Sometimes I find my heart doesn’t resemble Christ’s heart for the lost. At any given moment, my attention, resources, and time are pulled in so many directions. (You can probably relate.) With so much commotion around us and many expectations pressing against us, it is tempting to allow our focus to wander and quietly let evangelism slip into the background. We begin to see the condition of individuals as one BIG problem that we couldn’t possibly hope to put a dent in. So we busy ourselves with all of the things that seem to beg for our attention, allowing the individuals to go unnoticed.

So, I have an odd yet effective method I use to test whether I am truly operating in Christ’s love for each lost person. It is how I realign my heart to match His: I ask myself, “What if this individual were one of my girls?” What if, instead of being born into a home where they would know the love of God, my daughters were born into an unbelieving home… Would I try to reach them? What if my girls were somewhere overseas, lacking food, love, or other types of care and provision… Would I send help to meet their needs? What if they had been abused… Would I make myself available to reach out to them... to draw them to the One who truly heals? My answer is an instantaneous “YES! Of course, I love them!"

When I consider my response if these were my children, the excuses fade away, and a passionate urgency builds in their place. I don’t want to wait for a more convenient time, a more financially easy season, or a less difficult day. I must go now! These are my kids!

This is our Father's heart for the lost.

Next week, we will host over 125 kids for Vacation Bible School. As we look over all of their little faces, I know God will do what He always does... He will pour His love into our hearts so that we can love them as He does.

This is evangelism... this is discipleship… as if they were our own.
“God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure."
Ephesians 1:5

“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in?  And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?  And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?”
Romans 10:14-15

“And He said to them, You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.'" Luke 16:15

The context of this verse really speaks to me. Jesus was talking to the Pharisees, men who cared a lot about appearances and about what others thought of them. They looked good on the outside, but Jesus reminded them that God sees something deeper; He sees the heart. This can be a challenge for some of us. If I'm honest, I like being appreciated. I like knowing that people are happy with me and that I've done a good job. Most of us do. There's nothing wrong with loving people and wanting to serve them well, but there is a difference between loving people and living for their approval. As I've been reading through Acts, I couldn't help but think about Festus. In Acts 25:9, he knew Paul had done nothing wrong, yet he still tried to please the Jewish leaders instead of simply doing what was right.

“But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, 'Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there on these charges?” Acts 25:9

That verse made me stop and think. How many times do we make decisions based on keeping everyone happy? How often do we avoid difficult conversations, stay quiet, or compromise because we don't want to disappoint someone? The truth is, pleasing people can be exhausting because expectations are always changing. One day you're doing great, and the next day someone is unhappy. But God's standards don't change. He looks at our hearts, our motives, and our willingness to obey Him even when it's uncomfortable.
I'm learning that following Jesus means caring deeply for people while keeping God first. It means treating others with kindness and respect, but not allowing their approval to become more important than His.

As a husband, a father, and someone stepping into a new season of ministry, this is a lesson I want to hold on to. I won't always get everything right, but my prayer is that my desire to please God would always be greater than my desire to please people.
At the end of the day, the peace that comes from knowing you've honored the Lord is worth far more than the temporary approval of others.

May God help us to seek His heart above all else and remain faithful to Him in every season.

Hi, family!

We have definitely drunk the gardening Kool-Aid. Somehow, a quick trip to Lowe’s for an item I can’t even remember has turned everyone in our house into master gardeners.

One day, Morris and I went to Lowe’s with our son, Jaden, and we stumbled across some seeds. Jaden decided he wanted to plant a garden.

Now, several months later, we are knee-deep in garden soil, compost, and even collecting rainwater because the plants seem to like it best.

Don’t get me wrong; it has been so much fun watching our little seeds sprout and grow, but it has definitely been a learning experience. We’ve had to fight off animals trying to eat our fruit, deal with fungus growing on the leaves of our plants, and battle some type of worm that seems determined to devour every leaf in sight.

In the middle of all of this, the Holy Spirit began teaching us a lesson about being fruitful.

What we learned is that even though we planted the seed, watered it, and cared for the young plant, the work was not done. The plant needs continual watering. If it's a vine, it needs something to climb on for support. Because our soil is very acidic, we add nutrients to the water to help the plants thrive.

We also discovered that there were all sorts of little creatures just waiting to destroy what was growing in our backyard. Before we planted fruit trees and tomato plants, we never noticed these tiny invaders. But as soon as things began to sprout and grow, it seemed to trigger a chain reaction in the ecosystem.

I love that Jesus often taught in parables because they take an abstract concept, something that can be difficult to understand, and connect it to something familiar and relatable.

Without even realizing it, we were teaching our children through these plants what the life of a Christian looks like. It begins as a seed that needs water and sunshine. Over time, it grows into a mature plant that bears fruit.

Just as our garden has pests and obstacles that threaten its growth, there is an intruder in the garden of our lives whose purpose is to keep us from being fruitful and to separate us from our loving Father.

The good news is that when we remain rooted in Christ, continually nourished by His Word, strengthened through prayer, and supported by the people He places around us, we can continue to grow and produce the fruit He desires in our lives.

John 15:5 ~ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."

I've been discussing Pastor Adam's sermon with the Lord. (The title is "Burn the Scorecard." If you weren't in service this Sunday, please check it out using the link below.) As I prayed through this Word, the Holy Spirit added in Pastor Corrie's admonition from the Lord to "settle it." Settle once and for all that God is the Sovereign Lord. In every situation, I am commanded to obey and leave the outcome up to Him.

Then the Lord reminded me of something that He highlighted back in April (By the way, this is a simple-but-important testimony: When the Lord speaks to you, write it down. Don't count on your memory and don't expect to know what it means in the moment. (Habakkuk 2:2)):

Jeremiah 17:9-10, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is extremely sick; Who can understand it fully and know its secret motives? "I, the Lord, search and examine the mind, I test the heart, To give to each man according to his ways, According to the results of his deeds."

The sermon, the admonition, and this verse all lead me to an important thing that I need to settle: Are there places where I'm limiting my growth, my understanding, my closeness to God that I'm not even aware of BECAUSE I haven't asked Him to reveal them to me?

I often find myself first trying to use my own gifts, talents, and intellect and the human wisdom of others around me to determine my course, rather than "seeking first His Kingdom." Based on conversations with many of you, I'm aware that we all struggle with this in some way.

So the question is: In what parts of our lives, our relationships, and our ministries are we stuck, stagnant, chaotic, etc., because we haven't gotten quiet and asked God to show us what our assignments are?

Let Him order our thoughts and set our priorities based on His Kingdom plans and purposes. And let's help each other stay the course that HE designs!

When I was young, I was convinced I would become a lawyer. I had researched schools, mapped out my future, and knew exactly what I wanted. When I shared my plans with my father during my first year of college, he quickly shut them down. Determined to prove him wrong, I eventually moved to the United States to continue pursuing my dream.
Years later, after marriage and raising my family, the desire returned. Once again, I considered going back to school. Once again, the door remained closed.

At the time, I saw frustration. Today, I see God's plan. What I thought was my calling was actually my plan. God had something different in mind. Rather than spending my life defending cases, He gave me opportunities to encourage people, share His Word, and point others toward Him. Looking back, I realize some of God's greatest blessings came through the doors He never opened. What felt like disappointment was often His protection and redirection. Today, I thank God not only for the prayers He answered, but also for the dreams He didn't allow me to pursue. His plans truly were better than my own.

If there is a door in your life that God has not opened, don't lose heart. What feels like a delay or disappointment today may one day become a testimony of His faithfulness. Trust Him with the parts of your story you don't yet understand. God sees the bigger picture, and His plans are always good.

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11

On a recent drive home from the Brenham area, I was taken aback by the beauty of the Lord's creation. All of nature declares the glory of God!

Now, I'll be the first one to tell you that I rarely listen to the radio in the car. On this particular day, it was absolutely a Divine appointment.

As I drove through the countryside, the words from the KLOVE radio ministry moment hit me like a ton of bricks:
"GOD HAS NOT FORGOTTEN THE RECIPE FOR MANNA."

Recapping the remarkable account of the Exodus of God's people, we can see our thoughts and emotions on full display:

• Has God forgotten me?
• Has God led me into this season to leave me here?
• Last season was so much better than this one...
• I feel like I'm making more complaints to God than praises to Him...

In Exodus 16, we are reminded that God hears us, AND in Him, we have EVERYTHING we need. He is our daily bread! You can trust that He is with you and that He will not leave you or forsake you!