Category: christian

“Don’t Judge Me” — A Phrase Worth Retiring

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Photo by Nathan J Hilton:

I hear the phrase almost every day now — from family, from friends, from people at work, even from people at church. It shows up in casual conversations, serious conversations, and everything in between. I was having conversations with friends in their homes and communities recently, and before they shared something personal about their lives — the kind of car they drive, the school their kids attend, the neighborhood they live in — they would pause and say, almost automatically, “Don’t judge me,” and then tell me the detail.

It wasn’t said as a joke. It wasn’t said lightly. It was said as protection. Protection from being measured. Protection from being misunderstood. Protection from being reduced to a single choice.

And it made me wonder why this phrase has become so common. Why do so many people feel the need to guard themselves before they’ve even spoken? And what does Jesus actually mean when He says, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged” (Matthew 7:1)?

Because I’m convinced we’ve misunderstood both the phrase and the Scripture — and in doing so, we’ve missed the freedom Jesus offers.

The New Testament uses the word “judge” in two very different ways. If we don’t separate them, everything gets confused. The first kind is discernment — the ability to see clearly and tell the difference between what is healthy and what is harmful. Jesus encourages this when He says, “Judge with right judgment” (John 7:24). Paul says something similar when he writes that a mature believer “discerns all things” (1 Corinthians 2:15). Discernment is not harsh. It is not about ranking people. It is about wisdom, clarity, and truth.

The second kind is condemnation. This is the kind Jesus warns against in Matthew 7. It is the impulse to measure people, to assign worth, to assume motives, to reduce someone to a verdict. James speaks strongly about this when he says, “Who are you to judge your neighbor?” (James 4:12). Condemnation is not about truth. It is about superiority. It is about deciding someone’s value based on your own standards.

Jesus illustrates this difference with the image of a person trying to remove a speck from someone else’s eye while ignoring the plank in their own (Matthew 7:3–5). His point is not that we should never help someone see clearly. His point is that we cannot help anyone if we refuse to see ourselves honestly. Condemnation blinds us. Discernment requires humility.

When my friends said, “Don’t judge me,” they weren’t afraid I would point out sin. They weren’t afraid of moral correction. They weren’t afraid of discernment. They were afraid of condemnation — afraid I would measure them, place them somewhere on the invisible social ladder, or decide who they are based on a single detail.

This fear is not limited to one culture. In many parts of the world, people feel pressure to present a certain image — to appear successful, respectable, educated, or strong. Social media has made this even more intense. We are constantly aware of how others might see us. So “don’t judge me” becomes a way of saying, “Please don’t lower my value in your eyes.”

But beneath that fear are deeper roots. Some people say it because they feel exposed. Some say it because they have been judged harshly before — by family, community, religious leaders, or society. Some say it because they fear being misunderstood. But underneath all of these is the same truth: we fear judgment because we have learned to tie our worth to human perception.

When worth is fragile, judgment feels dangerous. When worth is earned, judgment feels threatening. When worth is comparative, judgment feels crushing.

This is where Jesus offers a completely different way to live. In the world’s system, worth is assigned by perception. In God’s kingdom, worth is given by love. Scripture shows this again and again. We are created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27). That means our worth is built into us before we ever speak, act, succeed, or fail. It is not something we earn. It is something we receive.

We are also known and loved by God long before we perform for anyone. Psalm 139 describes a God who sees us, forms us, and understands us completely. Nothing about our story surprises Him. Nothing about our weakness disqualifies us. Nothing about our past lowers our value in His eyes.

And for those who follow Jesus, there is an even deeper truth: we are free from condemnation. Paul writes that “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). Jesus tells the woman caught in adultery, “I do not condemn you” (John 8:11), and then invites her into a new way of living. He does not excuse sin, but He refuses to define people by it. He lifts shame instead of adding to it. He restores dignity instead of taking it away.

Jesus frees us from the world’s verdicts. He frees us from the fear of being measured by human standards. He frees us from the pressure to prove our worth. Choosing to follow Him is choosing to live in that freedom — to step out of the world’s system of comparison and into God’s truth about who we are.

This freedom is not abstract. It changes how we see ourselves and how we move through the world. When our worth is rooted in Jesus, we no longer need to chase approval. We no longer need to defend every choice. We no longer need to hide parts of our story. We no longer need to fear being misunderstood. Our value is secure because it rests in the One who made us, loves us, and calls us His own.

Keeping our focus on Jesus keeps us grounded in this truth. When our eyes drift back to the world’s standards, fear returns. But when our eyes stay on Him, confidence grows. We remember who we are. We remember whose we are. And we remember that no human opinion has the authority to define us.

When our worth is secure, it doesn’t just change how we feel — it changes how we live. When we know our worth in Jesus, we make decisions that don’t always make sense to people around us. We choose generosity over status. We choose forgiveness over revenge. We choose humility over self‑promotion. We choose faithfulness over convenience.

These choices can look foolish in a world that measures worth by success, wealth, or image. Paul writes that the message of Jesus looks like “foolishness” to many (1 Corinthians 1:18). But when our worth is secure, we no longer need the world to validate us. We are free to live differently. We are free to live faithfully. We are free to live without fear of being judged by human standards.

Here is the challenge — and it may feel uncomfortable: it is time for followers of Jesus to stop saying “don’t judge me.” Not because people won’t misunderstand us. Not because the world suddenly becomes kind. Not because judgment disappears. But because the phrase reveals something deeper: that we still believe human perception has power over our worth.

Jesus has already removed condemnation. Jesus has already secured our identity. Jesus has already declared our value. We do not need to fear human judgment because our worth is not in human hands. Instead of saying “don’t judge me,” we can say, “My worth is in Jesus. I am free to live faithfully, even if it looks foolish.”

We say “don’t judge me” because we fear condemnation — the world’s kind of judgment that ranks and reduces. But Jesus offers a different kind of judgment: discernment that sees clearly and restores gently. When we root ourselves in His truth, we no longer need to fear being exposed or misunderstood. His discernment frees us. His lack of condemnation heals us. And that is the kind of freedom the world is desperate to see.

Please help me share the good news of Jesus and how He can change your life, and our world!

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Come back and visit at ListenLearn.Live Ministries

With You Always: The God Who Co-Missions

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Photo by Erik, A van Dijk: https://www.pexels.com/photo/golden-morning-27421320/

There are moments in Scripture when Jesus speaks words so steady and so simple that they become anchors for our whole lives. Matthew 28:20 is one of those moments:

“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20, NIV)

We love this verse. But it becomes even more powerful when we remember when Jesus said it — and why. He spoke these words immediately after giving His disciples the most daunting assignment of their lives. Before He promised His presence, He handed them a mission far beyond their human ability.

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” (Matthew 28:18)
With those words, Jesus establishes His unmatched authority. Then He sends them:

“Go and make disciples of all nations… baptizing them… teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19–20a)

A global mission entrusted to ordinary people. It’s overwhelming. And Jesus knows that.

So He ends with the only promise big enough to hold the weight of the mission:
“And surely I am with you always.” (Matthew 28:20)
It’s as if He’s saying, You cannot do this without Me — and you don’t have to. I am sending you, and I am going with you.

Jesus never commissions without co‑missioning.

This isn’t a new idea Jesus introduces in Matthew. This is who God has always been.

When God calls Moses to confront Pharaoh, Moses immediately feels inadequate: “Who am I that I should go?” (Exodus 3:11)
God doesn’t respond with a pep talk. He simply says, “I will be with you.” (Exodus 3:12) 

That’s the whole strategy. God sends — and God stays.

The same pattern continues with Joshua. When Joshua steps into leadership after Moses, he feels the weight of the task. God calls him to lead Israel into the Promised Land, a mission filled with uncertainty and danger. And God gives him the same promise He gave Moses:

“Do not be afraid… for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)

Joshua’s courage isn’t rooted in his personality or confidence. It’s rooted in God’s covenantal presence. God isn’t asking Joshua to be brave on his own — He’s asking Joshua to trust the God who goes with him.

Jesus continues this pattern in His ministry. When He sends out the Twelve, He gives them His authority and promises the Spirit will speak through them:

“It will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” (Matthew 10:20)

When He sends out the Seventy‑Two, He sends them to places He Himself intends to go (Luke 10:1), gives them authority (Luke 10:19), promises provision (Luke 10:7), reminds them the harvest belongs to God (Luke 10:2), and rejoices with them when they return (Luke 10:21).

The pattern is unmistakable: God calls, God sends, God accompanies. God commissions — and God co‑missions.

If this is who God is — if this is how God works — then the question becomes: Do we believe Him? Do we trust that His presence is enough for what He’s calling us to do?

This is the same question Paul raises in Romans 8:31:“If God is for us, who can be against us?”
Not meaning nothing will come against us, but meaning nothing that comes against us can overcome the God who goes with us.

God’s grace goes before us. God invites us to respond freely. God empowers us by His Spirit to obey. God’s holy love accompanies us in every step of the journey. Faith is choosing to trust the God who co‑missions.

And this co‑missioning isn’t just for the heroes of the faith. It’s not reserved for pastors or missionaries or evangelists. This is for all of us. I don’t know about you, but I need the Holy Spirit with me to go to Walmart. God is with us in whatever He’s calling us to do — teaching, parenting, spousing, peopling. In our work, our homes, our neighborhoods, our conversations, our commutes.

Scripture says, “Whatever you do… do it in the name of the Lord Jesus.” (Colossians 3:17)
Whatever you do. God doesn’t just co‑mission the extraordinary moments — He co‑missions the ordinary ones too.

So what does this mean for your real life — your home, your work, your relationships, your calling?

It means you are never the one walking in alone. Whether it’s the workplace, the family gathering, the hard conversation, or the unknown future, Jesus walks in with you.

It means the weight you carry quietly is not carried quietly by you alone. He is with you in the questions you don’t voice and in the places where you feel unseen.

And it means whatever God is asking of you — in your family, your work, your healing, your next step — you are not sent alone. The One who calls you is the One who equips you, and the One who equips you is the One who accompanies you.

And maybe you know what it feels like to walk into a room alone — a job interview, a new school, a social gathering where you didn’t know a soul. That moment when you thought, “I wish my person were here with me.” You could almost picture the two of you strolling in together to your favorite walk‑on song, suddenly braver because you weren’t alone. Jesus is that presence for you. Your confidence isn’t in yourself — it’s in Him. And honestly, who could compare to that.

As you move into the days ahead, may you go with confidence — not in yourself, not in your strength, not in your certainty, but in the presence of the One who goes before you, beside you, and within you. Hear His promise as if He is speaking it directly to you:

“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)

And may this promise echo in your spirit:
He is with you. Always.

Please help me share the good news of Jesus and how He can change your life, and our world!

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Come back and visit at ListenLearn.Live Ministries

Anchored in El Sali

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Photo by Alexey Demidov

Years ago, when I was leading a customer service department at a newspaper, I used to tell my team something that always surprised them: “I would rather have a customer call angry than have one who silently cancels.”

An angry customer is still engaged.
They still care enough to reach out.
They still want the relationship to work.

But a silent customer — the one who quietly walks away without a word — that’s the one you’ve truly lost. Because silence means disconnection. Silence means they’ve given up.

I’ve thought about that a lot over the years, especially when I read Psalm 42. Because the psalmist is not calm, collected, or cheerful. He’s overwhelmed. He’s hurting. He’s confused. But he’s still talking to God. He hasn’t silently canceled the relationship. And that alone is a powerful picture of faith.

Not perfect faith.
Not polished faith.
But faith that refuses to disengage.

The writer of Psalm 42 says, “My soul is downcast within me.” He feels forgotten and shaken. He says, “Your waves and breakers have swept over me,” describing life crashing in from every direction. But instead of letting the waves define who God is, he brings his fear and confusion straight to God.

That’s something many of us struggle with. When life gets heavy, it’s easy to let our pain tell us who God is. It’s easy to assume that if we feel overwhelmed, God must be far away. But the psalmist does something different. He names his feelings honestly, but he doesn’t let them become the whole story.

He keeps talking to God.
He keeps reaching.
He keeps holding on.

One of the most important truths in this psalm is something the writer never says directly, but shows in every verse: we are all holding onto something. When life gets hard, we reach for something to steady us — our emotions, our own strength, the approval of others, the stories we tell ourselves, or the distractions that help us escape for a moment. But none of those things can carry the weight of a human soul.

That’s why the psalmist keeps turning back to God. He calls God “my Rock” — in Hebrew, El Sali. It’s a name that means stability, safety, and strength. In the ancient world, a rock wasn’t a pebble. It was a massive cliff — a place you could hide, a place that didn’t move when everything else did.

So the psalmist is making a choice:
I will not anchor myself to the waves. I will anchor myself to the Rock.

And that choice changes everything.

There’s a moment in the New Testament where a father brings his suffering son to Jesus and says, “I believe; help my unbelief.” It’s not a confident prayer. It’s not a triumphant prayer. It’s the prayer of someone who is exhausted and afraid, but still reaching for God. Jesus receives that prayer. And that matters, because many of us think faith has to be strong to count. But Scripture shows us something different: faith that trembles is still faith. Faith that struggles is still faith. Faith that comes with questions is still faith. What matters is that we bring it to God.

Even Jesus prayed this way. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He said, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.” He asked the Father if there was another way. He brought His anguish honestly, without hiding or pretending. And He stayed in the conversation. If Jesus — the Son of God — prayed that honestly, then there is room for us to do the same.

The psalmist ends with a line that feels like a deep breath: “Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him.” He’s not saying everything is fixed. He’s not saying the storm is over. He’s saying, “I know who my God is, and I know this won’t be the end of my story.” That’s the heart of this psalm. Not that life is easy. Not that faith is simple. But that God is steady, even when we are not.

God is not shaken by what shakes you.
God is not confused by what confuses you.
God is not moved by what overwhelms you.

He is El Sali — the God who is your Rock.

Maybe you’re reading this from a place of exhaustion. Maybe life has been harder than you expected. Maybe you’ve been carrying more than you can say out loud. If that’s you, hear this: you are not standing in the storm alone. El Sali — your Rock — is steady beneath your feet. You don’t have to be strong. You don’t have to have the right words. You don’t have to pretend you’re okay. You can lean toward the One who is strong for you.

The same God who held the psalmist in his despair…
the same God who met the father in Mark 9…
the same God who strengthened Jesus in Gethsemane…
is holding you now.

And because He does not move, you can have real hope — not the kind you have to manufacture, but the kind that comes from being held by the God who will not fail you.

El Sali — God my Rock.
The One who holds me when I cannot hold myself.

Please help me share the good news of Jesus and how He can change your life, and our world!

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Come back and visit at ListenLearn.Live Ministries

El Roi – The God Who Sees Me

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Photo by Elif Kübra yaşar

There are moments in life when being unseen feels heavier than being hurt. You know the moments I mean — the ones where you’re surrounded by people but feel invisible, the ones where you’re carrying something no one else knows about, the ones where you’re trying to hold your life together with shaking hands. Every culture, every country, every generation knows this ache. It’s part of being human.

Into that ache comes one of the most surprising stories in Scripture — a story that speaks across borders, languages, and life experiences. It’s the story of a woman named Hagar in Genesis 16, and it reveals a God who sees what others overlook. A God who sees you. A God who stays. A God who meets you where you are, but loves you too much to leave you there.

This God has a name: El Roi — “The God who sees me.” And Hagar is the first person in the entire Bible to speak that name. Not a king, not a prophet, not a priest. A mistreated, pregnant, enslaved woman running into the desert with nowhere to go. That’s who God reveals Himself to. And that matters.

Hagar’s story begins with pain. She is used, blamed, mistreated, and finally driven out. She runs into the wilderness — not because she’s rebellious, but because she’s desperate. Many of us know that feeling. Running doesn’t always look dramatic. Sometimes it looks like shutting down emotionally, avoiding hard conversations, numbing ourselves, pretending we’re fine, or returning to old patterns simply because they feel familiar. Running is often a survival instinct, but it rarely leads us to healing.

And yet, this is where the story turns. While Hagar is running away from everything that hurt her, God is running toward her. Genesis says, “The angel of the Lord found her.” Not by accident. Not by coincidence. He went looking for her. And He goes looking for you too.

When God finds Hagar, He calls her by name. No one else in the story has done that. She has been treated like property, like a problem, like a burden — but God sees her as a person. He sees her pain, her story, her fear, her dignity, her future. And He sees the truth — the whole truth — about her situation. Not just the wounds she carries or the injustice done to her, but also the choices she’s made, the running she’s done, the fear that drives her. And He doesn’t turn away.

This is one of the most hopeful truths in Scripture: God sees the truth about you — and He stays with you. Most of us are used to people who stay only when we’re doing well, when we’re strong, when we’re easy to love. But God stays when we’re messy. He stays when we’re hurting. He stays when we’re running. He stays when we’re not at our best. He stays because His love is not fragile.

Then comes the part of the story that challenges us. God tells Hagar to return. It’s easy to misunderstand this moment. God is not sending her back into danger. He is not minimizing her pain. He is not saying, “Just go back and everything will be fine.” Sometimes people talk about obedience like it’s a shortcut to comfort — as if doing the right thing will make life smooth or painless. But that’s not the story the Bible tells, and it’s not the story most of us live.

The truth is that obedience is often hard. It may hurt. It may require humility you don’t feel ready for. It may lead you straight into the places you’ve been avoiding. Going back didn’t magically fix Hagar’s situation. It didn’t erase the tension. It didn’t guarantee that the people who hurt her would suddenly change. And the same is true for us. Doing what God asks doesn’t mean everything will get easier. Sometimes it gets harder before it gets better. Sometimes obedience feels like walking through fire.

But here’s the difference — and it’s everything: you don’t walk through the fire alone. You don’t walk through it in

Photo by Johannes Plenio

your own strength. And you don’t walk through it without purpose. God doesn’t promise ease. He promises presence. He promises grace. He promises strength for the step you’re taking — not the one you’re imagining five steps ahead. And He promises that on the other side of the fire, there is freedom. Not freedom from pain, but freedom from the patterns that keep us stuck. Not freedom from difficulty, but freedom from the fear that keeps us running. Not freedom from suffering, but freedom from the lie that we are alone in it.

Obedience doesn’t guarantee that bad things won’t happen. But it does guarantee that God will give you what you need to walk through whatever comes — and to come out more whole, more healed, and more free. Hagar didn’t return because it was easy. She returned because God met her in the wilderness, called her by name, and promised to go with her. And that’s the only reason any of us can take the hard path too.

So let me ask you gently: where do you need to hear, “God sees you”? Where have you been running? What step of obedience is God inviting you to take — even if it scares you? And who can walk with you so you don’t take that step alone?

Here’s the truth: you are not unseen. You are not forgotten. You are not alone. God sees the parts of your story you’ve never said out loud. He sees the nights you cried yourself to sleep. He sees the moments you almost gave up. He sees the choices you regret and the choices you never got to make. He sees the wounds you carry and the walls you’ve built to protect them.

And He does not turn away. He comes toward you. He calls you by name. He speaks into your wilderness. He gives you a promise alongside His command. And as you take the next step — even a small one — grace meets you where you are, and strength comes as you obey.

The God who sees you is the God who stays with you. Always.

Please help me share the good news of Jesus and how He can change your life, and our world!

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Come back and visit at ListenLearn.Live Ministries

Reading God’s Story Together This Year: A Chronological Journey Through the Bible

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As we close out one year and step into another, I’ve been thinking about how much can change around us — and how quickly. Circumstances shift. Seasons shift. Our own hearts shift. But God does not. His truth does not. His Word does not.

At our year‑end celebration at Tucson Community Fellowship, we spent time remembering God’s faithfulness — the ways He has carried us, provided for us, and stayed close in both the loud and quiet moments. And woven through all of it was one of our core pillars: we are a people dedicated to God’s Word. Not because it’s the only thing we value, but because it’s the foundation under everything else. God’s Word shapes how we live, how we love, how we grow, and how we walk with Him into whatever comes next.

Scripture says, “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.” (Isaiah 40:8)
When life feels uncertain or unstable, God’s Word remains steady. It doesn’t shift with culture or circumstance. It stands.

And because God is faithful, He keeps inviting us back — back to Himself, back to His presence, back to His Word.

There’s something about this time of year that makes that invitation feel especially clear. Not because a new calendar has power, but because our hearts are paying attention. We’re looking back at what was. We’re looking ahead at what could be. And in the middle of all of that, God gently says what He has always said: “Return to Me.”  (Joel 2:12)

Not with guilt.
Not with pressure.
Not with performance.
But with trust.

The psalmist wrote, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105)
A lamp doesn’t light the whole road — just the next step. And sometimes that’s exactly what we need. God’s Word doesn’t just give information; it gives direction. It steadies us when everything else feels unsteady.

This year, I want to invite you to take that next step with us.

Beginning this week, we’re launching a daily Bible‑reading vlog — a simple rhythm where we read through the entire Bible in one year together. And we’ll be reading it in chronological order — the story of God as it unfolded in history, not just as the books appear in our Bibles. This helps us see the bigger picture: God’s faithfulness across generations, His patience, His promises, and His heart for people.

You’ll see Pastor Kayte Sanford, myself, and other leaders from our Tucson Community Fellowship family. Each day’s reading will end with one reflection question — something practical and honest, something that helps you pause and let God’s Word settle into your heart.

And we want this to be a conversation, not a one‑way message. If you have questions about anything in the day’s reading — a verse, a theme, something that felt confusing, or something that stood out — you’re invited to ask. You don’t need to know the Bible well. You don’t need to have the “right” words. You don’t even need to be sure what you believe yet. You are welcome here.

Every Friday, we’ll gather the questions that came in throughout the week and share our responses. Not as experts, but as fellow learners — people walking the same road, listening to the same Scriptures, and trusting the same faithful God.

This isn’t about perfection.
It’s about presence.
It’s about showing up.
It’s about letting God’s Word shape us again.

Paul wrote, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” (Colossians 3:16)
That’s the invitation. Not to rush. Not to skim. But to let God’s Word take root — to let it form us from the inside out.

My prayer is simple: that as we read together, God will steady us. That His truth will anchor us. That His voice will become familiar again. And that our faith — quiet, imperfect, growing — will begin to live in new ways.

If you’ve been wanting to reengage with Scripture, this is a good time.
If you’ve been longing for direction, this is a good time.
If you’ve been feeling the pull to return to God’s Word, this is a good time.

Not because the calendar changed.
But because God is faithful.
And He is inviting you.

Let’s walk this year together — one day, one chapter, one step of faith at a time.

Do and Teach

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Jesus is very clear about who and what we are called to do and be. From that we can also discern what we are not to do and be. In Matthew, Jesus speaks to live His commission to His people. It is more than an evangelistic mission statement it is specific instructions as to who we are called to be and what we are told to do.

One of the most common conversations I have with new Christians are around how they are supposed to behave and what they are supposed to do. They want a list of rules, do’s and do not’s. There is a propensity to overcomplicate Christianity with big words and long diatribes that cause more confusion than clarity. Christianity is simple to understand, the difficulty is in the living. Thankfully we don’t have to do it on our own, in fact we can’t! Jesus knew this which is why He did what He did by dying for us, and then sending His Spirit to live within us to help.

Simply, we are called to be His people, “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2Chronicles 4:17)  Also, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35)  We are called by His name, Christians, and we demonstrate our acceptance of that call by loving all His people. That should be our distinguishing characteristic.

Being called is not a command but a summons. We can decide for ourselves whether to respond. If my parents call me by my name and I chose not to answer, there may be consequences for that decision. Living a life without Christ is an unfathomable existence void of hope, peace, and joy. Why would anyone choose to live that kind of life? Still, there are those that choose not to listen. They choose to ignore the call and live for themselves in a world that will devour them. Responding to this call is by no means easy, living it out is even harder. Living out the call of a Christian means following the commands He has given, regardless of the cost to ourselves. Then we take His Commission to the world…a world that hates Him and therefore hates us.

When Jesus gave His Commission to the disciples, it was not for them alone. If it was just for them and not for the rest of us, why share it? Why include it in scripture? The disciples were mortal and could only do so much evangelism in their lifetime. If it was just for them world evangelism would have ended with John. But at the end of His Commission Jesus tells the disciples to teach them (whoever they have gone to and discipled and baptized) everything I have commanded you. This would include what He just told them to do. The Great Commission, as we have come to call it, was for everyone who was called by His name, “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20) 

Jesus was speaking to each one of us who are called by His name. If you claim to be a Christian then the best way for you to demonstrate your distinctiveness is by loving His people; so, go…make disciples of ALL nations, baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit…teach them to obey everything He has commanded us. This is who we are called to be and what we are told to do.

We do what He calls us to do and teach what He taught us to teach. We can search scripture to create lists of how we should behave, what we should and should not say and do. We can become as pharisaical as the religious leaders of Jesus day. When we do that, we are missing the point. We respond to His call, we follow the Greatest Commandment, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40) The way we do this is by Doing what He called us to do and Teaching what He commanded us to teach.

We respond to His summons, we love Him, and those He puts in front of us, we do what He commanded us, and Teach others to do the same. Respond, Love, Do and Teach. This is the core of being a Christ follower. The ins and outs of how we do that may vary by person, community, culture, and language.

Please help me share the good news of Jesus and how He can change your life, and our world!

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Reach Out!

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This morning, while clearing out old drafts, I came across this post that for some reason never got published. While it may seem out of date, I wanted to bring it forward. We may have come through the pandemic, but we are still feeling the effects of a very changed world. Changed for many reasons that I don’t think I need to name. This blog was written on a bad day of work, virtual schooling, endless laundry, and wriggly children, but the basic premise remains the same.

During challenging times, I call upon the Church to reach out to their communities, and for communities to reach out to the Church.

January 21, 2021

Today was a challenging day. It kind of reminded me of the book Alexander and the terrible horrible no good very bad day. One of the days where it seems that Murphy’s proverbial law was reigning supreme and whatever could go wrong did. The best I could do was to make a late day cup of coffee and step outside for a few deep breaths and to enjoy a stolen moment of quiet and calm.

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  1 Thessalonians 5:18

While I was outside watching the clouds roll by on a mostly rainy day, I began to think of how other parents might be handling this world we are living in today. If we’re lucky, we’re still employed, we may have children either completely or partly virtually schooled from home, we are more than likely under some kind of COVID-19 protocol that limits our ability to interact with friends and family.  We are struggling to be a parent, employee, teacher, principal, housekeeper, chef, caregiver, peacemaker, friend, wife, husband, son, daughter, brother, or sister. While some of this is a natural response to who we are, a lot of it is a result of circumstances far out of our control, and certainly never expected or planned.

In the middle of thanking God for his incredible provision to my family during this time, it occurred to me that knowing everyone is in the same boat, doesn’t really make it easier. So many parents are struggling right now to find balance, to be the best they can be, and to try and keep everything under control in an incredibly chaotic time. Families need help in what seems to be a groundhog experience of Alexander’s very bad day.

I want to issue a challenge, more like a suggestion really. I have been reading and hearing stories of churches and church families that have begun outreach ministries to their communities with the sole purpose of providing support, resources, and relief to families who may be on the brink of exhaustion. They are turning their fellowship halls into virtual classrooms staffed by volunteers who want to help. They are providing virtual tutoring services from their homes, counseling services, lunchtime meals on wheels and after school bible studies. The church is uniquely positioned to provide support and resources during this time, “Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.“ Philippians 2:1-4

I have continued to believe that God, during this pandemic is capable, and desirous of bringing about revival in His church. While we may feel limited in our ability to evangelize the world, He is not limited by anything. “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted.” Job 42:2

Parents, I encourage you to reach out to your churches and ask for help. Churches, reach out to the parents in your congregations, find a local school and ask where there is need. We are so much better together than we are divided. We can accomplish so much more when we work together than when we’re fighting one another. Our children need us, our communities need us, we need to stop looking outside for someone or something to fix what’s broken. We have what we need to care for each other.

Please help me share the good news of Jesus and how He can change your life, and our world!

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Christian Begins with Christ

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Being a Christian begins with remembering who God is, and what he has done for you.

“Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations.” Deuteronomy 7:9

I have been wrestling with how to share Jesus with those who are struggling in dark times, when they have lost hope and see no way forward. My knee jerk reaction is to tell them that Jesus is the hope they are looking for. Jesus is the answer to the problems of our sin sick world. Jesus brings healing, restoration, joy, and freedom. My words fall flat as blank stares, filled with pain, look back at me. Are these the same faces that Jesus observed as he ministered across Judea?

“And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.  Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;  therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Matthew 9:35-38

This week I listened to a message about praying for laborers (Matthew 9:35-38). The need is so great in our world, people are lost and hopeless. The harvest is indeed plentiful, you can see it in the faces of those who come to the church for food, and clothing. You can hear it in their voices as they share their troubles, hopelessness has a tone. It is the dull drumming of a world that has become deaf to the needs of others. It is the endless cries for help we no longer hear. The overwhelming need of people today across the world can easily become a cacophony of noise so overwhelming that we choose to tune it out for fear it will overwhelm us. The world needs a savior.

The world has a savior, Jesus.

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” John 10:10

“ I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Jesus came to seek and save the lost, so that we may have life abundantly, that we may have peace in tribulation because he has overcome the world.

We cannot overcome all the hopelessness that exists in the world today. We cannot fix everything that is broken, we cannot fill every need, and we cannot be the savior of each hurt person we meet. When we turn our focus on who we are and what we can do, we will drown in a sea of despair. Without Christ we can do nothing.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

Apart from Christ we can do nothing. Everything begins and ends with Him. Trying to fix the world, fix my community, fix my family, fix my neighbor out of my own broken jar of clay is like trying to bail out my boat with a bucket full of holes. It may feel like I am helping, and I am working hard, but the boat is going to sink, taking me along with it.

“Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations.” Deuteronomy 7:9

God is who he says he is. He is faithful and steadfast in his love for us. We are not called to save the world; we are called to obey him… How do we do that, you ask?

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35

Being a Christian begins with remembering who God is, and what he had done for you, and loving others as he loves us.

“We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.” 1 John 4:19-21

The world doesn’t need another savior. We are loved, redeemed, saved for this life and all eternity. We have been given all we need (2 Peter 1:3) for this life to live how He has called us, to be Christ to those who need us, to love others as He loved us.

I challenge you (and me) to approach each day with the knowledge of who God is and his love for you. Then, from that over abundant fountain of love pour out onto those around you. approach everyone you meet with God’s heart; serve the needs of the people He puts in front of you. It is not our job to save the world, Jesus did that already. It is our job to meet people where they are, love them as they are, and walk with them to the foot of the cross.

I pray that today that the Holy Spirit will give us an opportunity to meet the needs of someone. That he would divinely appoint opportunities for us to share Christ’s love with someone, and that we would respond with the same love that Christ first showed us.

Please help me share the good news of Jesus and how He can change your life, and our world!

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Come back and visit at ListenLearn.Live Ministries

Prayer is a Privilege

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According to Oxford dictionary the definition of prayer is, “a solemn request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God.” I’ve also read, “In the Bible prayer is worship that includes all the attitudes of the human spirit in its approach to God…This highest activity of which the human spirit is capable may also be thought of as communion with God, so long as due emphasis is laid upon divine initiative. A man prays because God has already touched his spirit.”

A man prays because God has already touched his spirit. When someone asks you to pray for them the Spirit has moved, and is stirring your spirit to respond. A request for prayer is not random, coincidental, lucky (or to some unlucky), it is not an obligation, or chore, it is a divine appointment. Knowing this, why are we hesitant about responding?

We’ll say, “I’ll remember you in my prayers (later)”, “I’ll be praying for you (later)”, “I’ll lift up you and your family, situation, struggle, etc., (later)”. Then we go on about our business, hoping to remember to pray for them the next time we make time, to go before the Lord. The best way to remember what you have to do, is to do it before you have a chance to forget it.  When someone asks us to pray for them, it is the Holy Spirit moving them, and giving us the opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus to that person, in that moment.

Don’t waste this precious gift of appointed by the Spirit, that is practiced by the Son, and glorifies the Father. Every time someone asks for you to pray for them, they are placing their hearts in your hands. Clasp it tightly, weave your fingers together, and bring them before God in that very moment. Honor the movement of the Spirit in your life and do what Jesus would do.

How many times have you told someone you would pray for them, to later forget. I know, life gets busy, we get distracted, there are a dozen reasons that we can give, it’s happened to most of us. We need to believe that those moments are precious gifts. They are Spirit lead appointments that were (are) orchestrated for us to demonstrate the Father’s love for others.

Recently I have been walking with a family through the worst of times, they were losing a child. This young man was one of the teens from my youth group for years. I had gotten to know this young man and his younger brother, my heart was broken for them. There was nothing I could do to fix, repair, replace, restore their hearts. All I could do was pray.

A couple weeks ago I received a call, “Pastor Betsy, please come!” I went. Walking into the hospital that day I knew what was awaiting me, I knew what was awaiting this family, as I had walked this road myself with our own daughter many years before. I prayed walking toward the building that the Holy Spirit would give me the strength to walk through the doors, the ability to speak life and love into their lives, to check my own emotions at the door and be fully present with them. And He did just that.

The Spirit moved that day, I was able to be there as a friend, pastor, and sister in Christ. This was a divine appointment, and although it was heart breaking, there was no other place I wanted to be. I had the Spirit appointed privilege to be present as this family prepared to say goodbye, and their son joined Jesus in eternity.

Every opportunity to lift up a person, a situation (which is almost always about people), is an opportunity to be Christ to someone, for someone, on behalf of someone. Jesus often went off to pray, (Matt 14:22-23). He demonstrates for us the importance of interceding with and for others, in Romans 8:31-39 we read that Jesus is at the right hand of God interceding for us. Jesus is He who is perfect but also knows fully what it means to be human. So, He is the perfect advocate for us to the Father. He intercedes for us continually (Hebrews 7:23-25).

What does this mean for us? It means that to be a disciple of Jesus Christ we ought to do what he does. Prayer is an opportunity for us to tangibly advocate and intercede on behalf of our brothers and sisters. Prayer is an opportunity for us to be in relationship with our creator (that’s mind blowing in and of itself). God created the very voices we speak with, their tone, their resonance, their tenor, he wants to hear from you! It brings his heart joy when we come before him with our praise, with our fears, with our troubles, and especially on behalf of others.

He doesn’t care about fancy words, or pithy statements. He doesn’t care what language you speak. He doesn’t care where you are; in your car, shower, on your knees, in the middle of a shouting match with your kids. He wants to be an acknowledged presence in your life that you can turn too at any point in time.

I shared with you recently about my monthly dinner with some of my sisters in Christ and the wonderful conversation we had. At the end of that dinner, as the dining room was filling up, we didn’t actually notice we were so engrossed in our conversation, we prayed. Each one of us, praying over the others, about what we shared, to know Jesus more, to grow in his grace and love. We prayed, and we called on his name, and when we were done, we noticed that this little dining room had gone quiet. People who had been waiting for us to leave so they could sit, just stared. We apologized for taking so long as we quickly gathered our things, “no don’t rush on our behalf, really we can wait till you’re done.”

Prayer also changes those around you. When others see you stopping your life to lift up a brother or sister to the hands of the Father, they take notice, they take account, they get convicted, seeds are planted, and they are changed.

Prayer is a privilege, a divine appointment orchestrated by the Holy Spirit for the benefit of many. Don’t miss your opportunities to partake of God’s Sovereign plan for your life and the lives of those around you.

Please help me share the good news of Jesus and how He can change your life, and our world!

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Come back and visit at ListenLearn.Live Ministries

Thoughts From the Car Wash

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I was talking with a group of friends on Monday as we had dinner, and one of them made the comment that they are starving to better know and understand God’s word. In fact, I believe the comment she made was that she is ‘ravenous’ to know more.  Which is ironic in that it was also how we approached our incredible BBQ dinner from Smokey Mo thank you very much!

As I drove home that night I continued to ponder her words and the depth to which her soul was crying out to know Jesus better, to know the living word better, to be filled with the Holy Spirit more completely. Nothing in this world is going to satisfy her, she wants only our Lord. I was convicted by her words, how many of us walk through our day to day lives, hungry for something but we can’t figure out what? Feeling like we’re missing something, longing to be satisfied but nothing in this world can fill us, so we search on in vain for something to fill a hole we can’t quite identify.

This morning, while sitting at the carwash, I pulled out my devotional and took advantage of the fact that no one was going to get their car washed at 7:30 in the morning, so I had the lobby all to myself. As I read through the message, I began thinking about how much I want to want God more than anything else. Truly I want him to the absolute center of my life and being. I want to know him more each day, I want to be all he wants me to be. It reminded me of how we feel (or at least I felt) the very first time we have a real crush, or a first love.

In those beginning days and weeks, we are obsessed with getting to know them, wanting to be near them all the time, talking on the phone, spending every moment together, being whatever they want you to be. We are so consumed (or at least I was) by the person that we lose ourselves in them. Talking for hours, never getting bored, thinking of them all the time. Imagining ways to make them happy and how to please them. A feeling so all consuming and compelling that nothing else matters, not family, or friends, or school, or anything else in all creation is as important as they are, then I thought about what Jesus said is the most important commandment, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.” (Matthew 22:37-38) We all have the capacity and desire to love like that, it’s what or who we chose to love that usually throws us spinning off course.

Unfortunately for most of us, the ‘love’ soon fades, people are flawed, broken, unable to return or maintain that kind of love with one another. We’ll get tired, conflicted, other pastures look greener, we feel neglected, or taken advantage of. Sometimes we’re the ones neglecting because the feeling that was so powerful at first has somehow lost its power.

We wonder where we went wrong, often try too hard for too long to keep the relationship afloat, ultimately it doesn’t. There is only one thing that can fulfill that level of all consuming, relentless, audacious love…God, in the person of Jesus Christ. People will let us down, wander off, get bored, lose interest, and move on. Jesus never will. He returns our imperfect, flawed, broken, misplace, selfish love with his perfect, all fulfilling, all-consuming love. He will never get bored, stray, change, forget, wander off, let down, or disappear. He is obsessed with loving us, we are his joy. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12:1-3) We are the reason he went to the cross.

I don’t know about you, but I want to love Jesus like that. Like my first crush, completely obsessed with knowing him, showing my love, being who he wants me to be, and living to please him. Only then can I fulfill my purpose in life. That’s why I was created, that’s why you were created, and it is only when we are fulfilling that purpose in our lives that we can be whole.  Not when we are obsessively trying to please creation; man, woman, children, job, school, country, or world, but only when our only concern is HIM and his purpose for our life.

“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.” (Philippians 1:9-11)

The Jesus shaped space in our hearts cannot be filled by anything else, nothing! No matter how hard you try to convince yourself…you will never truly be happy unless Jesus is in His rightful place in your life.

Please help me share the good news of Jesus and how He can change your life, and our world!

Like, share, comment, and add your email to receive blog posts, podcasts, and more!

Come back and visit at ListenLearn.Live Ministries