The reality behind our culture’s favorite mantra: Matthew McCullough begins, “I don’t know where it came from, but now it seems to be everywhere. I hear it on podcasts and TV shows. I’ve seen it on T-shirts and social media graphics. A quick search for it on Amazon brings up hundreds of results, ranging from books for kids and adults to silver charm bracelets to hoodies of many colors to embroidered makeup cases to wall hangings and throw pillows and stickers to place on your rearview mirror. I’m talking about the simple, uplifting mantra for our times: ‘You Are Enough.’”
Jesus wept (Jn. 11:35).
This is the shortest verse in the Bible.
It is profound as it applies to the heart of Our Lord, Jesus Christ; to those whom he came to save: You. Me. Us.
There is much pain and confusion in our world today. You don't need to look far to see it. Some of us have been brought to our knees in grief and in this moment cannot hardly see past it; the same can be said of those of us in the throes of financial woe; relational strife; physical affliction.
Hopelessness. Dread. Despair.
When peace feels impossible: Christopher Cook says, “As such, when Paul says “do not be anxious,” he is not instructing believers to numb their emotions, detach from their circumstances, or pretend life doesn’t hurt. He’s inviting us to recalibrate the affections of our hearts. And that recalibration begins with a theological claim far deeper than a surface-level command. It begins with presence.”
When waiting draws us near: Bethany Broderick says, “Our world seems allergic to waiting. We pay hundreds of dollars for faster shipping
“We won!” If you’re a sports fan, you might have bellowed those words when your favorite team emerged victorious from an epic showdown.
But of course, we know that we didn’t win at all. I sat on my couch and cheered for my Chiefs. But it was Andy Reid who drew up the play, Patrick Maholmes who threw the pass, and Travis Kelce who caught it.
They, not we, won.
Many of us have come to believe the opposite lie regarding the church. It’s easy to think they are doing the work of the gospel. In a celebrity culture, it’s easy to get sucked into thinking that pastors do ministry and preachers do gospel work.
“Download this app!” I urged my family, “You’ll get $200 free to bet!” Five years ago sports betting became legal across most of the United States. From 2019 to 2023, sports betting downloads increased from 6 million to 33 million. In 2021 alone, the percentage of Americans who regularly bet on sports more than doubled jumping from 5% to 12%.
By 2024, the sports betting market reached an estimated size of $70 billion, generating $13.7 billion in revenue. Analysts predict the industry will continue its skyrocketing growth, projecting it to reach $187 billion by 2030.
As we prepare for Christmas, we are diving into one of the most theologically rich Christmas carols ever written: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.
December not only brings the celebration of our Lord’s birth, it often brings sickness. Just this week our daughter got hit with the flu. It’s appropriate that many of us might be a little needier this time of year as we are reminded that Jesus alone can bring healing. Do you need healing today? Does someone you love need healing?
Saint Nicholas is our guy: Clarissa Moll interviews Ned Bustard, “There’s a story of Nicholas battling Artemis, the goddess of the city in which he served as bishop. He prayed against the goddess, and her statue fell over, kind of like Dagon in 1 Samuel 5. How much of these stories are true? We don’t know, but we do know that he really did exist and has this reputation for being generous.”
Mama, you don’t have to save Christmas: Staci Eastin says,
In Talladega Nights, Ricky Bobby (Will Farrell) offers up an irreverent prayer to baby Jesus,
“Dear Tiny Infant Jesus...” Ricky prays. His wife interjects, “Hey, um... you know, sweetie, Jesus did grow up. You don't always have to call him baby. It's a bit odd and off puttin' to pray to a baby.” Ricky responds, “Well, look, I like the Christmas Jesus best when I'm sayin' grace.”
Some of us are more comfortable with baby Jesus as well. He can feel more approachable than the suffering Jesus on the cross or the reigning Jesus on the throne.
Throughout this Christmas season, we are examining profound truths in four lines from Charles Wesley’s (brother of John Wesley) popular hymn and Christmas carol “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.”
Everyone loves Christmas! And what would Christmas be without its carols? In 1739, one of the most theologically rich carols ever was penned: “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” Its author, Charles Wesley, an itinerant evangelistic preacher and brother to John, was one of the most masterful hymn writers in history. In his lifetime, he wrote 6500 hymns (averaging more than two per week!). The lyrics we sing today are identical to Wesley’s original text in 1739, with one notable exception. His first line read, “Hark, how all the welkin rings.” Welkin means “heavens” or “sky.”
Sex, virtue, technology: Marc Sims with an important article on the impact of technology on sexuality, “Imagine a world of thorns and thistles and serpents and porn and affairs and divorce. (Shouldn’t be too hard for you). It is a world that has attempted to peel sex out of the context of covenant and commitment—even out of relationship itself—and pursue the physical pleasure as an end of itself.”
Stay put and make disciples: David Mathis begins, “This is a plea for aging Christians not to follow millions of your peers in making a tragic mistake: leaving the place, and especially the local church, where you have built up years, if not decades, of relational capital.”
In JRR Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, two of Frodo’s hobbit companions, Merry and Pippin, get kidnapped by the orcs and eventually are rescued by the Ent, Treebeard. Meanwhile, the rest of the Fellowship prepare to confront Saruman and his forces at Isengard, attempting to weaken him so that Frodo and Sam can complete their mission to destroy the ring. In Peter Jackson’s movie adaptation, Merry and Pippin beg the council of Ents (called Entmoot) to make haste so that they can join their friends on the verge of war.
In the age of social media, it’s easy to fill our days with words. But how many of them are lasting? How many will challenge and sharpen us? An intelligent author has the ability to make us not just cleverer, but wiser.
I am on track to read around 115 books this year (I’ve read 105 as I pen this). Here are some of my favorite books of 2025. I hope you try some of them out in 2026! What were your favorite books you read this year?
Three ways attending church could extend your life: Rebecca McLaughlin says, “What you almost certainly won’t hear is that weekly church attendance is one of the very best things you can do for both your body and your mind. But that’s what researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health have found. In fact, they have discovered that going to church can add multiple years to your life.”
K-12 workers have highest burnout rate in US: Stephanie Marken and Sangeeta Agrawal report, “More than four in 10 K-12 workers in the U.S. (44%) say they "always" or "very often" feel burned out…
I pray you had a blessed Thanksgiving. I hope your heart entered into this past week with a spirit of gratitude and that your time with friends, family, and God only heightened that gratitude.
No one wants to walk in ingratitude, and yet gratitude can be so quickly snatched from us.
What destroys thanksgiving? There are many threats: envy, pride, and selfishness. But one sneaky snatcher of gratitude is injustice. When the earth quakes with injustice, its tremors rattle our hearts and our trust.
When we experience injustice, questions swirl: Why would God allow that wrong to happen? How could He let this grievance happen to me? Won’t the wrongdoer be punished? Won’t the victim receive restitution?
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