Salt. Light. Love

12/06/2025

Life Lessons: Acts 26 – 28

We have come to the end of our study, as well as the end of Paul’s journey. As we reflect on where this leaves us, a few things stand out from how Paul conducts himself in the midst of varying situations. For one thing, he seems remarkably immune to the opinions and insults of others in the world. Instead, his witness is a reminder to us that it is better to be insane in Christ than to be sane in sin. “Who cares if they call you crazy, you are redeemed in Christ!” his life declares.

Furthermore, he embodies how we are called to speak truth, in love, even when it feels like no one is listening. It’s as though not only does Paul not care what people think of him, but he also doesn’t care if they all decided to ignore him. He persists. He preaches. He proclaims, because he has been so overwhelmed by the love of Christ that he can’t help but express love for those around him.

Finally, to the end, Paul admonishes us to stay consistent in our faith in Christ. From Tarsus to Rome, Paul has consistently been a man who lives out what he knows is true. Of course, at the start of his story, what he “knew” to be true was in fact not; but once he came to know Christ, there was no turning back.

How about you? How about me? Are we focused more on Christ than the opinion of the world, the attention of the world, the prizes of the world? Are we devoted? Are we determined? Are we disciples? I pray God makes us faithful, to his glory.

12/03/2025

12/01/2025

11/18/2025

11/15/2025

Life Lessons: Acts 23 – 25

Sometimes life feels almost like a movie, filled with major plot twists and suspenseful encounters. Sometimes; most of the time, though, life is just the day-to-day experience. Nothing flashy or big, just a succession of moments blending one into the other, gradually demarcating the separation of one from another in the subtle shifts of light or leaves on the branches as you pass them. This section of chapters towards the end of Acts are more like the latter. Paul has the emotionally charged encounter of preaching Christ in Jerusalem, and what follows is a long period of years as he is passed from one set of hands to another on his way to Rome.

Here's the thing, mind you I don’t like it, but here it is all the same: Ordinary events are part of God’s extraordinary plan for you. That means that the seasons of mundane living are not a sign of bad theology or wayward orthopraxis, but just another important part of what God is doing in your life. Sometimes it takes time; so be patient, don’t give up, keep pressing on.

A question I often get when people have come to accept and embrace that first point is what to do, then. If God is calling me to a season of fruitfulness through faithfulness in the simple, what does that look like. I can tell you for sure what it doesn’t look like, and that’s isolation. I have felt the temptation, working a job that’s just a means to the end of paying bills, or living in a place where the roommate is temporary so no need to make connections, but that’s not God’s way. No, he wants us to be invested in those spaces and places, learning about the people around us and the situations that make up our community. See, another hard fact of being a Christian I often wish wasn’t true is that being God’s kid doesn’t mean you have to be ignorant about the world. So invest, put down roots, form relationships. We never know what fruit God will harvest from the seemingly fallow ground around us, so start digging in.

Yeah, Paul spent so many years bouncing from prison to prison as he slowly made his way to Rome, but something we know from church history is how the spread of the Gospel in the ranks of the soldier set the stage for Christ’s followers to turn the world on its head. It’s not hard to imagine how many nights were spent with Paul instructing his captors in the ways of Christ. What we have recorded about his time makes it plain he kept doing just that. Maybe the “captor” of your situation is the future founder of the next great movement of the faith. Only one way to find out.

11/14/2025

11/12/2025

11/10/2025

10/25/2025

Life Lessons: Acts 20 – 22

Consistency and focus. If I had to summarize what is lacking from most of us Christians in the West, it would be those two things. Mind you, I said “us”; I am not excluded from this assessment. This write-up is one of those times where there really isn’t a need for a lot of words, because the mandate is clear; it is our hearts that remain muddled. Chapters 20 through 22 present us with a Paul who is consistent in his walk (20) and focused in his walk (21 and 22). He does not allow the circumstances to sway him from how he knows Christ would have him act, nor to keep him from following through with the mission at hand.

So, how are you doing? Have the people you associate with caused you to wander from the path Christ has clearly set before you? Have the circumstances and moments you find yourself in convinced you to lose sight of the precious goal established for you in Christ? Far too often my answer continues to be “I am distracted” and “I have lost my way.” But that does not need to be the case, for me or for you. I implore us, today, to be consistent and focused, for Christ’s sake and for our own.

10/24/2025

10/22/2025

10/20/2025