Originally posted on Facebook on Saturday, April 26, 2025.
It's a Saturday, I'm exhausted, and I feel guilty for not doing anything.
"I'm not there yet," the thought starts, "So, you don't get to rest."
Because I've not done enough, the logic continues.
But this is what Sabbath cuts directly to the heart of.
I'm with God. Most importantly, God's with me. So, I've arrived. I am there.
The Sabbath reveals the tension between being with Him and my desire to be anywhere else.
That tension reveals that my faith is more in my effort than in God's ability to provide, primarily because there's a specific vision for my life that I want to achieve and I'm not really concerned about His.
I repent.
I will rest in Him because He is where I want to be and, to the best of my ability, I release everything else.
Then, when I pray, I will not ask amiss and can ask with confidence that He will provide everything I need to live: to discern His will and to do His good pleasure, rather than my own.
Originally posted on Facebook on Tuesday, April 22, 2025.
What is the point of faith if things around me are depressing, falling apart, dismal and in disrepair?
Then I brought this into captivity of Christ:
The point is faith creates in me an impenetrable fortress that will not fall.
“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: “and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock."
— Matthew 7:24-25
When I have that, I can change the things around me and not be dependent on them.
The point is heavenly expansion—from us to whom the Kingdom has come, to earth—that His will may be done as it is in heaven.
#HeavenlyExpansion #perfectourlove
*Photo courtesy of the Los Angeles Times
Originally posted on Facebook on Tuesday, April 22, 2025.
As I press into church, a word that has been burning on my heart is "don't use your tools on it".
"And if you make Me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stone; for if you use your tool on it, you have profaned it."
— Exodus 20:25
A lie is fabricated.
Truth just is.
What are our "tools"?
They're our machinations—our means of manipulation to achieve our desire rather than His.
We profane His altar by inserting ourselves, teaching men to fear men rather than God.
"And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men."
— Mark 7:7 (Read the surrounding verses to see exactly how we do this.)
We profane His altar with our own ideas and the efforts of our hands rather than the produce of His heart.
“For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men—the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do.”
— Mark 7:8
"Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings…?
He has shown you, O man, what is good;
…do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God…"
— Micah 6:6-8
"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise."
— Psalm 51:17
We profane His altar with our schisms: classes, hierarchy and systems of control.
"and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, 'You sit here in a good place,' and say to the poor man, 'You stand there,' or, 'Sit here at my footstool,'"
— James 2:3
“But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren.
Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.
And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ.
But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant."
— Matthew 23:8-11
"But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, 'You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.
Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.'"
— Mark 10:42-43
Yet, here we are.
Let us repent.
But now, we-the church-are His temple, established and being built stone by stone by Christ Himself. In us, the once-for-all atonement of His sacrifice is offered not on stone altars made with human hands, but on the altar of our surrendered lives as His body.
Let us not profane it.
Let us not use our tools on it.
"Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."
— 1 Peter 2:4-5
But let us be the church He is building, His way—through the heart first, not with the tools of our head and hands.
Originally posted on Facebook on Monday, April 21, 2025.
The best way I can imagine to celebrate the Resurrection, is to die to this world and be reborn afresh in Christ.
"Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."
— Romans 6:4
The Resurrection should be the Christian New Year, where every resolution is renouncing the world and renewing our pursuit of the Kingdom of God and His righteousness—living in the newness of the Spirit, governed by Christ so that His Kingdom is expressed in Word and experienced in deed through us.
Originally posted on Facebook on Monday, April 21, 2025.
This is me “testing the waters” while clinging to solid ground.
Jesus says, “Come,” and I want to—but I have no earthly idea how.
Lately, this is my struggle with church—the real variety.
I understand the call to Communion—to abide in Christ with His beloved.
It’s the abiding part that I don’t understand.
“Work” I get. That is why I’m most comfortable being around people when I’m clear on what we’re doing—and why you’ll usually find me at any gathering busying myself with something.
But abiding—I do not understand.
Something in me is fundamentally broken. All my life, I’ve envied the ease that other people have with one another—the way water molecules naturally cling and move with one another—flow.
I, on the other hand, seem to be innately hydrophobic. Like a bead of oil, I can be in the same place as water, but not be with it. I’m not connected in the same way others are—I just oddly float on top.
That’s never felt great. It always caused me to die a little with every interaction.
So, when Jesus says, “Come,” I want to—but it’s terrifying. Which is why I’m so glad this interaction with Peter is written in Matthew 14:27–33.
The disciples are in the boat during a storm, and Jesus is walking on the water.
Peter: “If it is You, Lord, command me to come to where You are.”
Jesus: “Come.”
Peter: “But the waves and the wind are dangerous.”
And Peter starts to sink.
Jesus: “That is true. But I am more true.”
Then Jesus stretched out His hand, caught him, and taught him:
“O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
So, I’m coming, Jesus. I still don’t know how—but may I not doubt.
I probably will doubt. But I’m coming anyway, prepared to get wet.
I trust You will not let me ultimately fall.
And, that whatever is broken in me You will heal along The Way.
Originally posted on Facebook on Friday, April 18, 2025.
Jesus said, "the Kingdom of God does not come with observation"—it's not external, out there somewhere—the Kingdom is within us (Luke 17:20).
Do you know what that suggests?
The gates of Hell are too.
“Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!"
— Matthew 18:7
How does the Kingdom of God or the gates of Hell come through us?
Our hearts.
“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things."
— Matthew 12:35
And what gives either access?
Our desire.
"But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.
Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning."
— James 1:14-17
Jesus gives us a key to bind hell and loose heaven. The key is to make God your ONLY desire. Because there is nothing good beside Him.
"Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You."
— Psalm 73:25
Ask, seek, and knock for that. And it will be given.
“Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom."
— Luke 12:32
Originally posted on Facebook on Friday, April 18, 2025.
A word that has been in my spirit is:
"There are some things that you don't make sense of.
Some things you just endure."
Then a sweet friend on Facebook posted a question that prompted me to share it. Her question was,
"When the going gets tough, what keeps you going?"
The answer is endurance.
You need it before the going gets tough.
But, you build endurance when the going gets tough and you have sufficient reason to keep going.
The key element of endurance is hope.
"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."
— James 1:2-4
What is perfection to you? Very often the difficulty we experience is the very way we learn to obtain it. So let us press on to lay hold of it (Philippians 3:12).
Originally posted on Facebook on Sunday, April 13, 2025.
As a new creation in Jesus Christ, my name has been given¹, my form has been determined².
Therefore, no other thing means anything about me³. No other thing defines me—good or bad, success or failure, happiness or hardship³.
Even my fruit does not define me⁴. It indicates where I'm rooted⁵—who I believe⁶.
God defines me¹.
I am loved⁷.
I am His child⁸.
I am pleasing to Him⁹.
I am His masterpiece¹⁰.
I am heavenly¹¹.
I am helpful¹⁰.
I am holy¹².
I am His¹³.
I believe God¹⁴.
So, I assume the identity He declares¹⁵—
Not because I see it¹⁶,
Not because I feel it¹⁷,
But because I believe Him¹⁴.
God has made me beautiful through Christ¹⁸,
and is revealing that beauty with every passing day through sanctification¹⁹.
We who are in Christ are a taste of what is to come for all of creation²⁰.
Originally posted on Facebook on Saturday, April 12, 2025.
In Week 15 of 52 Weeks Of Gratefulness, I give thanks to God for a help meet.
An injury landed me in a cast on my leg. I didn't think it was a big deal, but I've been surprised by the difference small things make when I'm forced to do them a different way. It's been manageable—it just requires more thought and effort.
Tomorrow is trash day. I'm on the way home, thinking about whether there are any extra steps I’ll need to take to get the trash to the curb. As I crest the hill, I see the trash has already been put out by my wonderful wife.
Not too long ago, I read how Desmond Carson was celebrating his bride. He said,
"I love how we complement each other so perfectly. Where I fall short, you pick up the slack, and vice versa."
Well said.
I hear people often say that marriage is 50 + 50. That is incorrect. It's 100 + 100, so that even if one of us stumbles, we're never less than 100%.
A wife—a help meet—is indeed a good thing and favor from the Lord.
Originally posted on Facebook on Saturday, April 12, 2025.
Not all dysfunction in my life is caused by my sin—sometimes it’s hurt.
While the ultimate solution is regeneration through faith in Christ and dying to the old self, that transformation is a process.
And in the process, it’s easy to mistake pain for personality—for example, identifying as an introvert when, in truth, it’s trauma that makes me hide and keeps me from expressing who God made me to be.
Discerning the difference between what to die to and what to heal from often requires help.
That’s why I recommend Jesus and therapy—a decision to be made carefully, prayerfully, and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, or we could end up like the man in Luke 11:26, whose last state was worse than the first.
