I am so excited to head to St Louis by way of Indianapolis today. This weekend we get to watch our son play baseball and on our way down we get to spend the evening with a dear friend.

Life is good!

Leap Day? Sure. But I’m not leaping over the lift today!

Good morning! May your extra day be filled with it love, joy, and laughter. #MorningMug #MorningBlessing

A coffee mug with the Māori word, “Aroha” on it in front of a welcoming fire
In Jesus, God found a way of relating to human beings that did not involve fear.

From: The Jesus I Never Knew by Philip Yancey 📚

I think this might be one of the most significant and under appreciated aspects of the personhood of Jesus. If we are leveraging fear with regards to Jesus then we have missed a central piece of the gospel story.

Good morning! May you know your worth is not tied to “productivity” but your worth is inherent. #MorningMug #MorningBlessing

My first batch of emails went out via micro.blog today and they look fantastic!

This is the product I’ve been looking for. I’m grateful to the dev team for creating this space.

Does anyone even stand a chance against the Los Angeles Dodgers this season?

The Jesus I Never Knew by Philip Yancey 📚

The virgin Mary, though, whose parenthood was unplanned, had a different response. She heard the angel out, pondered the repercussions, and replied, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.” Often a work of God comes with two edges, great joy and great pain, and in that matter-of-fact response Mary embraced both.

It strikes me how I often think if I’m really doing what God called me to do it will be all joy. But, it’s not. It’s both/and, great joy and great pain.

Disentangling Faith From Party Politics

a political map of the United States showing red and blue states representing Republicans and Democrats

Over the last number of years in the United States of America Christianity and politics have become so intertwined that in some places they are almost indistinguishable. The rise of the “Moral Majority” and the “Religious Right” have turned Christians into a voting bloc to be used. Now, the political left is even getting in on the act. Christianity bought into a bill of goods that argued that if there was support for a certain political agenda then Christianity would have greater cultural influence.

Read More →

Good morning! May you do what you love today. #MorningMug #MorningBlessing!

I’m hoping to get a new installment of Disentangling Faith out today.

“I am impressed that when the Son of God became a human being he played by the rules, harsh rules: small towns do not treat kindly young boys who grow up with questionable paternity.”
- From: [The Jesus I Never Knew](https://micro.blog/books/9780310295815) by Philip Yancey 📚

I hadn’t thought of this, have you? The idea of Jesus growing up in a small town “with questionable paternity,” is one that kind of shakes me. Would I have mocked him? Would I have held him at arm’s length? Was he treated poorly even as a child?

Trying to wrap my mind around Jesus from the human perspective is proving to be a bit of a gut punch.

I just got thekjd.net set up on micro.blog! I’m so pumped. The Knee Jerk Devotional is officially on it’s own site with it’s own email subscription list! You can also follow it’s dedicated RSS: thekjd.net/feed

Because it’s on micro.blog it will show up on all the channels autmagically too.

Psalm 105:1-11, 37-45; Genesis 21:1-7; Hebrews 1:8-12

He remembers his covenant forever, the promise he made, for a thousand generations, the covenant he made with Abraham, the oath he swore to Isaac.

Reading all these passages together it strikes me this morning that I don’t necessarily have faith in any of this.

Do you?

Faith is “trust”.

When I take a deep look at much of how I live it is marked by lack of trust. I think, when I am honest with myself I live too much of my life as though God will not remember his covenant promises. If I did believe it, I think I would likely have a greater patience in prayer. I intellectually ascent to the things in these passages. I believe them. But, I don’t know if I faith in any of it.

There is critical distinction between faith and belief. Belief is something of the mind. Faith is rooted in trust which is displayed in action.

When was the last time that I prayed long and faithfully for something? Do I rest in the knowledge that God will work out all things for the good of those who believe? Too often I do not.

This morning I am wrestling with the following, “Do I have faith in any of this?”

A bible open on an a gray countertop

Good morning! May you enter this week choosing the way of love, even loving your enemies.

A coffee mug that says, “Aroha” which is “love” in Māori in front of a welcoming fire.

If you’re someone who likes to listen to sermons, you can check out mine from this morning at Peace Presbyterian Chruch in Flint, MI: ordinary jesus - integrity

Good morning! If you’re looking to connect with a faith community I’d love to invite you to our home this evening.

We gather tonight at 5:30 pm for dinner.

6:30 we will spend time in the Scriptures, communion, and prayer.

Our passage: Matthew 5:38-48

9016 Parkland Dr, Ypsilanti, MI 48197

The garage will be open, come on in!

Good morning! May you connect deeply with an authentic community today. #MorningBlessing #MorningMug

A mug of coffee that reads “and so begins the adventure” on a gray table next a coaster that reads, “acts 13 network”

When ball games get delayed two hours and you’ve driven three hours away from home, you end up at Barnes and Noble to drink bad coffee, read, and write.

Journal and a Starbucks coffee cup on a table

Good morning! May you find some rest today. #MorningMug #MorningBlessing

A white mug that reads, “Panama city beach” in a cozy living room in front of a fire

Do you ever have moments where gratitude washes over you?

I love it when that happens.

Scrabble tiles that spell out grace on a white background with blue flowers on the left side.

Psalm 22:23-31; Genesis 16:1-6; Romans 4:1-12

Genesis 16:1-6, which is the opening of the story of Hagar and Ishmael. This tells about how Abraham’s wife wanted a child so badly that she offered up her slave Hagar to Abraham and Hagar conceives. They took the promise God had offered in Genesis 15 into their own hands.

Romans 4:1-12 talks about Abraham’s faith being credited to him as righteousness.

When you read those two passages side by side it is shocking.

Abraham acts in a way that is anything but righteous. He impregnated a woman that is not his wife and he then leaves this woman to be abused by his wife.

Yet, Romans 4 reminds us that this righteousness that was credited to Abraham was not based on anything he did. It was based solely on the promise that God made. His righteousness was credited to him before this scene plays out.

Think about that.

Abraham is deeply flawed, deeply sinful, and in many ways pretty awful. So was his wife.

Yet, he is considered righteous in spite of this.

God’s grace is so overwhelming that even a man like Abraham can become the spiritual father of the nations. God’s faithfulness is greater than any man’s. God’s grace is beyond anything that we can ever imagine.

I am reminded by this passage that I don’t need to take things into my own hands. I can trust the God of grace to bring his plans to fruition. When I trust God there is rest.

Good morning! May you persevere with joy today. #MorningMug #MorningBlessing ☕️

A coffee mug that reads, “New Zealand” in front of a fireplace with an inviting fire.

I watched Iron Claw yesterday. It was intense, slow, heartbreaking, and absolutely fascinating. I think I enjoyed it. 🍿

There’s not much better than a Red Wings victory over that team from Colorado. #LGRW 🏒