JULY 16, 2026

     “Work as if everything depended on you. Pray as if everything depended on God.” 

― Ignatius of Loyola

PSALM 19-21

7The law of the Lord is perfect,

refreshing the soul.

The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,

making wise the simple.

8The precepts of the Lord are right,

giving joy to the heart.

The commands of the Lord are radiant,

giving light to the eyes.

9The fear of the Lord is pure,

enduring forever.

The decrees of the Lord are firm,

and all of them are righteous.(19:7-9)

ACTS 19:21-41

23About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way. 24A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in a lot of business for the craftsmen there. 25He called them together, along with the workers in related trades, and said: “You know, my friends, that we receive a good income from this business. 26And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all. 27There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited; and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty.”

JOURNAL 

The more I reflect on obedience, the more I realize how often I viewed it as the pathway to the life I wanted. I believed that if I faithfully followed God, He would help me achieve my hopes and dreams. While that sounds spiritual, it subtly made my dreams the destination and God the means of getting there. Yet God is not a tool to accomplish my plans. He is the destination Himself. Even good dreams can become idols when they begin shaping my decisions more than God's voice. When that happens, I start measuring obedience by outcomes, questioning my faithfulness whenever life doesn't unfold as I expected, and becoming tempted to compromise because the goal has become more important than the One who called me.

The story of Demetrius in Acts reminds me that idols are rarely just statues. More often they are the futures we refuse to surrender. Demetrius wasn't protecting truth; he was protecting the life he had built. I can see the same temptation in myself whenever a desired outcome begins to dictate my choices. Paul, on the other hand, was remarkably free because his purpose was never success, comfort, influence, or recognition. His one ambition was faithfulness to Christ. Whether he was preaching to thousands or sitting in prison, his responsibility never changed. The results belonged to God.

One of my favorite scenes in City Slickers comes when Curly holds up one finger and tells Mitch the secret to life is "one thing." For Paul, that one thing was obedience to Christ. The more I think about it, the more I realize that simplicity is what gave him such incredible courage. He didn't have to constantly evaluate whether life was working out according to plan because his purpose never changed with his circumstances.

At the same time, surrendering outcomes is not the same as surrendering ambition. God never calls us to passive resignation or mediocre effort. Paul's life was marked by extraordinary discipline, relentless work, careful planning, and unwavering perseverance. The difference was not that he worked less hard, but that he worked for a different reason. I am still called to dream, to build, to teach, to coach, to lead, and to pursue excellence with everything I have. The difference is that I no longer pursue those things to secure a particular future. I pursue them because obedience deserves my very best. I work as hard as I can, develop every gift God has entrusted to me, and strive for excellence in every task, but I leave the outcome entirely in His hands.

Perhaps this is what Jesus meant when He called His disciples to take up their cross daily. Every day I surrender not only my sin but also my insistence that faithfulness must produce the future I have imagined. My responsibility is not to manufacture tomorrow. It is to be fully obedient today. I can dream without worshiping my dreams, strive without being enslaved by success, and work tirelessly without carrying the burden of controlling the results. My one thing is no longer achieving the life I envisioned. My one thing is faithfully following Christ wherever He leads, trusting that His plans are always greater than my own.

23Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. 

LUKE 9:23-24

JULY 15, 2026

  “The deeper we grow in the Spirit of Jesus Christ, the poorer we become - the more we realize that everything in life is a gift. The tenor of our lives becomes one of humble and joyful thanksgiving. Awareness of our poverty and ineptitude causes us to rejoice in the gift of being called out of darkness into wondrous light and translated into the kingdom of God's beloved Son.”

― Brennan Manning,

PSALM 17-18

1I love you, Lord, my strength.

2The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;

my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,

my shield^b and the horn^c of my salvation, my stronghold.(18:1-2)

ACTS 19:1-20

8Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. 9But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 10This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.

JOURNAL 

Brennan Manning writes that the deeper we grow in the Spirit of Christ, the poorer we become, because we begin to realize that everything is a gift. That is not the poverty of loss, but the freedom that comes from no longer believing we own or control our lives. Gratitude replaces entitlement because we finally understand that every breath, every relationship, every opportunity, and every moment of joy has been given to us by God.

David understood this when he declared, "The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer." A fortress is only necessary when there is danger. A refuge is only sought when life becomes uncertain. David's confidence was not rooted in favorable circumstances or guaranteed outcomes. It was rooted in the character of God. He trusted the One who held tomorrow rather than demanding certainty about tomorrow itself.

I continue to realize that one of the greatest idols in my own life is not comfort, money, or success. It is outcomes. I want things to work. I want the plan to succeed. I want the relationship restored. I want the team to win. I want the business opportunity to produce results. None of those desires are wrong in themselves. The danger comes when the outcome becomes more important than obedience. When that happens, I quietly replace God with the thing I hope He will give me.

That is the subtle temptation found throughout Scripture. We begin by trusting God, but somewhere along the journey we start trusting the destination more than the Guide. We convince ourselves that if the outcome is good enough, then perhaps a little compromise is justified. We become willing to manipulate, worry, control, exaggerate, fear, or even ignore God's leading because the desired result seems so important. In that moment, the outcome has become our god.

Surrender is not simply giving up possessions or sinful habits. The deeper surrender is releasing my claim on results. It is saying, "God, I will obey You whether this works out the way I hope or not." That kind of surrender is terrifying to the flesh because it admits what has always been true: I was never in control to begin with.

Ironically, that surrender is where freedom begins. When outcomes no longer define me, anxiety begins to lose its grip. I no longer have to force tomorrow into existence because tomorrow belongs to God. My responsibility is today. Today's obedience. Today's kindness. Today's integrity. Today's faithfulness. God has not asked me to carry the weight of tomorrow's results. He has simply asked me to walk with Him today.

Paul modeled this beautifully in Acts. For two years he faithfully taught in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. He did not control who believed or who rejected the message. Some became obstinate while others embraced the gospel. Paul surrendered the outcome while remaining relentlessly faithful to the calling. His peace came from obedience, not from universal acceptance.

Jesus ultimately defined this surrendered life with two commands: love God completely and love your neighbor as yourself. Love cannot be manipulated into existence through outcomes. Love is an act of daily obedience. It is choosing faithfulness over control. It is trusting that God is writing a story far greater than the one I could ever force into existence.

Perhaps this is what becoming an outpost of heaven truly means. Heaven breaks into earth wherever a person lays down the desperate need to control outcomes and instead trusts the goodness of God. Peace is no longer postponed until everything works out. Joy is no longer dependent upon success. Hope is no longer fragile because it rests on the unchanging character of God rather than changing circumstances.

The greatest miracle may not be that God changes my circumstances. The greatest miracle is that He changes my heart so that I can walk through any circumstance with peace. When I surrender outcomes, I finally become free to live today, love today, obey today, and trust that tomorrow already rests securely in the hands of my Rock, my Fortress, and my Deliverer.

34And when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they themselves gathered together. 35One of them, an expert in the law, tested Him with a question: 36“Teacher, which commandment is the greatest in the Law?”

37Jesus declared, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’e 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’f 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

MATTHEW 22:34-40

JULY 14, 2026

 “If you trust in yourself. . .and believe in your dreams. . .and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.” 

― Terry Pratchett, The Wee Free Men

PSALM 13-16

 1Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain?2The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart;3whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbor, and casts no slur on others; 4who despises a vile person but honors those who fear the Lord; who keeps an oath even when it hurts, and does not change their mind; 5who lends money to the poor without interest; who does not accept a bribe against the innocent. Whoever does these things will never be shaken.(15)

ACTS 18

1After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, 3and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. 4Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.

JOURNAL 

Dreams are a wonderful gift. They awaken hope, stir imagination, and pull us toward becoming more than we are today. There is nothing wrong with dreaming about the future. In fact, I think God often uses dreams to call us forward. But I've begun to realize that the dream itself was never meant to satisfy me. It was meant to get me moving. The real joy is found in the pursuit.

Paul dreamed of seeing people come to know Christ, yet when he arrived in Corinth, he made tents. Before he preached in the synagogue, he worked with his hands alongside Aquila and Priscilla. That detail could almost seem insignificant, but Scripture intentionally includes it. The Kingdom of God wasn't built only through Paul's sermons. It was also built through his willingness to faithfully do ordinary work.

Psalm 15 paints a similar picture. The person who dwells with God is not necessarily the one who accomplishes extraordinary things. It is the one who walks with integrity, speaks truth, keeps promises even when it hurts, and quietly does what is right day after day. God seems far more interested in who I am becoming than in what I eventually accomplish.

I've spent much of my life chasing outcomes, believing that fulfillment was waiting on the other side of some future achievement. But more and more I believe the dream is simply God's way of inviting me into today's work. The destination gives direction, but the transformation happens on the road. Maybe that's why Jesus tells me not to worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow isn't where life is found. Life is found in this conversation, this workout, this lesson, this practice, this meeting, this meal, this act of kindness. Today is where God is shaping me.

I've also realized that hard work isn't the opposite of faith. It is often one of faith's greatest expressions. Paul worked so he wouldn't burden others. He embraced the ordinary because he understood that ordinary faithfulness is sacred. There is dignity in labor. There is worship in showing up. The older I get, the more I see that the magic was never in reaching the dream. The magic was that the dream inspired me to become someone capable of pursuing it. Every early morning, every setback, every lesson learned, every relationship built, every act of discipline was quietly transforming me into a different person.

So today I don't want to idolize the dream. I want to embrace the pursuit. I want to trust God enough to believe that if the dream changes, is delayed, or never fully comes to pass, nothing has been lost. If I have learned to love, to work, to trust, and to become more like Christ along the way, then I have already received the greater gift. The dream may have gotten me started. But the pursuit is where I found God.

6In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers and sisters, to keep away from every believer who is idle and disruptive and does not live according to the teaching^a you received from us. 7For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, 8nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. 9We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate.

2 THESSALONIANS 3:6-9

JULY 13, 2026

 "If trusting God and finding joy in your work means you go 0'fer with 3 strikeouts...then you needed to go 0'fer with 3 strikeouts."

PSALM 10-12

1Help, Lord, for no one is faithful anymore;those who are loyal have vanished from the human race.2Everyone lies to their neighbor;they flatter with their lipsbut harbor deception in their hearts.(12:1-2)

ACTS 17:16-34

24“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’^b As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’^c

29“Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. 30In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”

32When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.” 33At that, Paul left the Council. 34Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.

JOURNAL 

I love the movie As Good as It Gets. Maybe it's the contrast between the brokenness of every character and the humor that somehow keeps them moving forward. Or maybe it's because it captures something that is undeniably true: life is hard. It isn't "noodle salad." It never has been.

The Bible never hides that reality. David writes about deception and faithlessness. Paul is mocked in Athens for preaching the resurrection. Jesus says the blessed are those who mourn, those who are persecuted, and those who hunger for righteousness. None of them promise an easy life. They promise something far better. They promise that God is with us in it.

As I compare my life to theirs, I realize how incredibly blessed I already am. I have a sound mind, a healthy body, people I love, meaningful work, and another sunrise that I didn't earn. Today is enough. Today is a gift. If I spend today worrying about tomorrow, I've traded away the only day God has actually given me.

Over the years I've learned something that has slowly changed the way I look at life. I used to think trusting God meant believing He would give me the outcome I wanted. Now I think trusting God means being completely at peace with whatever the outcome is because my joy isn't found in the result. My joy is found in walking with Him. That's why I've come to believe this:

"If trusting God and finding joy in your work means you go o'fer with three strikeouts...then you needed to go o'fer with three strikeouts."

That doesn't mean I stop preparing. It doesn't mean I stop caring or pursuing excellence. It means I stop allowing the scoreboard to determine whether God was faithful or whether my day had value. Paul preached faithfully. Some mocked him. Some wanted to hear more. A few believed. The outcome wasn't his responsibility. Faithfulness was.

That's true for coaching, teaching, marriage, fatherhood, business, and every ordinary moment of life. My responsibility is to love well, work hard, trust completely, and leave the results where they have always belonged, in God's hands.The world will always be difficult. It is not heaven. Our calling is to bring the Spirit of heaven into it. That is what it means to be an Outpost. We don't wait for perfect circumstances before we experience joy. We carry joy into imperfect circumstances because Christ walks with us there.

Today is as good as it gets. If God gives me tomorrow, then tomorrow will be as good as it gets too. Not because everything will go my way, but because once again I will have another opportunity to trust Him. And if trusting Him means I go o'fer with three strikeouts, then that was exactly what I needed. Because the victory was never in getting the hit. The victory was trusting God enough to take the next swing.

3“Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4Blessed are those who mourn,

for they will be comforted.

5Blessed are the meek,

for they will inherit the earth.

6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they will be filled.

7Blessed are the merciful,

for they will be shown mercy.

8Blessed are the pure in heart,

for they will see God.

9Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they will be called children of God.

10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

MATTHEW 5:4-12

JULY 12, 2026

 “What makes life difficult is that the process of confronting and solving problems is a painful one. Problems, depending upon their nature, evoke in us frustration or grief or sadness or loneliness or guilt or regret or anger or fear or anxiety or anguish or despair. These are uncomfortable feelings, often very uncomfortable, often as painful as any kind of physical pain, sometimes equaling the very worst kind of physical pain. Indeed, it is because of the pain that events or conflicts engender in us all that we call them problems. And since life poses an endless series of problems, life is always difficult and is full of pain as well as joy."

― Scott Peck, The Road Less Traveled

PSALM 7-9

9The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,

a stronghold in times of trouble.

10Those who know your name trust in you,

for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.(9:9-10)

ACTS 17:1-15

1When Paul and his companions had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah,” he said. 4Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women.

5But other Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. 

JOURNAL 

 The Road Less Traveled has some really great truths. I have forgotten how many correspond to the idea that pushing through pain and problems with integrity is the key to living a life of joy.  His premises for living a great life are 1) Delay of Gratification, 2)Acceptance of Responsibility 3)Dedication to Truth 4) Balancing.  

When I consider all of these juxtaposed to scripture...I realize that they align perfectly. The Gospel is entirely about getting us to accept life as it exists, with all its problems and difficulties and to trust God to confront and tackle the problems that rise up every single day. In doing that we live a life that seeks to solve problems rather than avoid them. 

I find that some of the worst heartaches and mistakes were not when I faced a problem head on but rather when I in one way or another tried to avoid it, or go around it, or delay dealing with it. Yet I also know that some of the greatest joys were when I walked boldly into conflict and gave my best. Even when the outcome was not as I wanted, I still felt a sense of joy and accomplishment in facing what I feared. 

 3If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. 4Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, 5for each one should carry their own load. 6Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor.

7Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

GALATIANS 6:3-9