JULY 31, 2025

  “Be true to yourself.

Make each day your masterpiece.
Help others.
Drink deeply from good books.
Make friendship a fine art.
Build a shelter against a rainy day.
Pray for guidance and give thanks for your blessings every day.” 
― John Wooden

PSALM 62-64

1Truly my soul finds rest in God;

my salvation comes from him.

2Truly he is my rock and my salvation;

he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.(62:1-2)

ROMANS 1

 20For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

JOURNAL 

The breath in my lungs today is a gift. Life itself is a sacred invitation to participate in the beauty and power of God’s creation. As John Wooden said, “Make each day your masterpiece.” That simple line holds so much depth. It is not about perfection, but about presence. About showing up with intentionality, humility, and gratitude.

When I embrace the day as a masterpiece in the making, I am not striving for achievement. I am responding to grace. God did not have to give me today. But He did. My response to that gift is obedience. Not out of obligation, but out of deep appreciation. I honor Him by living fully, loving deeply, and seeing each moment, no matter how ordinary, as holy ground.

Psalm 62 reminds me where my rest and security come from. “Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.” That kind of peace comes when I surrender my grip and trust the One who made me.

Romans 1:20 reveals that God's eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen through creation. To ignore that is to close my eyes to wonder. It is to pretend I am the center of the story when I am merely a part of His greater masterpiece.

To miss His presence in the rhythms of nature, the kindness of others, or the inner stirrings of conscience is to live blind to glory. But when I slow down and pay attention, when I obey the nudge to pray, to help, to forgive, to create, to listen, I step into alignment with why I am here.

Obedience becomes worship. It is the art of making each act, each word, each thought an offering. Not because I must, but because I can. Because I am grateful. Because I recognize the truth of Jeremiah 29:11-14. He has plans for me. Plans for hope and a future. And He promises that when I seek Him with all my heart, I will find Him.

I do not have to fix everything or carry the weight of the world. I just have to bring my best to the day I have been given. That is what it means to make each day my masterpiece. It is not about spotlight or applause. It is about faithfulness in the quiet, the small, the unseen.

Today is an honor. A gift. My gratitude is shown not just in words, but in how I live it.

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. 12Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14I will be found by you,” declares the Lord

JEREMIAH 29:11-14

JULY 30, 2025

  “Things work out best for those who make the best of the way things work out.” 

― John Wooden

PSALM 59-61

16But I will sing of your strength,

in the morning I will sing of your love;

for you are my fortress,

my refuge in times of trouble.(59:16)

ACTS 28:16-31

23They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. He witnessed to them from morning till evening, explaining about the kingdom of God, and from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets he tried to persuade them about Jesus. 24Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe. 25They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: “The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your ancestors when he said through Isaiah the prophet:

26“ ‘Go to this people and say,

“You will be ever hearing but never understanding;

you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.”

27For this people’s heart has become calloused;

they hardly hear with their ears,

and they have closed their eyes.

Otherwise they might see with their eyes,

hear with their ears,

understand with their hearts

and turn, and I would heal them.’^a

28“Therefore I want you to know that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!” [29]^b

30For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. 31He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!

JOURNAL 

Coach Wooden’s wisdom echoes the heart of the Gospel. He wasn’t just speaking about basketball or life strategy...he was capturing a spiritual truth that runs through the life of Paul and through the pages of Scripture. The circumstances we face do not define us. How we respond in those circumstances reveals who we truly are and who we trust.

In Acts 28, we find Paul in yet another unexpected place. He is still under Roman guard, still technically a prisoner, yet he is hosting people in his rented home and teaching the message of Jesus boldly and without hindrance. He is not pining for the synagogue or longing for the open road of his missionary journeys. He is not waiting for the conditions to change. He is simply making the best of the way things worked out.

And what happens? People come. Lives are changed. The message spreads.

This is not resignation. This is resolve. Paul is not a man who gives up when things don’t go his way. He is a man who knows that God’s way is always better, even if it comes through shipwrecks, prisons, and uncertainty. He is a living embodiment of Psalm 59: “I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love, for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.”

Paul’s resilience reminds me that faith is not the absence of struggle. Faith is what fills the space between what I hoped would happen and what actually is. When I make the best of where I am, when I trust that God’s presence is not tied to perfect conditions; I begin to see that He has been working all along.

Jeremiah 29 tells us that God’s plans are to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us hope and a future. That promise is not tied to geography or comfort or recognition. It is tied to the presence of God and our willingness to seek Him with all our hearts. Paul sought Him, and God met him, in chains, in storms, and even in a rented home under Roman rule.

We often expect God's plans to be direct routes to peace, success, or resolution. But the real journey of faith winds through detours and delays, setbacks and surprises. The miracle is not that things always go smoothly. The miracle is that God uses every part of the journey to form us, to refine us, and to make us echoes of His love in a broken world.

Today the challenge is to live like Paul. To live and proclaim God's goodness, not just when life makes sense, but also, especially when it doesn't. 

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. 12Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14I will be found by you,” declares the Lord

JEREMIAH 29:11-14

JULY 29, 2025

  “Who you are tomorrow begins with what you do today.” 

― Tim Fargo

PSALM 56-58

 10In God, whose word I praise,

in the Lord, whose word I praise—

11in God I trust and am not afraid.

What can man do to me?

12I am under vows to you, my God;

I will present my thank offerings to you.

13For you have delivered me from death

and my feet from stumbling,

that I may walk before God in the light of life.(56:10-13)

ACTS 28:1-15

1Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta. 2The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold. 3Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. 4When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live.” 5But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. 6The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead; but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.

7There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us to his home and showed us generous hospitality for three days. 8His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him. 9When this had happened, the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured. 10They honored us in many ways; and when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies we needed.

JOURNAL 

Paul’s life in Acts 28 is a masterclass in spiritual presence. He has survived a shipwreck, washed up on an unfamiliar shore, and is still bound as a prisoner. By every worldly measure, he should be weary, anxious, and self-focused. Instead, he is gathering firewood, shaking off a venomous snake, healing the sick, and ministering to an entire island. He is not caught up in what he has lost or what may come next. He is living. Fully. Obediently. Boldly.

He is building an outpost of Heaven in Malta.

What strikes me most is how Paul refuses to let fear, bitterness, or uncertainty rob him of his purpose. He is not waiting on circumstances to improve before acting in faith. He doesn’t say “once I’m free” or “once this storm passes.” He walks in the power and love of God right where he is.

This dismantles so much of my own conditional thinking. I often tell myself that once things calm down, once I’m more stable or more equipped, then I’ll be obedient. Then I’ll give. Then I’ll lead. Then I’ll be bold. But Paul reminds me that the Kingdom of God is always now. I don't need a stage or a spotlight or perfect conditions. I need only the willingness to act in faith with what I have, where I am.

Psalm 56 says, “In God I trust and am not afraid. What can man do to me? I am under vows to you, my God; I will present my thank offerings to you. For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.”

There it is...the calling. Not to wait. Not to calculate. Not to self-protect. But to walk before God in the light of life. Today.

Paul did not know what tomorrow would hold, but he was fully committed to honoring God in the moment at hand. That kind of devotion is not accidental. It is cultivated. It is trained into the heart over time, just as we see in Deuteronomy 6: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength… Impress these commandments on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”

This is how we build an outpost of Heaven...by weaving truth into every ordinary moment until it becomes extraordinary.

God does not need my perfection. He asks for my surrender.

Today is a good day to begin.

4Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.^a 5Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

DEUTERONOMY 6:4-9

JULY 28, 2025

  “‎Today is a new day. It's a day you have never seen before and will never see again. Stop telling yourself the 'same crap, different day' lie! How many days has that lie stolen from you? Seize the wonder and uniqueness of today! Recognize that throughout this beautiful day, you have an incredible amount of opportunities to move your life into the direction you want it to go.” 

― Steve Maraboli

PSALM 53-55

1Save me, O God, by your name;

vindicate me by your might.

2Hear my prayer, O God;

listen to the words of my mouth.

3Arrogant foes are attacking me;

ruthless people are trying to kill me—

people without regard for God.^c

4Surely God is my help;

the Lord is the one who sustains me.(54:1-4)

ACTS 27:26-44

33Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat. “For the last fourteen days,” he said, “you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food—you haven’t eaten anything. 34Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head.” 35After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat. 36They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves. 37Altogether there were 276 of us on board. 38When they had eaten as much as they wanted, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea.

39When daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they saw a bay with a sandy beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they could. 40Cutting loose the anchors, they left them in the sea and at the same time untied the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and made for the beach. 41But the ship struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow stuck fast and would not move, and the stern was broken to pieces by the pounding of the surf.

42The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping. 43But the centurion wanted to spare Paul’s life and kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. 44The rest were to get there on planks or on other pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached land safely.

JOURNAL 

Today is a new day. A gift I did not earn. A moment I will never get back. And I feel convicted. How many of these days have I let slip through my fingers, waiting for life to look the way I thought it should? How many mornings have I greeted with that tired lie, "same crap, different day," instead of waking with gratitude for breath and grace?

Reading Acts 27, I am struck by Paul. He is in chains, caught in a violent storm, surrounded by fear and chaos. Yet somehow, he is the steady one. He urges others to eat, gives thanks in front of them all, and leads with peace. In the middle of shipwreck, he is fully present. He does not beg for rescue. He simply trusts God and offers what he has. His faith does not make the storm disappear. It makes him stand firm within it.

What God asks of us is not perfection or worldly success. He asks for surrender. A willing heart. A mustard seed of faith. I think of the widow with her two coins, the boy with his small basket of loaves and fish, and the prodigal son who came home with nothing but regret. Their offerings were small in the eyes of the world, but God honored them and multiplied them. What mattered was not the size, but the surrender.

By contrast, the servant who hid his coin was condemned. Not for losing it, but for burying it out of fear. He refused to try. That is the trap I often fall into—believing that if I cannot offer something impressive, I should offer nothing at all. But God never asks me to be impressive. He asks me to be faithful.

Psalm 54 reminds me, "Surely God is my help. The Lord is the one who sustains me." Not my efforts. Not my plans. Not my striving. God alone is the one who sustains.

Matthew 25 reveals what really matters. Love in action. Kindness to the hungry and the stranger. Compassion for the sick and imprisoned. Not perfection, but presence. Not applause, but a willingness to show up for the least of these. What I do for them, I do for Christ.

So today, I choose to live differently. I choose to stop waiting for a better moment. I choose not to bury what little I have. I choose to offer it freely. I trust that God sees it, blesses it, and works through it. He does not despise the small things. He uses them to move mountains.

Jesus, thank you that you do not demand perfection. You do not shame weakness. You welcome my honest offering and breathe life into it. Thank you that your power is made perfect in weakness. Thank you for this day. For this breath. Let me not waste it wishing for another. Let me live this day surrendered and full of faith.

31“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

41“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

44“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

45“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

MATTHEW 25:31-46

JUNE 27, 2025

  “Suffering has been stronger than all other teaching, and has taught me to understand what your heart used to be. I have been bent and broken, but - I hope - into a better shape.” 

― Charles Dickens, Great Expectations

“Somehow I can't believe that there are any heights that can't be scaled by a man who knows the secrets of making dreams come true. This special secret, it seems to me, can be summarized in four Cs. They are curiosity, confidence, courage, and constancy, and the greatest of all is confidence. When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable.” ― Walt Disney 

PSALM 50-52

 10Create in me a pure heart, O God,

and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

11Do not cast me from your presence

or take your Holy Spirit from me.

12Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.(51:10-12)

ACTS 27:1-25

21After they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: “Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. 22But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. 23Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me 24and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ 25So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. 

JOURNAL 

God has never required grand gestures. He asks for what only we can give—a heart that is honest and broken open before Him. David understood this. In Psalm 51, after the weight of his sin crashed down on him, he did not try to bargain or excuse it. Instead, he prayed, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” He asked for restoration, not punishment. He knew God's mercy was greater than his failure. That is the essence of repentance, not groveling, but returning. Returning with trust in the One who forgives.

There is a difference between shame and guilt. Guilt can lead to repentance. Shame wants to bury you alive. But when we bring our sin into the light, God does not reject us. He restores us. That restoration brings confidence, not arrogance, but holy confidence that says, “I am forgiven. I am sustained. I am not alone.” That confidence becomes power, not our own, but His power working through us.

Charles Dickens once wrote, “Suffering has been stronger than all other teaching, and has taught me to understand what your heart used to be. I have been bent and broken, but I hope into a better shape.” That is the beauty of grace. God bends what pride made stiff. He breaks what was closed. But He never discards us. Instead, He shapes us into something stronger, truer, more alive.

I think of Paul standing on the deck of a doomed ship. A prisoner. Starving. Surrounded by men who had ignored his warnings. And yet he speaks, not from bitterness but from unshakable courage. “Keep up your courage,” he tells them, “for I have faith in God that it will happen just as He told me.” He had nothing in that moment but the Word of God and the presence of the Spirit. And that was enough. Confidence is born when we believe God is with us...even in the storm.

Walt Disney once said the greatest of all secrets is confidence. Not the confidence that comes from self-assurance, but the kind that grows from constancy, curiosity, courage and most of all, belief. “When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable.” I would add this: when you believe in God’s heart for you, believe it all the way. Especially when shame whispers otherwise. Especially when fear presses in.

There is joy in salvation. Not because the road is easy, but because we know the One who walks with us. Jesus said even faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains. I don’t need to muster something grand. I need only to offer what I have. That is enough.

So today, I return again to this truth: God is not waiting for me to be impressive. He is waiting for me to be honest. My confidence comes not from my perfection but from His presence. And that is more than enough to sustain me. Today is all I am given. 

20He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

  MATTHEW 17:20

JULY 26, 2025

  “We may ignore, but we can nowhere evade the presence of God. The world is crowded with Him. He walks everywhere incognito.” 

― C.S. Lewis

“Fear defeats more people than any other one thing in the world.”  

― Ralph Waldo Emerson

PSALM 47-49

 12People, despite their wealth, do not endure;they are like the beasts that perish.13This is the fate of those who trust in themselves,and of their followers, who approve their sayings.^d14They are like sheep and are destined to die;death will be their shepherd(but the upright will prevail over them in the morning).Their forms will decay in the grave,far from their princely mansions.

ACTS 26

“ ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied. 16‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. 17I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

19“So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven. 20First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds. 

JOURNAL 

Paul recounts his conversion to Festus...This appointing of Paul as a servant is really what salvation is all about. We are restored as servants of God rather than as shamed, rebellious men and women seeking to be God instead of serving him. This is what the verses in Psalm 49 are all about. Trying to be our own God through building wealth is pointless and destructive in the end.

I don't think this is saying that we are to be lazy and not use our brains. It is not necessarily the actions but the reason for the actions that matters. If my objective for work is so that I can puff myself up in an effort to become more than simply what I am (a human servant of God), then my efforts will be pointless and futile. I will never find true satisfaction and peace...I will simply find anguish and insecurity and fleeting moments of happiness. 

If however I work daily to serve God in obedience, being content to be all he created me to be. Then I find contentment and satisfaction in my abilities and my efforts without shame. Then I can live a life of peace no matter the circumstance...rich or poor, in sickness or in health, in good times and in bad.  This is the hope and the joy of living life as a servant to God.

 6And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.

2 JOHN 1:6

JULY 25, 2025

  “The person born with a talent they are meant to use will find their greatest happiness in using it. ” 

― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

PSALM 44-46

1God is our refuge and strength,

an ever-present help in trouble.

2Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way

and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

3though its waters roar and foam

and the mountains quake with their surging.^c

ACTS 25

8Then Paul made his defense: “I have done nothing wrong against the Jewish law or against the temple or against Caesar.”9Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there on these charges?”10Paul answered: “I am now standing before Caesar’s court, where I ought to be tried. I have not done any wrong to the Jews, as you yourself know very well. 11If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if the charges brought against me by these Jews are not true, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!”12After Festus had conferred with his council, he declared: “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!”

JOURNAL 

Reading Acts 25 and Paul’s unwavering resolve before Festus, what strikes me is not only his courage but his clarity. Paul isn’t grandstanding. He’s not trying to be something he’s not. He’s simply standing in the truth, operating fully within the gifts, training, and knowledge he’s been given. A Roman citizen, trained Pharisee, Paul uses all of it. And yet, beneath the boldness is something deeper: surrender. He is willing to die if necessary, but he’s not giving himself over to fear. He is giving his best and trusting God with the results.

That’s what obedience really looks like.

Psalm 46 declares:

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way…”

This is not the absence of trouble, it is faith in the middle of the earthquake, a choice to stand firm and do what we can while trusting God with what we can’t.

And here’s the key: God never asks us to become someone else to fulfill His will. He asks us to bring forward what we already have, however ordinary it might feel, and to use it with courage. Just like the boy with the loaves and fish. Just like Paul before Roman governors. Just like Jesus, whose surrender wasn’t about miraculous displays of power, but about obedience “unto death,” within a fully human frame.

The parable in Matthew 25 speaks directly to this:

“I was afraid and hid your gold in the ground…”

Fear convinces us to hide our gifts, to second-guess whether we’re “enough.” But God never critiques us for not having someone else’s talent, only for withholding what we do have.

And so, today, I surrender again. Not by striving to be impressive, but by choosing to be faithful in today’s choices, today’s responsibilities, today’s courage. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Just today.

If I live a life of surrendered “todays,” stringing together my best within the bounds of my own frame, then I will have lived a life that glorifies God.

And that is the best life I can live.

24“Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’

26“His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

 MATTHEW 25:24-27