THE BLOG

The journey to France will require time, money, and a lot of study. But, eventually, you gotta go. You’ve read the tutorials, but it’s all wasted without an actual trip.

A major part of the Christian faith is baptism. It symbolizes death and new life. Most baptisms declare the two parts: death and life. Something to the effect of, “Raised to walk in a new way of life.” But there’s another part of baptism that we overlook.

What does “main character [stuff]” look like today? What does Hero [Stuff] look like for the disciple? For those walking out their faith, on the path with Jesus, what does it mean to engage with the day in such a way that keeps the fire going?

What if the cost will not, indeed, be different for everyone? What if the cost will be the same for everyone? And if the cost is the same, we don’t have to guess and we can run the numbers.

If all of these assumptions are true, we don’t need to doubt that we are being pruned, that his heart for us is good, that we are going to come forth as pure gold. The people who leave and do not remain do not get pruned. It’s actually way more painful to stay.

The New Testament is clear on where a faith journey leads. How can we get it so wrong? That path leads to suffering, pruning, and death. If you are serious about following Jesus and sticking with him, you will suffer.

There is always more happening than what you can see. What is seen is only the beginning.

Isn’t this the way God feels? He supplied materials, energy, your network, and your talents and then you’re slow to acknowledge Him or give anything back to Him.

Before you pray in complaint about the sticking door, look at all the other things that have been given to you. Be the you who is insanely grateful for the 100 things that are going right in your life. Yeah, the door sticks. But don’t be a Richard.

Would you give Him your savings account in order to be obedient and follow Him? Would you place yourself in harm's way (laying down your bodily riches) in order to follow Him?

But beware of D-Day (+1) because the war’s not over yet. Beware Faith (+1) because the journey’s not finished.

Elijah stepped out in faith and, in an ostentatious manner, called fire down from heaven to defeat the false prophets. But soon thereafter when Jezebel pursued him, he laid down under a tree and prayed to die.

When you choose the narrow way, you don’t know what you’re actually agreeing to. And you don’t know what the fruits of your obedience will be. And you cannot manage it. That’s part of the deal.

If you ask for the Lord to transform a falling leaf into a feather, or if you ask Him to move that leaf a millimeter, it’s still a miracle. A request to altar reality is a request for a miracle. Any appeal for a divergence from the status quo is a request for the miraculous. And that request moves you into the arena of the supernatural.

If you’ve had a loved one in the hospital, or if you’ve been in the hospital yourself, you’ve seen the tell-tale signs of appetite. Appetite is an indicator of health and trajectory. When a patient in the hospital regains their appetite, appetite signals that they’re regaining health and getting back on their feet. When a patient does not regain appetite, it is a sign of trouble.

But if you proceed with your faith and the Shepherd, sooner of later, you’re going to have to put all your weight onto a verse. You’ll have to take it from the coffee mug, internalize it, and stake your life on it. Eventually, you will be forced to step off the platform and trust the verse with your life.

When you practice guitar thinking that you’re going to be famous, you may not become famous, but you are practicing guitar! You’re doing it. And the reps will change you. Writing the first verse and hammering out the chords will change you.
Work on the reps with this change in mind; that as you go, you will become different. Practice will have its effect on you.

When you see other people's workouts, be wary of the judgments that might arise. You don't know what's going on with their fatigue, their iron levels, their gallbladder, or their knees.  There is so much we don't know.  

We will believe no one, no product, no car, no fire. We will be left numb, with the feeling that everything was probably created with video AI.


And the greater lesson will be that truth is not discernible and will be more malleable than ever. Indiscernible and undiscoverable.

What are things you're naturally good at? Today's a great day to take inventory and see what you're exceptional at. And keep going down that road. Practice not because you need it, but precisely because you're good at it. Not because you're bad at it, but because you're exploring the edges of how far that skill could take you.

When a press secretary has to lie, they themselves will know. If you have to lie at your job, you’ll know. It will have its effects on you. Like heavy metal poisoning that gets in your system and quietly does its poisonous work, the lies will live on.
And others may not know, but one person will. You’ll know.

Life's biggest temptation is a call to long for the things away from this. The sacred is this moment and these people and this God.

In today’s fast, fast world, we’re not used to walking. We drive fast and we fly fast and things are delivered to us fast.

But in many areas, the only way to get out is to walk out. There’s no driving, flying, or sprinting. Just walking.

You walked in. Walk out.