Google Voice did me wrong this morning. I was easing into the day with my inbox open, scrolling through messages I’d ignored for a few days. Nothing urgent. It's a Friday morning, after all. Then I saw it. An email from Google Voice. Apparently, my number was about to expire. “Use it or lose it,” basically. I almost laughed. Even my phone number needs attention now. So I clicked the link and logged in, ready to make a quick call just to keep it alive. The screen loaded. Right beneath my number, neat and casual, as if it were doing me a favor, Google offered suggestions of people I might want to call. The first name stopped me. My grandmother. The second one hit harder. My sister. For a split second, it felt normal. Like I could just tap their names and hear their voices ring through the speaker. Like nothing had changed. Like time hadn’t moved. But time has moved. They’re no longer with us. And there I was, just trying to keep a phone number active, when an algorithm casually hande...
Micah 6:6-8 Listen to today's devotional We live in a world that loves false dilemmas. It's either justice or mercy. Truth or love. Either faithfulness to God or survival in a rough, complicated world. And when our choices feel impossible like that, we're tempted to shrug and say, “There’s just no way.” Well, there is. Today, let's take our cue from the prophet Micah. He says, “He has told you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God?” Notice that Micah doesn’t give us an escape plan we might be looking for. He doesn’t lower the bar of holiness or spiritualize problems away. He simply says: This is the way. Justice, then, is not optional, even when systems are stacked against you. Kindness is not weakness, even when cruelty feels efficient, popular, and necessary. Humility is not passivity, even when pride and power are tempting a different way. Be sure, God’s way is demanding. But G...