Deep-End Discipleship

"It’s not that I have already reached this goal or have already been perfected, but I pursue it, so that I may grab hold of it because Christ grabbed hold of me for just this purpose. Brothers and sisters, I myself don’t think I’ve reached it, but I do this one thing: I forget about the things behind me and reach out for the things ahead of me. The goal I pursue is the prize of God’s upward call in Christ Jesus."  -Philippians 3: 12-14 CEB Goal setting is an important process that can help us grow in numerous ways. When we set goals we are motivated to accomplish something, or reach a new level in something. This could be a goal in academics like a grade on the STAR test or the SAT. Maybe your goal is in your sport like trying to beat your fastest time, or personal records. Goals help us decide what we want in the future, and gives us aspirations to get there. So if we set goals in aspects of life like school, sports, music, art, or work… Do we set goals for our...

Jesus responded, “If you recognized God’s gift and who is saying to you, ‘Give me some water to drink,’ you would be asking him and he would give you living water.”  The woman said to him, “Sir, you don’t have a bucket and the well is deep. Where would you get this living water?   You aren’t greater than our father Jacob, are you? He gave this well to us, and he drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks from the water that I will give will never be thirsty again. The water that I give will become in those who drink it a spring of water that bubbles up into eternal life.” John 4:10-14 CEB As I’ve noted before, the Gospel of John stands out among the gospels. One of the ways that John is different is found in this chapter and the story of the Samaritan woman. From the beginning of this story in John 4:4 to the end in John 4:42, the Samarit...

"The people who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion: never shaken, lasting forever. Mountains surround Jerusalem. That’s how the Lord surrounds his people from now until forever from now!" - Psalm 125: 1-2 CEB - "'Because you have little faith,' he said. 'I assure you that if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Go from here to there,’ and it will go. There will be nothing that you can’t do.'" - Matthew 17:20 CEB - I was never someone who wanted to be outdoors when I was younger. I don’t like bugs, heat, dirt, and am always terrified of what creature may be lurking under a bush or behind a tree. That being said, sometime in the last few years this changed drastically. I do not know if it was a random hiking trip, or getting tired of the north Texas landscape, but I suddenly started longing to be in the mountains. I love the weather, the hiking, the smell of the air, being surrounded by trees,...

Count on it: They will be in utter panic because God is with the righteous generation. You evildoers may humiliate the plans of those who suffer, but the Lord is their refuge. Let Israel's salvation come out of Zion! When the Lord changes His people's circumstances for the better, Jacob will rejoice; Israel will celebrate! - Psalm 14:5-7 CEB - One of my favorite artists is Jason Emmanuel Petty, better known as Propaganda. He is most recognized for his spoken word and I admire him for his honesty, as he speaks on issues openly and genuinely, not attempting to seem perfect or put-together. In one of his spoken words, he addresses a challenge to his faith by asking fellow believers, "Have you never felt like this was all in your head?" What Propaganda meant was that sometimes, as Christians, we can doubt our faith, coming to feel that perhaps we have made it all up in our heads. This sentiment is often fueled by the fact that we hear it from the world. The...

Consider a mustard seed. When scattered on the ground, it’s the smallest of all the seeds on the earth; but when it’s planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all vegetable plants. It produces such large branches that the birds in the sky are able to nest in its shade. - Mark 4:31-32 -  Have you ever thought about the size of your faith? If it was like a pair of shoes, would it be toddler size, kids size, or adult size? Do you think it matters? The Gospels remind us that even just a teeny bit of faith is enough for God. God doesn’t need us to be a superhero of the faith or be disciples who can fill some really, really big shoes. God just needs us to have a little bit of faith. And God can do a lot with it! Did you know that the mustard seed is a really small seed? 1 millimeter in diameter! But it can grow to be 3000 times larger than its seed.   That’s why Jesus used it in his parable. Have you ever helped to plant a garden using the tiny little seeds i...