I abhor forced or fake appreciation.

I realize there are natural times to celebrate other people. Celebrating Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries, Mother’s and Father’s Day, and even pastor appreciation month can be great times to show how much you value another person and recognize their contribution to your life. But let’s be honest, many times it feels forced.

You know that the only reason they are doing anything is because the occasion meant that they had to do it. We have all gotten a lousy or cheap gift, an impersonal card, or a visit from someone because they were forced to do it. And let me be even more honest: it was meaningless to you, or it might have even hurt your feelings. We thought they truly appreciated us, but based on what they did and said, they clearly do not.

That is why I believe the solution to forced appreciation is to offer it when the other person does not expect it. A card on a random Wednesday is a tremendous blessing. A text on a Thursday that expresses your appreciation will be meaningful. A gift given out of the blue will touch someone’s heart in ways you never imagined.

The solution to forced appreciation is doing it when it is unforced. Doing it on days, well, like today.

The scriptures mention the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob numerous times. Those three names are often lumped together to represent the creator of the nation of Israel.

The story starts in Genesis 12 with a promise to Abram. He was going to have a child when he was old. He was told that one day, his descendants were going to become a great nation, they were going to be blessed with a great land, and through them, all nations would be blessed. The only part that he would see is the birth of his son Isaac.

God started a work in the faithful man Abraham that would eventually result in a large family that would become the nation of Israel. His faithfulness to God brought great blessings to his descendants that he never experienced on earth.

I do not want to misapply scripture. Abraham was a man God specifically used to fulfill his plan. But it is worth noting that some blessings we receive for following God will be accepted by future generations that we may never see. God is working not only to bring about his kingdom in your life but also into future generations. You might be the first person in a line of people who God uses for his purpose. 

What if your greatest gift to the world was leaving behind a family of committed followers of Jesus?

I cannot quote him word for word, but I recently heard a preacher say something like this: God has given us the exact people we need in our lives to help us grow. He has given us people who are encouraging and a blessing to help us on life’s journey. He has also given us the challenging people we need to help us grow in grace, patience, and wisdom.

The only part he was missing is that God also puts us in other people’s lives for the exact same reasons.

Recently, I have heard several people say a similar phrase in interviews and video clips. They all stated that they were a part of a Church where “questions were not allowed.”

First, I need to be clear that this is often connected to one believer. What they are saying is that this one person I asked a question to, as a pastor, teacher, or leader, did not think this other person should be asking questions. Some believers do reject open and honest dialog. If they had started asking others, they would have found a much more diverse reaction from numerous other Christians.

Second, I believe the Church must value questions. If you want to know more about the Bible, God, faith, and life as a follower of Jesus, then I think you should ask questions all the time. Dig into what and why you believe. There are numerous resources on the internet to help you. A pastor or leader can help, and there are thousands of books under the label apologetics.

Finally, I think this must be said: along with valuing questions, we need to value answers. In at least one of the cases where I heard someone say, “questions were not allowed,” what they truly meant is that “no one was giving me the answer I wanted.” Those two statements are vastly different. I know of another who did not like my view on something. I explained my reasons from the Bible, and they didn’t like what I said, so they searched until they found another pastor who said what they already believed.

I believe that whatever question you have about the Bible or the life of faith, there is a reasonable answer. The question is, “If I answer your question, will you adjust your thinking and actions to align with what you learned.” If not, what you value is not questions but your opinions.

As I am typing this, it is 18 degrees outside. We have a layer of ice under about 3-4 inches of snow. It is truly a winter wonderland as I stare out my window. I have not been out of my house beyond my driveway in the past 3 days, and I am not planning to leave for two more days.

While it may sound like a terrible situation to some, I see it as a blessing from God. These days have forced me to do several things, like having conversations with my spouse and reading my Bible. Primarily, it pushed me to rest.

I am the type of person who likes to go, go, go. I am constantly filling my time with more things, from family stuff to Church stuff to fun stuff. I rarely take time to relax. Then God forces me into my home with very little to do.

Times like this remind us that God is in control and he can stop anything. Along the same lines, once he starts something, nothing can stop it. Faith should lead us to rest and relax in God, but sometimes, it takes a winter storm to remind us of that.

Today has been officially dubbed Quitters’ Day. That is because, by the second Friday of January, the majority of people had quit whatever they had resolved to do this year.

Every year, I know dozens of people in the Church I lead commit to reading their Bible. Some have made a 90-day commitment, and others a year-long one. Either way, numerous people want to spend more time reading God’s word.

I hope that you have not quit yet and will not quit anytime soon. One of the things that makes for a mature believer more than intellect is a strength of will. If you genuinely want to grow as a follower of Jesus, the greatest asset you can possess is an iron will that won’t allow you to quit. Like Jacob at the river Jabbock, where he grabbed ahold of an angel and said, “I won’t let go until you bless me,” Christianity is for people who refuse to let go of Jesus.

Some may call it Quitters’ Day, but you are no quitter.

One criticism I received about my blog is that people expected me to explain the Bible more in my posts. They want me to turn what I write into a Bible lesson. While I am one hundred percent a student of the scriptures, I have noticed a massive deficiency in most teachers and preachers. They share the word of God with little to no practical application.

The internet has brought us thousands of people explaining the word of God. Although some are lousy, there are still numerous great places to go and find out exactly what a passage means. There are very few places you can go to and have someone help you apply it.

For example, a preacher might have a sermon on prayer, explain Matthew chapter 6, and then encourage everyone to pray, making you feel bad if you do not. It was a great Bible sermon, but the connection to daily life is missing. When should you pray? What if you can’t find the time? What if your mind keeps wandering? How should you feel if your prayers don’t come true? Is five minutes enough time to pray? What if you don’t have anything to say after two minutes?

One of my dreams in life is to help people in both areas of Biblical understanding. I want people to know what the word says, and you can come here on any Sunday to do just that. But I also want to be extremely practical. Application without the Bible can lead us to all kinds of wrong conclusions and actions. And the Bible, without application, can make us self-righteous and sinful.

For the scriptures to display their full power, you must both know and do what they say.

You are lying there in bed. It is warm and comfortable. Then, you begin to negotiate with yourself about whether you really want to get up and go for a run, make a healthy breakfast, or pray and read your Bible.

Researchers tell us that it takes 28 days of self-negotiation before we form a habit. A habit is when a practice becomes second nature, and you do it without having to talk yourself into it.

This is why it is easier to make changes in your life if you do it with other people. You not only have an internal argument, but you have to deal with another person or group of people and argue with them about why you didn’t follow through on your plans.

So, if you are struggling again this year to start those habits that will transform you for the better. Find someone else who is also struggling, and together, maybe you can finally defeat that warm, comfortable bed. Two are better than one because you can always talk yourself out of good ideas.

At the beginning of the year, your mind needs to go in two directions.

First, you need to look back and reflect on what happened over the past twelve months. How have you become more like Jesus? How did you grow spiritually?

Second, you need to look ahead. How will you become more like Jesus in the next twelve months? What will you do to grow spiritually?

The key to a productive life of faith is when both of those thoughts meet together TODAY. Plan your spiritual growth for the coming year. Set clear intentions to strengthen your relationship with Christ. Then, learn from past successes to create daily habits that will shape your future faith journey.

The lessons from yesterday should lead us to actions today that will produce a better tomorrow.

It is the time of year when many people are sharing the list of books they read in 2024. While I love to read and complete 10-12 every year, along with reading thousands of pages for my job, I am also a movie lover. One of my wife’s and my favorite activities is to settle in at night and watch a movie. Because I am obsessive about things, I track my watching habits, and last year, I completed 165 movies of all types except horror (Top that you book readers!!).

Some of the movies we watch are total garbage and serve as only humorous memories. Others touch my soul. I wanted to share a few of the good movies that you might want to check out on a snowy night when there is no football on TV.

1. The Forge. This is a Christian movie by the Kendrick Brothers and has some hokey spots; overall, the storyline is excellent. How I long to see men mentoring other men into the faith.

2. Inside Out 2. I also watched Inside Out 1. I love the idea of looking into someone’s brain and seeing what makes sense and what doesn’t. This does it humorously and touchingly, as only Pixar can do.

3. Boys in the Boat. It is a movie about a group of young men rowing crew during the Depression. It is a feel-good story based on actual events.

4. It Ends With Us. This is a slightly darker movie that asks some deep questions about relationships. I was pleasantly surprised that I liked this one.

5. Greater. It is the story of a boy who wants to play football and honor God with his life. It is also based on a true story, and it evokes strong feelings that I hadn’t expected.

6. My All American. Another true story from the sports world. It is a little like a modern-day “Brian Song.”

*There are a few movies I repeatedly watch that are hard to recommend to everyone based on the content and presentation, but they touch something inside my soul: Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl is one of those movies. I also like Perks of Being a Wallflower, Almost Famous, Places in the Heart, and It’s a Wonderful Life.

Maybe one of these will inspire or encourage you, but I am quirky, so maybe not.