lord, hurry to my rescue’ [Ps 70:12]...The thought of this verse should be turning unceasingly in your heart.” -John Cassian
   Similar to the Jesus prayer, this prayer is an obvious option in times of need, but also a reminder of our dependence on God in times of wealth and health.

How to Change Your Story

This month, our focus has been on how to change the story we are living. If you are American, you’ve been taught that this is a process of working hard and pulling up your own bootstraps, but that overlooks the reality of how change happens.

We are dependent upon God.

Change ALWAYS begins through His grace. Often, we are unaware of His influence in our lives, but if we open our hearts to Him, we will experience an even greater transformation in our stories!

But I return to the question of how: How do we open our hearts to God? How does this process work?

The simple answer is prayer. Prayer is how we connect to God, and how we work with God ot change our story. It is quite possible, like me, that you have a skewed view of prayer, but God is gracious and kind! He wants us to continue to grow and learn, so we can expand and heal.

You can change your story; there is an amazing world ahead of you!

Join the Conversation

I’d love to hear your story or reflection in the comments. Where have you found prayer difficult? How have you found ways that prayer works in your life?

Leave a comment

If you’d rather, send me a message directly. Let’s begin a conversation!

If this post encouraged you, share it with someone who could use a reminder that hope still lives.

Share

Finally, I’d like to thank you for subscribing! Knowing that hundreds of you read this every week and a few dozen financially support me encourages me to continue. If you would like to upgrade to a paid subscription, click the link below:

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For a few of you, this means you are in complete control of that story—you direct your part and others’ roles, you are the set designer, you are in charge of costumes, and you even control the finest details, like lighting and sound. A few others of you may be floating along in someone else’s story; rather than having complete (or any) control, you have no say in your story.

However, the majority of people live somewhere between these two extremes, so how should we live to tell a story that leaves a genuine impact—not just in your lifetime but beyond, and into eternity?

Some might say the way to find this place of significance is to take complete control over your story—be a control freak. Others might wonder if it means giving complete control over to God, after all, He is the author and finisher of history.

In the last newsletter, I shared the power of God to transform your story. He is always the first mover; we cannot move toward Him without Him first moving toward us.1 Our move takes us into the Kingdom of God, for which there remains an open invitation to everyone.2 When we step into God’s Kingdom, our transformation process begins, and while God is always the most important player in that story, there is a part that remains our responsibility.

How to Change Your Story

Today, we will discuss your role in transforming your story. In many ways, this discussion can be short, extremely short.

Death.

The primary role to play in transforming your story is death, specifically, dying to yourself. 20th-century theologian Stanley Hauerwas describes it this way:3

In the natural, it would seem you cannot let go of your current story to live another because it would mean losing your identity. Our culture has elevated identity over everything else. My sexuality, gender, race, or even religion is of the first and foremost importance to me. This is not how God sees it. Your identity always begins in Him, and any other facet of your identity (gender, race, sexuality, religion, etc) comes second…at best.

You must choose to put to death the identity you have created for yourself apart from Jesus.

I have a friend who is irritated by the overuse of CS Lewis by Christian theologians. As if to prove this point, my current professor wrote, “It’s said when a theologian is confused, they go to CS Lewis.”4 Let me play into this trope to expand on this idea of putting to death the identity we’ve created in order to live a life that impacts eternity by quoting CS Lewis…

One of Lewis’ more famous books is The Great Divorce, in which he creates a narrative around the unsaved encountering heaven. Let me share two short vignettes from The Great Divorce to show you what it means to kill your identity.

1. Naked and Unashamed

In Lewis’ version of the afterlife, he describes those who are visiting from hell as “Ghosts” (Hell is described as a vast suburb, with the worst of the unsaved living furthest from the center of town…chew on that for a bit.), and those who are saved and residents within the New Earth as “Spirits.” Importantly, the Spirits are all naked.

That is an uncomfortable thought for most of us, but in Lewis’ concept, he looks back to Eden, which God called “good” and where Adam and Eve were “naked and unashamed.” The original man and woman were fully human, so Lewis draws on this concept when describing the undead, children of God. As you can imagine, the Ghosts are just as uncomfortable with the Spirits’ nakedness as you are thinking about it.

In one scene, a Ghost simply cannot get past the nakedness of the Spirit he is communicating with, so the Spirit, in frustration, remarks, “Friend. Could you, only for a moment, fix your mind on something not yourself?” All around this Ghost was the beauty of God’s new, re-created earth, but the Ghost could not get past his own identity. In other words, he was stuck in the loop of thinking, “I am clothed, so why isn’t everyone clothed like me?”

God is calling you to die to yourself and your preconceived notions of Himself and His creation. It means, in a sense, being naked before God and His children. Theologian Ronald Rolheiser calls this “giving your life away” and describes it as the truest sign of maturity.5 Mature followers of Jesus are not afraid to be naked—their true selves before God and the world.

2. Death and Resurrection

Toward the end of his novel, Lewis describes a Ghost tortured by a Lizard that rules the Ghost’s life. It sits on the Ghost’s shoulder and acts as the proverbial devil, whispering lie after lie to the Ghost. Given permission, an Angel kills the Lizard, and for a moment, it appears the Ghost will die as well, but rather than death, both the Lizard and the Ghost experience transformation. The Lizard is transformed into a beautiful stallion, and the Ghost into a man just smaller than the Angel.

The entire novel is narrated by an unseen Ghost, who is off and on, accompanied by a Teacher. When the narrator witnessed this transformation of the Lizard and Ghost, the teacher said:

The Lizard on the Ghost’s shoulder represented the lust that controlled his thoughts and actions, but by killing the Lizard, the Ghost realized it was simply misplaced passion. When you put to death those parts of your life which seem to control you (think Romans 7:18-20),6 which we do by the Spirit of God, in their place will rise legitimate passions and promises from God!

Where are you being controlled in ways not from God? Can you imagine putting them to death and then seeing God bring them back in a form that honors him? Where gluttony controls you, you find true, lasting enjoyment? Where you struggle with envy, you experience deep community? Where you encounter pride, you become content with excellence?

Can you imagine beauty in the death of your desire?

From Hero to Guide

There is a vital role for you to play in transforming your story, and it means death. This is often hard for us to imagine—the hero never dies in a good story. However, let’s change the perspective of how you see your story for a moment.

Most stories do not end with the hero dead (though she may appear dead at a point), but what more often happens is the death of the guide. The guide is the Obi-Wan Kenobi or Gandalf character—one who helps the hero reach the pinnacle of the story.

Is it possible you have been trying to play the wrong character in your story? You are the guide…who must die in order to see the hero find transformation. Of course, this death is more metaphorical than literal, but it will feel just as painful. Transformation is painful, but it creates within you who you were always meant to be.

In a pivotal scene in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Gandalf the Grey, who is the guide for Frodo, appears to die saving his friends. He returns unexpectedly, resurrected as Gandalf the White. Where there once were restrictions and limitations, there is now complete freedom in his position and power.

How does God want to transform your story through dying to yourself?

Join the Conversation

I’d love to hear your story or reflection in the comments. How do you see God transforming your story? What will it look like when He is done with His work in you?

Leave a comment

If you’d rather, send me a message directly. Let’s begin a conversation!

If this post encouraged you, share it with someone who could use a reminder that hope still lives.

Share

Finally, I’d like to thank you for subscribing! Knowing that hundreds of you read this every week and a few dozen financially support me encourages me to continue. If you would like to upgrade to a paid subscription, click the link below:

Subscribe now

I already know what you are thinking…not my life!

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You may feel as if your life is as boring as they’ve come. You never left your hometown, and you have never had a job that paid top dollar or made a significant impact on the world. You have a family, and you love them to death, but they aren’t destined to take over the world. You see your life as no sweeping narrative destined to sell out bookstores or movie theaters around the world.

Okay. Fair.

But even if your story isn’t one that will shake the globe, it IS a subplot within a story that definitely has and will make waves. Your story is being told within the context of the bigger and grander story of God. In that story, God is both the main character and the author. This story, which you have found yourself caught up in, is changing the world.

How God Changes Your Story

Because this story is not yours alone, but belongs to God too, He is a major player in how you change your story. Today, we are going to look at how God plays His part in transforming your story into what you have always hoped it would be. But first, let me back up for a moment.

The Power of Story

Why are we even talking about story?

Because we all love stories. For you, it might be books or movies. Some of us may prefer stories told on stage or those displayed on the small screen over the course of weeks, months, or years. We love made-up stories and the ones cast as “reality.” Some of us love stories from other cultures or written decades ago (if not hundreds of years). In one form or another, we are each drawn into stories—especially the ones we tell ourselves. Why? We are all drawn to narrative because this is how God designed us.

Story helps us make sense of the world we live in; it’s why God uses narrative in such a large portion of Scripture. Many of us, though, are living stories we are unhappy with, so the question becomes, how do we change the story we are living within?

The Power To Change Your Story

Another way to phrase this question is: how does someone reform their inner world? It is the inner world that most often drives the outer life everyone sees, so the formation of our spirit is vital to telling the story we want to live. As the author of the story, we must first look to God to find transformation in our stories, and then take the steps within our power.

Often, we flip this order. We try to do the work first, and then, in a moment of desperation, cry out to God. With this in mind, here are three vital ways God changes your story:

1. God’s love for you enables your love for Him.

Theologian and author Henri Nouwen describes this as First Love and Second Love. God is the first love, so any response we have—loving God, loving ourselves, loving our neighbor, loving creation—it all flows from the First Love. Nouwen is riffing off the first epistle of John, where the apostle writes:

We love because he first loved us. -1 John 4:19

The change you most desperately seek will not happen without first acknowledging this First Love. You can create a great life without fully acknowledging God and the role He plays in it. You can have a successful career. You can live in a great neighborhood. You can raise a beautiful family. All of it will be empty without acknowledging Who ultimately provided it for you.

I recently listened to a podcast that dove into the life of the late comedian Richard Pryor. He rose to fame out of a heartbreaking background, which included being raised in a brothel, sexual abuse, and being kicked out of school…for being raised in a brothel. In spite of all of those setbacks, Pryor sold millions of comedy albums, won multiple Grammy awards, and became the first black actor to make $1 million in a movie.

His success couldn’t deaden the pain of his past.

According to Pryor himself, he at one time was spending $250,000/year on drugs (this being in the late 70s and 80s). He went on such an intense bender in the 80s that he doused himself with alcohol, lit himself on fire, and ran down the street. Richard Pryor recovered physically, but I would argue he never found his place of fully human. He never lived the story he sought to tell.

Success is empty without finding the First Love. Embracing the love of God allows us to begin to love all those God brings to us, as well as the broader story he has placed us in.

2. You are invited into a Kingdom

Jesus made many bold claims during his time on earth. He claimed to be God.1 He claimed to be able to die and rise again.2 He claimed to be the introduction of the Kingdom of God.

Later on, after John was arrested, Jesus went into Galilee, where he preached God’s Good News. “The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!” -Mark 1:14-15

This last claim is powerful for those of us who now follow Him. As members of the Kingdom, we have laid claim to the power of the Kingdom.

The Apostle Paul referred to this as being members of the family of God.3 We are no longer slaves, servants, or even adopted children with second-hand rights. You are a full-fledged son or daughter of God, so you are expected to live as one who has all the benefits of being a child of the King.

Imagine the power the prince or princess has in a powerful kingdom. If there is an aspect of their story they don’t care for, they have an unbelievable ability to transform their position. There are limits to this power, but not much is off the table. Of course, this doesn’t begin with us; we are subject to the King. But as followers of the King, we want to fall in line with his rule and reign.

You have been invited into the Kingdom as an heir to this Kingdom!

3. Your story is transformed from outcast to insider.

We see a beautiful picture of God’s love for us in the baptism of Jesus.

After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.” -Matthew 3:16-17

Notice the last line, God’s words to Jesus: “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.” This is not an isolated statement for Jesus only. You are the beloved child of God.

This is not how most of us perceive our position before God. One of the legacies of the American evangelical church is the embedding of the reality of sin's power in our lives. This is true… before we begin to follow Jesus; however, once we accept the invitation into the Kingdom of God, we immediately become beloved. We are transferred from outcasts to insiders.

You are wanted by God.

There is no greater proof of this than the presence of the Holy Spirit within your life. He seals your relationship to Jesus,4 and then he empowers you to live a life worthy of being called a child of God.5 Jesus called the Holy Spirit the Helper,6 and the Holy Spirit helps you transform your story.

So now, it is time to take up our part of the transformation process.

Your Part in the Process

While it is a lie that we can do it all on our own, we are responsible for playing our part. The Holy Spirit empowers you to participate in the transformation of your story. The gifts He offers are for the transformation of our story, so God receives glory.

Next week, we will talk about how we participate in creating the story we have been called to live. For now, step toward God in the Second Love, accept your invitation into the Kingdom, and embrace your place as God’s beloved child.

Join the Conversation

I’d love to hear your story or reflection in the comments. How have you seen God change your story? How has your perspective of God changed because of his transformation of your story?

Leave a comment

If you’d rather, send me a message directly. Let’s begin a conversation!

If this post encouraged you, share it with someone who could use a reminder that hope still lives.

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That is a core belief of mine. Its genesis comes from a little book from John Eldredge called Epic, but it really gained steam when Kia and I attended a conference called Storyline over 15 years ago (you can read the premise in the book Hero on a Mission). It was put on by Donald Miller, who has shifted this concept towards business messaging. Their ideas, along with a famous screenwriting book, Story, by Robert McKee, began to open my eyes to the power of story.

So what do I mean by being “storied creatures”?

It means we (mostly) unconsciously live our lives within a narrative that includes plots, subplots, heroes, villains, lead roles, and supporting actors. The basic plot in any story is the same as how you live your life: there are things you want in life, so there will always be obstacles to overcome to see your desires fulfilled. Psychologist Theodore Sarbin describes it this way: “human beings think, perceive, imagine, and make moral choices according to narrative structures.”1

You live within a story.

Hollywood Dreams

Our design to live within stories is why we love to read, listen to, or watch stories. Since we already live within the structure of narrative, a story we watch speaks to the deepest part of our souls. Because we love and live in stories, Marvel, Star Wars, Hunger Games, and Pride and Prejudice have become billion-dollar industries, and Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok all thrive because they ultimately tell stories about us (even if those stories are highly filtered).

All of this existed long before the time of Hollywood, London plays, or German printing presses.

Story began at creation. God designed you to live within a story, and we see this reality through the layout of Scripture. The Bible weaves prose, poetry, wisdom literature, and straightforward laws with narrative in order to draw us into the text. So it makes sense that you tell yourself stories about yourself, God, and others. These stories shape your worldview, and they guide your spiritual formation.

You are becoming who you are in large part because of the story you tell about yourself and God. The late philosopher/theologian Dallas Willard taught that if you want to change how you are being formed, you must begin telling new stories about yourself and God. Many of our stories about God, ourselves, and others have been formed by the culture we live in.

I think we inherently know this.

Changing Your Story

We know we live within a story we are telling, and we know we change by telling ourselves new stories, but we have no idea how to change the story inside our heads. How do we change our story? Some of us live in such a way that we leave it up to God alone. In other words, we believe we have no power to transform our own story because it is too big for us to change. Others take the opposite position, and we attempt to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps. If that is you, whether you believe it or not, you act agnostically; God exists but is silent, or God isn’t big enough to change our stories.

Transformation happens when we marry the two thoughts into one. Our stories about God, ourselves, and the world around us change when we rely on the power of God while simultaneously working diligently toward transformation. It is a tricky balance that changes day to day.

This will be the subject for the month of June. First, we’ll look at the role God plays in changing your story. Then we will explore the role we play in transforming our stories. And most importantly, we’ll see that prayer is the linchpin connecting these two. Prayer is the power that ties my strength to God’s power to tell a story I was designed to live.

Stories About God

As I wrap up this short post, let me take you back to something I wrote several months ago. It will matter deeply as we dive in next week with God’s power. Some of us have difficult stories about God. We see him as angry or distant. We may feel as if we’ve been let down by God. You may consider God as uninterested in your story.

Each of us is attempting to tell a story where we are fully human, and this story always begins with how we see God. If you struggle with the story you tell yourself about God, I encourage you to read this post:

Is it possible you have a new story to tell about God?

Join the Conversation

I’d love to hear your story or reflection in the comments. What are some of the stories you grew up on? How do you think these shaped you?

Leave a comment

If you’d rather, send me a message directly. Let’s begin a conversation!

If this post encouraged you, share it with someone who could use a reminder that hope still lives.

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I am currently in the sixth chapter, which covers a lot of familiar ground. First, Jesus feeds the 5,000 with a boy’s lunch of a few loaves of bread and fish. Second, Jesus walks on water. Third, Jesus declares himself God (the I AM).

Waiting in the Dark

I found something interesting while reading the passage between the feeding of the 5,000 and Jesus walking on water. In that passage, Jesus disappears after feeding the crowd to keep them from making him king. Here is what happens:

“That evening Jesus’ disciples went down to the shore to wait for him. But as darkness fell and Jesus still hadn’t come back, they got into the boat and headed across the lake toward Capernaum.” -John 6:16-17

There are two things I noticed.

First, why didn’t the disciples wait for Jesus?

Seriously, was there some sort of understanding between Jesus and his disciples in these kinds of situations? “If I’m not back by sundown, cross the lake. I’ll meet up with you on the other side.” Or was it a choice made out of fear, frustration, or confusion?

I’m not sure why the disciples went on without Jesus, but it leads directly into the second thing I noticed: darkness.

Light/Dark is a major theme in John’s Gospel. It comes up in the first chapter as John describes Jesus as light:

“The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it.
God sent a man, John the Baptist, to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony.
John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.” -John 1:5-9

In John’s telling of the Jesus story, we should pay attention to what happens in the dark. Darkness is a signal that something important is happening…because Jesus sheds light on that part of the story. Nicodemus comes to Jesus in the dark, and Jesus sheds light on what it means to be a Child of God. Jesus is arrested and tried in the dark, so Jesus lights up the evil within humanity’s heart.

Sailing in the Dark

In this story, the disciples attempt to cross the lake in the dark.

The issue is not their ability to navigate the water at night. Several of the men in the boat are lifelong fishermen who typically fished in darkness, so they knew how to sail in darkness.

Darkness is not a physical issue; it is a spiritual condition.

Again, we don’t know why, but the disciples have sailed away from Jesus…into the darkness.

How often do we do the same thing? Jesus has moved somewhere we aren’t familiar with, and rather than wait on him, we sail off without him. Intentional or not, this takes us into the darkness.

And what is the darkness?

1. The dark areas of life could be evil. This is what Jesus encountered when he was arrested. He was tried by a group of men jealous of who Jesus was and what he represented. These men spoke on behalf of God, but they didn’t know the heart of God.

2. Darkness could also be a bad choice. This is the situation the disciples seem to be in. They are confident they can move on without Jesus. Surely we are capable of crossing a lake without Jesus?

3. But darkness could also be fear, doubt, or confusion. This is definitely the result of the choice to cross the lake without Jesus. When the storm blew in, at least some of the disciples feared for their lives. Not everyone was a confident sailor.
   Matthew was a tax collector; the other Simon (not Peter) was a political activist; and Judas Iscariot was the group’s treasurer, so it would make sense if he dealt with money or numbers as a profession. These were not hardened men of the sea; they were regular guys who were not confident in a storm.

I Am the Light of the World

Jesus boldly proclaimed, “I am the Light of the World.” Jesus lights up every place he enters. He lit up the mind of Nicodemus. He brought light to his own trial with truth and grace. He lights up this moment on the lake of confusion, doubt, fear, and bad choices. Where the things of darkness existed, there was now light.

Jesus had arrived.

Don’t be afraid!

Upon Jesus’ arrival, two important things happened. First, Jesus speaks, “Don’t be afraid. I am here!” Jesus didn’t condemn them, blame them, or even question them. Jesus reassures his friends. Don’t be afraid. Darkness flees the light of Jesus presence. But it was more than just Jesus comforting words that are so significant. It is also the disciples’ response to his appearance.

Let Jesus in.

“Then they were eager to let him in the boat…” -John 6:21a

Sometimes our response to the appearance of Jesus’ light is to run or hide. This is how Adam and Eve respond to God's arrival in the Garden after they eat the fruit. They hide.

Often, the shame coming from our bad choices, fear, or doubt keeps us from inviting Jesus into our lives. We think we should have been perfect in those circumstances, but the disciples invited him onto the boat. And because they invite Jesus back into their presence, something amazing happens.

The way things should be.

“…and immediately they arrived at their destination!” -John 6:21b

Again, I don’t know what exactly happened. Was this some sort of divine, Star Trek teleportation? Did it just seem as if the hours flew by as if no time at all? But I do have a word for what happened to the men inside the boat:

When Jesus entered the boat, things, for a moment, became as they should. The light of Jesus’ presence made everything right. Fear dissipated. Doubt melted. Confusion became clarity. The poor choices of the past became just that…the past. The evil of the world didn’t touch them in that place. The light of Jesus invaded the darkness.

Jesus stepping inside the boat didn’t necessarily solve the world’s problems. It didn’t answer all of life’s questions. It did take the disciples to the place they were meant to be.

Don’t be afraid to let Jesus in.

Jesus is still the light of the world.

For you.

I imagine you’ve made some poor choices…probably this week. I have. You may have struggled with fear, doubt, and confusion. The evil of the world may have invaded your own life.

Right now, Jesus is doing the impossible; he is walking on chaotic seas toward you. How will you respond?

You can run, hide in shame, or you can invite him into your life. Allow him to bring light into your darkness, peace into your chaos.

For a moment, you can have things as they should be. Shalom to you.

Join the Conversation

I’d love to hear your story or reflection in the comments. Have you experienced the light of Jesus entering your darkness? What did it look and feel like?

Leave a comment

If you’d rather, send me a message directly. Let’s begin a conversation!

If this post encouraged you, share it with someone who could use a reminder that hope still lives.

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This question is constantly before us—whether we recognize it or not. Whether you are 8 or 88, you are becoming someone. It may seem that someone is set in their ways, but they continue to change…even if it means becoming more set in their ways.

You are becoming someone, so who are you becoming?

Transformation Stories

The question of transformation is so existential that it drives many of the stories being told in Hollywood. Think of some of the biggest movies throughout the years—going all the way back to the Christmas classic from 1946—It’s a Wonderful Life. Most of us know the story: George Bailey is prepared to end his life, but changes his mind after getting a glimpse of what the world would look like without him.

Fast-forward a couple of decades to 1964, and you’ll find the musical My Fair Lady that tells the story of poor, London girl, Eliza, who is “adopted” by a phonetics expert, Henry, who transforms her into a “lady.”

My Fair Lady was based on the 1956 Broadway play, which was adapted from Bernard Shaw’s 1912 play Pygmalion. It has been retold throughout the years in teen versions in the 80s (Can’t Buy Me Love), 90s (She’s All That), and 2000s (The Duff). Stories about transformation are old, new, and never-ending.

We love these stories because they offer a glimpse of what each of us lives on a daily basis. Our transformation may not be as radical as Eliza’s, but we are all becoming someone. The question is: who are you becoming?

Becoming More Like Jesus

I am now a year into my Master’s program—Christian Spiritual Formation and Leadership, and my BIG takeaway is two-fold:

1. We are all being shaped and formed spiritually. It doesn’t matter how religious or spiritually aware you are, but the culture you swim in shapes your spiritual life.

2. Christian formation happens first and foremost through your identity. Christianity is all about a shift in identity—a slow but radical transformation into the person of Jesus.

From both points, we are led back to the opening question: who are you becoming?

I obviously can’t fully answer that question for you (I can hardly answer it for myself), but it should somehow represent the shape and feel of Jesus. To this end, let me share one thought that comes from the story of Jesus’ baptism.

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” -Matthew 3:13-17 (ESV)

My Identity Begins With Being Beloved

If you are a church person, you are familiar with this story, but as so often Scripture does, it slowly reveals itself to us. Within this story, the significance of the last line was lost to me until recently.

Jesus was the beloved Son of God, but this truth was not about Jesus alone. Jesus’ life is a prototype for you and me, which means that, as sons and daughters adopted into God’s family, we, too, are beloved. My identity rests in this single truth: I am beloved. Your identity lives in that same truth.

You are beloved.

Here’s the tricky part. If you let that sink into your spirit as you read it, “I am beloved by God,” and even if you allow it to transform within you what the culture has malformed, it will soon eventually fade. At some point, you will re-enter the stream of your culture, and that culture will begin its work of reshaping you into its image. It might be later today or in the next week or two, but the culture you swim in will force you to forget your belovedness.

Finding Belovedness in Solitude

This is what spiritual formation is about—intentional practices to form and reform and reform us again into the shape of Jesus. And the way that we continually hear the truth of our identity as sons and daughters of God, as beloved, is to be alone with God. We know this to be true because it is what Jesus did.

In a magnificent little article, the Catholic theologian Henri Nouwen outlined a pattern of Jesus’ ministry, and it always began with solitude. Why solitude and not community? Because in those times alone with his Father, Jesus was reaffirmed with this message, “You are beloved.” It was the core of Jesus’ identity.

First and foremost, Jesus was beloved by God.

First and foremost, you are beloved by God, and it is in solitude where you will be reminded of this fact.

For the past 15 years, I have been almost militant about getting up before anyone else is awake and reading Scripture. I thought it was the Bible transforming me. And don’t get me wrong, Scripture was vital to the process, but it was being with God (through His Word) where I heard the same message: “Andy, you are My beloved.”

Honestly, I couldn’t have told you that was the message I was hearing (often I didn’t), but it was the message God was speaking. If you have a similar pattern, don’t miss what God is trying to speak to you: “Child, you are My beloved.”

That message will transform you. It will begin to shape you into the person of Jesus (who walked on water, fed the 5,000, and rose from the dead!).

Who are you becoming?

Join the Conversation

I’d love to hear your story or reflection in the comments. How are you finding your true identity of belovedness? Where and when does this most often happen?

Leave a comment

If you’d rather, send me a message directly. Let’s begin a conversation!

If this post encouraged you, share it with someone who could use a reminder that hope still lives.

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A few weeks ago, for school, I was assigned to discern my personal core values. I’ve done this type of project before, but it was a great opportunity for me to re-evaluate what I actually believe about myself. It was a chance to discern if my actions fit my beliefs.

You probably know, but here is a short definition from the internet of what a core value is:

In other words, Core values are not just “beliefs”; they are actions.

What really matters to you? When push comes to shove, how will you act in any given moment?

A great way to discern a core value is to ask yourself what makes you angry. Years ago, Kia and I went to a conference about plotting your life story. It included answering the question, “What makes me angry?” I remember it vividly because Kia and I had wildly different answers.

For me, it was injustice. For Kia, it was beige.

I wanted equality and justice; Kia wanted a full and colorful life.

Open Hands

My first core value is one I share with Kia because it encompasses both things that anger us—injustice and beige. Because of this, Open Hands is more than just a core value. It is the core core value. It is the value we place above the others.

So, what does it mean that we live with open hands?

In one word, open hands mean generosity, but even that word needs definition. Generosity is a broad term that can mean many things, but is often limited to a financial or economic perspective. The Open Hands generosity I live by is wider than just money, though it definitely encompasses my finances.

Here are three ways I define Open Hands:

Open Hands is Non-Fundamentalism

I had an interesting conversation with a friend recently. He said something to the effect of: “The people we grew up with who were not religious are now religious, and we, who grew up very religious, are now less religious.” What I think he meant was ‘fundamentalist’ and ‘non-fundamentalist.’

There is a sense within many people, even those who did not grow up in a Christian or religious home, that the morals they believe in are collapsing around them. Their answer to the moral collapse is an attempt to control life through a fundamentalist approach.

My open-handed value means that I will not be fundamentalist in my stance toward the world around me. But what do I mean, fundamentalist?

One of my favorite authors I’ve discovered in school is the Catholic priest Ronald Rolheiser. He wrote about this idea of non-fundamentalism by describing fundamentalism as a house with only one room, so if you don’t fit into that room, you can’t fit into the house. This obviously applies to religion, but it also includes politics, culture, and life in general.

The heart of God is generous and open. There is space for those who see life differently from me. There is a line that God does not cross, but it can be blurry and indistinct at times.

This line is Orthodoxy, which, from within the Christian point of view, is the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed. These Creeds leave lots of room for different doctrines and practices, but even if this line is crossed, there remains space for different thoughts and ideas. I don’t always need to agree or even like their position, but I can give them space in the house I live in.

This may make you uncomfortable, but a core value for me is to live in this place, to ponder it, and hold it in tension.

Open Hands is Prodigal

This concept is again thanks to Father Ronald Rolheiser, and if it is a little shocking to you to equate God with the term “prodigal,” it was for me, too, at first. When thinking of God as prodigal, we first need to consider nature, then the actual story of the Prodigal Son.

Rolheiser says that nature is over-and-above generous in the way it produces. Since it is spring in Kansas, it is easy to see this. Most weekends, I will go for a walk through my neighborhood, where we have several cottonwood trees. At the height of the season, the cottonwoods will produce so much seed that it will look like mini snowdrifts along the road. It will blow throughout the entire neighborhood. So much seed is dispersed that it is impossible for it to germinate into an equal number of trees.

This is how God created the world.

Everything that reproduces creates more seed than ever can become life. God generates and generates and generates. He casts out seed into places it will never be able to grow.

In the story of the Prodigal Son, the younger son is wasteful with the inheritance he is gifted. He spends and spends and spends until nothing is left. He spends on himself but also on his friends. He buys what he needs, but also purchases things he will never need… only wants.

So, now we tie these two thoughts together. The term “prodigal” means “wasteful extravagance.” God is wastefully extravagant in and for His creation. He gives and gives and gives. In the parable of the seed and sower (found in Matthew 13, Mark 4, and Luke 8), the seed is scattered everywhere—even on the path where the seed will never be able to grow.

This leads Rolheiser to write:

and then

In our Western world, we have been taught to seek a good return on investment—even in our generosity. Practically, this means we should do some background work on the charities we support, or we shouldn’t just give to someone on the street. These might be good principles, but sometimes wisdom means being prodigal—extravagant in our generosity.

I am still working on this, but it is a core value of mine.

Open Hands is the Opposite of Theft.

Several years ago, a pastor and author named Rob Bell1 stepped across the line of Orthodoxy. He began espousing views that didn’t fit within the house, so when we were assigned one of his articles, I was hesitant. It was written while he was inside the house, but I still read it warily.

Yet, Bell made this statement about open hands, which I couldn’t help but allow to roll around in my head:

He was referencing the admonition of Paul in the book of Ephesians:

“Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.” -Ephesians 4:28 (NIV)

Consider what this means: the opposite of stealing is generosity, AND conversely, the opposite of generosity is stealing. When I withhold my generosity from anyone, I am stealing from them. That’s worth a repeat…

Withholding generosity is theft.

My open hands signal that I will not steal from those in need. This means there is a great weight to the core value I’ve placed on my life. If I withhold financial gifts, wisdom, time, or any other resource from those around me in need, I am stealing from them.

Of course, this is the negative view of generosity. The positive is I am fulfilling the call of God on life—be fruitful and multiply.

Open Hands and You

Open Hands is my core value. It may not be a core value of yours; however, I do see generosity as a core principle God asks us to live by.

Jesus was not a fundamentalist in his approach to the world. This morning, I read the story of Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well. It was obvious that the room she occupied did not fit into the house the disciples lived in. I promise you, as you open your heart to that of God’s, He will invite you to be more open to the world than you are comfortable with.

God’s nature is indeed prodigal. He gives and gives and gives; He is over extravagant in His gifting goodness to you. So, this nature of extravagant generosity should develop in you as you become more like Jesus.

God is not a thief. The eighth commandment is, “Thou shalt not steal.” Again, these commandments are more than just rules; they reflect who God is and whom He wants us to be. If theft is the opposite of generosity, then we should be generous in sharing the good things God has extravagantly shared with us.

Consider this your invitation into an open-handed way of life today.

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I’d love to hear your thoughts: What core values do you hold? How do you see the principle of open hands play out in your life?

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I subscribe to a Chiefs (the NFL football team) newsletter that sends an email once or twice a week on average.1 I don’t personally know the writer, Seth Keysor, but I’ve heard him interviewed and listened to his podcast for several years. On top of the great information he shares about the Chiefs, he seems to be a great guy.

Last week, while reading his newsletter about the upcoming season, I was struck by a sentence he wrote about the Chiefs’ coach and potential changes for the team.

I’m currently slowly reading through the Gospel of John. It is the third or fourth time I’ve returned to this book in the last six months. I can’t seem to get away from it. The last couple of days, I’ve been meditating on the encounter between Jesus and the inquisitive Pharisee, Nicodemus.

Jesus famously tells Nicodemus that he must be “born again” to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, to which Nicodemus asks how he is to re-enter his mother’s belly as a grown man. Jesus is shocked that a leading teacher in Israel doesn’t understand this concept. Jesus says to him:

I assure you, we tell you what we know and have seen, and yet you won’t believe our testimony. -John 3:11

Jesus believed he was the Messiah, and he acted as if he was. Jesus’ followers believed he was the Messiah, and they followed him as if he was who he said he was. Jesus’ closest followers believed Jesus to be the Son of God, and though only by a thread, continued to follow him even after his death.

What they believed went deep enough to impact their actions.

I replied to Seth (the Chiefs writer) and thanked him for that little line amid hundreds of other words. I don’t have my notes in front of me, but I’m pretty sure something similar was said in a class I recently took or a book I read.

Seth said it was something he himself has been learning—specifically regarding his walk with Jesus, his wife, and his family. They are the ones who really matter, right?

That group of people knows what I believe whether I communicate it with words or not.

As a pastor, I can stand before a group of people who don’t really know me beyond our scheduled interaction. I can tell them I believe something, but they don’t know my true beliefs unless they see my day-in and day-out actions. You too.

But my wife can. My family can. My closest friends can. Jesus does.

Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus was a precursor to many of his interactions with other Pharisees throughout his ministry. He used a term to describe this—claiming belief about something but acting differently.

Hypocrite.

Jesus was referencing the Greek actors of the day, who would wear masks to become characters in the play. It’s easy to put on a mask in life. It’s easy to speak the right things in the right moments but not actually take action on it.

Conversely, it’s often hard to act on our beliefs.

Our actions reveal our beliefs.

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I’d love to hear your story or reflection in the comments. What beliefs are you working to put into action?

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I was encouraged last week by some friends to lean into sharing the wisdom I have. With that in mind, here are three takeaways from the week at school.

1. Receive God’s grace.

Each day of the school residency was bookended by a chapel session. The morning chapel is a scripted, liturgical service, and the evening chapel is simply partaking in the Lord’s Supper and singing the Doxology.

The evening service may be my favorite part of the week.

During the first week away (in the Fall semester), the pastor leading the evening service had to remind us repeatedly to receive communion—not to take it. We were to walk to him with our hands open as he served us “the body of Christ, broken for me.”

This week, after the first evening service, he had to remind us again, “Receive, don’t take the bread.”

What a beautiful reminder. I cannot take God’s grace; it must be received.

God’s grace is also extended to you, but don’t make my mistake. Don’t try to take God’s grace, but receive it. It is extended to you as often as you need it. And you don’t need to worry about it running out.

My new favorite author, Ronald Rolheiser, says that God is “overly generous,” almost wasteful in his giving. Nature never runs out of seed to spread among the earth, and God never runs out of his grace to pour out on you.

You can’t take it, but you can receive God’s grace today.

2. Practice…then teach.

My friend, Whitney, pointed out something about herself that is true for me, too. I often learn something and immediately share it with others before applying it to my life. She has adopted a rule to practice these new ideas for at least 6 months before sharing her knowledge.

Yes, I see the irony in my sharing something I learned a week ago.

Here’s the real problem with not practicing this rule: we run the risk of sharing information that isn’t accurate or true.

To that end, I learned a lot about giving and receiving feedback, silence and solitude, prayer, creating a rule of life, and more. I’m sure I can share lots of great wisdom on all of this, but first, let me try it out.

3. Wisdom, not righteousness.

I really didn’t know what to expect entering this Master’s program (Christian Spiritual Formation and Leadership), but I figured I would learn lots of spiritual practices to form my soul. This has not been the case for the first eight months. We are just beginning to dive into specific practices for formation.

Last week, it dawned on me as to why. Our professor said, “Spiritual practices are for wisdom, not righteousness, and they always lead to first friendship and then formation.”

To this point, the focus has been on the story we tell ourselves about God and ourselves. Spiritual practices lead us to wisdom about who God is and who we are. They aren’t about being a “good” person.

If you read your bible, pray, meditate, choose a word of the year, fast, or do any other spiritual practice, but you don’t sense a closer relationship with Jesus, then it may not be the right practice for you.

But you won’t know until you practice it. However, forget any attempt to gain God’s favor; you already have it.

BONUS: Who am I becoming?

This is the most important question you can ask yourself this week. And next week. And the week after.

May you receive the grace, wisdom, and peace of God this week.

Join the Conversation

I’d love to hear your story or reflection in the comments. What are you learning this week? What wisdom would you pass along to me or anyone else?

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Finally, I’d like to thank you for subscribing! Knowing that hundreds of you read this every week and a few dozen financially support me encourages me to continue. I’d like to shout out to Joe and Mary Ann for their new paid subscriptions. Thank you! If you would like to upgrade to a paid subscription, click the link below:

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After years of waiting, our family finally embarked on a long-overdue vacation. We exchanged our familiar routines and responsibilities for the pristine shores of Destin, Florida. Days bathed in sunshine and warmth awaited us, providing the perfect backdrop for relaxation.

From our idyllic rental home with access to a resort-style pool, we savored moments of leisure, indulging in local seafood joints and basking in the beauty of nature. It was a much-needed escape, a week dedicated to rest.

Amidst this oasis, I found myself contemplating the elusive concept of rest. It was more than just a fleeting break from work; it carried a deeper significance. The idea of rest, promised by God to His followers, resonated within me. The book of Hebrews speaks of a "special rest" awaiting God's people (Hebrews 4:9, NLT), but what does it truly entail? Is it a future divine vacation or an experience we can embrace here and now?

Entering into Rest

Intriguingly, scholars and theologians have long debated the meaning behind this passage in Hebrews. NT Wright, a distinguished New Testament scholar, suggests that it highlights the tension between the "already" and the "not yet" of a believer's experience in Jesus. Others, such as Martin Luther and John Wesley, perceive it as a rest found in the acceptance of Jesus' grace and the ongoing journey toward sanctification.

But their understanding didn’t seem to answer this question: How does this promise manifest in our day-to-day lives?

Jesus' words in Matthew echo in my mind:

"Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest"

Matthew 11:28

Jesus’ words in Matthew are not a new bit of scripture for those who have been around the church for a while. I’ve read it and heard it quoted dozens of times. For some reason, when I read this now, Jesus' words give me more hope than they did before. 

Jesus promises rest…rest for today. Here. Now.

What about you? Does this line give you hope? Maybe it doesn’t because of what he says (for those of us familiar with this passage).

Yokes of Rest?

Jesus makes an odd statement to my 21st-century ears.

“Take my yoke upon you…”

Matthew‬ ‭11‬:‭29A‬ ‭‬‬

Jesus says we are like oxen tethered to a yoke. Okay, let’s be honest. His analogy doesn’t sound like a life of rest and relaxation. If Jesus is comparing me to a beast of burden, there doesn’t seem to be much rest mixed into his metaphor. How does this give hope? Where does the rest come into this comparison?

Here are a couple of things to remember about Jesus' words:

1. Jesus isn’t driving you. He’s not thinking about this from the outside looking in. You aren’t alone in doing the heavy lifting. 

2. You are yoked to Jesus. Jesus is tethered to you; he is working alongside you.

“Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” ‭‬‬

Matthew‬ ‭11‬:‭29‬ ‭

And there it is, true rest.

Rest for your soul.

On my vacation, I had two very different moments that were both “restful” in the sense that I wasn’t doing work. However, only in one of those situations did I experience true rest. 

The first moment was on my way to Destin. We had a several-hour layover between flights. I uncomfortably sat in a noisy, crowded airport during my layover. While waiting at the airport, I ate mediocre fast food and had a lukewarm cup of coffee. I waited in a busy lounge so I could cue up in line to board a jam-packed airplane. 

I wasn’t working, but I didn’t experience rest either.

A few days later, after an afternoon of playing in the surf and enjoying the sun, we returned to our rental. On a lazy, breezy Florida afternoon, I lay on the back porch. I read a little; I slept for a bit. 

I wasn’t working, and I experienced true rest.

Jesus offers you true rest.

“For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

Matthew 11‬:‭30

When you connect to Jesus, life is easier. The keyword is easier. Not easy. Easier.

Life isn’t going to be easy for us. Jesus tells us, as his followers, to pick up our cross. The cross isn’t a metaphor of ease. But if we yoke ourselves to Jesus, this burden is easier to lift. When you tether to Jesus, your call is light.

Life is manageable. Doable.

Rest + Peace

I’ve been home for a few weeks now, back at work, and the normal grind of life. I’ve continued to meditate on this concept of rest. An important element I’ve focused on this year is being filled with the Holy Spirit. A result of being filled with the Spirit is manifesting the fruit of the Holy Spirit. 

Perhaps you remember these fruit Paul tells us about in Galatians 5. When the Holy Spirit fills you, you can expect nine fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. Notice the third fruit in the list above -- peace. 

As I live a life constantly and consistently filled with the Spirit, I will display peace. In other words, it is a way to enter into the rest Jesus promises us. Have you asked the Holy Spirit to fill you today?

When I attach myself to Jesus, my burden will be light, and my call will be light. When I am filled with the Spirit, I manifest peace.

I am calling you up to rest. Will you tether yourself to Jesus? Will you ask the Holy Spirit to fill you? Life will be easier (not easy). Your call will be light. You will experience peace.

Join the Conversation

I’d love to hear your story or reflection in the comments. Where have you recently experienced this type of soul rest? How can you find it more often?

Leave a comment

If you’d rather, send me a message directly. Let’s begin a conversation!

If this post encouraged you, share it with someone who could use a reminder that hope still lives.

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Finally, I’d like to thank you for subscribing! Knowing that hundreds of you read this every week and a few dozen financially support me encourages me to continue. If you would like to upgrade to a paid subscription, click the link below:

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