I was working with AI to help me develop this blog, and at one point it gave me a summary of my writing style. One phrase caught my attention: “Honest rather than formal.”

I liked that. I think that describes how I try to write and, honestly, how I try to live.

I don’t want my writing to sound like I have everything figured out. I don’t want to hide behind big words or religious language. I want to be honest about life. The good, the bad, the successes, the failures, the questions, and the things God is still teaching me.

Maybe that is why I appreciate the Bible so much. The Bible is remarkably honest.

It tells us about David’s victories, but also his failures. It tells us about Peter’s boldness, but it also tells us about his denial. It tells us about the disciples’ faith, but it also shows their doubts and misunderstandings.

The Bible doesn’t airbrush people. And neither should we.

Sometimes I think Christians feel like we have to present a polished version of ourselves. We know what we are supposed to say. We know how we are supposed to act. We know what a “good Christian” is supposed to look like.

But there is something powerful about simply being honest. Honesty doesn’t mean celebrating our failures or making excuses for our sin. It means we stop pretending we don’t have any.

Jesus never asked people to pretend.

So, “honest rather than formal.”

That’s how I want to write. More importantly, that’s how I want to live.