FEBRUARY 22, 2026

   Before you were born, 

And were still too tiny for

The human eye to see,

You won the race for life

From among 250 million competitors.

And yet,

How fast you have forgotten

Your strength,

When your very existence

Is proof of your greatness.

You were born a winner,

A warrior,

One who defied the odds

By surviving the most gruesome

Battle of them all.

And now that you are a giant,

Why do you even doubt victory

Against smaller numbers,

And wider margins?

The only walls that exist,

Are those you have placed in your mind.

And whatever obstacles you conceive,

Exist only because you have forgotten

What you have already

Achieved.

― Suzy Kassem

NUMBERS 7

89When Moses entered the tent of meeting to speak with the Lord, he heard the voice speaking to him from between the two cherubim above the atonement cover on the ark of the covenant law. In this way the Lord spoke to him.(7:89)

MARK 4:21-41

30Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. 32Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”

33With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. 34He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.

JOURNAL 

Years ago in Gatlinburg, our family was walking the strip when my brother-in-law handed me a pretzel stick with a tiny red drop on the tip. It looked harmless, almost laughable. Within seconds my eyes watered and I was wandering the streets like a madman searching for relief from the fire raging in my mouth. Only after pressing a soft serve ice cream cone onto my tongue did the heat finally surrender. It was funny, but unforgettable. Something almost invisible had completely overtaken me.

That moment comes back to me when I think about viruses, DNA, and the kingdom of God. A virus is microscopic, unseen by the naked eye, yet it can reshape nations, halt economies, or change the course of a life. DNA itself is invisible, yet it holds identity, heritage, and the blueprint of who we are. The smallest structures often carry the greatest power. Creation itself runs on this principle.

When I read Scripture slowly instead of skimming, I notice Jesus constantly describing the kingdom of God through small things: seeds, yeast, lamps, soil. He is teaching that God’s work rarely announces itself with spectacle at the beginning. It begins quietly, almost unnoticed. The mustard seed looks insignificant, easy to dismiss, but once planted it becomes shelter, life, and provision for others.

God works the same way in us. He moves through small acts of obedience, brief prayers, moments of surrender, tiny decisions toward truth. What looks weak or ordinary becomes transformative once touched by His presence. The rejected, overlooked, or doubting parts of our lives are often the very places where God plants His greatest work. Like that drop of heat in Gatlinburg or the invisible code within our DNA, the power was always present even when unseen.

The same power that formed galaxies and breathed life into humanity now dwells within those who belong to Him. Faith may begin as something microscopic, almost fragile, yet once rooted it grows into courage, endurance, love, and hope strong enough to shelter others. I forget this sometimes. I forget that my identity is already written, that my life carries divine intention, and that God specializes in multiplying what seems small.

The kingdom of God does not arrive through overwhelming force but through faithful beginnings. A seed. A word. A surrender. A life transformed from the inside out.

11For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

JEREMIAH 29:11

FEBRUARY 21, 2026

  “Timidity is the silent acceptance of bondage” 

― Constance Friday

NUMBERS 5-6

22The Lord said to Moses, 23“Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:

24“ ‘ “The Lord bless you

and keep you;

25the Lord make his face shine on you

and be gracious to you;

26the Lord turn his face toward you

and give you peace.” ’

27“So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”(6:22-27)

MARK 4:1-20

13Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 14The farmer sows the word. 15Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”

JOURNAL 

Numbers 5–6 reminds me that God’s blessing is not simply protection but presence. The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace. Peace comes from knowing that God is with me in every moment, not just the victorious ones but also the ordinary days and the painful endings. I am beginning to see that peace requires learning how to release yesterday properly.

In Mark 4, Jesus teaches that the Word is like seed scattered into soil, and the outcome depends on the condition of the heart that receives it. I am realizing that my heart becomes hardened not only by failure but also by attachment. I carry regret over missed opportunities, words I wish I had said, risks I did not take, and moments when fear held me back. At the same time, I cling to the good parts of yesterday, wanting to relive success, comfort, or joy that has already passed. Both losses shape me. When I refuse to grieve either one, I become stuck between nostalgia and regret. That is where timidity grows.

When I intentionally grieve the lost opportunity and also grieve the goodness of yesterday, something shifts inside me. Grieving what I missed allows me to release shame. Grieving what was good allows me to release attachment. Instead of trying to recreate yesterday or correct it, I become centered in the present moment. I stop living cautiously, trying to protect myself from disappointment or trying to preserve what cannot be kept. Grief becomes an act of surrender that frees me to live boldly and confidently today.

Paul writes in 2 Timothy 1:7 that God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. Timidity shows up when I am afraid of repeating failure or losing something good again. It makes me hesitant, guarded, and passive. Yet I see now that much of my timidity comes from ungrieved moments. When yesterday remains unresolved, I shrink back from today. But when I bring both loss and gratitude before God and allow myself to mourn honestly, I experience freedom. I no longer need to control outcomes or protect myself from life. I can step forward with courage because my identity is not tied to success or failure but to God’s presence with me.

Self-discipline becomes less about forcing behavior and more about remaining rooted. It is choosing to receive God’s Word deeply enough that it takes hold beyond circumstances. Like good soil, I must clear away the weeds of worry, comparison, and distraction. Grief helps clear that ground. It softens my heart, keeps me humble, and reminds me that every day is both gift and responsibility.

Jesus reminds us that no one can serve two masters. I cannot serve yesterday and follow God fully today. When I release both the disappointments and the blessings of the previous day into God’s hands, I am no longer bound by them. I am free to act, to love, to risk, and to engage life without hesitation. Grieving yesterday centers me. It reminds me that today is the only place obedience exists.

God has not given me a timid spirit. He has given me power to step forward, love to remain open, and discipline to stay faithful. When I grieve honestly, I am no longer trapped by what was or what might have been. I am grounded, present, and free to live boldly and confidently in the life God has placed before me today.

24“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. 

MATTHEW 6:24

FEBRUARY 20, 2026

  “Leadership is not about titles, positions or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another.” 

― John C. Maxwell

JOSHUA 1-3

7“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”(1:7-9)

LUKE 1:57-80

76And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;

for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,

77to give his people the knowledge of salvation

through the forgiveness of their sins,

78because of the tender mercy of our God,

by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven

79to shine on those living in darkness

and in the shadow of death,

to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

80And the child grew and became strong in spirit^d ; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.

JOURNAL 

Joshua steps into leadership after the death of Moses carrying enormous responsibility. He will lead a fearful people into unknown territory filled with battles, uncertainty, and resistance. What stands out is that God does not begin by giving Joshua military strategy or political wisdom. Instead, God gives him a discipline. He commands Joshua to be strong and courageous, but then immediately explains where that strength and courage will come from. They are not personality traits or emotional states. They are the result of devotion to God’s Word. God tells Joshua not to turn from the law to the right or to the left and to keep the Book of the Law always on his lips, meditating on it day and night. Joshua’s success would not come from talent, intelligence, or natural bravery but from daily submission to Scripture.

This strikes me deeply today. Committing my life to God cannot remain simply an emotional decision or spiritual intention. True surrender requires discipline. It requires structuring my life around knowing God through His Word. To follow Christ means committing not only my heart but my habits. Scripture becomes the place where strength is formed, where courage is cultivated, and where direction is clarified. When God calls Joshua to lead, He first calls him to read, to meditate, and to obey. Leadership begins with obedience long before it is ever visible to others.

The story of John the Baptist reinforces this same principle. Before John ever preached, before he influenced a nation or prepared the way for Jesus, Scripture says he grew strong in spirit while living in the wilderness. His public impact was preceded by private formation. Strength was built in hidden faithfulness. Both Joshua and John remind me that God shapes His servants long before He uses them publicly, and the common thread is immersion in God’s truth.

One of the gifts of reading the Bible each year is realizing how often I have read these passages without fully understanding them. Today it feels unmistakably clear that courage is cultivated, not felt. When I neglect Scripture, I drift toward fear, distraction, and my own limited understanding. When I return to God’s Word, my footing becomes steady again. God promises Joshua, “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” That promise still stands, but the pathway into living confidently inside that promise is daily engagement with His Word.

Following Christ means disciplining my life around Him. Reading Scripture is not a religious obligation but the training ground for faithfulness. Day and night, through repetition and reflection, God forms the heart capable of walking in courage and peace. Strength comes through surrender, courage grows through obedience, and both are sustained by knowing and living according to God’s Word.

As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. 6Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.

JOSHUA 1:5-6

FEBRUARY 19, 2026

   “The proud person always wants to do the right thing, the great thing. But because he wants to do it in his own strength, he is fighting not with man, but with God.” 

― Søren Kierkegaard

NUMBERS 1-2

34So the Israelites did everything the Lord commanded Moses; that is the way they encamped under their standards, and that is the way they set out, each of them with their clan and family. (2:34)

MARK 3:1-21

1Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. 2Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. 3Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.”

4Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.

5He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. 6Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.

JOURNAL 

Watching the Olympics this week, I found myself overwhelmed by a simple but profound truth: some will triumph and some will fail. That is not a flaw in the system. It is the system. It is life. Every athlete arrives carrying years of sacrifice, discipline, hope, and belief. Yet in a single moment, victory or defeat is decided. A perfect routine can end with a small mistake. A lifetime of preparation can be undone by injury, timing, or circumstances beyond control. And still, none of it invalidates the athlete. Failure does not erase worth. Loss does not cancel purpose. The struggle itself is part of the goodness of life.

What struck me most is that joy is not found only on the podium. Real joy is found in learning to live faithfully in both outcomes, to stand in triumph without pride and in disappointment without despair. Life asks us to hold both grief and celebration at the same time. This is what surrender looks like.

Kierkegaard wrote, “The proud person always wants to do the right thing, the great thing. But because he wants to do it in his own strength, he is fighting not with man, but with God.” I recognize myself in that warning. I want control over outcomes. I want certainty before obedience. I want victory without vulnerability. But faith does not promise victory as I define it. Faith invites trust regardless of outcome.

In Numbers, Israel simply moved when God said move and camped when God said camp. No debate, no overanalysis, no attempt to improve upon God's plan. They trusted the order given to them day by day. Their faithfulness was not measured by achievement but by obedience.

In Mark, the Pharisees stand in stark contrast. They are so committed to being right that they cannot recognize goodness standing directly in front of them. Jesus heals a man, restores life, and yet their rigid expectations blind them so completely that they begin plotting His death. Their certainty becomes their prison. How ironic that the desire to honor God can become the very thing that prevents us from seeing Him.

I see how easily I do the same. I build expectations about how life should unfold. I assume I know what success looks like, what healing should look like, how God should work. Then when reality differs, I struggle, resist, or miss the grace present in the moment. Trusting God means releasing my demand for outcomes. It means admitting that I may be wrong about what victory or failure truly is. It means living open-handed, willing to let God redefine success, timing, and even suffering.

Jesus’ words in Matthew remind me that clarity begins with humility. Before correcting the world, I must examine my own vision. Often the obstacle is not circumstance but my own assumptions, fears, and judgments. Like the athletes I watched, I am called simply to step onto the field of today. Some days will feel like victory. Others will feel like loss. Both belong to the journey God is shaping. The goal is not to avoid failure or secure triumph. The goal is faithfulness.

To live fully in the moment given.
To trust God in both grief and glory.
To surrender outcomes while offering effort.
To recognize that God is present not only in winning, but in becoming.

Because ultimate joy is not found in the result. It is found in trusting Him with all of it.

1“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

3“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

MATTHEW 7:1-5

FEBRUARY 18, 2026

 “A man who desires to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.” 

― Charles Darwin

LEVITICUS 26-27

14“ ‘But if you will not listen to me and carry out all these commands, 15and if you reject my decrees and abhor my laws and fail to carry out all my commands and so violate my covenant, 16then I will do this to you: I will bring on you sudden terror, wasting diseases and fever that will destroy your sight and sap your strength. You will plant seed in vain, because your enemies will eat it. 17I will set my face against you so that you will be defeated by your enemies; those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee even when no one is pursuing you. (26:14-17)

MARK 2

13Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. 14As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.

15While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 16When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

17On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

JOURNAL 

Jesus came to redeem us from ourselves...he came to redeem us from a life where we reject God. Everyone needs his grace...everyone needs forgiveness. We are all poor, and in need of a savior...it doesn't matter what our bank statement says, or the titles we amass, or the records we break...we are all in desperate need of his salvation, his love, his grace. To not understand this is to be trapped in our own pride.

To truly be great means that we become humble servants, fully aware of our own failures and our weakness. It means that I am to recognize that I am a fallible human being whose life is merely a wisp...here today...gone tomorrow. While that feels a bit morbid and depressing it really is just reality. The more I embrace this...the more I cling to God and the more I realize that I need God to make sense of this life, I need God to help keep me moving forward, loving others and making the most of each and every day. 

Every day, every moment is a gift from God. No matter where it's spent or what it involves...it is a gift, that is to be cherished, celebrated and lived fully with intention and purpose. 

13Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” 16As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. 17If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.

JAMES 4:13-17