I couldn’t breathe…

Another black man killed on camera. Yet, I was supposed to keep my mouth shut. With a knee on his neck—or maybe his back—I was told to pipe down and wait for the facts. Yet, I was gasping, unable to catch a deep breath. But I’m still alive.

More riots. More violence. I didn’t condone it, but I did believe our lives matter. I still do. Yet when I speak my mind, I’m slammed flat on my back, the wind is knocked out of me again, staring at my teammates who don’t seem to want to help me up. 

I couldn’t breathe.

With an angry heart and clenched fists, I was determined to speak my mind. I shouted. I yelled. I screamed.

Until I was out of breath. 

Yet my anger didn’t produce righteousness. As I looked at the carnage of strained relationships and hurtful words in the aftermath of my EF5 anger, I realized that I, too, was part of the problem. “They won’t listen to me!”, I screamed. God’s voice thundered, “Be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger”. “They don’t love me as they should!”, I cried. The Lord spoke again, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself”. 

Again, I was breathless.

This time I felt like Isaiah. As I beheld God in His glory, I was in utter silence. Though I was wronged, I had no reason to wrong others. Though I was hurt, I wasn’t justified in hurting others. Though I was angry, I had no right to sin in that anger. It was then that I remembered that in order to become more righteous, I needed to value Someone greater than the man in the mirror. The only way to be transformed is to keep beholding the Son of God in His glory, not by baling up my fists, furrowing my brow, and holding my breath.

I can breathe again. 

I hope to never see another breathless black man whose life has been ripped from him through injustice. But if I do, Lord willing, I will know how to catch my breath.

Just breathe.

Though I personally don't celebrate Lent (see Romans 14:5 for my views on this), I love the season leading up to Easter. These are some special days to reflect upon the glories of Christ as we await one of the greatest celebrations of the Christian faith. Just as Advent is a good season to reflect upon the coming of the King, so the 40 days prior to Easter—otherwise known as Lent—are perfect for meditating on the work of Christ leading up to His death and resurrection. Scripture is emphatic: without the resurrection we have no foundation to stand on. Just read Paul's words to the Corinthian church:

"Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied." (1 Corinthians 15:12-19)

Friends for the Journey

If you've kept up with Dwell With Christ over the years, you've probably heard of Tim Chester. He is one of my favorite present-day authors, and reading his books is like meeting with a friend for coffee. His writing is deeply theological, applicable, and devotional. He often taps into the old writers, and those gleanings are extremely good for my soul. His most recent book An Ocean of Grace: A Journey to Easter with Great Voices from the Past is yet another wonderful resource for meditating on the glorious truths of Easter. 

The truths of Easter haven't changed, so why another book? Chester's aim is not to bring us new information. Rather, his hope is that "familiar truths will come with fresh power to capture our imaginations and captivate our hearts" (p. 9). After a year of COVID-19 and everything that has unfolded since then, I could certainly use a strong dose of Christ's glory. I need to intentionally fix my eyes on Jesus, and Tim Chester has brought some old friends along to help me do just that.

A break from the norm, An Ocean of Grace is full of poetry, prayers, and meditation from theological giants and saints whose faith has now become sight. In this rich devotional, we hear from the likes of Martin Luther, Charles Spurgeon, Gregory of Nazianzus (329-390), Stephen Charnock, Augustine, John Calvin, and more. How often do you get a sampling of the early church fathers, Reformers, Puritans, and the Victorian Era in one place?

These short, heart-warming, soul-stirring reads are sure to point your soul to Jesus. Thankfully, Chester has lightly edited some of the wording so we don't have to do the challenging, and often daunting, work of decoding the complex old English that comes with reading the old writers.

If you grab this devotional, you're surely in for a treat. Grab your coffee, find a warm nook, and behold the Christ. As you do so, let your mind and emotions be stirred to pray and worship the King. As we behold His glory this Easter, we are being transformed into His image from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18)!

I heard the crash.

My stomach sank immediately. The splash of shattering ceramic sounded different, even at a distance. My mug was broken. My heart was a little broken, too.
But why? This one isn’t special, nor is it different than 3 other mugs in the cupboard. Its plain, black exterior has nothing flashy or worthy of extra attention.

This moment reveals my heart in a couple of unique ways. There’s a war going on inside. I’m more consumeristic than I'd like to admit. Yet I also appreciate the little things more than I realized—like my little black mug. Scripture calls us to hold onto things loosely (Matthew 6:19-21) while striving for contentment with what we have (1 Timothy 6:8).

The coffee mug says a lot about me. God is teaching me not to hold too tightly to the things of this world. Life is a vapor, and so is my health. Money will be useless when the Lord calls me home. Earthly relationships will all someday come to an end. Everything I contribute to this world will one day vanish. It’s all a vapor that’s here today and gone tomrorow. It will all pass away with this world (1 John 2:17), and the Lord is beckoning me, “Loosen your grip”.

At the same time, a simple, black coffee mug reminds me of contentment. I am learning to embrace the ordinary, mundane moments God has ordained for me. That simple sips of steaming, rich coffee from that insignificant Walmart mug reminds me of Bible reading, prayer time, meditation, good books, and spiritual warfare. A lot of spiritual growth has happened when I enjoy some coffee in the early morning hours with the Lord.

It also reminds me of discipleship and life with people. The presence of friends—a life lived in the fellowship with God and His people unrestrained by masks, social distancing, and viral load-- is something I so desperately miss. Time with others can be so easy to squander and so tough to savor in the everyday grind of life.

Long for contentment. Pray for community. Embrace the mundane. Cherish the moments. Remember the Master.

There's a young man I know who is very productive. In everything he does, he strives for success—and he often achieves it. He's a national champion triple jumper at a liberal arts college who is majoring in sociology and minoring in religion. He's deeply connected to other believers through college ministry, decently committed to a local church (though I'd counsel him to take membership more seriously!), and dedicated to sound doctrine and defending the faith.

He has one glaring heart issue—his prayer life is very weak. 

There's another young man I know in his mid-20's. He's not married yet, but he's searching for a wife. He works a full-time office job at a local factory and is pursuing a master's degree in teaching. In his free time, he hangs out and talks theology with the family who leads a small group in his community. Sometimes, he attends Bible study with his father at the home of an older couple down the street from his home. As a musician, he often spends his evenings and weekends working on songs that are rich with theology and glorify the Lord. He loves to read his Bible, and he's starting to build a decent theological library.

He, too, has a very weak prayer life.

One other guy I know is in his early 30's. He's a husband, father of 4, co-pastor of a small church, teacher, music producer, Christian rapper, tutor, track coach, writer, and mentor—it's exhausting to even write this list! He's also studying to be a health coach. He spins all of these plates, though there are times you hear a loud crash coming from the kitchen. In addition to this busy life he leads, he has an insatiable hunger for learning and usually reads and listens to 30-40 books a year. Making music and reading help keep him sane in the midst of all the chaos, but his doctor recently said he needs to get his stress under control and tone things down a bit. He's well-read on the topic of prayer, loves the Puritans, and his blog is actually about the importance of being devoted to Christ.

Ironically, this friend has a weak prayer life as well.

What About You?

If you're a close friend of mine, you'll know that the 3 guys are actually me. Each description is a different snapshot of my life since I've been a Christian. In the earliest days of my walk with God, I was a teenage boy with just a Bible and prayer. As I "progressed" in my faith, prayer has often been crowded out by less important duties and desires. Everything in me wants to defend myself and say, "My prayer life wasn't THAT bad!". I want to add a million qualifiers about how I did pray, just not as much as I want to. That is true, but it doesn't change the reality that my prayer life has indeed been very weak. There are seasons that prayer has been strong because I had nowhere to look but up. There are also seasons where prayer has been on the back burner. When I look back on the past 14 years of my faith, I see a man who has spent hours and hours making beats, reading books, hanging with friends, studying theology, staring at a mini-computer sending instant messages to my friends, and scrolling newsfeeds.

However, when it comes to prayer—one of the most basic aspects of my walk with God—I've struggled. My prayer life looks a lot like a roller coaster. Fits and starts, peaks and valleys dot the landscape of my prayer journey. But God is gracious, and He is calling me to more prayer. Is He calling you to do the same?

I'm not going to heap my sin on you. Some of you are genuine prayer warriors, devoted to prayer every day. I want to be like that. I don't want to spend an average of 1260 minutes (3 hours a day) on my phone each week while averaging a mere 35 minutes (5 minutes a day) a week in prayer. I want to be in prayer 36 times more than I'm on my phone, not vice-versa. God deserves more than that. Satan is overjoyed with that.  My flesh is weaker because of it. The more I preach, read, and learn about prayer, the more I realize that I haven't prayed much. I haven't prayed enough. I need to pray more. I'm admitting it. 

God is Better

If I could say anything to those 3 guys above, I'd say this: Stop being so productive and learn to pray.

Literally. Your soul depends on it.

Your family will be better off with a praying husband and father. Your church will profit more from you being a prayerful leader. Your employer will be better served if you take your prayer life seriously. Every realm of your life will be significantly better if you will simply commit yourself to being steadfast in prayer (Colossians 4:2). I don't mean easier, more successful, or perfect. Your circumstances may actually get worse, but your soul, frame of mind, and outlook on life will be shaped by that time in the presence of God. Your fruitfulness and soul satisfaction are tied to an abiding relationship with Christ (John 15:1-17). John 15 is one of your favorite passages, but you need to heed the words of your mentor: Don't be the guy who writes about abiding in Christ but doesn't abide in Him.

God is better than whatever is keeping you away from prayer.
He is better than your bank account.
He is better than your reading goals.
He is better than hip-hop success.
He is better than a fruitful ministry.
He is better than getting a book written.
He is better than being healthy.
He is better than your outreach efforts.
He is better than the church you want to plant.

If you want true satisfaction you must pray! The joy and happiness you work and long for is found in Christ alone. Be with Him. Don't waste your life, slaving away at dreams that won't ever satisfy you while Christ is standing at the door knocking. Be with God. He waits to be gracious to you and exalts Himself to show mercy to you as He did Israel (Isaiah 30:18). He is your shield. He is your rock. He is your help. He is your hope. He is who you will see and savor for all eternity when the Savior returns. Be with Him. Live today in the presence of God, and you'll have the longing for heaven that you have always desired and dreamed about. 

Perhaps this note-to-self will benefit you as well. By grace, in the Spirit, let's be a praying people.

Photo by Rakicevic Nenad from Pexels

New year, new you. Well, not exactly.

I'm a goal setter by nature. At the end of each year, I find myself naturally reflecting on the previous year. Sometimes, this is met with thankfulness and joy because I've seen some success in my life. Often, though, I find myself wishing I would've stayed the course a little better in March and April. Regardless of how I feel, I'm always ready to look through my priorities and develop my goal list for the following year. 

Different Perspectives on Goal Setting
​
People respond differently to the idea of setting goals. One of my pastor friends said that making resolutions and setting goals is stupid because we don't usually make it past the shortest month of the year before we've jumped ship. We've all seen people losing weight for too many Januarys only to find it again by March and April, so he's got a point. But he's a bit too pessimistic. When goals are reasonable, specific, and measurable, we get closer to success.

Another one of my friends has a knack for systems and structures, and he is a diehard planner. He has his days mapped out with a plan for how he will use his time most effectively and move toward his goals. He takes goal setting seriously. Unfortunately, I'm not even disciplined enough to create a daily plan, let alone actually trying to keep it. He's showing me some ways to keep my goals in the forefront of my mind throughout the new year. This is helpful since I love setting goals and planning my year but don't always do such a great job following through.

Rethinking My Yearly Goal Setting Ritual

This year, I've decided to think differently about my goals. I'll still have my overarching goals with my shorter term objectives. I'm planning to have some monthly check-ins to evaluate how I'm doing. However, I'm considering how to turn my objectives into short, doable habits that can be added to my daily routines. This won't work for every goal, but it should get me moving in the right direction.

For example, if my goal is to write and record an album by June 2021, I won't plan to work on music every day of the week. That's not feasible because I get lost for hours when working on music. It would wreak havoc on my goals. However, one of my goals is to spend more quality time with my daughters. My habit can be to spend 15 minutes at the end of each day spending intentional, distraction free Daddy time with my girls. Will I spend more than that with my daughters? Of course. But if I add 15 minutes a day of quality time with my girls and hit that goal 80% of the time, I'll spend an extra 73 hours—over 3 days—of additional undistracted time with them.

2 Major Influences: Big Picture Themes and Priorities

I have some big picture themes that I hope will permeate all areas of my life. In flawless Baptist preacher alliteration, here are my themes for 2020:

• Prayer: I need to spend more time with God and less time seeking Google, friends, or family for everything. 
• Presence: I want to abide more deeply in Christ and be more present with the important people in my life.
• Passion: I want to pursue the Lord and His will with a passion—including all of the priorities listed below.
• Patience: If I don't want to make a train wreck of my relationships, I need to put on patience.
• Perseverance: With friends and ministry leaders falling away from the faith, I need to keep pressing on in the faith.
• Purity: I want to pursue purity of heart, thoughts, and motives in every area of my life.

I also prioritize key areas of my life. My priorities don't change much, though there may be dynamics that need to shift in some of these areas priorities. My priorities include:

• Spiritual Life
• Marriage
• Parenting
• Ministry/Fellowship
• Work
• Finances
• Health and Wellness
• Writing and Music

As you can see, I have a lot going on. I'm going to have to walk by the Spirit if I don't want to crash and burn. However, if I can chip away day-by-day, week-by-week, and month-by-month, with the Lord's help, I can make progress.

God Has the Final Say

Lest I be self-reliant and focus too much on my methods and plans, here are a couple of passages that I keep in mind this time of year:

With these scriptures in mind, one truth must undergird all of this planning and goal setting: without God, I can do nothing (John 15:5). Nothing means nothing. If the Lord doesn't sustain my life, I won't even wake up tomorrow. If the Lord doesn't empower me to do good, my efforts will be no better than the self-righteous Pharisees who patted themselves on the back as they waited for the praise of men.

This very morning I was tempted to look in the mirror and think about how great I am. I had to immediately repent and pray for the pure heart required to be a truly godly man. Then, during corporate worship, my pastor reminded me that I'm not righteous apart from Christ. I'm a lost sheep brought home on the shoulders of a rejoicing Savior (Luke 15:6). I need the gospel in all of my plans and pursuits.

The Lord has the final say on what goals I reach and what goals I don't. He gets the glory for every success and goal that I reach. And if I've set goals that aren't in line with His purposes, I should be praying that He would purify my heart and show me the goals He would have for me. All of this comes through time in the Word and prayer in the personal devotion and community with other believers. God's means of showing me His will are right here in front of me if I will open my eyes, humble my heart, and resolve my will to obey His Word.

Have you set any goals, resolutions or plans for 2021? What methods are you using to track them and keep yourself accountable? Let me know in the comments! Happy New Year!

Another year has come and gone, though 2020 is one for the history books. Think about that we've seen in the past 366 days—yes, 2020 was a long year! We saw impeachment accusations, Covid-19, lockdowns, racial strife, lockdowns, more racial tension, lockdowns, a tumultuous election complete with fraud accusations, more lockdowns, and a terror attack on Christmas Eve. Did I mention lockdowns? And that's just here in America! Others fared less well than we did. I didn't even mention deaths, sickness, family strife, canceled dinners, lockdown boredom, tense conversations, job loss, and other trials that come in everyday life.

As Christians, many of us had seasons of virtual church followed by socially-distant (a new phrase for 2020!) indoor or outdoor services. Some of our churches may still be having virtual services. Some of them never shut down at all. For most of us, small groups, potlucks, and get-togethers were also canceled indefinitely. Spending quality time with groups of people has seemingly come to a halt.

But is that all we should remember from 2020?

Though 2020 was a crazy year, there is plenty to reflect upon with joy and thanksgiving. How many relationships were you able to invest in through Zoom calls, Facetime, texting or calling? Were you able to spend time with your spouse, children, friends or families? Did you meet anyone new? Perhaps the Lord used these days of adversity to strengthen you and increase your faith. For me personally, 2020 is a good reminder of Ecclesiastes 7:14:

"In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him."

God was as sovereign in 2020 as He was in 2019 and as He will be in 2021. We can rest in the fact that He is with us in the days of prosperity as well as in the days of adversity. He will often use these lean times to prune us and prepare us to bear much fruit. Isn't that one of the benefits of abiding in the vine? Check out John 15:2.

Though 2020 was a crazy year, there is plenty of room for repentance and spiritual growth. 2020 revealed some sinful habits and attitudes buried beneath the surface of my heart. What about yours? There were moments of intense frustration and pride because people didn't agree with me. I experienced days and weeks of melancholy and discouragement from one-two punch of Covid-19 and race discussions. It's heavy being "the black evangelical friend" who doesn't fit the mold, but I need to entrust that weight to the gentle and lowly Savior who gives me rest. I've realized that while I want people to listen to me, I am often slow to hear, quick to speak, and quick to anger. Needless to say, I can take this all to the Lord in prayer in 2021.

God is still gracious to me in my sinfulness. If I draw near to Him, He will draw near to me. He will graciously grant me repentance when I come to Him with a broken spirit and contrite heart, because He is pleased with that. And it is by His Spirit and through His Word that He even draws me to conviction. 

Though 2020 was a crazy year, God is unchanging. God is unchanging. His character and attributes don't shift with wind of the times. When the earth crumbles beneath us, He hasn't lost control. The enemy wants us to fear that God is somehow out of loop or socially distant from us, but He is alive and well. Don't forget that. He is all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-present. He's here when we need Him. Jesus and the Holy Spirit are ever interceding on our behalf—we're in good hands!

As we usher in 2021, let's be mindful of God. We could face many more challenging days in 2021 than we did in 2020. If we send 2020 off with "Good riddance!", we may be in for a shock when 2021 arrives. I long for a "normal" year, even though I can hardly remember what that's even like. With continuing lockdowns, vaccine talks, presidential transitions, key verdicts, and unknown days ahead, we need to focus on knowing God. He is the only source of stability in all of this, and that gives us great hope. Though we'll still feel the weight of the days too, abiding in the vine is where our strength is found.

As we welcome 2021, keep dwelling with Christ. He will carry us through. 

Merry Christmas! Today is a day of celebration! As we spent the past 24 days (or more) remembering and rehearsing the anticipation of Christ's first advent, we now celebrate the Savior who was born. Today is a day of feasting and joy, for we know the rest of the story. We who have trusted in Jesus have received the greatest gift ever given to anyone on earth—the love of God.

In Christ's coming the love of God was made manifest among us. God's act of sending Jesus to the earth was the visible manifestation of the Father's love to us. Love is more than a feeling. It is action. And God acted! He didn't just tell us He loved us. He didn't just say He felt love toward us. He showed His love to us! And this love came to underserving sinners like you and me. God is love, and He shared Himself with us in Immanuel—God with us.

God sent his only Son into the world. He came to us in His Son. He didn't make us climb the ladder of good deeds, religious sacrifices, or sinless perfection. Who could actually do that? Don't you remember what happened in Babel? Haven't you read of Israelites who thought their law-keeping could get them to heaven?

We always fail. Every time. Epically.

Sometimes we praise ourselves with pats on the backs and religious trophies. At other times, we simply beat ourselves up with self-pity and self-hatred. But God already knew that and gave us a better way. He took the initiative and came to us. It's  far better to give than to receive. Yet, salvation requires that we receive a free gift without any sort of payment on our part.

Jesus came so we might live through him. He didn't come to be a good teacher, though He was that. He didn't come to give us more rules to follow—in fact, He gave us the spiritual essence of God's law in two great commandments. Though He is no less than a good example for us, He is even far more than that.

Jesus is a Savior. He came that we might have "life and have it abundantly" (John 10:10). That sort of life is more than Christmas gifts. It's more than a nice, comfortable Christian existence. It's more religious liberty in a Christianized nation. Most Christians have never experienced that, nor will they ever have that luxury. Most importantly, He gave us eternal life (John 3:16).

Even as 2020 came crashing down on us, the candle of our security in Christ never flickered. When job security, health, relationships, and everything else are in upheaval, a mighty fortress is our God (Psalm 46)! Why? Because Jesus is here! Herod couldn't stop Him. Pilate couldn't either. His earthly enemies couldn't crush Him. Neither could Caesar. Not even sin, death, or Satan could phase Him. Jesus is more powerful. He is victorious. He is the Savior.

Merry Christmas from Dwell With Christ! Enjoy food, family, and fun. But most importantly, enjoy the love of God made manifest in Christ Jesus!

Photo by Dominika Gregušová from Pexels

Just before my alarm at 6:30 AM, I hear the loud creak of a door followed by the scurrying of little feet across the cold hardwood floor. As I register what's going on, I hear a peppy two-year exclaim, "Good morning, Daddy!". It's immediately followed by "Can you get my cheese?". I always shake my head at that request, but at least it's protein and fat rather than sugar in the morning! As I wipe the sleep from my eyes, muster up the energy to get out of bed and get my coffee going, my influence has already started. Whether I like it or not, those little eyes are watching my every move. They're learning what it means to be godly—at least that's my hope.

Though our children learn from our examples, they also need to learn from our words. Family worship is an amazing opportunity to pass on our faith. When Paul wrote his letter to Timothy, he mentioned the godly legacy of Timothy's grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice (2 Timothy 1:5). They shared the message of the gospel with Timothy, a man who God used mightily to spread the gospel across the globe. Thousands of years before this letter was written to Timothy, we see that God values family worship. From the moment those warm, bright beams of sun break through their curtains to the dimly lit hours of bedtime stories, warm milk, and cuddles to finish off a busy day, God calls parents to teach their kids about the glorious truths of the gospel.

As a father, I have been greatly encouraged by the plethora of solid, biblical resources being written for children. One of my favorite publishers is The Good Book Company. They release a lot of great titles for the whole family! I recently received two books that I'd like to share with you and your family!

Moses and the Very Big Rescue by Tim Thornborough*
This retelling of the story of God rescuing Israel from bondage in Egypt is sure to keep your kids' attention. The illustrations are vivid but not scary. The story is told in a catchy way, even sneaking some counting in there for little ones who are learning their numbers! One thing that stood out to me was that Thornborough preserves the delicate balance between Pharaoh hardening his heart and God hardening Pharaoh's heart. It is good to know that they aren't afraid to let the tension between God's sovereignty and man's responsibility remain for our children (and their parents!) to wrestle through. Further, it shows a commitment to stay closely aligned with the actual story of Scripture. I also love the fact that Thornborough included Moses' and Israel's song as they celebrated God's very big rescue. This book is very appropriate for children as young as two years old. There are enough pictures to keep them interested and enough details to keep the interest of older children.

Deborah and the Very Big Battle by Tim Thornborough*
This rendition of Deborah and Barak's story is also an excellent storybook for children. To add to the engagement of this book, Thornoborough has some clever actions to accompany various scenes in the story. This is a great way to keep little minds from wandering while also getting them engaged in the story. My daughters absolutely loved acting out some of the scenes as they listened to the story. The illustrations are catchy and convey the appropriate emotions of the story as the people worshiped idols and faced the impending wrath of God for their sin. Thornborough did a great job of emphasizing God and His Word, even when pointing out the stories of Barak and Deborah.  Rather than overemphasize Deborah and her heroic efforts (which were indeed amazing), the focus is on the fact that Sisera and his army "could never beat God". Again, they included the song of joy and victory that Israel sang when the Lord brought them victory. The story is engaging and helps our children see the power of God as He brought about the physical and spiritual salvation of His people. 

If you've read this far, you've made it to the giveaway! We are giving away a free copy of Moses and the Very Big Rescue and Deborah and the Very Big Battle. In addition to those, you will also receive The Biggest Story by Kevin DeYoung and Family Worship by Donald Whitney.

If you're already subscribed to Dwell With Christ, you will be automatically entered. If not, sign up below for a chance to win some awesome books! Be sure to check your email to confirm your subscription! This giveaway will end on Sunday, December 27th, so be sure to sign up soon!

​*I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to leave a positive review.

The Light entered the dark womb of a young virgin—a miraculous conception to say the least! Though the sun's rays could hardly pierce the skin of this unexpected expecting bride-to-be, she was as bright as she had ever been. The Light Who is the life of men was nestled within her body and soul.

She was dually filled with the Son of the Most High  (Luke 1:31-32). Not only had the Light entered her body through the miraculous, overshadowing work of the Spirit of God, but He had also entered her soul through the mysterious blowing of that same Spirit who blows where He wishes. She was lit up with joy from the inside out!

The Light didn't stay put for very long, though. The heavenly lights aligned on the night of His birth, and the magi followed it. They had been searching for the King. They wanted to worship, and they came prepared. Yet the luster of their shiny and aromatic gifts paled in comparison to the dazzling glory of the gift lying before them, wrapped in swaddling cloth.

A few shepherds also got a glimpse of the Light. The glory of God shone around them, brighter than the sun, bringing great terror. Yet the message they received was far from dreadful: "The Light of the world is here! This is good news! The Messiah, the Lord is here! He's lying in a manger in Bethlehem." They found Him and walked away with their souls glowing with beams of unspeakable gladness.

The Light who shined bright on that first Christmas night is the same God who said, "Let there be light." That's earth-shattering. The Son of God who created all things and who upholds the whole universe broke through the gloomy darkness once again to show us the love of God that would be shed abroad in the hearts of all who believe through the Holy Spirit! The Son of Mary is the Son of God. He is Light. He is Life. He is Love. He is God.

The Savior in the manger that night wasn't just for Mary, the shepherds, or the magi. He is our Light. We need Him to break through the sin in our hearts. We need the gleaming power of God's gospel to bring us forgiveness, hope, and joy—especially in these dark days.

Are you basking in the rays of the Son this Advent season?

Apathy at Advent

The Christmas season is upon us. For many Christians, myself included, Advent is a season of excitement and joy as we celebrate the incarnation (putting on flesh) of the Son of God. While it's easy to get wrapped up in the excitement of gifts, food, family time, and fun, there's another subtle distraction that can keep us from enjoying Christ during the Advent season—apathy.

Who could be apathetic during such a joyful time of year? I can't speak for anyone else, but I know I tend to struggle with apathy. It's a sneaky little thought that creeps in every year: "I've read the Christmas story a million times. There's nothing more to get out of it. A virgin birth. Check. Shepherds. Check. Three wise men. Check." Some years I gloss over these magnificent and eternity-altering words without even a spark of excitement or joy. I can hear John Piper exhorting me to "LINGER....LINGER...LINGER!!" 

You may be thinking that Advent and Christmas aren't even biblical holidays, so we shouldn't even be worried about lacking holiday joy. You're right in saying that the Bible doesn't command Christians to celebrate Advent or Christmas. I've had some friends make a huge fuss about this, but you can't convince me that it's sinful to celebrate the Son of God coming in the flesh. However, I am fully convinced that there's something wrong with my heart when I don't get excited about Jesus.

The Gift of Gifts

I'm ashamed to admit that I get excited about lesser things. If you turn on a UK game, I'll find myself drawn to the screen. If you buy me a new tech gadget, I'll spend a day or two getting it set up and playing with it. If you hand me a new book, I'll spend some time flipping through the table of contents and reading the opening chapters. If those things bring me excitement, why doesn't Jesus?

Part of my problem is that I let lesser gifts capture my attention. Flame, a Christian rapper, once said that we are like a pig in a pin who will pass up a steak to eat slop. C.S. Lewis said we settle for mud pies. I don't want pig slop or mud pie faith. I want the joy of the Shepherds and the Magi who dropped everything to celebrate the Life and Light of men who burst on the scene to save His people from their sins and be with them. I want to rejoice in the God who came to be with sinners in order to save them.

For me, Advent is a time to be lifted from the miry bog and set on the firm ground. This is especially true in 2020 as I honestly reflect on my heart during this chaotic year. Too often, my eyes have been set on this earth below rather than on the things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Advent is a time to grab my Bible, a great devotional, and a notebook to feast on the glory of Christ. He is the greatest of all gifts.

Cherish Him

As I've talked to friends and family this year, 2020 seems to be a year that has felt more challenging than others. Worldwide lockdowns, a deadly pandemic, racial tension, protests and riots, local and national elections, and a whole host of other happenings have tended to draw my eyes from the glory of Christ. Instead of keeping my eyes on Jesus, at times I have beheld the spectacles laid out to distract me. This Christmas season will allow me some focused, intentional time away from all of that, Lord willing. 

I'll share my plans for Advent. Maybe you can add one or all of these plans to your list. Maybe not. Regardless of what you're doing, make sure you focus on cherishing Christ, regardless of the season. Advent will come and go. So will Lent. As fast as 2020 blew by, so will 2021, 2022, and so on until Christ returns. We have to take time daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly to simply slow down and give ourselves to time with the Lord.

6 Ways to Meet With God During Advent 2020
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This year, my Advent plans are to:

1. Read ​The Christmas We Didn't Expect by David Mathis and the relevant Scriptures in the book.
2. Study some passages about Jesus' incarnation as I prepare to preach a few times this month.
3. Eat dinner by candlelight with my family on several evenings as we read a family Advent devotional and the Bible.
4. Help my kids set up Advent Blocks that will help us remember various aspects of Jesus' first coming.
5. Meditate and jot some short and quick prayers in my journal to stir up my affections for Jesus.
6. Listen to biblical, Christ-centered Advent playlists (along with my Christmas jazz playlist, of course!). 

I'm not doing every one of these things every single day. None of this guarantees that I'll be happier this Advent season. None of it earns me a spot closer to God. However, I want to do most of these on most days because they're simple ways to connect with God.

​I want to saturate my heart with Christ more than I saturated my mind with Covid-19 and election stats this year. I want to discuss the glories of Christ and His coming in the flesh more than I debated the constitution and perspectives on justice. I'm not saying that any of those things is inherently wrong to think about and discuss, but it is wrong to be consumed by them, and I found myself consumed for much of this year. Advent will be a much needed break.

What are your Advent traditions? How will you celebrate Advent differently this year than other years?

​Publishers

The Good Book Company has some really good deals for the entire week—including some good Advent resources!
Reformation Heritage is one of my favorite publishers, and they've got some awesome deals!
WTS Bookstore has deals up to 80% off including study bibles, children's books, and theological resources.
Banner of Truth has a limited list of Black Friday specials, but their Christmas deals are phenomenal!
New Growth Press has some excellent deals on several good biblical counseling books including God Made Me and You by Shai Linne. Get 50% off Black Friday deals using BLACK50.

Gentle and Lowly (Paid Link) by Dane Ortlund 

This is one of those must-read books on my list this year. Several of my closest friends and mentors have recommended it, and it has definitely lived up to the hype! It feels as though I'm reading a modern Puritan who is cross referencing the original Puritans to bring even more depth and rich biblical teaching on the heart of Christ. I dabbled in the Kindle version for way too long before I just had to purchase the hard copy to make it my own. If you're looking for a heart-stirring, Christ-focused read to stoke the fire of your love for God and your experience of His love for you, get this book. 

Reading While Black by Esau McCaulley

In a year of racial turmoil and political chaos, Esau McCaulley's Reading While Black offers a biblical, exegetical, and theological insights into how the African American Christian has found hope in such racially tumultuous times, both past and present. Esau is scholar who writes at the popular level. His bibliography and citations coupled with his compelling prose are evidence of this. Whether you're black or white, woke or anti-woke, you will benefit from McCaulley's rich study of God's Word as he seeks to show the hope of God in the life of the African American experience.

Anyone But Me (Paid Link) by Ray Comfort

Ray Comfort is a masterful evangelist who has reached thousands of people through his evangelism ministry. In addition to his own evangelism, he has trained perhaps thousands more who have also gone out to share their faith. Regardless of how you feel about his evangelism methods, this book is worth the read. He shows that he's not a super-Christian who can just evangelize without apprehension. He is a real guy with a real heart, and he's experienced a lot of hardship in his gospel work. However, he has learned numerous lessons and led many souls to trust in the Savior for eternity. Read my review of Anyone But Me. ​

Advent Reads

Advent is coming soon! In a turbulent and chaotic year, it's often difficult to keep our gaze focused on what's most important. Advent is as good time to prepare your heart to celebrate the birth of Jesus with your loved ones—even if it's socially-distant or limited in capacity. Here are a few Advent reads that have caught my eye this year!*

A Better Than Anything Christmas (Paid Link) by Barbara Reaoch*

After enjoying Barbara Reaoch's A Jesus Christmas (Paid Link) last year, I was excited to check out her latest Advent devotional! Just like her previous work, each chapter includes:

• an explore section that lets families get into the Word of God and answer some basic questions about the passage. I love this because it teaches children to get to the Bible before they get to the devotional material. The questions are simple enough that the children can answer them and even write answer into the blanks provided in the book.
• an explain section that covers the basic teaching of the passage as well as some relevant cross references. You're not just getting an overview of the Christmas story. You actually get a glimpse into the work of Christ after His coming.
• an engage section that provides questions that help apply the passage to everyday life. 
• an enter in section that features a guided prayer.
• a family journaling space with ideas and prompts to help get creative juices flowing. 

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Reaoch doesn't bring cheap theology to the table. This Advent devotional allows us to teach our families about faith, freedom in Christ, forgiveness, salvation, atonement, union with Christ, true righteousness, etc. The best part is that it's in kid-friendly language and anchored in the actual text of Scripture!

There's a Lion in my Nativity (Paid Link) by Lizzie Laferton and Kim Barnes*

This captivating little book will remind our busy little ones that Christmas is not about us at all! With the Christmas play coming up, a little actress wants to be the star of the show. As she lets everyone know who she thinks the play is about, all sort of confusing and frustrating things keep popping up in the play. 

Each element proves to be more than some silly hijinks or distraction, and our little Mary finds out what Christmas is really all about! In the end, we get to understand why all of these random little items and characters show up on the scene. And I think you'll really enjoy why there's a lion in the nativity!

I'm a sucker for good illustration and rhyming books, so I have had a blast reading through this book with my little ones. If you want to help your children focus on the star of the show this Christmas, you'll surely want to let them know why there's a lion in Mary's nativity! The spotlight is always on Jesus!

​The Christmas We Didn't Expect (Paid Link) by David Mathis

I haven't read this one yet, but I'm really looking forward to digging into this one. I have been blessed by Mathis' Habits of Grace (Paid Link), and with endorsements by Sinclair Ferguson, Tim Challies, and Julius Kim, I'm expecting it to be a good one. Mathis' aim is to point out some surprises and turns along the way to Jesus' arrival. If you're looking for an Advent devotional, I'd say this will be a good one to check out!

​What are paid links? I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post. 

*I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to leave a positive review.

Evangelism doesn't seem to come easy for most of the believers I know. Perhaps that's a Western problem, I'm not sure. If I were to ask you, "How have you been growing in evangelism?", you might get a little uncomfortable. I know I would. For much of my Christian life, it has been difficult to share the gospel with strangers and unbelievers I don't have a strong relationship with.

The temptation is to think, "People who me know I'm a Christian, and they'll see my life and wonder what makes such a difference".  This may be true in a tiny percent of cases, but most people never just randomly ask me to share the gospel with them. Part of the reason for this passivity is fear. Part of it is unpreparedness. Ultimately, my flesh is crying out, "Anyone but me!". 

Have you ever felt that way? If you have, you're not alone. Ray Comfort, a well-known evangelist and Bible teacher, recently published a new book titled Anyone But Me*. This is a book for people like us—people who struggle to with fear or feel unprepared to share the gospel. Filled with personal examples and anecdotes, Comfort walks us through 10 ways to overcome our fear and grow in our confidence to share the gospel:

1. Love in the face of hatred
2. Obedience
3. Decisive Love for the lost that leads to evanglism
4. Defiance toward our spiritual enemies
5. Focus on the cross
6. Preparation for the evil day
7. Truthfulness in our message
8. Practicing how we will preach the Word
9. Faithfulness Above All
10. Prayer

In each of these 10 points, Ray paints vivid pictures and gives a biblical foundation for sharing the gospel. He is a man whose heart is moved with compassion when he encounters unbelievers. He doesn't let his convictions end with simply feeling sorry for them. Rather, he gives them the only news that is powerful enough to change their hearts. He is a man who practices what he preaches.

I'll leave with this quote, which sums up much of what is shared throughout this book:

"If you become addicted to winning souls, you are being wise with your time. The world is filled with brilliant people who are spending their precious lives doing great things that only matter in this life." (p. 166).

I don't know about you, but I want to be addicted to the Great Commission. Perhaps this book can be a catalyst for reaching the lost and making disciples of all nations.

​
*I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

​Gravity illustrates a glorious paradox.

In the beginning, there was goodness and bliss. There were trees ripe with delicious fruit, unrivaled by the grandest of orchards. The vegetation was lush, unlike any garden we've ever been in. It was teeming with life, and it was good.

But something was missing.

From the dirt, God formed something he called "Adam". This man was unlike anything else in the garden. He wasn't a plant. He wasn't just an animal. God talked with him, walked with him, and gave him authority over everything around. God even made a beautiful woman from Adam's flesh. Eve was her name.

Things were very good.

One day, Eve felt a strange tug while talking to the serpent. She decided to eat the forbidden fruit. Adam ate it, too. Sin came in. Death came with it. Now they were rolling down a hill, hitting every rock and branch as they tumbled toward death.

Things were very bad. They took us with them as they fell.

Down, down, down. It’s a rapid descent as we spiral downward. At times, there’s the feeling that our stomachs are in our throats as we plummet so fast. We lament. We grab our fig leaves and try cover up. But God sees us.

Down, down, down. It’s a long way down as we float along the lazy river of ungodliness, feeling weightless. We see a few trout swimming upstream and wonder to ourselves, “What's their problem?”. As we enjoy the warm sunbeams of sinfulness, we don’t realize that rough waters are soon to destroy us.

As we nosedive toward death, by the mercy of God, the sinfulness of sin begins to take on an odious smell, like that of rotting flesh. Everywhere we go, there’s a faint stench that grows more and more foul until we can’t stand it anymore.

We are the ones rotting. The stench is coming from us, and this a grave situation. The gravity of our condition becomes unbearable. If we don't get help soon, we'll be lost forever! It feels like someone turned the gravity up a few notches, and we need a way out of this heaviness!

Then, suddenly our eyes are opened to a different sort of gravity. As we lament our depravity, crying “Woe is me! I am undone!”, the gravity of God’s glory is within our gaze. Suddenly, there's hope for us. The burning coal of God’s grace is placed on our tongues, and the glorious Son is revealed. He says, "Come to me, you who are heavy laden. I will give you rest."

The weight of sin is lifted.

Now the weight of God’s glory becomes our all-consuming passion. Our eyes are set where He is, in His abode. And yet He abides with us and in us until we get there. Day-by-day, moment-by-moment, we are becoming more like the One who opened our eyes and shined bright in our darkened, heavy-laden souls.

The gravity of this paradox compels us to share it with the world.

Year after year, I start a lot of books. Some are worth finishing. Others aren't. Regardless of whether I finish them or not, I highlight and take plenty of marginal notes as I read. I make plans to use the highlights and notes, but I often never get back around to it. This is especially true for my digital books. It's bittersweet that I love reading and learning because there's usually another book on my radar before I've even finished the one I'm reading now.  I take in a lot of information, but it often seems like it's in one ear and out the other.

Sometimes I wonder if retaining books is worth my time and effort when there's so much to learn directly from God's Word. to be sure, I want to hide Scripture in my heart (Psalm 119:11). This is the most important book for me to remember, retain, and apply to my life. However, I also want to use the insights of godly men and women who have been impacted by God's Word in their lives. He has given them insights and experiences that have greatly benefited saints throughout history. I want to glean from them the best that I can.

Review What You Read

One of the best ways to do this is to review what I know. Recalling information makes it stick—especially when that recall is active. Think about it. When you were in high school or college, few of us could read something once, memorize it on the spot, and use it on a test or a paper. We at least had to memorize a study guide, meet at the library for a study session, or quiz ourselves over relevant topics in our class notes. In the busyness of life, this not always so easy, though. We have full time jobs, children, ministries, and real life! 

Tim Challies, an avid reader, daily blogger, and pastor shared that he hires someone to enter his notes and highlights into a database for him. There are options for us, too. If you're diving deep into a good book right now, perhaps you could stop at the end of each chapter and type out all of your notes and highlights. Maybe you're the type who tries to read a book every month or two. If so, you could devote a week to typing out and updating your quotes and notes at the end of each new book. It would definitely take a lot of work, but if you're willing to take the time and effort to do this, the payoff would certainly be worthwhile.
 
If you read digital books, highlighting and note-taking are pretty simple, depending on your device. If you use a Kindle or Scribd, you can look up your notes and highlights for each book with relative ease and add them to your favorite note-taking app, Bible software, etc. There's still a time commitment required after you finish reading, but it's significantly less than looking back through a physical book and typing out everything. 

​3 Tools For Remembering Books

Books Summaries. Companies like Accelerate Books produce high-quality summaries of Christian books for leaders and readers pressed for time. While I love reading a book for myself, Accelerate Books has helped me review the key insights and quotes from a book while also providing application questions and short chapter summaries. Whether it's a book you want to read or a book you've already read, book summaries help you review books quickly. These summaries do a good job of distilling the book down for easy review.

Book Databases. My friends over at Homeschool Happens have created a book database development tool using Air Table and Google Forms. If you're reading more physical books, this database can be used on a smartphone in conjunction with an OCR app to quickly grab quotes and add them to your database. For digital readers, you can grab your highlights and notes to copy and paste into your database. This tool is not free, but it is very helpful for devoted readers who want a long-term solution.

Readwise. Tim Challies recently wrote about a new app that resurfaces quotes and notes from books that would have been otherwise long-forgotten. Readwise has proven to be a game-changer for me in this season of life. It links to Amazon (for Kindle highlights), Instapaper, Pocket, Goodreads, etc. to grab your highlights as well as popular highlights from books you've read but haven't highlighted. It features a daily list of quotes as well as an endless newsfeed of quotes from books you've read (repurposed scrolling, anyone?). You can also add your own quotes to their system. It's not free, but the convenience may be well worth the cost.

Regardless of the tools you use, reviewing what you've read is vital in the process of remembering what you read. Most books are worth reading once or twice. Few books are worth reading and rereading once every few years. If you're going to invest the amount of time it takes to read through a whole book, it's at least worth recalling what kept you reading.

What are some ways you review and remember the books you've read?

Presidents come and go. Whether or not your candidate wins, one thing is for certain: he won't be there forever. Even the greatest presidents have come and gone. Some have been assassinated while others simply finished their term and gracefully drifted into old age. Some people may still say, "President Obama" or "President Bush", but their leadership is obsolete because they are no longer in office. They may have some cultural and political sway, but they have no more authority.

Jesus Will Reign Forever

Jesus is different. Isaiah says, "...of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end" (Isaiah 9:7). His rule and dominion will increase. He will continue to bring peace. His government will never end. Ever. Jesus has no term limits. Many weeks at corporate worship, I have been reminded of this reality as we sing: "You will reign forever, let your glory fill the earth". His reign is forever, and it is globally expansive.

Jesus’ Rule Knows No Bounds

Jesus has no national borders. Though some erroneously claim exclusive ethnic or national ownership of Jesus, they are dead wrong. It's not as if He only owns a small plot of land in the Middle East. His Word is clear: "the whole earth is full of His glory" (Isaiah 6:3). Jesus is not bound by national boundaries or man made walls. His Kingdom spans the globe. Men and women, rich and poor, Jew and Gentile, slave and free from every land have been grafted into Jesus Christ, the True Vine (Galatians 3:28 and John 15:1-17).

Jesus Never Changes

Unlike government leaders who change over time, Jesus is remains infinitely great and matchless forever. Jesus' people grow more fond of Him every day. He is infinitely glorious and He never changes with the times. Christians submit to His lordship and His reign every day, giving more and more allegiance as each moment passes by. Why? Because He rules with love and peace over those whose hearts have been shaped and molded by His Words (Hebrews 1:1-2). Even when we fail Him and violate His commands, He disciplines us in His loving care rather than wrathful vengeance. He joyfully laid down His life for us and He intercedes on our behalf to His Father (Hebrews 12:1-17). We who are His subjects have new hearts, new citizenship, and a new aim in life. This is the work of His Spirit (Titus 3:5).

Jesus Rules With Infinite Joy
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Jesus rules and reigns with great joy. He takes joy to reign over the people who trust in Him. For His joy and ours, He died on the cross. In His kingly presence, there is fullness of joy for us (Psalm 16:11). When we dwell with Him, His joy is in us and our joy is made full. When we abide in Him and He in us, we bear much fruit—including joy.

Lift Your Drooping Head!
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Lift your drooping and fearful head! There is still hope and joy for us today!

What earthly government can compare to Jesus' reign? Do we long to see Christ's government increase? Surely, we do! Do we wish our government could better reflect His government. Of course! But even if it doesn't, none can stop what He has been doing since before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4). He could run against any candidate on any platform and utterly dominate. There is no smear campaign that could truly malign His character. No candidate can have better character, competence, or policies. Yet He chose a cross and a heavenly throne over an earthly one.

Remind yourself of this as you either lament a political loss, celebrate an election victory, or soberly ponder the future of our nation. Jesus is worthy of your thoughts. Give yourself to meditating on our great King. He is worthy of your affections. Give Him your joyful and zealous thoughts and emotions. The Lord is worthy of your obedience. Offer your life as a living sacrifice and a pleasing aroma in the nostrils of God (Romans 12:1). Do all of this by the grace supplied to you by the love of the Father, death of the Son, and power of the Spirit.

Let Christ's governance change how you lead the people in your life. Whether it's in your church, your office, or your home. Lead with joy, love, and peace. Put off unnecessary harshness and anger, knowing that the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God (James 1:20). Remove unreasonable burdens and expectations while offering the grace and forgiveness we find by faith in the Great King, Jesus.

Pray for our nation. Pray that you and I would long to obey Christ and cherish His commands. Pray that your neighbors who don't know Jesus would come to love Him. Pray for unity with Christian brothers and sisters who think differently about American politics. Pray that people around the globe can see the glory of God in His people this day.

The world will go on until Christ returns. Nations will rise and fall. But Jesus is King. Never forget that "of the increase of His government and of peace, there will be no end."

Note: This was written before a winner was announced in the 2020 election. These truths transcend American political parties.
​Image Credit: Pixabay

I have a love-hate relationship with sleep. I love how great it feels to get a good night of sleep and how it reminds me of the goodness of the Lord who "gives to His beloved sleep" (Psalm 127:2)*. Even when I'm asleep, God is still at work upholding the universe, and He keeping the world moving according to His plan (Hebrews 1:3). Sleep is a time that I can let go of control and fully trust God to do His work—that's literally something I can do nothing about.

Yet this lack of control is why I also struggle with sleep. There are nights where sleep eludes me, and I fight with everything inside me to get some rest. I can't solve my problems while I'm laying there, but it seems impossible to shut my brain off. The stress of desiring to relax is exhausting! Yet I lay awake, tossing and turning, longing to get comfortable. This reminds me that I'm not in control—even of sleep itself. Those nights I cry out, "Lord, help me sleep. You can take care of my problems... but I can't seem to trust you enough!".

Sleep is deeply spiritual. There's no doubt about it. But it's also is heavily impacted by our physical environment and life choices. Since we aren't disembodied souls, we need to think about sleep. Consider what Scripture says:

"It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil"
-Psalm 127:2
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Chasing vanity is spiritual, but it has physical consequences—rising early, going to sleep late, and toiling anxiously. We need to cast our anxieties on the Lord, and that's something we all know (1 Peter 5:7). However, we may also need to change our habits and take practical steps to get the rest we desperately need.

​What Hinders Our Sleep?
Anxiety and vanity aren't the only reasons we aren't getting enough shut-eye. Some sleep hindrances are easy fixes, while others are going to require major changes—changes like a job change or waiting for your babies to grow up and sleep better! However, getting more and better sleep is something that most of us could probably benefit from. So we should learn what else could be keeping us awake at night.
​

1. Light: Constant sources of bright light from smartphones, TVs, LED clocks, etc. trigger our bodies to stay awake. The information we take in from these devices might also be keeping us up at night. There's a lot of stressful stuff out there! Putting your phone down and covering light sources in your room can make a big difference. It may also be worth reading Tony Reinke's Competing Spectacles to help you think through why you might be drawn to the constant dopamine hits that come from an entertainment-driven world. 
2. Temperature: Is your room too hot? Are you too cold? Are you wearing the wrong clothes to bed? The ideal temperature for your bedroom is 60-67 degrees according to the Sleep Foundation. That's a big zone, so you'll have to do some experimenting to see what works best for you. You may even have to throw on some extra layers or shed some PJ's to make it work!
   
3. Caffeine: For most people, caffeine has an affect on their body for 10-12 hours. For people with slow caffeine metabolism, that afternoon cup of coffee can be in your system through the middle of the night! There are some who say, "I can drink coffee and fall asleep", but the caffeine has a major impact on overall sleep quality for nearly everyone. It's probably wise to cut the caffeine before lunch, if not earlier. I love my coffee, so I usually opt for decaf after my first morning cup!
4. Alcohol: Alcohol is a hotly debated topic in Christianity. This is for those whose consciences allow them to have a glass of wine or drink an alcoholic beverage without any guilt. There are some health benefits from drinking a red wine, but that glass of beer after dinner or wine to wind down at the end of the day has been shown to fragment your sleep. Worse, if you have reflux, you're going to have some major heartburn, too. For most, alcohol earlier in the evening is best—as long as you're staying sober! For others, abstaining may be your best option. There are plenty of health benefits 
5. Food: Are you eating a huge meal at 7 and then finishing the day with dessert as you lay in the bed? If so, your meal may be keeping you up at night. It's hard to digest a big meal while laying flat on your back. If you're able, keep your meal time several hours from your bedtime so you can get some better shuteye. If you have problems with reflux, you may want to elevate the head of your bed to alleviate some of your symptoms as well.
6. Stress: From COVID-19 and racial unrest to the presidential election, we are under a lot of pressure. Add the weight of family struggles, spiritual warfare, and everything in between, and many of us are carrying heavy doses of stress at any given time. In response, we often search for satisfaction in food, entertainment, or social media. Then we get stressed about our weight gain, get into a comment war, and see everyone else's perfect lives while we struggle to find joy. God's Word calls us to cast our anxieties on Him (1 Peter 5:7). He calls us to be still and know that He is God. Even in the tumultuous times we live in, God is in control (Psalm 27:5).

Why Does This Even Matter?
For me, this matters tremendously. When I don't get enough sleep, I struggle in every aspect of life. I'm usually irritable, impulsive, and I have a hard time focusing. Worse, when I don't get good sleep, it's a struggle for me to wake up and spend time with the Lord. There are many days where I get an extra 15 or 20 minutes of sleep instead of getting up to spend time with the Lord. The day isn't a total loss, but I can definitely feel a fatigue in my soul that seems to match my body. Maybe it's just me, but when my sleep suffers, my soul suffers too.

You may not be as sensitive to changes in your sleep habits as I am, but sleep is still important. Perhaps better sleep could help you think more clearly or give you more energy to spend with your children. Surely a sharper mind could help you memorize more Scripture or teach with more clarity. Maybe you'd be more fun to be around because you have more energy and aren't moping around like Eeyore. I know my wife and children are thankful for the days that I get good rest!

What about you?
Are you getting enough sleep? What will you change to improve your sleep quality? How does gospel give you hope even if you can't make drastic improvements to your sleep?

*Your translation may say that God gives to His beloved even in his sleep. This rendering reminds us that God gives to us even as we sleep. He never stops providing and caring for us.

Photo by Julien Bachelet from Pexels

As phones get smarter, people are getting dumber—so it seems.

There may be some hyperbole in such a statement, but Cal Newport shared some valuable thoughts on a 2017 study discussing the impact of smartphones on our memory and overall mental capacity. In his short article, one section really captured my attention:

Who Wants Brain Fog?

This is alarming on many levels. I am concerned with mental clarity and reducing the brain fog I have often felt over the years. Most of us don't want to lose our ability to learn and retain our fondest memories and new information. We hate the hazy afternoon brain fog that overcomes us. We desire to watch and pray without falling asleep (Matthew 26:41). The process of sanctification involves learning and applying wisdom from God's Word, and I desire to think as clearly and deeply as possible. Don't you want to memorize more Scripture, retain more of God's Word, and be more present with God and His people?

Let us not forget that distractions—like our smartphones—hinder us from the focus needed to meditate on God's Word and pray. J.C. Ryle famously stated in A Call To Prayer:

"Faith is to the soul what life is to the body. Prayer is to faith what breath is to life. How a man can live and not breathe is past my comprehension, and how a man can believe and not pray is past my comprehension too."
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In other words, we are not bodiless souls going about our spiritual disciplines for the next 20 or 30 years. Rather, our bodies impact our spiritual lives and vice versa. This is important because we need to be good stewards of the bodies God has given us.

On countless mornings I have peeled open my eyes with a desire to spend time with the Lord before getting wrapped in the chaos of everyday life. Before I slid our of the sheets and placed my feet on the cold hardwood floor, I reached for the nightstand to grab my iPhone. Five minutes became fifteen. Fifteen minutes became thirty. Then, I'd hop out of bed in an adrenaline-packed flurry to get ready for work, leaving my Bible on the shelf.

No time was left for my Lord. The Savior of my soul is on the backburner as I go about real life and leave my spiritual life behind for the day. I'm not saying I wasn't saved or didn't care about God the rest of the day. That's not the case. It's just much harder to get my mind and soul focused on Christ if I don't meet with Him early in the day. If I don't speak to my Father in the morning, it's much more challenging to walk by His Spirit in the afternoon.

​"The mere presence" of my device has kept my mind from taking in God's Word. You've been there before. You try to focus, but you find yourself going back over a verse 5 or 10 times because you can't seem to stop your wandering mind from drifting to the tasks awaiting you later that day. As a "heavy user", I've seen that forbidden fruit light up and grab my attention away from prayer only to never return. I told myself, "This might be important. I better take a quick glance". Soon after that quick glance, my already "sapped cognitive resources" didn't improve. I got up from prayer feeling like a dried leaf on a brisk afternoon in late autumn.

​What should we do about our phones?

We're spiritual people, but God has also given us bodies with our souls. Cognitive impairment matters. We are called to be "sober-minded and alert". We have a real enemy who "prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8). Our minds and thoughts are inseparable from our souls. Our thoughts reflect the heart beneath the surface (Matthew 15:19).

1. Recognize the importance of your mind. The greatest commandment is to love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:37). This points to more than just the brain and its cognitive abilities, but it doesn't call for less. Remember this and live in light of it every day of your life. Many people lament the loss of their brains, and we should make the most of ours while we are still able. 

2. Evaluate your phone usage. Is your phone a tool or a toy? Do you use it for education or entertainment? Does it aid your devotion or add to your distraction? When do you pick it up for the first time? When do you put it down for the night? Are you enslaved to your phone (1 Cor. 6:12)? How you use your phone says more about your relationship with God and others than you could ever realize. 

3. Confess or celebrate. For most of us, excessive phone use will be a catalyst to confession. Whether it's escaping to your phone to cope with a rough day or furiously tapping out your angry thoughts and emotions in the comments of Facebook and Twitter, confess the sin in your heart. God is faithful and just to forgive His children because He poured out His just wrath on His innocent and righteous Son instead of you and I—the ones who deserved it (1 John 1:9).

4. Pray and plan. Pray for God's grace and make a plan on how to use your phone more cautiously. Caution may seem to be an excessive word, but our spiritual health can be endangered by our uncontrolled phone use. Smartphone addiction and overuse are symptoms of a grander problem of distractedness from our souls and the God who can transform them (Romans 12:1-2). The present world is passing away, so what sort of people ought we to be in lives of holiness and godliness (2 Peter 3:11)? We need to be diligent to pursue godliness in every area of life—especially our smartphones.

Who's In Control?

​We don't have to be enslaved to our smartphones. Nor do we have to fear that we can never get past our smartphone addictions. The key is not simply to use your phone less. Anyone with a little bit of self-discipline can do that. As a Christian, our desires come from a much deeper motive than just wanting better brain health. You are a child of God, and God calls you to consider yourself dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:11). You are more than a shiny piece of metal glued to your palm. Remind yourself of this every day.

Deceivers Abound!

Would you give your Social Security information and your credit card number to a person pretending to be the IRS? Would you let a person convince you that your identity has been mistaken and your whole life is a lie? I sure wouldn’t! It may happen to us once, but we would be foolish to let it happen again.

As much as you value your money and identity, you should value your soul much more than that. If you wouldn’t be negligent with your vital, personal information, neither should you ever let a lying, Christ-denying deceiver into your home or your church with a hearty greeting.

Imagine letting a thief enter your home and steal everything you own while smiling in your face and promising they’re doing everything in your best interest. That would be insane.

Watch Yourselves!

The apostle John’s stark warning is “watch yourselves!” (2 John 8). Today, there are many lies and heresies that abound as liars attack the church. One such heresy is that Jesus was not and is not God in human form. Some Christian cults have denied the deity of Jesus in favor of a Unitarian—God in one person—view of Father, Son, and Spirit. Others have denied that Jesus really took on a human body—they imply that He is God but not man. Many of them may be earnest, knowing that God is one (Deut. 6:4). However, they fail to take the Bible and it’s full teaching about Jesus into consideration.

Paul clearly refutes such nonsense, saying that Jesus “was in the form of God“ and had “equality with God“. He is wholly God. In becoming human, Jesus “emptied himself“. He did this not by giving up his divine nature, but by taking on a human nature (Phil 2:5-8). If a King puts on street clothes to rescue someone from a ditch, he is no less a king with his street clothes than he was with his kingly apparel. Neither is Jesus, in the flesh, any less God than he was before he took on flesh. To say otherwise is to clearly deny passages of the Bible in the old and new testaments.

Falling into such a mess of denying Jesus’ human and divine natures will cost the full reward of the apostles works (2 John 8). It will render the apostles’ work in vain (Phil. 2:16). To have a human-only Jesus, God-only Jesus, black Jesus, white Jesus, republican Jesus, democrat Jesus, or any fill-in-the-blank Jesus will lead you to eternal separation from the real Jesus. It is eternal to know Him—the real Jesus (John 17:3).

Our Necessary Response
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First, let us go on ahead and abide in the teaching of Christ (2 John 9). Stick with the basics. Remember the truth that has been preached from the beginning. Church history is replete with documents and statements about the plain and clear doctrines of Scripture. Many modern heresies are just old heresies dressed in new clothes. Let the word of God and the witness of church history be your guide as you seek to discern truth from lies. You don’t need any other Jesus. If you abide in another, you will not have God. If you stay with the teaching, you will have father and son (2 John 9).

Second, keep false teaching far from you, your family, and your church! “Many deceivers” have gone out into the world (2 John 7). They need to be met with fierce rejection. They shouldn’t enter our homes or our house churches. They shouldn’t be allowed into our congregations with open arms. If they show up, they should be met with solemn warnings and exhortations to repent and renounce their repulsive rhetoric. They need to be sharply rebuked (Titus 1:9-14).

This response is necessary because “whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.” John isn’t mincing words, here. We can’t keep letting political, ethnic, or any unbiblical versions of Jesus into their homes without a fuss. Too often, we don’t take Jesus serious because we won’t take the time to read the Word and see who He says He is! He has a lot to say!

Know the Real Jesus!

We must all commit to seeing Jesus as he really is! If we aren’t careful and rigorously biblical, we may be swept away into deception and lies. I don’t mean that a true believer can lose salvation. That is not possible! However, many people in churches today are not in the faith and are not safe from these lies. However, the true believer shouldn’t be overly fearful. The God who started a good work in us will bring it to completion at the day of Christ. He can’t be stopped! The Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead will not only reveal the truths of Christ to us, He will make us more like Christ as we behold Him!

Do you know the real Jesus? Or have you been settling for a cheap deception? Don’t receive a false Christ. If you do, you won’t have God. It’s a matter of life and death.

In 2007 I was fresh out of high school and new to the faith. An upperclassman football player at Centre College invited me to hang out and study the Bible and watch football. I was ecstatic. I couldn’t believe I found some Christian friends with the first few weeks of college. I immediately said yes and got my copy of The Cross-Centered Life. I never could have imagined how that Bible study would shape my views on discipleship and the Christian life.

In early 2012, I stumbled upon a community group that was having meals together, walking through books of the Bible, and living their lives together. As a single, 23-year-old bachelor, I was always at John’s house sipping coffee, talking Scripture and theology, and watching him love and lead his family. One night, he handed the teaching portion of the group to me. It was a game-changer. From that night on, I had a hunger to teach God’s word that would eventually come to fruition in a call to preach.

Later that year, when moved away to Knoxville in 2012, I didn’t know anyone except my wife—we were engaged at the time, and she was in college. As I got intensely lonely and depression was starting to set in, a couple of guys from Legacy Church invited me to their community group. We’d grab a meal, spend some time discussing Scripture, and hang out for a few hours afterward. Those were some amazing times. 

In 2016, shortly after I moved back to KY, two friends from high school invited me to Dairy Queen once a week to sip coffee and eat the 3 Buck Breakfast. We’d whip out our ESVs and talk about Scripture and life before heading off to work. Those conversations eventually led me to being called and affirmed as an elder.

The common denominator in each of these scenarios is time and proximity. If we want to be discipled and make disciples, we need to find Christians close to us and we need to spend time with them. As we work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, we will need other believers to walk with us along the way. 

Your local church—and your extended network of believers—are here to help you persevere and to build you up as you walk with God and do the work of the ministry. But what does this actually look like in real life? 

1. Grab a meal or cup of coffee. Wake up early, stay up late, or get together with someone on your days off. Don’t just shoot the breeze, either. Be intentional about discussing joys, victories, struggles, and everything else. Point each other back to Scripture, and pray together.
2. Join a community group at your local church. While in some Christian circles, people mock and jeer at small groups, I am a huge fan. I’ve had impromptu cookouts, bonfires, and New Year’s Eve parties with people who sit on my back porch week after week. These have been times to laugh, cry, pray, study, and rejoice together. If your church doesn't have any kind of small group, talk to your elders and look into starting one!
3. Pray regularly. Imagine if there were small groups of Christians dotting the landscape of the world praying together week after week for lost souls. Not only would it be a glorious sight; not only would the heavens be filled with a pleasing aroma, but God’s people would be humbly seeking the power we desperately need to make disciples!
4. Read through the Bible. This may sound too basic. Don’t let it! One of my fondest memories was reading my cheap $5 Walmart NKJV bible with college roommate my sophomore year. We read a chapter of John each day, drank some Yoo-hoo’s, and ate a spicy batch of Grippos. Those were some great nights.
5. Read through a good book. God has shaped me through good books. When I was attending Pioneer Baptist church, Pastor Andrew and brother Brandon met at Wyonette’s or Aunt Gravy’s to read through The Gospel According to Jesus by John MacArthur. As a young man and fairly new believer, I was taught that Jesus is Lord and that salvation leads to a life of full and willing surrender to His Lordship.

I could share hundreds of examples of how God has used the lives of other believers to shape me. We are called to bear one another’s burdens while also carrying our own load. It’s not a contradiction because we work out our salvation by loving God and loving our neighbor as ourselves.

God is working in us to will and work for His good pleasure, so we can rest assured that discipling others is pleasing to Him and helpful for them. As is commanded in the Great Commission, we don’t just evangelize, we make disciples. This is a picture of the Christian life that I can see and rejoice in.

The University of Kentucky basketball program has become the emblem of one-and-done college basketball. We grab high school athletes from the highest tier of basketball greatness, bring them in for a season, teach them the Coach Cal way, and get them to the NCAA tournament. The season-opening blue and white game looks like an all-star weekend dunk contest. The high-scoring, double-digit preseason victories stir up buzz about March Madness before college football has even played their bowl games. If you want to watch freshman phenoms year after year, tune into UK basketball.

By the time they play against the big shots, they are usually a top ten team, and with the exception of some major freshman slip-ups, we always feel one step closer to another national championship banner. As March comes and goes, we watch these young men earn their first round draft picks as they rally to the Elite Eight, Final Four, or the national championship.

They reach the pinnacle and then they’re gone. As quick as they came, they vanish. As soon as they announce their draft status and their agent, we say our goodbyes. Another year of one-and-done basketball. We see them off to their first round NBA glory and they make a life somewhere out there on an NBA team.

We watch them from afar, but we're not nearly invested. We've got eight-graders and blue chip seniors to keep our eyes on! Have you heard about next year's draft class?! We have to watch them early because we know they'll be gone soon. 

Following Jesus Is Costly

We need to beware of a "one-and-done" Christianity. Too often, it's right in front of our eyes. It may even be in our living rooms. We invest in some top-tier  church prospects—the ones we think can really make an impact for the Kingdom. We tell them we are Christians, invite them to a Bible study, and get them to visit our churches. After some good book studies or a convicting Bible conference, they get all the way to the point of confessing Jesus as their Lord and Savior. After their baptism, we celebrate like we just won the NCAA national championship.

Then we see them off to the rest of Christian lives, rooting for them from afar, hoping they look more like Lebron James than Greg Oden (just do a Google search if you don't know what I mean!). Of course, we still want to see them on Sunday morning. We make sure they're in a Sunday School class or weekly small group. We want them to be plugged in to a local church!

However, seeing people saved and attending a local church is not the end. It's only the beginning. For most Christians, following Jesus is long journey of perseverance and suffering. This is why Paul told the Philippians, "work out your salvation with fear and trembling" (Phil. 2:12). Getting into the faith is a glorious miracle! There is no doubt that "unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God" (John 3:5). But we can't stop there. If our ultimate aim is to merely see people baptized and showing up on Sunday mornings, we have settled for a weak, unbiblical Christianity. We have chosen to side-step the path of discipleship for an easier route.

Work It Out

Just as UK's one-and-done freshmen move on to a much more mature game of basketball, so new converts are called to move from "milk to meat" (1 Cor. 3:2). Those young men work with strength trainers, dietitians, sleep coaches, chiropractors, and many more professional specialists in order to grow and thrive in the NBA. Failing to disciple new believers is like an NBA team leaving it up to the players to train themselves for game day. However, God gave the Church gifts to build up His people after they get saved: 
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The aim is much further than conversion. God desires saints who move on to maturity. Together, the church does the work of ministry. Sunday morning is a piece of the preparation. The church leaders are here to equip the saints to do the work of ministry in everyday life.

It is for this very reason that Paul says, "work out your salvation with fear and trembling" (Phil. 2:12). If we want people to mature in their faith, we must continually point them to the Savior who is at work in them "both to will and to work for His good pleasure" (Phil 2:13). We exhort them to live obedient lives because God is at work in them! We walk with them and urge them to pursue spiritual maturity!
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Preach the gospel. Urge people to confess and believe in Christ. Baptize people of all nations. But please don't fail to make disciples, teaching them to observe all that Christ has commanded them (Matthew 28:18-20). There is no one-and-done Christianity. New converts aren't just banners to put in our sanctuaries or hall-of-fame rosters. They are eternal souls awaiting the day of Christ.

I recently came across a Ligonier article titled "Congregational Discourse". I highly recommend that you read it and ponder the conversations in your local church.

How are you contributing to the discussions that happen there? Are your conversations just shooting the breeze, talking about sports, discussing politics and the pandemic, and complaining? Are you intentionally speaking to encourage and edify the believers around you?

As you're reading these questions you may be tempted to bristle and think, "This guy's being legalistic! The Bible doesn't say we can't fellowship and talk about real life at church!". I’m not saying we shouldn't be able to have open and honest conversations about life. It's not a sin to talk about high school football or the Kentucky Derby. However, do you ever spend time "teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom" (Col. 3:16)?

It's easy to think this is the pastor's job, but "one another" puts the ball in your court, too. It’s the responsibility of every believer to contribute to the good of the church through godly conversation and encouragement.

If you're spending time with other believers outside of the corporate gathering on Sunday morning, then you're probably talking about the Word of God and how it intersects everyday life. That would allow for some casual talk on Sunday morning. It may also stir you to more godly conversation about the events of the previous week.

But imagine the impact we could have on an unbeliever if they heard us rejoicing about Jesus’ work in our lives and sharing the Word with one another on Sunday morning. They'd be able to truly look in and say, "Wow! They really love Jesus! He's all they can talk about!". Instead of simply being wowed by the pastor’s handling of the Word, they’d be encouraged by “normal” Christians, too.

Imagine our children or a new Christian hearing us talk about Jesus week after week. They would see us living out what we are teaching them! It has been said that more is caught than taught. While there may be some flaws in that statement, we should strive to be Christians worth imitating—especially in our conversations.

This godly discourse could also be preparing our hearts for the songs we are about to sing, the sermon we are about to hear, the Lord's Supper we are about to take, or the week we are about to live.

​As a younger man, I would love to have an older believer drop a practical nugget of wisdom on me moments before corporate worship or just after hearing the sermon. It would be a blessing to hear an older woman drop a gem of parenting knowledge on my wife and I. I'd love to hear a zealous young believer share how God is using the M'Cheyne Bible reading plan to shape his days throughout the week.

In the words of Dr. Mark E. Ross: "This is the 'buzz' that should be heard in our congregational discourse. Will it be heard in your church this coming Lord's Day? Will the word of Christ be dwelling among you richly, or just barely?"