This Sunday, our congregation looks at the story of the woman at the well in John’s gospel (Jn 4:1-42). I’m not quite sure why, but for many years, I have stopped this story at her leaving to tell others and miss that the scene doesn’t finish there. The disciples try to feed Jesus as the woman leaves to tell others. Jesus tells them that He doesn’t need that physical food when there is a harvest at hand, and then the people who have heard about Jesus from the woman come, experience Him, and believe in Him more fully.

As I read about the woman at the well this time, it really challenged me. We are sent to share Jesus with others, but more importantly, we are called to share in a way that points them to an encounter with Jesus of their very own. I started to reflect and ask the question: Do I ever focus too much on my experience, forgetting to point them to Jesus altogether? Our experience matters because it plants a seed, but faith in Jesus is more than telling stories; it’s about real experience that leads us to the realization that the only way forward and for true fulfillment in life is a life lived through and surrendered to Jesus.

We only come to this surrender when we meet Jesus in the midst of our own personal brokenness. Someone else’s story might make us curious. It might help us take steps to learn more or meet with Jesus on our own. But until we see our deep need for a savior and meet our only savior, Jesus Christ, we won’t really surrender our lives to Him. It might be a great idea; we might go through the motions of doing the “right thing,” but when we really experience Him in our own lives, that’s when our lives really change.

Sometimes we have very real encounters with Christ; sometimes we are called to share them with others, but once we do, we have to point to Christ, get out of the way, and let them meet Him for themselves.

Today I challenge you to meet Christ, to share your story, and let Him have encounters with those you shared your story with.

Reflection Questions

1. Do I share my encounters with Christ with others? If not, what is stopping me? If yes, am I pointing others to encounter Jesus for themselves?

2. How can I intentionally share my encounter with Christ in a way to point them to their own encounters with Him?

Lord, help us to meet you and invite others to encounter you so more would really know you. Amen

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Things are shifting; it’s not that time has magically appeared or that our finances are magically in the place where they need to be so I can continue this little side project. The reality is I realized God was working on me as I helped pour into others through writing these simple, short blog posts each week. While it would be wonderful if this blog could bring in extra money for my family, my true hope is that this blog will continue to be a place that others can encounter God, put their faith in Christ, and grow in their relationship with Him.

You will notice that I’m now hosting my blog in a new place (Substack) and that they encourage readers to subscribe and start paying a monthly or annual membership fee to the writers they are most interested in. I don’t want to hide the content I write behind paywalls. So, if you want to subscribe, the reason to do it isn’t for something you will get out of it but will be to support a writer who is doing his best to share Christ freely with all those he meets. I will do the occasional giveaway of books, devotionals, Bible studies, etc., for my subscribers as a thank you, but please don’t subscribe in hopes of receiving something.

This change frees me from what were pretty substantial costs to keep the blog online so I can focus on helping others grow with Christ while I grow with Christ. Please know that I would love your support in this journey if you have the few extra dollars to tip or subscribe with. Also, know that if you tip or subscribe, your money is going to help me and my family as we serve the Lord in our local ministry context and community. However, if you don’t have the money to tip or become a paid subscriber, know that I’m glad you are here and hope that my writing can help you draw closer to the Lord. If you want to get an email every time I post something, you can become a paid or free subscriber below.

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This morning, my daughter and I were playing “castle building” with blocks. She insisted that we build the castle on the tile floor near the fireplace, even though I explained that it was possible to build a castle on the carpet if we made a wider foundation. You see, the only way she knows to build a castle is to stack a single block on top of another. So, it instantly falls down on the uneven carpet. She has learned that building on the tile allows her method to stretch higher and higher. Then, as she watched me build, she thought maybe she could use her method on the uneven carpet, but it failed, and she got really upset. She felt as though I had lied to her. 

Today’s passage opens with Jesus and the disciples walking through a field on the Sabbath and eating some of the kernels as they went along. This upsets the Pharisees, who see this as ignoring the law. The second scene in today’s passage is Jesus healing a man’s shriveled hand on the Sabbath, again upsetting the Pharisees and teachers. In both cases, Jesus challenges them. In the first, pointing out the irony in that David stole food from the temple to eat (1 Samuel 21:4-6). In the second, asking if it is better to save a life or destroy it on the Sabbath, calling into question the purpose of the laws the Pharisees and teachers are worked up about. 

In both cases, Jesus being the Messiah (fully human and fully divine) is illustrating the point of that more than anything else: God’s will is of ultimate importance. Now, clearly, my illustration of my daughter and me playing with blocks can’t keep up with all the intricacy of today’s passage; however, I think it can illustrate one small thing about the Pharisees and the teachers. They were focused on doing things “the right way”; some may have even been doing it genuinely for that reason. But Jesus was focused on more than just doing it the right way; he was focused on the Father’s will. Kelsey was focused on doing it the way she understood but was missing that building it another way might make a stronger, sturdier castle to enjoy. 

Join me in reflecting on how we are building our castles today. Are we focused on simply doing what we know the right way, or are we leaving room for Jesus to lead us in new directions to accomplish the Father’s will and build a more beautiful kingdom than we could ever imagine?

Lord, lead me to let go of the comfort of tradition when you are leading to help your kingdom grow as you desire. Amen

At this point in Luke’s Gospel account, we are realizing that Jesus is gaining quite a following. People want to hear what he has to say. Many, I would venture to guess, want to witness or experience a miracle. Yet in this scene, we hear about Jesus calling his disciples. He focuses on a smaller group. The majority of this scene even focuses on one disciple: Peter.

Jesus uses the fisherman’s boat to help teach and address the crowd. He uses the acoustics of the water. But that isn’t the focus. We don’t even know what he taught them. We do know, however, that after teaching, he tells the fishermen to let down their nets. For many reasons, this is strange. For one, fishing is often more successful at night. Peter also points out that they have already done the best they could do the night before.

Jesus instructs them to do so. Peter complies, as he witnessed Jesus heal his mother-in-law and knows what he is capable of. And then there is the miracle many wanted to see. I’m pretty sure this miracle was for the benefit of Peter and the other fishermen. It was more for them than for the crowd who came to hear him teach.

Jesus calls these fishermen to something new. Something that will change their lives completely. He not only calls them to leave their families. According to Luke, he calls them to leave “EVERYTHING” (5:11). Yet he uses what they intimately know to ultimately call them to a new vocation. A vocation of working to draw people to God like they would have worked to draw fish into their nets.

I got my Bachelor’s in Information Technology. I was blessed to find a job in the field. I truly felt called to what I was doing. I got to love people who had tech issues every single day. It was a significant blessing to provide well for my wife, Elizabeth, and me. I had felt the call to ministry in high school. I had not forgotten. I just didn’t know when a transition to full-time ministry would happen.

Then one day, God’s call became real. A church three hours from Elizabeth’s and my home was looking for an associate pastor. I would finally be moving towards the call God had placed on my life years earlier. However, it would come with major changes. Pastor salaries are very different from Senior Network Engineer salaries. We had lived in the same town where we had both been raised. This meant there would be no more surprise meals. One of our moms would no longer leave a crockpot on our counter when we came home from work. And it would mean Elizabeth would have to find a new teaching job.

I can’t imagine what Peter felt like as this entire scene unfolds. Peter has seen Jesus heal his mother-in-law. He is asked to drop nets when he knows his profession well, and this “teacher” isn’t a fisherman. Yet he does it anyway. When he witnesses this miracle, he is like Isaiah. He recognizes his brokenness and unworthiness to be in the presence of Jesus. Yet, Jesus still calls him to leave everything, be a disciple, and ultimately fish for people.

When we encounter God’s call on our lives, it’s scary. Our worlds are going to be turned upside down. The comforts of this world aren’t the reason we follow Christ. We follow Christ because of who he is and what he has done for us.

I’m pretty lucky. Elizabeth found a new teaching job. The congregation we are part of has become like a second family. They have always been present and supportive, even though no one is breaking in to leave surprise meals. When I had open-heart surgery, some drove all the way to Cleveland Clinic. They prayed with me the night before surgery and sat with Elizabeth. They dropped off meals and, most importantly, prayed for the surgery and my recovery. God warmed me up to following His call. The way he called me was with a transition, and yet these fishermen were put on the spot.

Christ transformed the fisherman’s vocation into something beautiful for His kingdom. So maybe you aren’t a fisherman, and maybe God isn’t calling you to a totally new vocation. God called an IT guy to go from fixing computers to “fixing” (sharing Christ’s love with) the brokenhearted. What about your profession helps you see where God is calling you?

It might cost a lot by the world’s standards. However, there is no greater fulfillment than walking with our Creator and Savior.

Lord, help us know and trust where you are leading, no matter the cost. Amen.

These are only a few of the things that people argue over. Some I listed carry more weight than others. However, at the end of the day, none of these weigh quite as much as the questions asked of Jesus before and after his message in the synagogue we read today (Luke 4:14-30).

Before we arrive at today’s passage, Luke records that Jesus was tempted by the devil three times in the wilderness. Each time, however, Jesus responds with scripture and remains faithful to God’s plan for him over following the devils temptations to use his divine power for self.

Then Luke records Jesus reading from the scroll of Isaiah (61:1-2) and stating that it has been fulfilled in his reading. He is telling his hometown that he is the Messiah the prophets have long spoken of. Instead of awe and excitement, they share doubt of Jesus’s statement.

He doesn’t give into their doubt but uses scripture to point out that their doubt in many ways is just like that of their people with the profits of the past, and yet that doubt and sin doesn’t stop God’s message from going to those who need to hear it.

As I sit and reflect on this passage, I come to a few questions. How well do I know God? How do I know the difference between what people want and God’s will? Would I be able to share God’s word as a response to people’s doubts when God calls me in a specific direction?

It always amazes me the way in which Christ quotes scripture as the devil tempts him, and when the people doubt him, he again shares the history found in scripture to point out the sad truth of how God will respond to their doubt based on the way he responded to his people in the past.

We don’t worship the Bible, but we worship the one who is revealed in the Bible. This passage inspires me this week to be thankful for His word and to be thankful for my time in Scripture, which can help me in the moments I need to discern God’s will or need to share my reasoning for going against the world’s expectations, even within the Church today.

Where is God calling you to remain firm in who He is instead of what others expect or believe about you?

Lord, lead me to know you more intimately through your word and trust your desires above those of this world. Amen.

This week, we look at Luke’s account of John preaching repentance and baptizing those in the Jewish faith (Luke 3:1-22). He is warning the people of just how important their repentance is. He is calling out their sin and how they have turned from God. Yet John isn’t the final message on this. Jesus is baptized, and if we keep reading, we will see that all John is saying is true, and repentance is only part of the equation. John’s sermon and baptism are calling forth to something bigger; it’s laying the groundwork to remind the people of who they are in God’s world and the importance of seeing their proper place in it and the life God has called them to. As they hear these words, they should be reminded of their past failures and how they were punished when they sinned, but they should also remember how God saved them when they were close to Him. 

I may not have made all the preparations I needed to entertain my four-year-old daughter. But Elizabeth made the shopping list, and we got out before the storm and bought what we needed to stay in and stay warm in the weather that was predicted and coming. Today I pray and hope that I have heard John’s message about repentance— yes, but I also wish to respond to Jesus’ message of faith in Him. That I would put into action the life of faith John describes and Jesus exemplifies. The prayer is that it would be more than actions taken but a way of handing my being, my heart, my existence over to the one who created me. I don’t want to live this life out of fear for the things that could happen to me if I don’t. I want to live the way John and Christ call me to because of the fact I will then know I’m who God made me to be. 

Lord, lead us to turn from the world’s understanding and to your design for us, our neighbors, and our world. Show us what fulfillment in you is all about. Amen

What do you need to turn away from to see Christ more clearly? 

In my devotional time, I have often turned to the Book of Common Prayer to help guide my daily worship. I often fail to use it every day as intended but pick it up as often as I can. There is a comfort in that others around the world have and still rely on it as a guide. A guide that considers the whole of our faith and builds a rhythm of daily worship. This year during my family’s Christmas break, I stumbled upon the book “Be Thou My Vision” by Jonathan Gibson. It is much like the Book of Common Prayer but designed by pulling several sources together for a once-a-day 31-day liturgy. I have chosen to use this devotional tool in 2025 and invite you to join me. The introduction of the book shares the details on how it works, but to help you decide if you would like to join me, it takes about 20 to 30 minutes of your time to work through the reading, prayer, and scripture each day. It is repetitive if you choose to use it as it will repeating it each month. However, the scripture reading isn’t. It encourages paring this book with a Bible in a year reading plan that it prompts you to read each day (I’m currently using M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan as included in the book). The repetitive components are spread across 31 days and help you internalize the truth of our faith. 

What does this have to do with a new year? Well, I know many make resolutions related to their fitness and faith. I would like to take a moment and encourage anyone who struggles to see the blessing of 2024 or just wants to deepen their appreciation and relationship with God in 2025 that there are tools, resources, and people who want to do the same with them. We are all part of God’s family, and starting small habits today can lead to deeper faith tomorrow. I have shared links to the book I’m using below if you would like to join me. If you are joining me in using this devotional tool, would you let me know? I’d love to share in this experience together, checking in on your experience and sharing my own with you as we go along this year.  Whether or not you join me in using the same book, I want to encourage you to make time with God a priority this year. I’d love to hear what devotional tools you are using also! My goal has long been to “Practice the presence of God” like Brother Lawrence. And we start in that direction by first prioritizing time with God, and much like a relationship with someone you love, the more time you spend with Him, the more He is on your mind and changing who you go about being. 

Lord, lead us closer to you and help us to worship you with our entire lives in this new year. Amen

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Have you ever been excited and nervous at the same time? I can remember a few times in life that amazing things were happening, but I was also afraid I wasn’t up for the task.The first time I performed in a musical (mind you, I was just in the background). What if I messed things up for someone important? The first time I preached as a high school youth. What if I said something totally wrong about God? The moment I got accepted into seminary. What if I am not smart enough for this? 

Maybe you can think of times similar to the first time you had to present a project to your boss, and a promotion was on the line. How about the moment you found out you got that new job? Or the moment you found out you were going to be a parent? There are many times in this life that we have great opportunities and yet question our abilities. 

How did Mary feel being told she was going to be the mother of the Messiah? How much it must have been to take in. Before she even receives this news, she is being told she is favored. The angel tells her not to fear, and yet I’m sure that only brings with it more questions. Then the big news is dropped, and she is like, “Ummm… how is that possible?” The response is basically, “ God’s going to make it happen.” And she responds wanting it to happen.

After Mary meets with Elizabeth, who too is having a miraculous pregnancy (though in a different way), Mary sings a song glorifying the Lord. Her song and words are about more than herself. They are words about her people. Words about God’s grace to her, her people, the important, and not so important (at least to people). There is history and a future in her song. 

As we come to this final week of Advent, the truest act of love is being announced. The Messiah is coming. He will be one of us. We know the rest of the story: that Messiah will live and deal with what we deal with every day. Brokenness, sorrow, pain, temptation, and suffering. Yet Christ does it in a total, unfailing relationship with the Father, never failing to do the Father’s will. Which leads to the Cross and Tomb.

Praise the Lord! He doesn’t remain in that tomb! He is raised from the dead as he defeated sin and death. We are called to believe in the Messiah’s life, death, and resurrection. We remember a Messiah who left his heavenly throne, arrives as a baby, grows up (leaving the manger empty), lives a sinless life yet is hung on a cross, dies and is buried but leaves the tomb being raised from the dead. Faith in Christ is more than what we think. It impacts our understanding of who we are. It includes both our thought and our action.

As we come to the point of faith in Christ. We may feel like Mary. We may have questions. But God will do the work in us and lead us where we are going next. We just have to accept, and I pray we will sing a song like Mary’s, remembering the past, looking to the future, and celebrating the love of Christ as we approach Christmas.

Advend Devotional 2024Download

Isiah 61:1-11, Luke 4:16-56

There are so many really beautiful things in this life. The colors of a sunrise or sunset at the different times of year that paint beautiful works of art in the sky. Seeing the world through a young child’s eyes at Christmas as they see every experience with awe and wonder. It can even be in eating a meal with your family on a dark winter’s night after a long day of work, laughing as you share stories from your day.

To me, all of these things are little glimmers of the joy we will one day encounter in a truly complete way. That is beyond little pockets of our lives. As we read Isaiah 61, we can see this joy as complete and yet coming in full at Christ’s second coming. Isaiah speaks of every right made wrong, the lowly raised up, and all things restored. Even more beautiful is that we can read Luke chapter four and see that Jesus uses Isaiah’s words to point out that He is the one ushering in that joy Isaiah spoke of.

If we read the gospel account, we realize that joy came at an incredible cost to Christ. He was beaten, broken, and hung on a cross. And yet that is not the end of Christ; he again leaves the cross. Joy comes into the world through Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. This week, we hope you will remember the joy of Christ in your everyday life.

Advend Devotional 2024Download

Joel 1, 2, 3

A few years ago, I was at an all-time emotional low. I was trying to finish my master’s degree, dreams of having a family seemed to be dying, and ministry just seemed to be beyond my ability. How could all these things be happening around Christmas? How could I celebrate Advent when what I felt was deep sorrow and burn out? Have you ever just gone through the motions during Advent and Christmas, watching others wondering how can they be so happy while I’m so sad? Are we even in the same time and space?

I hope that many joining us on this devotional journey aren’t experiencing these emotions this Advent. But if you are, I pray that exploring the book of Joel will be a place for you to find peace in surrendering even your raw emotions to the Savior who was born, placed in a manger, and left the manger to show us what being made in the image of God really means. And if you are in a good place emotionally, I pray that exploring Joel will prepare your heart for those hard times you might encounter in the future.

I made it through that low season because I surrendered my emotions to God. I lamented the brokenness I was experiencing, talked with trusted mentors and professionals, and began to surrender who I thought I needed to be to God’s leading. When I am seeking God’s will (not that of self or others), I find a peace more beautiful than all the Christmas decorations and lights at this time of year.

Lord, open our souls to your peace this Advent, helping us surrender every part of our being, including our emotions. Amen

Advend Devotional 2024Download

Every year, the Christmas season starts earlier than the last. I used to talk to friends and family, and they would say they decorate the day after Thanksgiving, and those who decorated early were few. This year, those who haven’t at least put out a few Christmas lights are the minority (at least in my circles). When I speak to those who have decorated, they often cite the fact that it brings up their mood. This then begs the question, why does our mood need to be raised? What is missing in our lives that we need to turn on the lights? 

Each year, the church spends the weeks leading up to Christmas to remember the birth of Christ, who truly fulfills us. We remember the hope, peace, joy, and love Christ’s birth ushered into the world. It is only through faith in Christ that we can be restored to our Creator and really understand the meaning of being human. This year, we want to do the same thing but take extra time to recognize the whole story of Christ and that it required great emptiness to restore us to our Creator, and we are called to the same emptying of self as we surrender our lives and live like Christ. So we invite you to join us this Advent season reflecting on how emptiness will actually help us turn on the lights.

Week One Reflection

Daniel 2, 3, 6

When I was in middle school and high school, I would see the news stations reporting on Black Friday. While my family would travel to my grandparents’ house to celebrate Thanksgiving, Friday would just be another day; other families would be preparing and starting to sit in lines at stores for the best deals possible as early as Thursday evening. They were preparing for Christmas early and doing everything they could so they or their children could have the things they most desired on Christmas morning.

I know that many who would wait in those lines did so because they couldn’t really afford the full-priced item and they wanted their children to have the Christmas experience of their peers. Worries about money being tight are only one of the many mentally straining things at Christmas time. Maybe you wish the Black Friday deals were what they once were and are worried about finances and buying the best gifts. Maybe you are lonely and wish you had more people to celebrate Christmas with. Maybe you have anxiety caused by all the pressure to have the most exciting holiday plans. Or maybe you are comparing yourself to others and dreading the family conflict you always seem to walk into during the holidays.

All of these are mentally taxing, but what if you had to face the king who stole you and your people from your land? What if you were threatened with being burnt in a furnace or fed to starving lions? This week we will take a peek at these stories from Daniel to see the true king, and maybe see how we can navigate what is challenging us mentally this Advent season.

Lord, show us where real hope is found, reveling to us who is really in control as we read the stories found in Daniel. Amen

Advend Devotional 2024Download

A few times throughout my lifetime, I have heard people point the finger at large churches with massive budgets and accuse them of spending too much money on something and that “all that money could have fed the homeless” or “helped cloth so many children” or a hundred other beautiful ways to show God’s love. The thing these accused churches are doing is often building a building or planning an extravagant event. In today’s passages, we see Solomon (David’s son) doing something extravagant. 

We arrive at Solomon’s reign and see God’s covenant with Abraham fulfilled. They are a massive people. Earlier in the story, Solomon asks for wisdom and receives it. The kingdom is doing well, and he decides that he is the one to fulfill the promise God made to David about establishing an enduring kingdom. So Solomon builds an extravagant temple for God (I encourage you to read 1 Kings 5-9 to see the extravagance of the temple and Solomon’s palace. Looking at the details, I realized this isn’t just hiring a contractor and ordering supplies like we did today. It impacts all the people. Israel is paying taxes, giving of their resources and labor to make this temple a reality. Even other nations are providing and giving labor. 

This raises a few questions for me. Who asked for the temple? Who is the temple for? Who gets the attention from the temple? God never asks for the temple. Solomon claims the temple is for God. Solomon dedicates the temple to God. While I think, like most humans, there is a lot about the temple Solomon is building for selfish reasons, he at least speaks the “right” reasons. In his dedication, there is a desire to make God’s Name clear to Israel and all the other nations. 

I don’t want to neglect those who are homeless, poor, or parentless. I want us to listen to God’s leading on how we use our resources, and I think, more often than not, he isn’t going to ask for temples and extravagance. He will ask us to build things that meet people with his message of saving grace from sin and restoration and hope in the one true King. But if we do create something, it better be for the glory of the Lord and not ourselves. 

I’ll admit today that much of my identity is wrapped up in being who God has called me to be. Sadly, I can sometimes go down a path that points to what I’ve done or understand as proof of being a “good person” and misses the point of being a child of God. My identity is in Christ, but I don’t have to make a name for Christ by pointing at what I have done and allowing pride to show. God makes His name known all on His own. 

Today, how can you humbly serve the Lord and let His light shine beyond you? 

Lord, lead us to surrender our extravagance to you and see true extravagance in who you are. Amen

What is involved in your five-year plan? Are you getting certifications for work? Looking for a new job? Working towards a promotion? Looking for a new home? Do you have a God-sized goal to bring him Glory because you feel over-blessed by the Lord? As we read today’s passage, the last one is David’s situation. He was a nobody, and God chose him as King of Israel. While David wasn’t perfect and made mistakes, however, his heart always returned to God and wanted what God wanted. Along the way, David is lounging in his beautiful home and realizes that he has so much and the house of God is just a fabric tent. That is no place for the Lord of lords and King of kings! So David suggests building a temple for the Lord. But God comes and speaks to David through Nathan. He tells him not to do that. He didn’t ask for it. God could have left it there, but doesn’t He tell David his son will build the temple for the Lord.

David acknowledges that he is nobody and God is in control of all things. David knows the blessing he has received from God, who can withhold all that blessing. David knew it was God’s will not to build the temple and sang praise to the all-powerful God. Today, what are my prayers to the Lord of lords and King of kings? I wonder if I’m content with the Lord living in a fabric tent and revealing himself in ways that don’t match the Glory of earthly leaders today. Do our churches try to build temples for the Lord he didn’t ask for? Today, I want to surrender my ministry ideas to allow God to reveal Himself the way He intends. Would you join me in prayer today that points out our Creator and Savior as totally in control and the beauty we humbly witness?

Lord, we are small; you are BIG; words can’t correctly describe your Glory; when we want to build things you don’t ask for, lead us back to your will and your ways so more and more will encounter your beauty and Glory. Amen

Losing grandparents and a great-aunt over the last several years has been tough. We would gather for funerals and reminisce about our family traditions. We had the fall picnic, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and easter traditions. Today, I want to share a little about our fall picnics. I remember making hot dogs and s’mores over a fire, playing in a pretend fort we made from random things, and a falling-down dog kennel. I remember hay rides with my cousins and driving Grandma and Grandpa Golf cart too fast in circles in their driveway. 

This tradition had distinct, separate memories from year to year, but the way we gathered always looked the same. We would all arrive at our grandparents’ house as we could make it on the fall weekend of October. Grandma and Grandpa cleaned out their garage and arranged it as they did yearly, with hay bales and chairs to sit on. A worktable turned buffet table, a table to the side to hold the hot cocoa and apple cider, and the wood-burning stove fully stocked and stoked to warm the garage. There was always a bonfire outside the garage. Cousins would run around, and aunts and uncles would hang out inside or outside. 

You would hear laughter, and when the time came, there was a scavenger hunt that grandma had put together for all the families to participate in. On the surface, fall picnics were only really about coming together as a family. But as you experienced them, you realized they were about grandma’s love for her entire family, immediate and extended. It was about sharing life and giving a grounding moment of joy and happiness for my grandma and her family. 

You may be wondering how this connects to this week’s passage. The Israelites are given lots of instructions about how to prepare a meal, be ready to leave, and continue practicing this meal in the future. If you read the story leading up to this, you might also struggle with the fact that God has hardened Pharo’s heart many times. You might think the things God has put Egypt through with plagues are wild, including a river of blood, gnats, flies, locusts, frogs, boils, and darkness. And then you might be a little mad at God for killing all the firstborn boys of Egypt. Mind you, it might help to remember that Pharo ordered all of Israel’s new born boys to be killed earlier in the story. 

I share my memory of the fall picnic because it may not have been an event God told us every year, but it formed and shaped us. It created a longing for us to be together as a family and care about what was happening in each other’s lives. It taught us how to love each other, which helped us learn to love others. 

The Passover meal carried with it so many important forming moments. Repeating the meal in the future would remind them of God’s care for them as a nation. It would also give them hope for a future when the sacrifice of Christ would save all humanity and not just Israel. It would remind them to trust God for their needs, not excess. It would form and remind them that they practiced it year after year. Just like my family, fall picnics formed me and my family. 

So today, as you read the story of Isreal being passed over and their exodus from Egypt, I challenge you to reflect and consider how the Passover would have formed them and what practices in your life are forming you to trust God more. 

How did the Passover event and the repeated Passover meal form Israel’s understanding of God? 

What practices in your life are forming your understanding of God? Could and should they be improved? In what ways?

This week, I have been reflecting on one of my favorite stories from the Bible. It’s a story with a spoiled little brother, vindictive older brothers, and a story arc that ends in tragedy turning into a blessing. This story has captured the minds of many and has even been turned into a musical.

When you read the story, the beginning is quite confusing. His father favors Joseph, Joseph has a dream about his family bowing down to him, and then lacks the wisdom to keep it to himself. He shares his dream and the interpretation with his brothers. As expected, the older brothers get mad and set out to kill him. They change their minds to leave him for dead and then change their minds once more to sell him into slavery. They lie to their father, saying Joseph was killed by a wild animal. In this opening to the story, we see Joseph go from the promise of power to a lack of power. We see Jacob’s sons doing what he has done throughout history: taking what they think is ultimately theirs by lying and cheating.

As we read further, we see Joseph’s life get better, worse, and better again. He works for Potiphar but gets accused of something terrible and ends up in prison. There, he interprets others’ dreams, which leads to him interpreting Pharaoh’s dreams in Egypt. This leads to him saving Egypt and, ultimately, his family. Today, we are looking at the story as a whole, so please forgive me for skipping over some of the more dramatic details, including Joseph setting up and testing his brothers.

The final passage we look at this week is the end of Joseph’s story. We hear of the death of his father, Jacob, and are left with a cliffhanger of Israel (Jacob’s family) in Egypt. On the surface, we like to look at this story and think of the often-shared quote, “God works all things for good.” However, sometimes we think the good in this story was for Joseph, or that God orchestrated all these bad things so they would end the way they did. While God could have, scripture doesn’t say that. It is possible that God worked through the broken decisions of Joseph and his brothers to get to the result He had planned from the beginning. Not only that, but God’s plan for Joseph was still more about a larger plan of bringing Jesus Christ into the world through the nation of Israel that all started with a promise to Abraham.

As I think back on my relatively short life, I can list a lot of times when life was complicated. I can even list a bunch of times I made significant mistakes. Yet, as I retell the story of God’s working in my life, I can’t help but share the moments when God did something despite me. This has stirred in me a desire to trust where God is leading earlier and have more patience along the way, hoping to follow his lead rather than get in his way with my assumptions about this life.

So, today, where has God been at work in your life? And what is he calling you to be patient with?

Lord, help us see your work in our lives and trust where you lead us next. Amen.

For a long time, I asked why Eve would do something so boneheaded and why Adam would go along with it. However, the longer I’m on this earth, the more I realize I’m no better than Eve or Adam. Yes, God has been working in me but day after day I allow my self to slip out of relationship with God for my own selfish wants, desires, and perspectives.

I have come to realize that even religion and church can become vices that separate me from my heavenly father and creator. There are times that the desire to act as God made me is not out of submission to Him but because it makes me feel better about myself in comparison to others. Honestly, even my morning coffee routine can take me away from my creator when I depend on caffeine to function. When I can’t drink a plain cup of Folgers because it just doesn’t taste good enough.

Some might wonder why I’m not calling out the big sins of our day. Simply, it’s because I think we have to realize the core of our sins before we can start walking with others to help them be freed from theirs.

We must realize our absolute need and dependence on the cross. Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. We have to see that there are many ways we choose to follow our will instead of our creators. I think we sometimes call out others sin because it is easier than recognizing just how easily we sin. And how far we fall short each and every day.

So today I encourage you to reflect on your day and week and identify the ways you have walked with Christ following His will and where you were following your own and then invite you to pray asking that he would make you more aware in those moments and help you surrender those parts of your life to Him. I’ll join you in doing the same.

How have you followed God’s will this week?

Where have you ignored God’s will this week?

Where have you followed your own will this week?

Lord, we thank you for your love in sending Christ to live, die, and be raised to life so we could be restored to our relationship with you. We see the many ways we ignore your will and choose our own. Help us see these moments more quickly and turn to you more readily. Amen

While today’s blog isn’t about adoption, sharing how God spoke to me during that time matters to me. I’ve noticed the mounting tensions and stress that many are experiencing, particularly in the lead-up to the presidential election and the cultural shifts that seem to contradict God’s word. These are just a couple of the individual stressors we face. Everyone has their own list. It’s become clear to me that we can only navigate these tensions when we’re rooted in our faith and spend time with our Lord. Our faith is our anchor, our source of hope and reassurance, allowing Him to guide us even amidst the chaos. 

For the next several weeks, our congregation will have a series called “Back to the Garden.” We hope to go back to the beginning and foundation of what it means to be in a relationship with our creator so we can be more confident in how we will live in this complicated, turbulent time. Today, I want to reflect on our first passage, our opening theme for this series. We will be looking at Genesis One and  Two.

As I delve into this passage, I’m always struck by the meticulous and purposeful way God creates. Everything is placed with a specific intention- the earth, the heavens, plants, animals. And then there’s humanity, with an even more extraordinary role. We are created in God’s image and invited into a life with our creator.  This revelation has become even more profound to me as I’ve realized that in many other creation stories of the time, humans were often the result of chaos, not made with intention. Or worse to be used by their god. The sheer beauty and wonder of God’s creation never fail to amaze me. 

As I read these verses, I imagine walking in the garden in perfection, simply hearing God share what life is all about. I think about working in that garden with Him, not against him or guessing what to do, but doing what God has made me for. For me, this is a beautiful, wonderful image. For others who would like to avoid nature, maybe the picture is more challenging to imagine being as beautiful as I’m trying to describe it. 

No matter the scene you picture, the key idea is that God created you in His image and wants an intimate relationship with you. One that He listens to and leads you in as you listen and follow. Next week, we will get into the more messy stuff called sin, but for this first week, can we stop and realize just how amazing it is that we have a God who created us in His image with a purpose and wants us to be in an intimate relationship with Him?

If you are Christian (you have placed your faith in the redeeming work of Christ, his life, death on the cross, and his resurrection), how are you going to God and walking with him to listen and follow where he is leading? 

What can you do or stop doing to connect more with our Creator this week? 

However, as I sat and thought about what I might write, I kept thinking about the last several weeks of reading and studying 1 John. I couldn’t help but be reminded that in those moments when the world around us seems to be going crazy, we have the assurance of our salvation when we acknowledge Jesus as God’s one and only son and that He lived, died, and rose again for our sins.

1 John doesn’t give the type of hard detail many want but that isn’t to say he doesn’t give practical aplication. He calls the origional readers and us to live out of the foundation I just mentioned. We are called to know who Christ is and to live as christ taught. If that is in question we should keep our bibles open to read what Christ taught His disciples.

The end of 1 John (Chapter 5) focuses on abiding in Jesus and genuinely knowing we are Christ’s. That took my brain back to the Gospel of John (Chapter 15), and I was reminded of how beautiful and full a relationship with Jesus really is. Like the most beautiful relationships, there is a commitment to growing. Time is spent together, compromises and sacrifices for each other are made, and sometimes, we even grow to let go of ourselves to help our friends.

Abiding in Jesus is much the same, with maybe just a “tiny” bit more depth. When we read about abiding in Jesus in John 15, we realize we must surrender every part of our lives to Jesus, finding our identity, strength, purpose, and being in Him. That means there will be a little pain as Jesus points out and prunes what isn’t of Him. But in the end, we will be restored to who God created us to be.

As I finish my family’s mini vacation, I will meditate on how Jesus has worked in my life, making me who I’m supposed to be, even in the challenging moments. I will simply rest in His presence and thank Him for time with my family, enjoying the little things.

Are you abiding in Jesus?

If you aren’t what do you need to do to start?

If you are, how is He working in your life right now?

Lord, draw us closer to you and help us see the pain of turning from the world to you as something so much more beautiful. Amen

On Elizabeth and I’s patient, good days, Kelsey is typically able to get through the tricky parts more quickly; however, when Elizabeth and I are having a bad day and not as patient, Kelsey struggles more to calm down and process her big three-year-old emotions. I’m not commenting on parenting at the moment. My observation is that Kelsey becomes more relaxed and generous when we are calmer and more gracious. I can also observe that Kelsey interacts with others similarly to Elizabeth and me. Sometimes, this feels great; other times, it shows our shortcomings. 

All these thoughts came to mind today because of the passage we are looking at this week. As we continue through the letter of 1 John, we come to chapter three and realize we are children of God. And this means we should be like Him and not the world. Unlike Elizabeth and I, who are imperfect parents, God always remains faithful to His perfect character. The author of 1 John spends a great time in the letter reminding the readers of their foundational view of who God is and what God’s love implies for their lives. 

God’s love isn’t just about happy, blissful thoughts; love is part of life and action. God loved us by sending His only son to live and die for our sins so we could be restored to our relationship with Him. God didn’t just say, “I love them so much. Too bad they will never really know me; their loss.” God did something radical and sent His only son to suffer on our behalf. 

1 John is written to this group of people to help them realize how important this understanding is. The people who have left the church have given up on seeing and believing Jesus was the son of God who died for humanity’s sins. Those reading this letter need encouragement to remain in the faith they received at the beginning. As we continue reading 1 John, we see that knowing this fact is only part of the equation. 

As we draw closer to God as our heavenly father, we begin to live and become like him. This transformation is possible because we are His children and live by the love He has shown us. 

Do you feel like God’s child? If you do, reflect and thank God for being your heavenly father. If not, spend time exploring what might be getting in the way of your relationship. 

Can people see your Heavenly Father’s influence on your life as you do your business, work, play, and rest? 

Lord, allow us to draw near you, our heavenly Father, and have lives transformed by your love. Amen

Read 1 John chapter 3 HERE.