Faith & Spirituality | Substack

Christianity offers us the gift of not having to be pessimistic.

Imagine taking a few Bible verses on human sexuality as literal divine commands from God for all society, but minimizing 2,000+ verses calling for the care of immigrants, the marginalized, the oppressed, and the poor to be a personal choice.

📚 Question for you, friends...

I'm tossing around the idea of developing a new ongoing series here on Substack, and before I start outlining and writing, I want to hear from you.

If I were to create a regular series that dives deeper into one area of biblical study, what would you most want to learn about?

Would you be interested in:

• ✨ Jewish context and background of Scripture?
• ✨ First-century culture and the world of Jesus?

You made it, you own it

You always own your intellectual property, mailing list, and subscriber payments. With full editorial control and no gatekeepers, you can do the work you most believe in.

I used to apologize before every prayer request.

“I know this is small.” “I don’t want to bother anyone.” “Never mind, others have it worse.”
A friend stopped me once and said, “You know you don’t have to earn the right to need help.”
I didn’t know that.

Bartimaeus threw his cloak aside and ran to Jesus. No apology. No disclaimer. Just need. Mark 10:50.

Jesus didn’t make him wait. He asked, “What do you want me to do for you?”
He’s asking you the same thing right now.

You’re not a burden. You’re the whole reason He came.

Some flowers remain closed through the darkness.

Not because they are dead. Not because they are empty. Everything they need is already present. The roots are drawing nutrients. The soil is doing its work. The sun is on its way.
Then the light arrives. The flower opens, not to create life, but to receive what was already shining on it.

The devil doesn’t need to burn your Bible if he can make you afraid to speak it.

The most widespread form of censorship isn’t government censorship. It’s self-censorship.
It’s Christians who know what God has said but remain silent because the cost of speaking feels too high. The enemy loves a silent church. He doesn’t fear a Bible sitting on your shelf.