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  Proverbs 13:1-4 Listen to today's devotional “From the fruit of their words good persons eat good things…” (Proverbs 13:2). Let's consider how this proverb impacts our discipleship. You may be someone who has a problem with their "big mouth." You say things you don't want to, and what you say often makes what you're in even worse. For a moment, think of your mouth less as a megaphone and more as a garden. That makes every word you use a seed. Now, think about how culture often rewards rage and sarcasm. What is that really building these days? Sharp tongues earn followers, sure. But at what expense? Cynicism masquerades as wisdom but really only makes us feel more hopeless. The proverb, though, asks us to think about how our words don't just describe our world. They help shape it. That we don't just speak about our lives. We speak our lives into being. I don't mean that in a name-it-claim-it kind of way. This is not a nod to the prosperity gospel....

I'm pretty sure I've seen every video Harry Mack has put out on social media.  Fans of HM know there's one rule: Never skip a Harry Mack video.  I've added a second rule: Like whatever HM. video you're watching before it even finishes.  I don't know that I've ever heard him and thought, "Meh." He has an amazing skill. People regularly accuse him of using AI tools to fake his videos. But I've seen too much of his work to think any else other than he's incredibly gifted and has worked hard to master his craft. And I've seen a lot of people say that they don't like rap music, but are incredibly impressed by what he does.  I don't know how you wouldn't be. There have only been two celebrities I've ever wanted to meet. The first was Alyssa Milano--don't worry, Gloria knows. The second is Harry Mack. Most people wouldn't even consider him a celebrity. But if Harry ever comes to Corpus Christi, I have my three words rea...

  Acts 7:30-34 Listen to today's devotional Acts 7 reminds us that God shows up in the waiting. In that chapter, Stephen retells the story of Moses and says, “After forty years had passed…” Forty years. That’s not a quick devotional quiet time or a short worship service that gets you out before lunch. That's not a semester, or even a longer-than-you've-ever-had pastoral appointment. That’s a lifetime of wondering if the promise still meant anything. Then, one day, out of nowhere, a bush starts burning, and everything changes. This week, our family is celebrating our son’s graduation from Air Force Basic Training. Within the last few days, several people have told my wife, “Wow, the time went by fast!” And for them, maybe it did. But ask his mama. It has been almost two months since she’s talked to her baby boy. Time doesn’t fly when you’re counting the days. Two months have passed for us. Forty years passed for Moses. While Moses was tending sheep in that time, doing the ve...

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...

  Psalm 34:4-6 Listen to today's devotional Trouble is not shy, so it has no problem announcing itself loudly. It's like an aggravating visitor that doesn’t knock. It barges in uninvited and then tries to take over. I'm sure you know what this looks like. It's when bills stack up or a diagnoses changes your life. Or maybe trouble fractures your relationships. The psalmist writing Psalm 34 would understand all that. He doesn't pretend trouble isn’t real. Instead, he says, “This poor soul cried and was heard by the Lord and was saved from every trouble." I'm sure you noticed that he didn't say trouble didn’t come. What he said was that trouble didn’t get the best of him. There’s a difference between trouble showing up and trouble taking control. One is unavoidable. The other is a surrender we don't have to make. The psalmist writes as someone who knew fear in his bones. He had enemies, uncertainty, and moments where making it through every day felt li...