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

JULY 11, 2026

 “Sorrow prepares you for joy. It violently sweeps everything out of your house, so that new joy can find space to enter. It shakes the yellow leaves from the bough of your heart, so that fresh, green leaves can grow in their place. It pulls up the rotten roots, so that new roots hidden beneath have room to grow. Whatever sorrow shakes from your heart, far better things will take their place.” 

― Jalaluddin Rumi

PSALM 4-6

6Many, Lord, are asking, “Who will bring us prosperity?”

Let the light of your face shine on us.

7Fill my heart with joy

when their grain and new wine abound.

8In peace I will lie down and sleep,

for you alone, Lord,

make me dwell in safety.(4:6-8)

ACTS 16:16-40

22The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. 23After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

25About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.(16:22-25)

JOURNAL 

David understood that prosperity is not the source of joy because he had discovered something far greater. "Fill my heart with joy," he writes, not because his circumstances had changed, but because God's presence had become his treasure. Then Acts presents an even more astonishing picture. Paul and Silas are falsely accused, publicly humiliated, severely beaten with rods, chained in the deepest part of a prison, and yet at midnight they are praying and singing hymns to God.

Who sings after being beaten? Who worships while bleeding? Who responds to injustice with praise instead of bitterness?

I know my own heart well enough to admit that I often struggle to rejoice when life is comfortable. A delayed plan, an unmet expectation, a disappointment, or an inconvenience can quietly steal my peace. I may not always complain aloud, but my thoughts often reveal that I have measured God's goodness by my circumstances instead of His presence. I judge life against my desires, and when they do not align, discouragement quietly settles in.

Paul's life destroys that illusion. There is simply no natural explanation for his response. Positive thinking cannot produce songs in a prison. Human determination cannot manufacture joy after a beating. Psychology can explain endurance for a while, but it cannot explain worship in the middle of suffering. Something beyond human strength was alive within him. This is one of the greatest evidences for the reality of God's Spirit.

Rumi wrote that sorrow sweeps out the old so that something better can grow. He observed a beautiful truth, but Scripture reveals why that transformation happens. Suffering creates space where the Spirit of God can take deeper root. God does not waste pain. He uses it to loosen our grip on lesser things so that His love can become our deepest source of life. The joy that emerges is not denial of suffering. It is the unmistakable evidence that God Himself is present.

That is what I long for. Not a life free from hardship, but a heart so rooted in God's love that no hardship can steal its joy. A spirit so surrendered that suffering becomes another opportunity for His power to be revealed. If joy survives prison, persecution, loss, and disappointment, then its source cannot be earthly. It must come from somewhere beyond this world. It must come from the Spirit of God dwelling within His people.

That is the invitation before me today. To stop searching for joy in success, comfort, approval, or favorable circumstances, and instead to receive the love of God so completely that His Spirit becomes the wellspring of everything I do. Then courage is no longer something I create. Peace is no longer something I chase. Joy is no longer something I protect. They become the natural fruit of God's life growing within me.

Father, strengthen me through Your Spirit in my inner being. Root me so deeply in Your love that my circumstances lose their power to define my joy. Let every disappointment become an opportunity for deeper surrender, every hardship become fertile soil for Your life to grow, and every victory point back to You alone. May people look at my life and see evidence that cannot be explained by human effort, but only by Your presence. Fill me with Your Spirit until Your power, Your love, and Your joy overflow into the lives of everyone around me. Amen.

14For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15from whom every family^a in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

20Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

EPHESIANS 3:14-21

JULY 10, 2026

    “Do ordinary things extraordinarily well.” 

― Gregg Harris

Psalm 1-3

1Blessed is the man

who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,

or set foot on the path of sinners,

or sit in the seat of mockers.

2But his delight is in the Law of the LORD,

and on His law he meditates day and night.

3He is like a tree planted by streams of water,

yielding its fruit in season,

whose leaf does not wither,

and who prospers in all he does. (1:1-3)

ACTS 16:1-15

1Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer but whose father was a Greek. 2The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. 3Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. 5So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers. (16:1-5)

JOURNAL 

There is a question every person eventually has to answer. What is the Spirit of God?

To many, it sounds mystical or imaginary, something reserved for religion rather than reality. Yet I cannot honestly explain my own life without it. There have been too many moments when strength appeared after mine was exhausted, peace settled into situations that made no logical sense, courage arrived when fear should have won, and love flowed toward people I naturally wanted to avoid. Those moments did not originate with me. They came through me.

That is perhaps the best way I know to describe the Spirit of God. It is not an emotion or an idea. It is the invisible power that produces visible fruit. Just as no one has ever seen gravity itself, yet everyone has witnessed its effects, no one has ever seen love, truth, or beauty with their eyes. We only see what they produce. The Spirit of God is known the same way. It transforms ordinary people into extraordinary servants. It produces power where weakness should prevail, love where hatred would be expected, and discipline where chaos once ruled.

Psalm 1 describes the person who meditates on God's Word day and night as a tree planted beside living water. The tree is not straining to manufacture life. It simply remains connected to its source. The fruit is the evidence that something unseen is nourishing it beneath the surface. The Spirit works the same way. We are not called to manufacture goodness. We are called to remain connected to God, and His life begins to flow through ours.

That is exactly what I see in Paul as he meets Timothy. Paul was not merely passing along information. He was passing along an echo of heaven. Every word of encouragement, every challenge, every act of courage carried something beyond human wisdom. The Bible itself has become that for me. Its words continue to awaken something inside me that I could never have produced on my own.

Years ago, while journaling, these words came to me: "The challenge of each day is first to surrender to greatness, which is the Spirit and essence of God. Then seek, identify, and grow the echoes of heaven."

I understand those words even more today.

Every day I encounter reminders that this world is not heaven. Pain, disappointment, conflict, death, and brokenness surround us. Yet scattered throughout that same world are undeniable echoes of another Kingdom. A breathtaking sunrise. A teacher who believes in a struggling student. A stranger's unexpected kindness. The brilliance of discovery and invention. A family restored. A forgiven enemy. They are all outposts of heaven breaking into earth. They remind me that another reality exists, even if it is not yet fully seen.

Perhaps that is the greatest argument for the Spirit of God. Humanity has always longed for something higher than survival. We hunger for justice, beauty, sacrificial love, forgiveness, purpose, and eternity. Those desires point beyond themselves. They are echoes calling us home. When I surrender to God's Spirit, I do not become less human. I become more fully what I was created to be.

Paul's words to Timothy continue to define that Spirit better than any philosophy ever could: "The Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline." If what I call "spirit" produces fear, pride, manipulation, or selfish ambition, it is not God's Spirit. But if it consistently produces courage, sacrificial love, humility, peace, discipline, and hope, then its source is something far greater than myself.

Today my calling is wonderfully simple. Stay rooted beside the living water. Surrender before striving. Receive before giving. Then become another echo of heaven in the ordinary moments of this day, trusting that God's unseen Spirit will accomplish what my visible strength never could.

6For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. 8So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. 9He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.

2 TIMOTHY 1:6-9