“But now thus says the Lord,
he who created you, O Jacob,
    he who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
    I have called you by name, you are mine” (Isaiah 43:1, ESV).

To think that the very God of the universe knows and loves each one of His children enough to call them each by name. If you feel forgotten or unwanted or ignored, you are not. God sees you. God knows you. God loves you.

Satan loves to remind you of your failings. He wants to keep you feeling defeated and trapped in the continual cycle of addictions and lies. But in Christ, you are not your past. You are not your mistakes, your failures, your sins. You are who God says you are. You are all the promises God has ever made in Christ Jesus.

There’s a beautiful scene in the first episode of the first season of The Chosen when Jesus calls to Mary Magdalene. Instead of calling her by the name she has taken upon herself when she was destitute and demon-possessed, He calls her by her true name. He tells her, “I have called you by name. You are Mine.”

God brings us out of bondage and addictions by calling us by our true names. His voice alone has the power to silence the other voices and all the other names you have given yourself in moments of weakness or failure or the voices everyone else has given you when you weren’t good enough. As we respond in faith, the chains fall away.

You are not defined by the devil telling you your sin but by God calling you by name and then calling you Beloved.

I posted this because it spoke to me way back when (and also because I couldn’t think of anything else better).

I think the part of smiling without selfies speaks to being able to exist without social media. One of my favorite parts of the year is during Lent when I give up social media. Not because I hate it or because I am against it but because I always find how freeing it is to live without it.

I never was into drugs or alcohol, so I can’t really speak to that much. I do think caffeine is my vice. I wonder what it would be like if I had to give that one up. Sure, I’d miss coffee, but I suppose there’s always decaf and hot tea.

I think above all, the idea is to live content and surrendered. To not be caught up in the eternal race of more and never enough is to have already won. To be able to say, “No thanks, I have enough” is to be counter-cultural to a society where being driven into debt to buy what you don’t need to impress those who don’t even know you or to fill a void with more stuff.

I think if you belong to Jesus and don’t just live as someone who marks Christian on religious preferences because of upbringing or whatever is to be radically different. You won’t look or sound like everybody else. Some automatically won’t like you — Jesus said that if they hated Him, they’d hate you as well. But that difference is maybe one of the best parts about your testimony. You have found a better way to live according to God’s ways, and it shows.

I love that Room in the Inn exists. I also love that I’ve been blessed to be a part of it for something like 12 years. It’s an opportunity to serve the homeless in real time and meet tangible needs. I know the Bible says that when you love and serve the least of these, you love and serve Jesus.

I love that the Brentwood Baptist Church chapter of Room in the Inn makes an intentional focus on the gospel. We’re not just meeting physical needs. We know that it’s a tragedy to be clothed and fed and still be spiritually lost. Every part of what we do is centered on these men knowing they can have a real relationship with Jesus.

We offer Bible studies. We don’t force the men to go in order to receive a meal and a bed. They have a choice to go or not. Many opt out, but some attend. Those who show up will hear the gospel shared explicitly. They will have the opportunity to pray to receive Jesus.

I’m already praying for the men who will come through our doors starting on Monday. I know God is at work in their hearts and giving them a hunger that no meal can satisfy. We know we don’t have the power in ourselves to save anyone, but we can point them to the Bread of Life and the Living Water that springs up eternally.

I can’t wait to see what God does during this season of Room in the Inn. I’m grateful I get a front row seat to see it.

Today I worked from home for the first time since 2020. For the record, I’m one of those few oddball people who’d rather go into the office than work remotely. I like being around people, and the office environment helps keep my ADD brain reined in and focused.

But this time I had help from my furry little supervisor. She inspected the company laptop by rubbing her little face against it multiple times to make sure it passed muster and to leave her scent on it. Then she settled into her watchful loaf mode where she remained until she got bored and went off to take a nap.

Having her nearby was a comfort. Thankfully, she didn’t try to walk all over the keyboard or plant herself in front of the laptop. She wanted to make sure everything was A-okay for her human. When she was satisfied, she left for the day. I really wish I had her work hours.

One of these days, I’ll figure out a way to send her off on the commute to work so I can stay home and nap all day with intermittent snacking and the occasional zoomies.