OCTOBER 7, 2026

  "Success: relentless pursuit to get better in spite of the result"

ISAIAH 37-38

15What can I say? He has spoken to me, and He Himself has done this. I will walk slowly all my years because of the anguish of my soul. 16O Lord, by such things men live, and in all of them my spirit finds life. You have restored me to health
and have let me live. 17Surely for my own welfare I had such great anguish;
but Your love has delivered me from the pit of oblivion, for You have cast all my sins behind Your back. 18For Sheol cannot thank You; Death cannot praise You. Those who descend to the Pit cannot hope for Your faithfulness. 19The living, only the living, can thank You as I do today; fathers will tell their children about Your faithfulness. 20The LORD will save me; we will play songs on stringed instruments all the days of our lives in the house of the LORD. (38:20)

PHILIPPIANS 3

 7But whatever was gain to me I count as loss for the sake of Christ. 8More than that, I count all things as loss compared to the surpassing excellence of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ,a the righteousness from God on the basis of faith. 10I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to Him in His death, 11and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly calling in Christ Jesus.

JOURNAL 

There are so many things in my life that I can only explain as grace. Times when I was given something I did not earn, protected from consequences that could have been much worse, forgiven when I did not deserve forgiveness, or simply given another opportunity. The older I get, the more aware I become of this. When I honestly look back at my life, I cannot just count the disappointments. I also have to count the countless times things went better than I deserved. The mistakes that did not define me. The failures that did not finish me. The people who forgave me. The opportunities I was given again. The doors that opened. The protection I never even knew I needed. Isaiah looks back on his anguish and realizes that even within it, God was giving him life. “Surely for my own welfare I had such great anguish; but Your love has delivered me.” I can look backward and recognize the same thing. Even the difficult parts of my life have somehow been surrounded by grace.

That changes the way I see disappointment. If I believe I deserve a particular outcome, disappointment feels like something has been taken from me. But when I understand how much of my life has already been grace, disappointment becomes much easier to carry. I can be disappointed without becoming bitter. I can lose without believing life has treated me unfairly. I can fail and still be grateful. Paul seems to understand this when he writes Philippians from prison. He had lost almost everything the world would use to measure success, yet he continued to press forward. His goal was no longer controlling the circumstances of his life. His goal was knowing Christ. “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on.” That gives new meaning to success for me: Success is the relentless pursuit to get better in spite of the result.

Results matter, but they are not mine to control. I can pursue God. I can work. I can love. I can prepare. I can serve. I can become more disciplined. I can learn from failure and continue moving forward. But I cannot demand that any of those things produce the outcome I want. The result belongs to God, and grace reminds me that I have already received far more than I could ever demand from Him. That makes life lighter. I do not have to measure the value of today by whether it went my way. I can be disappointed and grateful at the same time. I can want something deeply and still surrender it. I can relentlessly pursue becoming better without needing the result to prove that the pursuit was worthwhile.

The treasure was never the achievement. It was Christ Himself. Knowing Him, becoming more in tune with Him, and allowing His love to move through my life toward other people.  So I press on, not trying to earn God's favor, but because I have already received it. Not trying to control the outcome, but trying to faithfully use what He has given me today. Get better. Love better. Serve better. Know God better. Then leave the results to Him.

1Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

1 JOHN 4:1

OCTOBER 6, 2026

  “Individual commitment to a group effort--that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.” 

― Vince Lombardi

ISAIAH 34-36

8And a highway will be there;

it will be called the Way of Holiness;

it will be for those who walk on that Way.

The unclean will not journey on it;

wicked fools will not go about on it.

9No lion will be there,

nor any ravenous beast;

they will not be found there.

But only the redeemed will walk there,

10and those the Lord has rescued will return.

They will enter Zion with singing;

everlasting joy will crown their heads.

Gladness and joy will overtake them,

and sorrow and sighing will flee away. (35:8-10)

PHILIPPIANS 2

1Therefore if you have any encouragement in Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, 2then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being united in spirit and purpose.

3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves. 4Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

JOURNAL 

I really wish I could fully capture the mindset of this verse from Paul every moment of every day. Paul's mindset is completely fused in following Christ. That mindset is one of service. This verse states that our greatest calling and greatest achievement is in service, love and sacrifice to each other. Yes it is ultimately to God, but that extends and plays out to each other.

In the grand scheme of life and the vastness of the universe, we are a minuscule speck individually. Thankfully God does not require me to stand alone, God actually requires me to engage and be part of his kingdom.That means that my greatest joy will be experienced as part of a team. My greatest accomplishment will be what I do in sacrifice and love for another. My commitment and love for others is what makes my life more than a speck, more than an insignificant vapor in time.

16Rejoice always, 17pray continually, 18give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 THESSALONIANS 5:16-18

OCTOBER 5, 2026

 “The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough.” 

― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

ISAIAH 31-33

1Behold, a king will reign in righteousness,

and princes will rule with justice.

2Each will be like a shelter from the wind,

a refuge from the storm,

like streams of water in a dry land,

like the shadow of a great rock in an arid land.

3Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed,

and the ears of those who hear will listen.

4The mind of the rash will know and understand,

and the stammering tongue will speak clearly and fluently. (32:1-4)

PHILIPPIANS 1

3I thank my God every time I remember you. 4In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

JOURNAL 

To live is to do. Love is active, it ultimately involves action. Living life well ultimately is dependent on knowing God and following him, wherever he leads. That is a process, God understands that because he created me. He understands I have flaws and hangups and many times just screw life up. Yet just like with my own children or my students or players. I'm more interested in the journey and the ultimate destination than I am the outcome of today.  Yet today is part of the journey, it matters, but only in the context of the bigger picture.

Many times that is hard to balance...well it really is impossible to perfectly balance. That's why God is a God of grace. Yet a God that still pulls us to life and closer to him and in so doing we grow closer to understanding him, ourselves and the bigger purpose of today. That bigger perspective gives me the confidence to live today without fret or worry. It gives me the freedom to love and live fully without reservation and it gives me the hope and peace of knowing that I am part of something so much bigger than me, but of which I do play a part.

So what is success? It is relentless effort in spite of the result. It is the willingness to get embarrassed, pummelled, exposed because I am pursuing excellence and facing challenges that test me. It's the acceptance of life's hardest moments and joyfully stepping into the fire.  It's standing up after getting knocked down with the same passion and fire as when I first began. It's understanding the true meaning of love and that love demands everything I have, without excuse or reservation.  It's trusting that my God will honor my effort and sacrifice rather than trying to arrange an outcome.

 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were put to death by stoning;[e] they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. - Hebrews 11: 36-40

God asks me to give not achieve an outcome, God asks me to serve not to secure a future, God asks me to love rather than seeking to receive it. This is why to "pound the rock" is such an important visual. Because most days, giving our very best seems wasted, useless and without any benefit to anyone. Yet scripture tells us that it's never wasted, scripture tells us that when we give without "reward" then we are among the heroes of the faith. God cares nothing for what we possess or what we achieve, but rather in how we give, love and trust him. 

 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

OCTOBER 4, 2026

 “When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it--always.”

― Mahatma Gandhi

ISAIAH 29-30

 13The Lord says:

“These people come near to me with their mouth

and honor me with their lips,

but their hearts are far from me.

Their worship of me

is based on merely human rules they have been taught. (29:13)

EPHESIANS 6

10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

JOURNAL 

Yesterday I found myself thinking about history and how every person I read about was once simply living a day just like I am today. They didn't know it as history. It was simply the present moment in front of them. And here I am doing the same thing. This moment will someday be history, but God isn't asking me to worry about what history will say about it. He is asking me to live it.

That brings me to the Parable of the Talents. Everything I have today has been entrusted to me by God. My life, abilities, relationships, opportunities, and energy are gifts of grace. The question isn't how much I have been given or how it compares to anyone else. The question is what I will do with what God has placed in my hands.

There is freedom in that. I don't have to manufacture the future or control the outcome. God has given me today. My responsibility is to receive what He gives, invest it, and trust Him with what comes from it. What God pours into me isn't meant to stop with me. Love can produce love. Encouragement can produce encouragement. Energy given away can create energy in someone else. 

For that to happen, I have to stay in tune with God. Isaiah warns about honoring God with our lips while our hearts remain far from Him. Fear, ego, worry, resentment, and self-absorption pull me out of tune. So I return to Him each day to confess, surrender, listen, and allow Him to tune my heart again.

Paul says, "Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power." Not my power. His. I don't need tomorrow's strength today. I need what God provides for this day, and then I need to use it.

The servant in the Parable of the Talents allowed fear to cause him to bury what he had been given. I don't want to bury today by worrying about tomorrow or living in yesterday. I want to take what God has placed in my hands and put it into circulation.

The more in tune I become with God, the more freely His power, love, and discipline can flow through me. I don't have to force it or determine where it leads. I simply need to remain connected to the Source, use what I have been given, and trust Him with the result.

Today itself is a talent God has placed in my hands. Receive it. Invest it. Give it away. Trust God with what it becomes.

 4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 

EPHESIANS 2:4-

OCTOBER 3, 2026

  “There is not one blade of grass, there is no color in this world that is not intended to make us rejoice.” 

― John Calvin

ISAIAH 27-28

 “Sing about a fruitful vineyard:

3I, the Lord, watch over it;

I water it continually.

I guard it day and night

so that no one may harm it.(27:2-3)

EPHESIANS 5

Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

JOURNAL 

God never intends for us to live in some type of depressed, lifeless, bitter obedience. His intent is that obedience will give us life like no other. The life he intends is to give us a joy that becomes intoxicating and such that it moves others. It is a passionate spirit that surpasses all heartache and trivialities of this world. This is great news!

I will confess that so often there is this dark spirit that poisons my mind and heart into believing that all God wants from me is a heartless, soulless obedience. That simply is a lie. Compassion, love, joy and passion are the most contagious, most wonderful things in this life. This is the life God calls me to...so that no matter the circumstances or hardships...I will possess a spirit that cannot be defeated. What an amazing gift and it is available every moment of every breath I breathe.

What does that look like? I believe it's celebrations that border on hysterical, I also believe it is the comfort of sitting with someone through heartache and devastation. I believe it is hard, honest conversations where bitterness, anger and hurt are resolved. I believe it is the joy of receiving forgiveness and redemption. I also believe it is the joy and work of working together with others to solve a problem. It is warm smiles, sincere tears, hearty laughs and passionate kisses. It is refusing to allow a moment to pass with out soaking up everything it has to offer.

The miracle of our lives too often passes without recognition and celebration. There truly is so much joy to have that our greatest enemy often becomes our complacency in taking it all for granted.  God help me to see that each moment is a miracle...each moment is a gift from you to be shared and celebrated.

 4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 

EPHESIANS 2:4-5