MARCH 16, 2026

  “I'd made it this far and refused to give up because all my life I had always finished the race.” 

― Louis Zamperini, Devil at My Heels

DEUTERONOMY 27-28

9The Lord will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in obedience to him(28:9)

MARK 15:33-46

33At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 34And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).^b

35When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.”

36Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said.

37With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.

38The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died,^c he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”

JOURNAL 

A life lived in its fullness from birth to death is a beautiful thing. Why was it that the centurion, seeing how Jesus died, said, “Surely this man was the Son of God”? I think it is because integrity, obedience, and passion in the midst of adversity reveal something divine. There is something unmistakable about a life that holds to its purpose even while suffering.

Jesus persisted, obeyed, and did not waver all the way to the end. Even in the moment when he cried out that God had forsaken him, he did not turn to bitterness or vengeance. He did not abandon the path. He accepted the mission he had been given and finished it.

Everyone has a cross to bear. Everyone will encounter adversity. The question is how we handle it and how we persist. When we submit ourselves to follow God all the way to the end, our lives become instruments in his hands. They become part of how his Kingdom is revealed on earth. Christ not only secured redemption for us. He also showed us what a life fully lived in obedience to God looks like.

This is also a lesson in the ordinary daily grind of life. The truth is that the small, moment by moment victories prepare us for the larger ones that will eventually come. Some of the moments that seem small now will turn out to be far more important than we realize. Every moment of our lives matters. Every moment presents a challenge and an opportunity to choose obedience.

The way we respond in those moments creates patterns that shape the rest of our lives. When I continually fail in one area of my life, it inevitably affects the others. Because of that, it is vital that I bring Christ and obedience to God into every corner of my life.

This is what it means to have faith and devotion. It means surrendering my life to God completely. Faith is not something reserved only for the dramatic or important moments. It is a daily, moment by moment commitment that lasts for the rest of my life.

28Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” 29A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. 30When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

JOHN 19:28-30

MARCH 15, 2026

  "You’re cheating yourself out of today. Today is calling to you, trying to get your attention, but you’re stuck on tomorrow, and today trickles away like water down a drain. You wake up the next morning and that today you wasted is gone forever. It’s now yesterday. Some of those moments may have had wonderful things in store for you , but now you’ll never know.” 

― Jerry Spinelli

DEUTERONOMY 25-26

17You have declared this day that the Lord is your God and that you will walk in obedience to him, that you will keep his decrees, commands and laws—that you will listen to him. 18And the Lord has declared this day that you are his people, his treasured possession as he promised, and that you are to keep all his commands..(26:17-18)

MARK 15:1-32

25It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. 26The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS.

27They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. [28]^a 29Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30come down from the cross and save yourself!” 31In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! 32Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

JOURNAL 

So much of Scripture seems to push us toward the same realization. Pay attention to today. Do not waste it. Live it intentionally before God.

In Deuteronomy the phrase “this day” appears again and again. God tells the Israelites that this day they have declared that the Lord is their God, and this day the Lord declares that they are His people, His treasured possession. There is something powerful about the focus on the present moment. Faith is not just a belief about the past or a hope for the future. It is something lived today through obedience, attention, and presence.

The crucifixion scene in Mark makes this even more striking. For us it is the most important moment in human history. For many of the people there, it was just another execution. Crucifixions were common. Criminals were executed all the time. People walked by, glanced up, mocked, and kept moving. Some probably had errands to run, conversations to finish, or meals waiting at home. They passed by the Son of God dying for the sins of the world and treated it like background noise.

History was turning in that moment, yet most people present did not recognize it.

That makes me wonder how many things I pass by in my own day that I assume are ordinary or unimportant. How many conversations, opportunities, or moments of influence do I overlook because my mind is somewhere else. How often am I distracted by tomorrow while the gift of today quietly slips away.

Today is the only day that can actually be lived. Yesterday is finished. Tomorrow is not guaranteed. Today is where obedience happens. Today is where love happens. Today is where influence happens.

God has given me this day with the ability to think, teach, influence, lead, and love. Somewhere in the next twenty four hours there will be moments that matter more than I realize. I do not want to walk past them the way people once walked past the cross.

Be present. Be grateful. Be attentive to God. Make this day count. 

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God."

ROMANS 12:2

MARCH 14, 2026

   “‎All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on.” 

― H. Havelock Ellis

DEUTERONOMY 23-25

16Parents are not to be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin.(24:16)

MARK 14:51-72

60Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” 61But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer.

Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”

62“I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

63The high priest tore his clothes. “Why do we need any more witnesses?” he asked. 64“You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?”

They all condemned him as worthy of death. 65Then some began to spit at him; they blindfolded him, struck him with their fists, and said, “Prophesy!” And the guards took him and beat him.

JOURNAL 

Last night I stayed up too late watching clip after clip from the war with Iran. Missiles, headlines, commentators speculating about what might happen next. Before long I realized I had been pulled into projection and worry. My mind was running scenarios and imagining outcomes about things that are completely outside my control.

This morning I was reminded of something simple. That is not my focus today. Letting events that I cannot control shape my heart, my mood, and my actions today would be foolish. “All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on.” There are things I must release to God and there are things I must hold tightly. Faith. Presence. The responsibilities right in front of me.

Reading the account of Jesus before the high priest in Mark is almost unbearable. The Messiah, perfect and blameless, is accused of blasphemy, mocked, spit upon, and struck. As a parent I cannot imagine watching something like that happen to my own child. If I were in God’s place I know what I would want to do. Lightning bolts would have ended the scene immediately.

But God did not intervene.

That silence reveals something powerful about love and trust. Sometimes love does not look like stepping in and stopping the pain. Sometimes love means allowing a path to unfold that is larger than our instinct to protect.

As a parent there are times when I must intervene and shield my children. But there are also times when my protection can become a problem. There are moments when stepping in too quickly prevents them from experiencing the place where God wants to meet them.

I hate that part of parenting. Everything in me wants to fix things, to rescue them, to smooth the road ahead. Yet I know that if I become the constant protector and solver, I risk creating dependence on me instead of dependence on God. And that is not the goal.

What I want most for my adult children is not an easy life and not even constant success. What I want most is for them to know God deeply. I want them to trust Him when things do not make sense. I want them to recognize and trust the Spirit God has already placed within them. If they learn that, if they learn to trust God with all their heart and listen to His Spirit within them, they will have something far stronger than anything I could manufacture for them.

So today I hold on to what matters. Faith. Trust. Presence with my family. The work God has placed in front of me. And I let go of the rest.

5Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

6in all your ways submit to him,

and he will make your paths straight.^a

- Proverbs 3:5-6

MARCH 13, 2026

  “The best way out is always through.” 

― Robert Frost

DEUTERONOMY 20-22

1When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you. 2When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army. 3He shall say: “Hear, Israel: Today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not panic or be terrified by them. 4For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.”(20:1-4)

MARK 14:26-50

27“You will all fall away,” Jesus told them, “for it is written:

“ ‘I will strike the shepherd,

and the sheep will be scattered.’^d

28But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”

29Peter declared, “Even if all fall away, I will not.”

30“Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “today—yes, tonight—before the rooster crows twice^e you yourself will disown me three times.”

31But Peter insisted emphatically, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the others said the same.

JOURNAL 

Peter refused to believe that there could ever be a situation where he would deny Christ...yet in a few short verses later...he runs away and then denies him 3 times.  Peter completely blows it. Yet Christ knew that this was coming, he knew the daunting circumstances that all of them would encounter over the next few days. I think this was part of Jesus' angst. Yet instead of running, instead of finding a way out...Jesus faced it head on. Peter on the other hand idealized the end result of following Jesus...yet when it came down to it...his declarations were futile...he didn't have the courage to follow through with his promises.

Adversity is waiting...every morning that we are gifted with another day we are also gifted with inevitable adversity. In one way or another we are going to face struggle...whether that be with a situation, another human, an illness, and if nothing else...ourselves. Struggle and adversity are as much a part of life as the sun rising and setting. 

Yet I will confess, there is always this hope that maybe today I won't encounter it...maybe today it won't exist, maybe today I'll just cruise through unscathed. Yet what I learn from scripture and have unwillingly learned in my life is that wishing for the absence of adversity is futile. For adversity is a key component in defining life itself. That defining is also what creates the playing field of everything that makes life purposeful and meaningful. 

When I really think about it...gravity is adversity, hunger is adversity, thirst is adversity, the weather, the elements, bills, job, school, relationships, family...all of it contains an element of problems and adversity. 

So I guess really there are two choices...face it or run from it. To face it and embrace it is to ultimately solve it. To run from it and avoid it is to be defeated by it.  Jesus faced the adversity all the way through death and in doing so defeated it. In doing so he provided redemption to Peter and the keys to life for all of us. 

 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 6:9

MARCH 12, 2026

 “The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.” 

― G.K. Chesterton

DEUTERONOMY 17-19

16The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.” 17He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.

18When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests. 19It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees 20and not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.(17:16-20)

MARK 14:1-25

1Now the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. 2“But not during the festival,” they said, “or the people may riot.”

3While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.

4Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? 5It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages^a and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly.

6“Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7The poor you will always have with you,^b and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. 8She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. 9Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

10Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. 11They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. So he watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

JOURNAL 

So Kings were not to think of themselves above their subjects.  "...revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees 20and not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites..." Specifically this language in the old testament lays out the heart that God wants us to have in roles of leadership. Leadership is not a gift to indulge but rather a position to serve. 

This story from Mark has always moved me. I think it's because it shows how Jesus looks to the heart and overlooks the practical in favor of it. Jesus doesn't see the waste, he sees the devotion, he doesn't see buildings and titles he sees spiritual eternity. I think that it is easy to really get caught up in religiosity. I think it's easy to get into a certain mindset that's all about looking the part rather than actually living it. But when I really read the Bible and dissect the characters and the heart of Jesus, I see that following him is not a conservative mindset. 

It is actually filled with people going against the grain, doing the unconventional and rocking the boat. I think this is exactly why Jesus commends the prostitute for her action. It is a passionate display of devotion from her heart. This is the mindset of the kingdom...bold, unconventional, passionate and all heart. 

34Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

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

MATTHEW 22:34-40