The Kingdom is here and now. And you’re in the royal family. “You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is already among you.” —Jesus (Luke 17:21) Tribes were the extended family for many generations. Tribe battled against tribe and the fittest survived. Then, people began to rally together and …
Make your weakness your superpower. Weaknesses are like magnets that attract others to you. Not neediness, necessarily. We have to have done work on ourselves, surrendering to the work of the Spirit by admitting weakness and inviting strength and connection. But it’s in the admitting, the relating, and the encouraging of others… “I’m not better than… I’m like you… You …
Right now, someone is grieving a terrible loss and someone else is celebrating their happiest day. Both are sacred. “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens…” Ecclesiastes 3:1 As I sat working in a hotel lobby today, I saw parades of different people marking two very different occasions. One group was clearly …
Sometimes, small is better than big. The Lord told Gideon, “With these 300 men I will rescue you and give you victory over the Midianites. Send all the others home.” Judges 7:7 God, through Gideon, used these 300 men to defeat tens of thousands. You might want to believe that stories like this are fable or fiction—which is fine. But …
Do the thing, even when you’re scared. So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord had commanded. But he did it at night because he was afraid of the other members of his father’s household and the people of the town. Judges 6:27 I appreciate the honesty. Because I’ve been there. Be scared. Just do the …
The best way to help is to relate and offer relief. “How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck …
What we dislike in others is usually what we hate about ourselves. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” —Jesus (Matthew 7:3) My friend mentioned that they can’t stand someone’s cackling laugh. But it’s because they have a weird laugh, themselves, that they’ve …
What if Jesus was serious when he said not to judge? “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” —Jesus (Matthew 7:1-2) Jesus was speaking into a culture that was quite focused on helping people …
Do you need to upgrade to better serve your people? “I come here for the WiFi. It’s stronger than the coffee.” – John I bumped into my friend, John, at a coffee shop and that’s what he told me. There are a 100 coffee shops in the larger area, but he comes to this one because the WiFi is so …
Sing when you’re stuck. Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. Acts 16:25 In prison, with their feet clamped in the iron stocks, they sang. When you choose joy, peace, and patience in slow or painful circumstance, you stand out. “The other prisoners were listening” because it was unusual. …
