There’s a certain magic in retrospection. That moment when you pause amid life’s rush and glance over your shoulder at the winding path that brought you here.

One day, you will look back on these ordinary days and realize they weren’t ordinary at all. The morning coffee you barely tasted, the commute you wished away, the routine conversations with loved ones, and all these seemingly mundane moments are quietly weaving themselves into the tapestry of your life story.

Someday, you will look back on your struggles with a gentle smile of recognition. Not because the pain wasn’t real but because you’ll see how each challenge shaped you, strengthened you, and ultimately led you to new horizons you couldn’t have imagined.

Those decisions that keep you awake at night will one day appear as crucial turning points or necessary detours in a journey that somehow brought you exactly where you needed to be. Even the wrong turns will reveal their purpose.

Perhaps you’ll look back on the people who walked beside you, the conversations you rushed through, the hugs you gave without fully sinking into them, and the relationships you took for granted. And you will see the missed opportunities to connect and share during those ordinary moments.

So today, knowing that one day you will look back, perhaps you might pause. Notice the quality of the light through your window. Feel the full weight of a loved one’s hand in yours. Listen closely to the stories that are shared. Because this moment might be a memory worth treasuring.

This year, I spoke to the seniors at our Ministerial Alliance baccalaureate service.

My sermon was based on Luke 15:8-10 and the parable of the woman who had ten coins and lost one. As a parable, it reveals a truth about the kingdom of God. The picture he paints reveals a more profound truth about our walk of faith.

I pointed out two lessons from Jesus’ teaching for them to learn. First, Jesus spoke to the Pharisees about the value of every person, even tax collectors and sinners. Every person, including these seniors, needs to understand that all people have value and worth to God. Therefore, we should treat all people with dignity, respect, and love.

Second, Jesus spoke to the tax collectors and sinners who had gathered there. He was emphasizing that their lives had value and worth to God. Their mistakes and careers did not define them; their worth came from God, and nothing could take that away. Whenever we make mistakes in life, we need to understand that our value is not diminished in God’s sight.

I hope these seniors will carry these lessons into life as they succeed and fail in their chosen paths after graduation. I also hope they will shape the lives of every believer—even you.

In our most vulnerable moments of temptation, we rarely find ourselves actively engaged with Scripture. These pivotal moments often arise precisely when we’ve set aside our Bibles or closed our study apps.

This reality illuminates the profound wisdom in Psalm 119:11: “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”

The psalmist understood a timeless truth: internalizing Scripture provides spiritual protection that transcends physical access to the text. When we commit God’s word to memory and allow it to shape our hearts, we carry its wisdom and strength wherever we go.

For believers, reading, memorizing, and meditating on Scripture isn’t merely academic; it’s spiritual preparation. By hiding God’s word in our hearts, we ensure that divine truth remains with us in moments of weakness, providing the spiritual clarity and strength needed to overcome temptation and resist evil’s influence in our lives.

It is graduation season, and my youngest son walked across the stage for the third and probably final time. As he waited to receive the hood that came with a master’s degree, around ninety other students crossed the stage ahead of him. Almost without exception, when the graduate’s name was called, a small group of two to twelve people cheered in the crowd. They would shout, take pictures, and savor the moment.

My family was no exception. I applauded, and one of the boys shouted while my wife took pictures. It was an exciting moment as years of study reached their culmination. But with each of the diplomas handed out, these little celebrations captured my attention.

Sure, they are expressions of pride, but it is more than family passively observing another’s success. There is a sense of togetherness. The graduate’s accomplishments are not their own. They belong to the family. Behind the student was a support network that helped make it happen. Success is something that is never achieved alone.

Whatever you produce with your life, always be keenly aware of the people who support you. Those people are the ones who celebrate for you and with you. Be sure to recognize their contribution and value their help. Anything is possible when you surround yourself with the right people. Graduation is just the beginning.

The phrase “paying your respects” originated as a 17th-century idiom, meaning a courteous visit to acknowledge someone’s skills, qualities, or achievements. Over time, the meaning shifted, and today it commonly refers to honoring someone at a funeral.

In modern contexts, we spend time with the bereaved family, sharing how much we respect and admire the person who passed away. It’s a way to show how deeply that individual impacted our lives.

However, there’s an issue with reserving this expression for after someone’s passing. If you truly admire or respect someone, why wait until they are gone to express it? While the family may appreciate hearing about their loved one, the person themselves would have cherished hearing it while they were still alive.

Perhaps today is the perfect time to “pay your respects” to someone who matters to you.

The article declared that if you have a messy office, then you are a person who prefers to defer decisions. While I was reading it, I looked around my office at the mess surrounding me. Then I thought, “That is not true, not even a little bit.”

My office is currently messy because May is a hectic month. With Easter falling later in April and all the activities that I am juggling, I have had little time to maintain my office.

This has me thinking about how we view people. Often, we see a snapshot of their life and begin to draw conclusions that are simply not true. In fact, they might actually indicate that something in their life is unstable at the moment.

As Christians, we need to be extremely careful about the labels we put on people, the conclusions we draw, and the way we view others based on limited experience. Sure, many people do fit into nice little categories, but others do not. You will only know when you spend time getting to know them. Then, you might see another side of that person you never knew existed.

Everyone you invite to Church for the first time has an excuse for not attending. They can give you at least one reason they do not want to go with you.

Since that is true, one of my goals as a Church leader is to try to eliminate excuses.

The place I park and where I encourage our staff and leaders to park is a way to open spaces for guests near the building.

The greeters by the door, the look of the inside of the building, and the coffee we offer are there to make people feel welcome.

The worship plan, songs picked, videos shared, and things said from the stage by the worship team will be encouraging without “insider” language.

The children’s program is fun and educational, and it helps parents relax as their children enter a secure and enjoyable environment.

The sermon I deliver will be adequately prepared, with illustrations and applications, to help people understand the Bible and what it means for their lives.

Everything our Church tries to do on Sunday morning is designed to help non-Christians eliminate excuses for not coming.

Now, does that mean they are guaranteed to return? Nope. I wish it did; I really wish it did.

All it does is open the door for them to hear the message of Jesus without any distractions. We can have great worship and an applicable sermon, and people may be turned off to Jesus by other things when they attend. I make it a goal to remove all those obstacles and excuses so that the word of God can do its work. People can accept it or reject it, but we do not do anything to stand in their way of hearing it.

I typically avoid writing about my family to preserve their privacy, but today marks a milestone too significant to pass without recognition. My beloved mother is turning 90 years old.

Born and raised on an Indiana farm, she has never called any other state home. She devoted herself to one man throughout her life until his passing a few years ago. In our family, she has always been the silent saint; her life centered around her faith in the Lord, her church community, and her children.

Like anyone who has walked this earth for nine decades, she has weathered her share of storms. She has known the full spectrum of human experience, from profound love and devastating loss to immeasurable joy and deep sorrow. Yet through every season, her unwavering commitment to Jesus has remained her anchor. I cannot recall a single moment when her faith faltered. She continues to attend worship services faithfully, studies her Bible daily, maintains a vibrant prayer life, and cherishes time with her church card club and seniors’ group.

She may never receive worldly accolades for her accomplishments, but I have no doubt that an eternal reward awaits her in heaven. In the meantime, I’m profoundly grateful that God continues to bless me with her presence. Our weekly conversations are a treasure as she listens patiently to my mundane stories and never fails to ask about her grandsons.

My mother possesses neither wealth nor fame, but her steadfast dedication to her spouse, family, Church, and the Lord has shown me a priceless legacy of faith. Today, my heart overflows with gratitude for this remarkable woman and the countless ways she has enriched my life.

Happy Birthday, Mom.

The use of comparison is essential to the gospel message.

“It’s like …”

“Think about it this way …”

“Here is an illustration of that …”

“Imagine with me …”

These might appear to add very little value to our understanding of the work of Jesus, but in reality, they are how we come to know what it means for us.

It’s like a law court, where a verdict of guilty is handed down. That’s justification.

Think about Jesus’ work like the sacrificial system of the Old Testament. Jesus is the lamb.

One illustration of freedom is paying a ransom so that a prisoner can go free. That is Redemption.

Imagine that God is like a father who has two sons. That is grace.

One beneficial practice in sharing your faith in Jesus with others is to share not only Biblical stories but also practical analogies. Find stories and concepts that will resonate with the person to whom you are speaking and use them to bring clarity. Often, the best way to bring understanding is through comparing something people already know. Many people have come to know Jesus with a conversation that started with, “It’s like …”  

Recently, I saw videos of some young people who grew up attending our Church along with our Youth Group on Wednesday night. Neither of them was overly talkative at any function, nor were they serving on a regular basis.

These people might have slipped out of my life into the unknown had it not been for the fact that their parents still attend the Church I lead. As a result, I still have some contact with them.

In the videos, I witnessed the story of one of them going on a mission trip and another placing his faith in Jesus Christ in baptism. My heart was filled with joy as I listened to the stories of a couple of young people pursuing God’s will for their lives in the years after they left our Church community.

This whole experience reminded me that we have no idea what happens with the seed of the gospel that we plant in people’s lives. Sometimes, it takes off and grows in ways that we can see almost immediately. Other times, it takes years before that tiny seed finally germinates and begins to grow.

As a Christian, Church leader, ministry team member, or whatever capacity you serve Jesus, know that you will never know on this side of heaven the good you will do for the sake of the kingdom of God. Keep planting. Keep watering. Only God knows what will happen through your efforts.