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How familiar are you with John the Baptist? Who was he, really? What was his purpose in life? How important was he, and what does he and his words have to do with you today? Actually, his words are, or should be life changing. Let’s look at it. Jesus said John was a big deal. In Matthew 11:11 Christ said, “I tell you the truth, John the Baptist is greater than any other person ever born … “ Jesus looked across all of human history, every prophet, every king, every person who

What do you need to get ready to mature - grow - change - and finish well? What does “finishing well” look like to you? It’s my entire mantra - “You Finishing Well”. To make it more spiritual, what if Jesus walked into your life today, not as a concept, not as a belief, but as King? Would He find a clear path… stay with me on this - let’s look at the thing that needs to change in your life. How familiar are you with John the Baptist? Luke points us back to Isaiah and introduc

Is there a realm outside of what we see? Is there an unseen world operating alongside this one, right now, while you go about your ordinary day? One of the most deceptively simple moments in all of Scripture quietly answers that question. In Luke 2:15, after the angels announced the birth of Jesus to a group of shepherds, the text says they “left them and went back to heaven.” No explanation. No distance described. They were present, and then they weren’t. They didn’t travel

Here’s an interesting question: When is it good to do the right thing externally, even if you don’t feel it internally? Choosing to eat well when you’d rather not, being kind when you’d rather not - those choices have real value regardless of how you feel in the moment. But I want to go beyond that, because I think there’s a version of “doing the right thing” that God finds deeply troubling. In fact, it causes you and I to erode and diminish. Noone wants to do that … It may a

What kind of outlook do you have? Do you complain? Are you pessimistic and unhappy? Or are you happy — even when things aren’t perfect? These seem like shallow questions, but our emotional wiring drives our outlook more than we realize. Our dysfunctions, the things we worship, our forgiveness, our hope, all of it affects our attitude every single day. And honestly, I think what we love drives it more than anything else. If you love yourself and always want your way, when thin

Are you covering your bases, or have you actually surrendered your life to Jesus Christ and to God? I guess I'm speaking to us professing Christians. Why did you accept Christ? And how is it changing and growing you? I bring this up because I read today in Proverbs 9:10: "Wisdom begins with respect for the Lord, and understanding begins with knowing the Holy One." (Proverbs 9:10 NCV) So what does this level of wisdom look like in practical ways? Let me start with a quick stor

How much of your life are you spending on people who have zero intention of actually listening to you? How do you feel when others poke fun of what you believe or disagree with you? Some feel they need to debate every detail when they disagree. So today, that’s who I’m talking to. King Solomon once said: “If you correct someone who makes fun of wisdom, you will be insulted. If you correct an evil person, you will get hurt” (Proverbs 9:7, NCV). Solomon isn’t just giving advice

When you sin, what actually happens to you right now, in this moment, not in some future judgment but in your actual daily life? Most of us think about consequences like punishment or maybe we lean on grace or expect some kind of divine discipline. But I want to suggest something different. The real consequence of sin is separation from GOD. And here’s the problem. If you’ve never been truly connected to GOD, how would you even recognize what it feels like to be separated fro

If you could look better, would you? If you could make more money, would you? If you could have your cake and eat it too — would you? My nephew Jay Owen, honestly one of my heroes, recently wrote an article about AI. He said something that stuck with me. AI increases capacity and productivity, but it’s also creating burnout. People are working more without being asked to. So why are they doing it? Because it creates a buzz. A high. It makes us look good, sound smarter, feel s

What do you do when God doesn’t show up the way you expected Him to? I know someone who was once a strong believer. Or at least it seemed that way. Honestly, I think he never really experienced the Holy Spirit. He knew the Bible, but maybe he didn’t really know God. And in his mind, God didn’t meet his expectations. Now don’t judge him. This is the majority on the wide road that Christ spoke of when He said: “Enter through the narrow gate. The gate is wide and the road is wid

What is your daily routine that has almost become sacred? Is it the gym? Eating breakfast with your family? Reading your Bible? Maybe it’s TV, scrolling your phone, talk radio, or listening to the news every morning. Whatever it is, that daily practice is setting your sail. It’s orienting your trajectory for the entire day. Here’s something I’ve learned: What you do every day becomes who you are. In Exodus 29:38, God gives this instruction: “Every day from now on, offer on th

What are you hanging onto “just in case” something goes wrong? It’s like keeping a candy bar in your purse. Just in case. The moment you and I start hiding something, something’s wrong. If you have nothing to hide, you hide nothing. Jacob had a life-changing encounter when he wrestled with God. Got a new name. Israel. New identity. New future. But Scripture still calls him “Jacob” here. He wasn’t living his new identity. God was moving him forward, but old crap was still in h

What have you learned about yourself in moments when you had nowhere to run and no one to blame? I think we all dislike these times of pain. QSome even hate it. But pain is a great teacher. And you know what else is a great teacher? Being alone. If you don’t resort to your screen, TV, or some bad or lazy or addictive habit, being alone can allow feelings and thoughts that you and I should be wrestling with to actually soak in. Some of my best epiphanies arrive when I’m alone.

With all the voices pulling for attention, how do you know which one to follow? That question stays close to me because life keeps putting decisions in front of me that matter. Some feel small in the moment. Others quietly redirect everything. Over time, I have learned there is a real difference between noise and clarity. Between anxiety and peace. Between pressure and conviction. There are moments when I sense God speaking through the Holy Spirit. And people ask how I know i

What in your life feels so large right now that you honestly do not know how to get past it? Before you scroll away, stay with me for about three minutes. This is not a lecture. It is about real life, real struggle, and real hope. If you feel stuck, this may matter more than you think. Maybe it is depression that keeps pulling you back down. Thoughts you never invited but cannot silence. Being overweight and feeling stuck in patterns you have tried to change more times than y

What could go wrong in your life today that you have no control over and no time to prepare for once it starts? Maybe a pain that leads to something serious. A car wreck I did not see coming. A phone call about someone I love that changes everything. A market collapse. Or something that feels small at first but alters life quickly, like a slip and fall. The list could go on. So here is the real question I sit with. Am I ready for something unexpected to happen? Not perfectly

How much do you know about the spiritual benefit of prayer and fasting? Have you ever done it or studied it seriously? What exactly are the benefits, if any? Truth is, there are huge benefits in combining prayer and fasting, and God’s Word has quite a bit to say about it. This might surprise you a little based on how much I trust, believe, and write about the Bible, but I do not fast. And yet, I think I want to. For some reason, I am desiring it, but I want to understand it f

What do those who have already died remember about you and me? I will deviate from my Bible schedule journal today because today would have been my sister’s 73rd birthday. I suppose their memory of us depends on who they were to us, how close the relationship was, and how important we were in their lives. With the living, some memories soften over the years. Others never do. They stay attached to dates, phone calls, hospital rooms, and moments we did not know were lasts while

As a new year begins, what do you want your life to be shaped by as the days move forward? We typically look at an annual calendar and plan critical things - time home every month, family gatherings, church, community groups, travel and much more. It’s a snapshot of the year and we try to stick to it if possible. With it comes new friends, sickness, death and unexpected circumstances. Yet, we find it’s best to have a plan. Along with that it’s good to ask practical questions:

As another year comes to an end, what questions are you asking yourself about the life you just lived this past year? So, it is almost over. Another year. I always slow down around this time and take inventory. What did I get done? What goals were actually met? What was wasted or never accomplished? How far did I get ahead, if at all? Did I grow, or did I just stay busy? How did I improve, change, and mature over the last year? I keep coming back to the same six main areas of

What makes you feel secure, significant, and rock solid? Where does your confidence and hope in a successful future really come from? Be honest with yourself. Is it your money, your health, your strength, your appearance, the things you own, the people who support you, or is it God? Agur, the writer of Proverbs 30, is not someone we hear much about. He was a wise observer of life, not a king or a prophet with a platform. Just a man paying attention to how people live and what

What’s your favorite song? What song was played at your wedding? What song do you think will be heard at your funeral? My favorite song is Amazing Grace. IIt is the name of our camper and even our private road. That might tell how deeply it has settled into my life. It was the name of our boat and as we approached the dock, I always like to hear the dock master say “Welcome Amazing Grace”. Truth is, I once was blind, but now I see. I was the wretch who was saved. When I reall

What have you started strong, yet did not finish so well? We have all heard it said, it is not how you start, it is how you finish that counts. What were you once good at, but now you are not? Something is undone. Not finished. You gave up, stopped, or quietly drifted away. It is easy to do and everyone is guilty. Projects go unfinished. Health routines stop. Financial discipline is postponed. Spiritual hunger wanes. Relationships erode and become distant, strained, or lead t

When things in your life are going bad, how do you know if you are being mistreated by others or if you are simply refusing to do what you already know God is asking you to do? I spend a lot of time counseling people who are having a hard time. And yes, some truly are victims. Bad things happen to good people. People get hurt, betrayed, overlooked, and treated wrong. That is real. But if I am honest, most of the trouble I see, and most of the trouble I create in my own life a