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  1 Corinthians 4:14-20 Click here to listen to today’s devotional I think I've only heard someone say something like "Imitate me" in a classroom or the gym. A teacher might say, "Watch how I solve this problem." A coach yells at you to "Copy my stance!" Their example comes from experience and training. They could have just told me what to do, but I'm better prepared after they've shown me. The apostle Paul says to the Corinthians, "Be imitators of me." At first, it sounds a little arrogant or presumptuous. But Paul isn't asking people to admire him. He's already shown them what a life shaped by Christ looks like. Now, he's giving them the invitation to follow this example. As a spiritual father to the Corinthians, you could apply what we say about parenthood to faith: That faith is often caught before it's taught. Whether we realize it or not, we're all leaving footprints. Someone is learning what it means to foll...

  Genesis 35:16-21 Click here to listen to today’s devotional My family used to call me Turkey because my birthday was close to Thanksgiving. Once, I met a man named Texas who was from New York City; his family was traveling in Texas when he was born. Then there was the kid nicknamed Piojo because he once had lice. Slim, Lefty, Lucky, Red, Moose, and so many more are all examples of how we name people based on some feature of who they are. Have you ever met someone named Ben-Oni? Rachel's death is a heartbreaking and agonizing scene in Genesis 35. As she dies giving birth, she names her son Ben-Oni. That name means "son of my sorrow" or "son of my affliction." But Jacob renamed the child Benjamin, which means "son of the right hand." That was a name associated with strength, honor, and favor. Some scholars suggest that Jacob changed the name because he couldn't bear the constant reminder of Rachel's suffering and death. That's certainly pos...

  Genesis 33:4-11 Click here to listen to today’s devotional Jacob saw Esau coming. This scene should begin with an ominous soundtrack. For years, Jacob probably thought about the day he deceived his brother, stole his blessing, and ran away because he was afraid of the consequences. Now, after all that time, Esau was coming toward Jacob with 400 men. And Jacob prepared for the worst. Wouldn't you? But Genesis 33 tells a different story. One of my favorites, actually. The text says that when Esau saw Jacob, he ran to meet him, embraced him, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. Jacob saw Esau and expected a fight. Esau saw Jacob and saw his little brother. We're not told how or why Esau changed his mind about what he wanted to do to Jacob all those years ago. But he offers me great hope for what our relationships with each other and with God can be. We're good at carrying our failures and our regrets around. So many of us are shame bearers more than we feel like i...

  Psalm 139:13-18 Click here to listen to today’s devotional I can't wait to become a grandparent! Ever since my son and daughter-in-law told us they were expecting, my wife and I have prayed for that young soul every single day. I've prayed for her health, her future, her joy, her friendships, her faith, and the person she'll become. I've thanked God for her many times, even before I ever knew her name. The thing is, she'll have no idea. It will be years before she understands that we were lifting her to God before she knew who we were. She won't understand that there were people celebrating her, hoping for her, and praying over her. As I read Psalm 139 today, I wondered if that's a glimpse of God's heart toward us. The psalmist says of God, "You knit me together in my mother's womb... Your eyes beheld my unformed substance." Before we took our first breath, God already knew us. Before we had words to pray, God was already listening. Befor...

  Psalm 139:1-6 Click here to listen to today’s devotional This week, I have taken intentional time to journal about my inner life. It has been both challenging and necessary. I’m sharing these reflections with you so you can also ask God to search what temptations, worries, or burdens might be pulling you this week. As someone who spends much of my time thinking about God-related things, talking about God, and preparing others to encounter God, this week has been a reminder that there is a difference between working for God and being present with God. A question I have wrestled with is, What is happening in my soul while I am doing all the things expected of me as a pastor? I am entering a new season of ministry. New church. New community. New relationships. New expectations. There is excitement, but there is also uncertainty. I have been reflecting on the verse I preached on in my first sermon: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11...

  Isaiah 41:21-24 Click here to listen to today’s devotional Often, we are drawn to anyone or anything that promises to tell us what comes next. Just think of election season. Candidates promise they know what needs to happen next, and that they'll be the ones to make it happen. Besides that, we check forecasts, scroll through headlines, follow experts, and replay conversations in our minds, hoping someone can calm our fears surrounding the question: What's going to happen ? That's the tension behind God's challenge in Isaiah 41 when God speaks to the idols that people trusted. The Lord says, "Tell us what is to happen," and "declare to us the things to come." Of course, it's a challenge they cannot answer. Their promises are empty because they cannot see or shape what's next. They are nothing. And yet, not much has changed. Our idols may not be carved from wood or stone, but they still make oversized promises. You probably recognize them, ev...