AUGUST 27, 2026

  “If we are deeply moved by the sight of his love for us, it detaches our hearts from other would-be saviors.” 

― Timothy Keller, Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope That Matters

PSALM 132-135

1How good and pleasant it is

when God’s people live together in unity!

2It is like precious oil poured on the head,

running down on the beard,

running down on Aaron’s beard,

down on the collar of his robe.

3It is as if the dew of Hermon

were falling on Mount Zion.

For there the Lord bestows his blessing,

even life forevermore.( 133 )

1 CORINTHIANS 8

We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. 2Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. 3But whoever loves God is known by God.^a

JOURNAL 

Love is the essence of God. Love is God's calling card, it is his chief defining characteristic. In all things throughout the Bible it is God's love that comes through in the end. Not his anger or his wrath...but his love.

When I think about this in my own life, I can see God moving and working but I can also see other things...fear, jealousy, anger, greed, sloth. It is in these things that brotherhood is sacrificed. It is here that I must repent. It is here that I surrender my pride and renew my hope in God and his love.

I am realizing more and more that love is given through intentional actions. Many times it is in the little things...not the big public ones. Putting my phone down to really listen. Turning the TV off and reaching out to someone. Getting off the couch and exercising and experiencing God's creation. Resisting the urge to wallow in self-pity and instead giving in sacrificial ways. This is when I feel God the closest...this is when his presence overwhelms me.

Father forgive me for my arrogance and selfishness and laziness. Forgive all the ways that I have run from you and then tried to justify myself and my actions. I realize that I have sought refuge in other people and things rather than in you. You are the one true God and obeying you is the only thing that will soothe my anxious soul.

9But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. - 

2 CORINTHIANS 12:9-10

AUGUST 26, 2026

 “It is not enough to be industrious; so are the ants. What are you industrious about?” 

― Henry David Thoreau, Letters to Various Persons

PSALM 128-131

1My heart is not proud, Lord,

my eyes are not haughty;

I do not concern myself with great matters

or things too wonderful for me.

2But I have calmed and quieted myself,

I am like a weaned child with its mother;

like a weaned child I am content. (131:1-2)

1 CORINTHIANS 7:25-40

 I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy. 26Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for a man to remain as he is. 27Are you pledged to a woman? Do not seek to be released. Are you free from such a commitment? Do not look for a wife. 28But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.

JOURNAL 

Paul is writing from a place of being completely sold out to his mission.  This is why he makes it clear that these commands are suggestions from his own perspective

Soldiers in the midst of battle have completely sold out to their mission. They have to be or else they will cower, run, freeze or act irrationally. This does not happen overnight...it is months of training and breaking and wearing down their dependence on modern life. They also have to let go of any delusions of grandeur and be committed to following orders.

Reality is that it is much the same with us and following God. However the ultimate objective is not external, but rather internal. Referring back to the Psalms of "quieting the mind" and becoming "content".  That comes from a place of internal peace, when the external anxieties have stilled and the heart has rested in one single purpose...acceptance of God's love and seeking and following him in all things.

Then he gives us a mission...a role we were designed for and one that once embraced gives us a passion and purpose. This passion and purpose is what ultimately gives us joy, hope, endurance, courage and the perseverance to walk through the fires of life in a way that honors God. But in order to get this, understand it and fully embrace it...we have to be sold out to God and his story.

28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, whoⁱ have been called according to his purpose. 

ROMANS 8:28

AUGUST 25, 2026

 “Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones.” 

― Shannon L. Alder

PSALM 124-127

1Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,

which cannot be shaken but endures forever.

2As the mountains surround Jerusalem,

so the Lord surrounds his people

both now and forevermore. (125:1-2)

1 CORINTHIANS 7:1-24

21Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so. 22For the one who was a slave when called to faith in the Lord is the Lord’s freed person; similarly, the one who was free when called is Christ’s slave. 23You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of human beings. 24Brothers and sisters, each person, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation they were in when God called them.

JOURNAL 

I love movies...even the bad ones. The reason is that within a 2-hour window I am able to see a story resolve itself. Most movies fall more or less into the same pattern...Things were good, then they turned bad, an unlikely hero was called and through their sacrifice, the day was saved.

The problem is that my life is not tied up in a nice neat 2-hour window. My story stretches a lifetime and beyond and therefore it is easy to become discouraged when things don't go as planned. I often wish I could have a soundtrack playing in my head all the time. Because when I am connected to a story and understand my place, I tend to have much more courage. I am more focused and am able to make better decisions. However when I lose focus and flirt with the thoughts that life is purposeless, meaningless and random then it's easy to lose heart.

I believe that is why God has woven the power of story into our hearts. Story is what connects us as humans to the past, to the Bible, and ultimately to God. Because the drama that fills movie screens is the same that plays out in the hearts and minds of every human who has ever lived. It is this connection that helps us to find our place.

So how can I know and embrace my place in the story God is telling? I think it comes in the following ways...

1. Accept that God loves me and that I am a valuable part of the story
2. Embrace the gifts and talents that I possess 
3. Live the rest of my life devoted to the story and my place in it. 

6Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” 

DEUTERONOMY 31:6

AUGUST 24, 2026

 "...Wait, there's no mountain too great

Hear these words and have faith

Have faith

He lives in you, he lives in me

He watches over everything we see

Into the waters, into the truth
In your reflection, he lives in you"

- THE LION KING

PSALM 120-123

1I lift up my eyes to the mountains—

where does my help come from?

2My help comes from the Lord,

the Maker of heaven and earth. (121:1-2)

1 CORINTHIANS 6

 19Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

JOURNAL 

I absolutely love The Lion King. The movie, the play, the story, the soundtrack. There is something about it that has always connected with me deeply, and perhaps no song affects me more than He Lives in You. I think I understand a little better now why. There have been moments throughout my life when circumstances threatened to completely undo me, when fear took over my imagination and I desperately wanted God to change an outcome. Yet it has often been in those very moments that I have most clearly experienced the safety and warmth of His presence.

For much of my life, I think I viewed God's presence as something that would help me get through the storm. I wanted His strength to reach the other side, His peace until the problem was solved, and His guidance toward the outcome I wanted. But I am beginning to understand something much deeper: God's presence isn't simply the means to an outcome. His presence is the outcome.

Life really is difficult. There will always be another mountain, another problem to solve, another disappointment, another uncertain future. The answer isn't to wish those moments away or somehow gain enough control to avoid them. It is learning to encounter God within them. The Spirit of God isn't waiting for me on the other side of the storm. He is here, right now, and Scripture tells me that He actually lives within me.

Maybe this is why surrender has become so central to what I am learning. Surrender isn't giving up on life. It is giving up my demand that life unfold according to my design before I am willing to call it good. I can release the outcome, the future, my fears, my need for acceptance, and even the people I love because the thing I ultimately need has already been given to me: God Himself.

So when Scripture tells me not to be afraid, it isn't promising that there won't be mountains. It is reminding me that I will never face one alone. His power gives me the courage to surrender what I cannot control. His love frees me from desperately seeking acceptance elsewhere. His discipline allows me to return to today and faithfully take the next step. There really is no mountain too great, not because I am strong enough to conquer every mountain, but because wherever this life takes me, He lives in me.

6Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” 

DEUTERONOMY 31:6

AUGUST 23, 2026

   “I think if I've learned anything about friendship, it's to hang in, stay connected, fight for them, and let them fight for you. Don't walk away, don't be distracted, don't be too busy or tired, don't take them for granted. Friends are part of the glue that holds life and faith together. Powerful stuff.” 

― Jon Katz

PSALM 119:105-176

145I call with all my heart; answer me, Lord,

and I will obey your decrees.

146I call out to you; save me

and I will keep your statutes.

147I rise before dawn and cry for help;

I have put my hope in your word.

148My eyes stay open through the watches of the night,

that I may meditate on your promises.

149Hear my voice in accordance with your love;

preserve my life, Lord, according to your laws.

150Those who devise wicked schemes are near,

but they are far from your law.

151Yet you are near, Lord,

and all your commands are true.

152Long ago I learned from your statutes

that you established them to last forever.

1 CORINTHIANS 5

6Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? 7Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

JOURNAL 

There is something revealing about seeing arrogance or desperation in another person. I don't mean that judgmentally, because I recognize both in myself. But when I see someone desperately seeking approval, demanding recognition, manipulating circumstances or trying to convince everyone of their importance, it reminds me how exhausting and ultimately futile that pursuit really is. Arrogance and desperation can look completely different on the outside, but I wonder if they don't often come from the same place: the need to be accepted, valued and loved.

Maybe that is one of the reasons God is so insistent that I receive those things from Him first. "Yet you are near, Lord." I don't have to convince God of my value. I don't have to perform for Him, manipulate Him or somehow become impressive enough to earn His attention. Through Christ, I am already loved and accepted. The question is whether I can actually receive that and allow it to become enough.

Because when I don't, I inevitably start looking for acceptance somewhere else. I want people to notice what I do. I want appreciation. I want affirmation. And when I don't get it, frustration can turn into resentment, insecurity or even arrogance. I can begin trying to manufacture from other people something they were never capable of permanently giving me.

But if I can receive my acceptance from God, something changes. I no longer have to enter relationships asking, consciously or unconsciously, "What can you give me?" Instead, I can begin asking, "What can I give you?" I can encourage without needing encouragement returned. I can love without controlling the response. I can celebrate someone else's success without feeling diminished by it. I can tell a friend the truth without worrying that honesty will cost me their approval.

Maybe that is what makes real friendship, marriage and family so powerful and also so difficult. Jon Katz says to "hang in, stay connected, fight for them, and let them fight for you." That requires people who aren't constantly keeping score. It requires enough security to be honest, enough humility to receive correction and enough love to remain when things get messy.

Paul's warning about "a little yeast" reminds me that insecurity, pride, resentment and dishonesty don't stay contained. They work their way into everything. The answer isn't pretending they aren't there. It is returning to sincerity and truth, first about myself and then with the people I love.

Perhaps this is another part of surrender. Stop trying to extract from other people what God has already offered freely. Receive His love. Receive His acceptance. Receive the truth that I am His. Then walk into the world from fullness rather than desperation. A friend loves at all times. Maybe I become capable of loving that way only when I finally understand that I am already loved that way. And when I don't need everyone around me to prove that I matter, I become much freer to show them how much they matter.

17A friend loves at all times,

and a brother is born for a time of adversity.

- PROVERBS 17:17