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They Can’t Argue Your Testimony

May 6, 2024 (126/365)  |  1 Kings 2:1-12; 2 Samuel 23:1-7; 1 Chronicles 29:26-30; Psalm 4, 5, 6, 9, 11

But set Christ apart as Lord in your hearts and always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks about the hope you possess.

1 Peter 3:15, NET

This verse is as terrifying to some as it is inspiring to others. Do I have to give a whole Gospel presentation? What if I don’t have all the answers? What if it’s awkward? What if I’m seen as ‘pushy’? What if I don’t have a fully fleshed-out systematic theology and they ask about divine aseity!??!

Let’s remember that 1 Peter is about unjust suffering. That even as we suffer, we should still display the hope of Christ. So much so, in fact, that people will take notice and ask us why were are so hopeful given the circumstances. So live in a way that invites people to ask you questions! Be joyful, exuberant, and hopeful.

Then follow David’s lead. He writes:

I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.

Psalm 9:1, NIV

The thankfulness leads to joy. That is actually scientifically true, as argued by Dan Baker in his book “What Happy People Know”. Baker notes that our brain physically cannot experience gratitude and anxiety simultaneously. So exercising gratitude (I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart) will lead to that contagious, curious joy that will make folks take notice. And when they ask, you can tell them what God has done in your life (I will tell of all your wonderful deeds)!

People can argue whether Jesus is God, whether He rose from the grave, whether He even lived, but they can’t argue with what He has done in your life! And when you tell them the answer for your hope, joy, and gratitude is Jesus, then they will want to know more about Him.

Yes, sharing the Gospel is awesome, but sharing what the Lord has done in your life demonstrates the fruit of the Gospel, and opens doors for church events, service invitations, and even leading someone to Jesus!

So be joyful! And be willing to tell people why you are that way! God bless, my friends.

Are Our Prayers Results-Oriented?

May 5, 2024 (125/365)  |  1 Chronicles 29:1-22; 1 Kings 1

While going through today’s reading, one verse hit me in the face with the force of a heavyweight boxer. David is praying for his son, Solomon, who will become king. David says,

Give my son Solomon the wholehearted desire to obey all your commands, laws, and decrees, and to do everything necessary to build this Temple, for which I have made these preparations.

1 Chronicles 29:19, NLT

Wow! Really let this sink in. Maybe you are not guilty of this, but I know I am; when I pray to God I want to see a result. I want to see a particle thing happen. Then I can check it off in my prayer journal and be satisfied that God has answered this prayer in the affirmative and move on to the next one. But David’s prayer, so simple and moving is that Solomon would not MERELY obey and accomplish, but that he would have the WHOLEHEARTED DESIRE to do so.

Is that how we pray? Do we want God to do the work/empower us to do the work, or do we want God to help us DESIRE to do the work?

God help me DESIRE more of You. Help me WANT to do what is right. Incline my heart toward Your will and Your way. Help me to long for unity with You, help me to persevere toward that Goal all of the days of my life. Help me to hunger and thirst after your heart. Help me to feel incomplete without your direction. God have Your way in me. Help me to love myself less so that I can leave more room for Your love to share with those who do not yet know You. Break my heart for what breaks Yours. Everything I am for Your kingdom’s cause.

Thank you Jesus.

Sola Scriptura

May 4, 2024 (124/365)  |  1 Chronicles 26-28

This phrase was the rallying cry of the Protestant Reformation and comes from the Latin: sola meaning “alone” and the word scriptura meaning “writings” (the Scriptures, the Holy BIble). Sola scriptura declares that Scripture alone is authoritative in the life of the Christian as it pertains to matters of faith and truth. The Bible is complete, authoritative, and true.

Today I am applying it a little differently. Usually I would expound some kind of explainer or extrapolate some application from the day’s passage, but in this case, I think I will go with Scripture alone. And just allow the text to speak directly. Be encouraged, friends!

Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Don’t be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you for forsake you.

1 Chronicles 28:20b

What is Casting Lots Anyway?

May 4, 2024 (/365)  |  

Just a brief explainer for today.

We see casting lots pop up 25 times in the Bible. The first is God giving directions to Aaron in Leviticus 16:7-9, the final one is the nomination of Mathias in Acts 1:26, and the most secular is the dividing of Jesus’ clothes in Matthew 27:35, Mark 15:24-25, Luke 23:34, and John 19:23-24. I always sort of pictured is as drawing straws, but it was literally rolling dice, and that’s how the NET Bible translates it.

If this seems random to you, I can certainly understand why, but Solomon assures us:

The dice are thrown into the lap, but their every decision is from the Lord. 

Proverbs 16:33, NET

1 Chronicles 23-25 | 123/365

(Not) Having All The Answers

May 3, 2024 (/365)  |  

I’ll just say it… 2 Samuel says that God told David to take a census (then punished him for it), whereas 1 Chronicles says that Satan led David to take a census and then God punished him for it. I find the theories online quite unsatisfying and I find it frustrating that I don’t have anything to put in the place of these theories. I was deep-diving into the Hebrew and looking at sentence structure and asking my wife what she thought of this or that observation. Then she said something wonderful in its simplicity. Sometimes we don’t have the answers. That’s not to say that the answer is un-findable (because I fully intend to find it and yeah, I will update you all when I do!), but rather that these secondary issues are not ones on which we need to get hung-up. The cross of Christ is primary and all these other items are grow, learn, discuss, and deepen our faith, but we don’t need to be afraid of not having a solution or a perfect understanding immediately.

If you ever find yourself unsure about something when reading the Bible… that’s okay. You don’t need to be afraid of it. God is still God. Jesus is still Jesus. And in time, with study and dedication these answers will come. At the very least we will be satisfied when we stand before the Lord with unveiled faces.

Be blessed tonight my friends.

2 Samuel 24; 1 Chronicles 21, 22 | 122/365

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Ruth 2:2-9a

Bold as Love

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If You Call

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Verse 1:
If you’ve been lost and you need a Saviour
If you’ve been searching for a real love
Come and give your heart to the One who’s greater
You’re a new creation, welcome home

Chorus:
Cause He saw you
When you fought against the chains
Yeah He heard you
When you called out in your pain
He’ll be your rescue
If you call on His name

Verse 2:
If you got a burden that you just can’t carry
Give it to the One who can bear the load
Cause He’s got a promise for the worn and weary
He’ll give you life and restore your soul

Verse 3:
Said if you’ve been lonely and you’re fighting shadows
Running from a past that you can’t escape
Step into the light of the God who loves you
And all your sins will be washed away

Bridge:
He lives! You’re alive because He lives!
He lives! You’re alive because He lives!
He lives! You’re alive because He lives!
You’re alive, You’re alive because He lives!

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Bernardin

Newell Brands came to the agency I worked for — ideaLEVER — and needed a new website for their Bernardin brand jars. I was tasked with the project, and it was a huge one. I enjoyed it, though and had a tremendous amount of fun solving some of the biggest "problems" created by our designer. She, of course, is more concerned with the appearance and how user-interactions worked, and I was tasked with bringing that vision to life. It was a great project, but alas, like so many things on the web, that version has since been replaced and much of my problem-solving went with it. But I'm still proud of the work I did. Using HTML, SASS, JavaScript, Gulp, Grunt, Git, and all on a .NET stack.

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