suffering

Strangely Dim

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“Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full, in his wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of his glory and grace” (Helen Howarth Lemmel)

For some reason, this hymn popped into my head out of nowhere today. What particularly stood out to me was the line about how the things of earth growing strangely dim. That’s a great way of putting it.

When I take photos with a camera, I like to focus on the subject and blur out the rest so that whoever’s looking at the photo will know exactly what the focal point of the picture is. Everything else fades into the background and becomes blurry.

That’s a picture of what happens when we look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Everything else fades into the background. Everything else loses focus. All those problems that seemed so important and critical seem way less important in comparison.

There’s something about the power of praise that sets everything else into perspective. A mindset of worship has a way of keeping us from spiraling over temporal things that preoccupy our thoughts the majority of the time.

What is keeping you up late at night? What keeps you from sleeping and gives you anxiety throughout your days? Perhaps if we could turn our eyes on Jesus — not just cursory glances or occasional sightings but full intentional gazing on His glory and grace — then maybe those things would grow strangely dim in comparison.

Lord, help us to see You more clearly and to see everything else in comparison with Your matchless glory and grace. Let everything else grow strangely dim so that we can see that You are all that ultimately matters in the end, and all Your promises are still yes and amen. Thank You for loving us. Amen.

Hymn Night 2026

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The main campus of my church hosted a hymn night. It was better than advertised and even better than I thought it would be going in. Of course, they sang all the classic hymns that I loved growing up and a few newer ones (including a couple that I wasn’t familiar with before tonight).

The highlight was when they brought out Bill Gaither to talk about one of the songs his wife had written back in the day. I have to say he’s very spry for a 90-year old. I hope I’m doing half as well as he is when I get to be that age (unless Jesus comes back, then it won’t matter).

Throw in the Gaither Vocal Band and Larry Gatlin for a couple of songs, and calling it a great night would be something of an understatement. But the best part of the night for me was still those old hymns that still speak even though the writers have long since graduated to heaven.

One song that struck me forcibly with the power of the lyrics was called “I Then Shall Live.” It felt like an old hymn, but apparently isn’t since Gloria Gaither co-wrote the lyrics:

“I then shall live as one who’s been forgiven.
I’ll walk with joy to know my debts are paid.
I know my name is clear before my Father; 
I am His child and I am not afraid.
So, greatly pardoned, I’ll forgive my brother;
The law of love I gladly will obey.

I then shall live as one who’s learned compassion.
I’ve been so loved, that I’ll risk loving too.
I know how fear builds walls instead of bridges;
I’ll dare to see another’s point of view.
And when relationships demand commitment,
Then I’ll be there to care and follow through.

Your Kingdom come around and through and in me;
Your power and glory, let them shine through me.
Your Hallowed Name, O may I bear with honor,
And may Your living Kingdom come in me.
The Bread of Life, O may I share with honor,
And may You feed a hungry world through me.

Amen, Amen, Amen” (David Phelps / Dp / Gloria L Gaither)

What We Become

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“What we become is more important than where we’re from” (seen on a church sign).

People can get so caught up in their past and become a prisoner to it. So many lives are defined by regret and bitterness. So many can’t move forward because they’re still stuck in the same place where they received their wounds that won’t heal. So many have been the victim for so long that they don’t know how to be anything else.

But God is telling a different story.

As I’ve mentioned before, God can take the worst moment of your life that you swore you’d never tell anyone about and make it the opening line of your testimony (with much love and thanks to Uncle Mikey for that one). With God, your past with all its mistakes and carnage now serves a purpose instead of serving shame.

At one point, the Bible gives a long laundry list of sins and says that the people who based their identity on these sins won’t inherit the Kingdom of God. Then comes one of the best lines in the Bible: AND SUCH WERE SOME OF YOU.

In other words, that’s who you were but not who you are now. That’s no longer what defines you or gives your life meaning. For those in Christ, you are no longer an alcoholic or an adulterer or a homosexual or a thief or any of those things. You are now a son of God or a daughter of God.

Now who you are becoming is more important than where you’re from. God in Jesus is making you into His image, taking away your heart of stone and giving you a heart of flesh. He’s taking away your sinful desires and giving you a passion for pleasing Christ in all you do. He’s making you into the person He created you to be and you are finally becoming your truest self rather than a carbon copy of everyone else or a slave to your addictions and desires.

So remember that. What we become is more important than where we’re from. The story ain’t over, folks. It’s about to get really good.

Drown Out the Noise

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“…new week coming and yeah, do I hear you. It’s all coming at you & you can hear this voice that says you can’ t do it & it’s all a bit impossible, just too hard.

And there’s this in the quiet: To silence the other voices in your head all day, You need God’s Word in your heart at the beginning of your day.

His Word that holds you close & whispers:

“I’ve never quit loving you and never will. Expect love, love & more love! I will strengthen you. I will take you by the hand & guide you.

I’ll never let you down, never walk off & leave you. I am with you, ready to help.

Live fearless — Who or what can get past Me to get to you? I promise, every detail in your life of love for Me, will be worked into something good”

(Jeremiah 31:3MSG, 1Pet2:9, Eph3:14, Jn16:12, Heb.13:5,Ro8:28)

Hear that? God’s got this — *and you.*

*Never* let the noise of the world around you,

drown out *God’s Word* about you — His voice about you & this week is all that matters!

#PreachingGospeltoMyself“

I read recently that we consume the same amount of information in 30 minutes that our grandparents took in over the course of a month. That’s crazy. No wonder we’re overwhelmed. We’re literally living in the middle of a TMI epidemic. At some point, it’s too much information for one brain to process successfully.

Maybe that’s why it’s good to turn off the noise. Shut off the laptop. Turn off the phone. Pick up the Bible. Or sit in silence and make space for God to speak to you. Give your mind a chance to recover the same way you give your muscles a day to recover after an intense workout.

Ultimately, the way to peace is not doom-scrolling for hour. It’s not even taking in good information through social media. It’s learning to shut everything off and be comfortable in the quiet and stillness. After all, God didn’t speak to Elijah in the whirlwind or in the storm or in any of the noisy events but in a small still voice that Elijah would have missed had he been preoccupied with his own thoughts or distracted by noise.

Lord, we yearn for You. We know the best way to find You is to sit quiet and still so that we can learn to hear from You instead of being overwhelmed by the 9,999 other voices that clamor for our attention all day. Give us peace as we give You time to speak to us and over us. Amen.

Smell Those Roses

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“Taking time to smell the roses leaves enduring impressions of a dear glory that, if sufficiently reengaged, can change the quality of our entire life. The rose in a very special way—and more generally the flower, even in its most humble forms—is a fragile but irrepressible witness on earth to a ‘larger’ world where good is somehow safe” (Dallas Willard).

I do take time occasionally to smell roses and other kinds of flowers, but I think in this case the idea is to slow down and savor your life. Don’t be in such a hurry that you wind up at the end of your life and have no memories of precious time spent with the people you love. After all, the only place you get to in a hurry is the grave.

This culture glorifies busyness. We abhor boredom or down time. We need to fill every single moment of the day with some kind of activity, and we think we can sleep when we’re dead. Unfortunately, you’ll end up dead a lot faster that way. Plus, so much of what we remember isn’t all those things we planned, but what happened when we were waiting or when our plans got intteruppted or changed. So much of when God speaks to us isn’t in the middle of our hectic schedule but in those margins when we’re finally able to be silent and still.

The old saying goes that you will never have time unless you make time for what’s important to you. You can let your life be dictated by the tyranny of the urgent, or you can prioritize what matters most to you and decide to put those things first in your life. Then you’re finally living and not merely existing anymore.

Lord, help us to focus on living well instead of merely living a long time. Give us eyes to see where You’re working around us and give us ears to hear what You’re saying to us. Slow us down so that we don’t miss what You want to do in us and through us. Amen.

The Gracious Wounds of God

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“Sometimes the most gracious, merciful thing God could ever do is wound you. To wound you, (and in that wound bind you to Himself) is far more gracious than to bless you with everything you want and have you not know Him” (Matt Chandler).

I found out recently that my pastor who is battling cancer is in stage 4. I also learned that a surgery last month to remove the cancer was unsuccessful. At that point, a lot of people would either give into fear or throw in the proverbial towel altogether. But not my pastor.

He has maintained an incredible and submissive attitude throughout the entire ordeal. I’m not saying he never is afraid or gives into moments of doubt, but he is trusting God, no matter what the outcome. He reminded us that the way to fight spiritual battles is through praise.

It’s easy for me to lose perspective sometimes when I’m in a struggle and forget that others are dealing with way worse than I am. The secret is not comparison with others or dwelling solely on the problem but keeping our eyes on God. As I’ve heard it recently, the antidote to anxiety is the adoration of God.

My pastor referenced a passage where King Jeoshaphat is facing a combined army that is invading Israel and the odds are not good. Instead of panicking, he turns to God in prayer. The last line of his prayer is one of my favorite verses in the Bible: “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”

Sometimes, God has to wound us to get us to look up. Sometimes, He allows trials and suffering to get our attention. Sometimes, we face hardships and trials to purify our faith and get us to turn our eyes on Jesus. I’d rather be wounded and find the comfort of closeness with God than get everything I’ve ever wanted and not know God. That would be tragic.

Lord, get our attention. Help us see that there’s nothing else that we could ever desire that is better than You. You are the only one able to hold us together when we feel like we’re falling apart. You’re the only one who can heal our woundedness and brokenness. We don’t know what to do so much of the time, so we once again turn our eyes on You, the author and finisher of our faith. Amen.

Every Time

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“In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents” (Luke 15:10, NLT).

The Message says that there’s a party in heaven every time even one sinner gets saved. I get that.

I know lately I find myself overjoyed when I read about any celebrity who comes to faith or someone who is coming out of a Muslim or LGBTQ or pagan background. I love that the gospel is for anyone and everyone, and there is no one who is beyond the reach of God’s grace.

I love hearing testimonies of being delivered by the power of Jesus. That never gets old for me (and I hope it never will). It always brings me ecstatic joy and reminds me of my own early days when I first experience the joy of my own salvation. It reminds me that God is still able to seek and to save the lost.

I do a lot more praying for people’s salvation than I used to. I think maybe it’s because I appreciate the gift of salvation way more than I did when I was younger. I also realize more and more that there are no political answers to what are ultimately spiritual problems.

At the root of every war and of every act of violence and every racial epithet is sin. We are all born into sin and we all need a Savior. We are not good people who need to be better or even bad people who need to be made good but dead people who need to be made alive.

That’s why I do what I do. If even one single person is in heave because of me posting these blogs every day for almost 16 years, then I can say it was worth it.

I hope you will join me in praying for lost people. If you want, you can comment on the people you are praying for or you can always text me at 615-556-5850. I’d love to pray for your loved ones as well. God is still good all the time, and all the time God is still good.

This Hits Different These Days

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I was listening to my Daily Devo through the Worship Initiative, and they brought out a genuine, old-school hymn. written in 1752 and translated in 1855. I’m sure I sang it growing up, but these lyrics really hit me different today. So many people I know either are dealing with health issues or have passed away. This hymn speaks volumes to those who are walking down that road for themselves or loved ones. Plus, the words are beautiful and fitting for life in general:

“Verse 1
Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side;
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change, He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Verse 2 Be still, my soul: thy God doth undertake
To guide the future, as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
His voice Who ruled them while He dwelt below.

Verse 3 Be still, my soul: when dearest friends depart,
And all is darkened in the vale of tears,
Then shalt thou better know His love, His heart,
Who comes to soothe thy sorrow and thy fears.
Be still, my soul: thy Jesus can repay
From His own fullness all He takes away.

Verse 4 Be still, my soul: the hour is hastening on
When we shall be forever with the Lord
When disappointment, grief and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past
All safe and blessèd we shall meet at last” (Words: Katharina von Schlegel, 1697 / Translator: Jane Borthwick (1855) / Music: “Finlanda” by Jean Sibelius 1899)

Sunday Blessings

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“O God, whose Son Jesus is the good shepherd of your people: Grant that when we hear his voice we may know him who calls us each by name, and follow where he leads; who, with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.”

I’m still processing a lot of what happened today.

My church met at the Fisher Center today while our sanctuary is being renovated. It was a bit like having church at Carnegie Hall or at The Met. It was a different kind of Sunday, but I believe God still knew where to find us. He still showed up as always.

I’m still so thankful to be a part of an amazing congregation that is growing not only numerically but spiritually as well. I love how so many of our members have such a willingness to serve and to be flexible to do whatever God asks, whenever God asks.

Ultimately, that’s the only fulfillment. Learning to discern the voice of Jesus and to follow where He leads is the only pathway to joy. Any other voice that promises joy only delivers disappointment.

Jesus spoke about how He knows His own sheep and calls them by name. Each one of them. He knows the very number of hairs on our heads and cares for each one of us. He said that we in turn are learning to recognize His voice and only heed His voice above all others. We know that where He leads is better than any other way that promises fame or wealth or power.

Lord, we are Your sheep. We don’t always know where to go. We recognize that without You, we are lost and helpless as any other sheep would be without a shepherd. Teach us more and more to know and love Your voice. Teach us to follow You as You lead and never doubt that they way You lead us is the only way that leads to life everlasting. Grant us to lead others to follow as You lead us in paths of righteousness for Your name’s sake. Amen.

Rock-firm and Faithful

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“You’re all I want in heaven!
You’re all I want on earth!
When my skin sags and my bones get brittle,
God is rock-firm and faithful.
Look! Those who left you are falling apart!
Deserters, they’ll never be heard from again.
But I’m in the very presence of God—
oh, how refreshing it is!
I’ve made Lord God my home.
God, I’m telling the world what you do!” (Psalm 73:25-28, The Message)

Even to old age, God is faithful. When every last vestige of youth is gone, God remains the same. When everything in this world that we thought would sustain us is taken away, God is true to His word and true to us. Ultimately, when we leave this world we can take nothing with us but the faith that sustains us and the people we were faithful to share the gospel with.

I love the part in the gospel where Jesus has lost the majority of His followers after He told them some hard truths. He then turns to His disciples and asks if they’re leaving as well. Peter says, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life” (John 6:68, NLT).

Where else is there to go? Any other religion is bankrupt and false. Any other belief system leads nowhere and does nothing. The only way which guarantees us real and eternal life is the way of Jesus and the way to Jesus and the way through Jesus to the Father. He said that He’s the only way, the only truth, and the only life not because He was being exclusive but because He was being truthful. There is no other way.

So Lord, at the end of the day, You’re all I want in heaven and on earth. Long past when I’m gone from this world, You will still be faithful and true. You will still have the words of eternal life. May everyone who trusts in Your name always be faithful to love Your name and share Your name with all the world from now until You return. Amen.