Month: October 2025

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Sign Search.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“As the crowd pressed in on Jesus, he said, “This evil generation keeps asking me to show them a miraculous sign. But the only sign I will give them is the sign of Jonah. What happened to him was a sign to the people of Nineveh that God had sent him. What happens to the Son of Man will be a sign to these people that he was sent by God.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭29‬-‭30‬ ‭NLT‬‬

As the crowd pressed around Jesus, he responded with an unusual statement along with two wildly known stories.

This generation, Jesus said, wanted “signs!” What was this “generation,” what prompted them to want signs and what signs were they looking for? Jesus went right for their heart and challenged them with the same veracity that should be said today.

It wasn’t a “mind” issue, because the facts were (and still are) all there. This evil generation was likely referring to their own bankrupt moral hearts! The real issues was unbelief and moral blindness. Do we have a generation of bankrupt moral hearts? Knowing truth, seeing truth and still asking for it shows our stubbornness to not believe what is right in front of us.

What they seemed to demand, in terms of signs, were grand, cosmic signs from heaven. They wanted visible, undeniable displays like Elijah calling down fire or apocalyptic wonders that would certify Jesus’ divine authority. Folks still say they would believe if they had such supernatural signs today, but would they?

Knowing this must have been a real disappointment and heartbreak for Jesus. Because, instead of massive displays of fire or thunderous phenomena, Jesus points out the obvious – They had already seen enough signs—healings, exorcisms, fulfilled prophecy. Yet, they refused to believe. Jesus was physically and spiritually restoring lives all over the country, but it wasn’t enough.

In frustration, Jesus said, I’ll give you the most miraculous sign ever, the sign of Jonah. What was Jonah’s sign? Three days dead and resurrected. Jesus referring to his own future death and resurrection, would be so obvious that Jesus brought up two famous stories from history. Each of them had an obvious connection with authority and of mercy. The Queen of Sheba and the people of Nineveh. Jesus said both Sheba and the people of Nineveh will stand up to testify about truth AND judge the failures of this generation’s to recognize Jesus, not just as the Messiah, but of being God in the flesh!

It makes me realize, when people today demand MORE signs, more miracles and proofs, there will never be enough to convince them. Their lack of faith will still allow them to shift their minds and twist what they see into disbelief. Jesus’ truth is still as powerful as it ever was, but it is still an issue of the heart. It was always a willingness to have faith and believe.

Prayer

​Dad,
Knowing some of the history of humanity and certainly the history of your people, Israel, and I can begin to see how we have brought you great disappointment in our selfishness. And, through these moments that Jesus shared, I can also see your amazing long suffering, mercy and grace to continue to contend for our hearts. But I also know that it will not be so forever. There will come a time, whether it’s through our death or the final days of judgment, every single one of us must be reconciled through faith in the work of Jesus on our behalf. I am so thankful for your mercy and for what you have both redeemed and restored in my life. I have found my sign and BELIEVED!

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Grumbling as an Art-form.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“Don’t grumble about each other, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. For look—the Judge is standing at the door!” ‭‭James‬ ‭5‬:‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

James drops a serious message to the Church about the
“parousia,” the coming of the Lord in vs 7. Folks like to make a big deal about the word “rapture” not being in the Bible, and it’s not, but the word “parousia” is very real. FYI, Paul uses the Greek word, “harpazó” which means to seize or snatch when writing to the young Thessalonica church in 1 Thessalonians 4:17. James admonishes (encouraging truth) to be patient “makrothumós” in our waiting. This Greek word for patient is interesting because its two words combined, “makros,”- long and “thumos,” – anger. Here it is the exercise of delaying our anger in the midst of suffering! But James immediately follows it up with this other very strong emotion – GRUMBLING! James uses this word, “stenazó,” to groan, which is only used once in the New Testament. It’s a pressure being exerted forward (like the forward pressure of childbirth); to feel real pressure from what is coming on. But this kind of pressure, James says, causes us to turn outward on each other. And anyone that’s lived life for more than a minute knows, grumbling seems to feel better when we share it with those we love!

James warns us – DON’T DO IT! Each moment we unleash our stenazó because of overextended thumos, James says, right then Jesus the judge is ringing at our doorbell, causing the whole house to freeze and ask – “did Jesus hear me?” Do you remember the reference John made about Jesus standing at the door knocking? (Rev 3:20). Here Jesus isn’t knocking HE’S LISTENING and judging our unchecked, un-submitted, real, raw anger we spew on the family of God. We do it. God knows it and James calls us on it. We have got to stop taking grumbling to a dark art-form! Be patient, be long-suffering, give it to God because He is safe enough to receive our honest moments of struggle. But we’ve got to quit spreading our manure-mouth around to others. QUIT GRUMBLING towards and with one another.

Prayer

​Dad,
You know how much I wrestle with this! I feel like it is an appropriate release and response to complain out loud for all to hear about what someone has done to me. I feel JUSTIFIED in spouting my nonsense, because I am able to push it out of me and onto someone else that I believe needs to hear it and agree with me! Awful right? I hear James admonishing me in the Holy Spirit. And, I completely agree with him (and You). It’s just that HABITS DIE HARD. And, habits have a way of resurrecting after being put down. Help me Oh Lord, hear my confession and my repentance. Please give me strength to listen and obey before you catch me at the door. Thank you.

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ENGAGE UNTIL I COME

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately. He said therefore, “A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Engage in business until I come.’” — ‭‭Luke‬ ‭19‬:‭11‬-‭13‬‬

KJV Says “occupy” until I come.

The Greek word, “pragmateuomai” is where we get the idea of being pragmatic. Where we do business to make gain or what Jesus was spiritually talking about – “bearing much fruit”

This is seen in John 15:2 “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. “

You’ll also find this in John 15:7 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.”

And again in John 15:8 “When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.” Not if, but when.

The Apostle Paul writes about this work ethic/pragmatism in Colossians 3:23 NIV “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,”

And in 1 Corinthians 15:58 NLT So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.

The expectation of every disciple of Jesus is that they engage, occupy, or produce. For one, because God has given us so much, but also because Jesus has specifically given us gifts with an expectation that they will be used to continue to produce fruit until he returns.

As a leader in the community of Jesus, the greatest return, the greatest yield of engagement is that we produce one of the most extraordinary increases – another disciple of Jesus.

Who are your five up, five down? Who is discipling you and who are you discipling?

Every single one of us has to work in an area that I call minutia. It is the necessary, sometimes expedient, even critical. But minutia does not often yield eternal results. Filling or filing a government form maybe 100% necessary, but my DOJ or HR compliance certificate will absolutely not show up in the pile worthy or works when I meet Jesus at the judgement (Bema seat of Christ). Calling and waiting on a contracted plumber to come and snake a drain is not exactly kingdom worthy. But poop happens and we gotta do what we do to clean it up.

What are the eternal things that show up in heaven? People! Investing, discipling, loving, praying and encouraging them – tending to the weak and invisible, the hurting and needy. These are the eternal gifts we bring before Jesus at the final reckoning of our righteous deeds.

Jesus told the parable because the crowds kept hearing about the Kingdom of God and began asking when it would arrive. Luke tells us, Jesus told them the story “to correct the impression that the Kingdom of God would begin right away.”

We have used this verse to form an opinion based on the fact that we should be busy about the Kingdom of God work until Jesus returns, which is fine.

But Jesus was still talking about all of us, as his followers, continuing to produce good fruit and to do so in abundance. Bear good fruit. Produce the BEST fruit – making disciples of Jesus!

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Stop believing Frophets.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let your prophets and fortune-tellers who are with you in the land of Babylon trick you. Do not listen to their dreams, because they are telling you lies in my name. I have not sent them,” says the Lord.” ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭29‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

God speaks to Jeremiah and tells him nothing but truth. God will not lie – EVER. God tells Jeremiah what will happen. This is in contrast to all the other frophets telling the nation what they want to hear! Jeremiah hears God AND hears his frophet peers; maybe struggling with who to believe.

The frophets were hearing voices and seeing dreams about Israel dodging God’s discipline and coming out prosperous and stronger than ever. God tells Jeremiah they are FAKES and are telling lies in God’s name. Notice God says, “your” prophets and “I have not sent them!”

They are Fake Prophets…Frophets!

God declares the truth, “You will be in Babylon for seventy years…” He also brings hope… “BUT THEN I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again” (Jeremiah‬ ‭29‬:‭10‬).

This leads to one of the most famous, misapplied promises of God in the book of Jeremiah. “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah‬ ‭29‬:‭11‬). Why is it misapplied? Because the verses before and after do not say, “Do whatever you want and I will fix you.” The promise of God has context! The whole truth is that God put Israel in timeout to be lovingly disciplined for disobedience! And the powerfully quoted verse of comfort and hope is hinged on what God tells them in the following verses.

“In those days when you pray, I will listen.
If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me” ‭‭(Jeremiah‬ ‭29‬:‭12‬-‭13‬).

WHEN you pray. IF you look for me wholeheartedly. Humility and repentance is key to experiencing God’s mercy, forgiveness and blessings. Why would God want Israel or any of us to continue to whore after other lovers and still expect some kind of entitled promise?

These words IN context are absolutely true and are for us today. Quit listening to the lies of Frophets. We must yield to God’s discipline and turn our hearts towards Him! THEN, God will 💯% show us good plans with a hopefilled future. Because God does have good plans waiting for us, but it means we continually turn from our disordered desires to obey Him.

One of the worst things that can happen to us is discovering we’ve been LIED to. And what’s so humiliating is that we still fall for the lie! We want to believe the lie over the truth because it feels good, giving us a false sense of control; like we have “discovered” some kind of mystical lifehack that no one else knew about. It’s all the deceiver’s scam-sham-shakedown and we take the bait. God does not lie. The father of lies and our own sin makes the lie look so good, so real, that we rationalize it and make the trade – swapping out truth to believe the lie. Let Jesus’ words ring loud and clear to lead and guide our head and heart, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”

Prayer

​Dad,
Where would I be without your grace and mercy? What lies would I have continued to believe if you had not rescued me and began transforming my heart? Help me Oh Lord, to believe and trust you above all others. Guard my heart and mind, helping me apply your Word as a shield and weapon to resist the deceiver’s lies and my own desires.

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Trippin over our gift.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭10‬:‭41‬-‭42‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jesus was super close to Martha, Mary and Lazarus. They were family to him, and their home became a safe, welcoming place to stay and rest. Their home was large enough to host all the disciples as well. It is well known that hospitality was the ultimate expression of love, care and provision in the Jewish culture. The story typifies the struggle between these clashing priorities – serving or sitting with Jesus. The story hits a nerve among those who feel it was unfair to call Martha out for working so hard while her sister seemingly sat around ducking her responsibilities.

We all understand this is Jesus giving the correction! But Jesus has a way of flipping all of our perspectives right-side-up, especially when he challenges our priorities concerning the urgent verses the eternal. We need to let the Holy Spirit sift out preferences so we can see the Kingdom of God.

Jesus says Martha was “perispaó” distracted. Distracted? Martha thought Mary was distracted! What was she distracted about? Luke uses this word Jesus often talked about. She was distracted about “diakonia” the powerful word meaning service. This word was the common Greek word for a waiter, a table servant. The word was constructed from two Greek words meaning “raising dust,” giving us the picture of the sharp attention and speed of a great waiter would look like – moving so fast that dust would fly off their sandals! But this word is also the word for our word – minister! Ministers are supposed to be this picture of ultimate serving. Martha was distracted by ministry, by serving? Ah, yes, our gifting can become so focused, so intense, so singular dimensional that we can’t see, can’t hear anything else happening in the room!

Jesus pointed out Martha’s shadowed side of this beautiful gift of hospitality – she was trippin over her own gift by missing what was more important AND she wanted her sister Mary to join her in her disordered perspective. Martha wanted to pull Mary into her orbit, not Jesus’. Martha wanted Mary to experience what she was experiencing, feel the pressure of her dilemma. Jesus told Martha, she was “merimnaó,” anxious and “thorubeo” disturbed! In Martha’s mind, she WANTED Mary to be anxious and disturbed with her.

If you have ever seen someone excellent in their gift it is amazing. But when you are close enough to someone who excels in their abilities, you’ve also seen how they can be obsessively focused and become situationally blind to everything else. The acuteness of excellence can leave one unable to read the room. And, when this happens, there will be a lot of anger, hurt feelings and unnecessary accusations of others who just don’t “GET IT!” Martha saw Mary as lazy and irresponsible, Jesus saw Mary as dedicated and perceptive!

Jesus corrected Martha because he loved her – but in her “diakonia,” her service, it had brought out her overwhelming intensity, making her anxious, disturbed and critical of her sister. Every single gift can either be shared in a beautiful submission to Jesus OR it can be weaponized with these critical assessments of others! One brings peace and unity, the other brings anger, bitterness and disunity.

Prayer

​Dad,
First of all thank you for loving us enough to correct us in your mercy. I have seen this in my life and have absolutely experienced this in the body of Christ, the Church. And it’s not just our imperfection that causes us to shift or trip over our own gifts and abilities. It’s a tunnel-vision perspective when we are overwhelmed, and start believing it’s more about us and less about you and others. Help us Oh Lord, speak to us Holy Spirit, just as clear as you spoke to Martha. Tell us when we’ve stepped into something that is not helpful, not healthy for us or definitely not others. Help us see when our gift has caused us to produce more fruit of the flesh than fruit of the Spirit.

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God disciplines those he loves.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“Others heard my groans, but no one turned to comfort me. When my enemies heard about my troubles, they were happy to see what you had done. Oh, bring the day you promised, when they will suffer as I have suffered. “Look at all their evil deeds, Lord. Punish them, as you have punished me for all my sins. My groans are many, and I am sick at heart.” ‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭1‬:‭21‬-‭22‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Lamentations, written by Jeremiah, was reflecting his profound grief over the destruction of Jerusalem and the consequences of the people’s sins. In this first chapter, you see the depth of grief and subsequent loneliness in suffering the results of years of disobedience to God. These weren’t “one-off” sins. These were ongoing pursuits of other gods, other loves, other thrills that pull the human soul away from God, away from light to choose to walk in darkness.

When we read about the sins of self-seeking and affairs of the heart with other lovers, we also see the powerful justice and mercy of God in a whole new perspective. We see what we’ve done, where we have failed, and we stare into misery’s mirror wondering who we have become! That’s the lamenting Jeremiah writes about. It’s not just a history lesson for and of the Jewish people, it’s very much relevant for us today.

I have always held this theory that everything we’ve done to reach for the undisciplined desires, the shortcuts and sins, ALWAYS catches up to us. Whether it’s when our head hits the pillow seeking peace or that eventual end-of-life reckoning – the truth of what we’ve done and who we are mercilessly confronts our soul. We do not choose to be born, nor who we are born to, but everyone chooses how to live their own life, be it well or poorly.

We often seek to celebrate our freedoms, but rarely lament our choices. Solomon, the wisest human being to live, captures this concept in Ecclesiastes 7:2, “It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart.” How can funerals be better than birthday parties? It’s not a buzz-kill, joy sucking thought. It’s a reality check of reflection! It’s pausing from time to time to evaluate one thing – who am I committed to most… me or my God?

Jeremiah suffered in advance as God began to show him, at a young age, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations (Jeremiah 1:5), the state of his own people and the human affairs of the world. Even as a spokesperson for God, Jeremiah recognized his own wanderings, his own selfishness and sin.

It is interesting that Jeremiah points out that others, “my enemies,” he calls them, celebrated God’s discipline of his own people. They were seemingly, completely unaware, of their own national and personal sins against the holiness of God. Isn’t that how it goes with our perspective? We easily see the sins of others, obviously blinded to our own. We curse others, mock God and flirt with desires, rationalizing, even justifying our choices while wishing swift judgment on everyone else. This is why Lamentations is a necessary and worthy book to slowly read through. Would we rather God discipline us in love or destroy us in our arrogance?

Prayer

​Dad,
It is kinda wild how we can be so enamored with ourselves, getting carried away with our own intelligence, creativity and an unhealthy hubris of ourselves when the reality is – it ALL comes from you! Yes, in You, I am, we are, a beautiful reflection of your attributes. But outside of you, it seems so silly to think of how great we are on our own. Thank you for your discipline and correction in my life, knowing that it is within your mercy and long-suffering patience that you endure my failures because of Jesus and the price He paid for me! Yeah God for your grace.

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My sleepy routine.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“I reflect at night on who you are, O Lord; therefore, I obey your instructions.” Psalm‬ ‭119‬:‭55‬ ‭NLT‬‬

David’s nighttime routine has become my own sleepy-time moment at night. Time changes, aging, stressful days, racing mind and strange body aches all contributed to me being a little fearful of nite-nite time! This ancient Psalm was the best way to take back my brain while thanking God for what I have, whose I am and who is really in control!

My day ends with GRATITUDE and my sleep begins with THANKFULNESS. I remember Robin telling me our kids were far more willing to talk about things that were bothering them just before they went to sleep when they were younger. The veil between our thoughts and our conscience becomes thinner, revealing fears and worries as well as highlights about our day.

For me, each evening ends with a little review of what’s on my mind, which yields moments of confession. It concludes with thanking God for all he has done in my life. Thanking him for my family, friends and my calling to use the gifts he has given me. Each night specifically doing what David wrote in the Psalms – reflecting on who God is and how I can listen and obey him.

I have often wondered what people do when they have to carry their wrongs, guilt and sin into each evening with no relief from their own failures. No wonder so many struggle with sleep! Of course, our physical and emotional health are huge reasons for lacking a good nights sleep. But it’s as if our soul needs these final moments of release – not to speak to some universal entity, but to the living God and creator of all things!

Prayer

​Dad,
When I review my day, my week, my life, I see your hand of grace and guidance everywhere! Instead of my heart being filled with doubts, it is filled with gratitude. You are so, so good. Thank you for all you have done, and for each night that comes with peaceful rest.