Faith, Church, Culture, Heaven, History, Identity, Politics, Prayer
John Beeson
The Joy of Patriotism

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I was 22 years old when Osama bin Laden and his terrorist network al Qaeda orchestrated attacks on New York City and Washington, DC, on September 11, 2001. What followed was the most significant swell of patriotism I have ever experienced. 79% of adults displayed an American flag, “God Bless America” was inserted into every baseball game, and “United We Stand” was emblazoned on shirts everywhere….

If you are too young to remember the 911 attacks, you likely struggle to imagine a country so united in its patriotism. In our divided age, we’ve almost become numb to the possibility of patriotism.

The Joy of Patriotism
Church, Forgiveness, Gratitude, Relationships
John Beeson
A Healing Place

It was a long week. I felt sniped at by a handful of complaints from congregants. I was fighting for a spirit of gratitude as frustration grew in my heart. I stepped into a meeting and did my best to be present, but the inner critic’s voice was loud. I asked a simple question to kick things off: “Where is God growing you?” Tears welled in the eyes of the woman across from me. “New Life is my safe place, my growing place. New Life is my healing place. Every time I come to church, it feels like a hug.”

A Healing Place
Recommendations, Evangelism, Family, Leadership, Parenting
John Beeson
This Week's Recommendations

  1. Sitting down in victory: Beth Ferguson says, “When Jesus sat down at the right hand of the Father, something decisive happened not only in heaven, but for us. When we lose sight of that throne, discipleship begins to feel heavier than it was ever meant to be.”

  2. Knowing yourself is not the same thing as changing yourself: The post begins, “Here’s a controversial fact: Despite their popularity as leadership development tools, personality assessments fail to make leaders better.”

This Week's Recommendations
Faith, Prayer, Spiritual Growth, Wisdom, Identity
John Beeson
The Croucher

I was two years out of college, working as a Detention Officer at Madison Street Jail in downtown Phoenix. I was assigned to the juvenile unit, one of the most volatile units in the jail.

One particularly mouthy teen had been in the unit for only a week. He decided the best way to prove himself in front of the other juveniles was to try to provoke me. I tried not to take the bait.

Until I did.

I was gathering the juveniles from visitation when he refused to leave. He cursed me, mocked me, and then, once I uncuffed him from his visit, he ran,

The Croucher
Christian Living, Family, Leadership, Marriage, Wisdom
John Beeson
The Threat of Passivity

Everyone loves a great reveal.

If you saw it, you likely haven’t forgotten the penultimate scene in The Sixth Sense, when everything you thought you understood was suddenly turned upside down. Or the final scene in The Usual Suspects, when the mystery of Keyser Soze turns out to be right in front of you the whole time.

Genesis 3 contains one of the most devastating reveals in all of Scripture. As the passage unfolds, Moses forces us to reread the whole scene with new eyes.

The scene opens with the serpent: “Now the serpent was more crafty…”

The Threat of Passivity

Culture

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The Joy of Patriotism

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The Joy of Patriotism

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I was 22 years old when Osama bin Laden and his terrorist network al Qaeda orchestrated attacks on New York City and Washington, DC, on September 11, 2001. What followed was the most significant swell of patriotism I have ever experienced. 79% of adults displayed an American flag, “God Bless America” was inserted into every baseball game, and “United We Stand” was emblazoned on shirts everywhere….

If you are too young to remember the 911 attacks, you likely struggle to imagine a country so united in its patriotism. In our divided age, we’ve almost become numb to the possibility of patriotism.

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This Week's Recommendations

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This Week's Recommendations

  1. Should Christians flip tables like Jesus? Alan Noble concludes, “Scripture intentionally emphasizes humility and servanthood over anger and strong language. We should do likewise. We must follow Jesus knowing his actions are different from our own. We do not need to imitate his every act to be his faithful follower.”

  2. Burnout looks different across the org chart: watch for these signs: Daisy Auger-Dominguez begins, “Workplace burnout is often discussed as if it were a single condition with a single solution: fewer hours, better boundaries, more resilience. That framing is incomplete and misleading.”

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The Joy Thief

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The Joy Thief

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Who is the person you compare yourself to most often? Perhaps it is a family member, friend or a co-worker, perhaps it is even a celebrity.

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We human beings are comparison machines. We’re constantly evaluating the stimuli around us.  Social media has exacerbated the issue, giving us instant access into the highlight reels of thousands of friends and celebrities. Psychology Today reports that, “According to some studies, as much as 10 percent of our thoughts involve comparisons of some kind.”  Friend, this kind of toxic comparison is harmful.

Much has been written on the threat of comparison

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This Week's Recommendations

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This Week's Recommendations

  1. Jesus is awkwardly exclusive, radically inclusive, and stubbornly objective: Rebecca McLaughlin says, “Jesus never ruled an empire, raised an army, or even wrote a book. Most of his followers were poor. They weren’t the power brokers of their day. And yet, the Christian movement spread like wildfire after Jesus’s death, and it’s been growing ever since.”

  2. It’s not about you: Laura Story says, “We have to admit that oftentimes our spiritual lives tend to be self-centered rather than God-centered… If God answered every one of your prayers, would it change the world or simply change your world?”

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This Week's Recommendations

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This Week's Recommendations

  1. The quiet grief of adult friendship: Pranav Jain reflects, “Somewhere between “Let’s catch up soon” and “Sorry, life has been hectic”, adult friendship became one of the most emotionally significant and least discussed losses of modern life.

  2. Created to play: Brianna Lambert says, “Scientists admit that of all creatures, humans play the most, noting, “We are built to play and built through play” (Stuart Brown, Play). And God does just that. He builds us through our hobbies and gives us his own titles.”

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Diversity, Pentecost, and God’s Glory

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Diversity, Pentecost, and God’s Glory

There is a temptation for Christians to reject what the world values. Understandably, we would be suspicious of those things which secularism honors. But sometimes there is a baby in the bathwater.

There are few things more sacred in the modern West than diversity. But this is a baby worth preserving. Diversity was God’s before it was the world’s.

Let’s consider God’s glorious plan for diversity.

Ethnic diversity enters the biblical picture in a strange fashion, with the odd story of the Tower of Babel. As the descendants of Noah multiply, they form plans to protect their legacy.

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Who Am I? Contrasting the Modern and Biblical Visions of the Self

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Who Am I? Contrasting the Modern and Biblical Visions of the Self

Our culture is certain that its worldview bestows ultimate dignity upon the individual. After all, what could grant more dignity than one choosing one’s own identity? What more could we ask for than to declare who we are and be affirmed for that choice?

Meanwhile, our culture would have us believe that what the Bible says about who we are ought to cause us to blush.

But we need to shrink back. The Bible’s explanation of who we are grants us far more dignity than the autonomous vision of the West.

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Jesus' Sloppy Wet Kiss

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Jesus' Sloppy Wet Kiss

While I grew up in a gospel-preaching church that formed the lifelong foundation for my faith, my theological awakening occurred in college. As I grew up in theology, I began to turn my nose up on some of the worship of my youth.

 

I had outgrown Precious Moments Christianity and left behind worship that felt like nothing more than love songs to Jesus. I’m thinking of sentimental songs like “Above All” where we sang,

Like the rose trampled on the ground

You took the fall

And thought of me

Above all

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This Week's Recommendations

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This Week's Recommendations

  1. Is your fatherhood like a Rubik’s Cube? This equally pertains to moms, “I call this The Rubik’s Cube Effect. One side starts to come together, but in the very act of bringing order there, something else is thrown out of place.”

  2. The paradox of the brightening path: Trevin Wax begins, “There’s a paradox you’ll encounter the longer you walk with Jesus. The more you experience the light of his love, the more clearly you see the remaining spots and stains in your life. Progress seems lacking. Stumbles continue to mark your journey. The more you know the Lord’s love for you, the more you feel your unworthiness and your dependence on his grace.”

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Redeem the Time

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Redeem the Time

“In 2025, the average person worldwide [spent] 6 hours and 45 minutes staring at screens every single day — almost half of all waking hours.” For Americans, 3 hours of that time were spent watching TV and videos and 1.5 hours were spent on social media. We would do well to heed the wisdom of Author Annie Dillard who reminds us that, “How we spend our days… is how we spend our lives.” Her observation is not just poetic, it’s diagnostic.

We just launched a sermon series entitled Feedback Loop, inviting us to live wisely in an age of foolishness.

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