“Then he said to them all, ‘If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.’” - Luke 9:23 CSBJesus does not stop at “deny yourself.” He keeps going. He says, “Take up his cross daily.” And we need to slow down here, because most of us hear the word cross through years of church familiarity.We see crosses on necklaces.Crosses on walls.Crosses on chu...  Read More

“Then he said to them all, ‘If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.’” - Luke 9:23 CSBJesus does not begin discipleship by saying, “Improve yourself.” He says, “Deny yourself.” And that lands differently. Because most of us can handle improvement. Improvement still lets us feel in charge. Improvement says, “I’m working on me.” Improvement sa...  Read More

“Then he said to them all, ‘If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.’” - Luke 9:23 CSBThere is a version of Christianity that sounds faithful, feels familiar, and still leaves us in control. That is what makes it so dangerous.It uses the right words.It sings the right songs.It shows up in the right spaces.It knows how to say, “God is good,” ...  Read More

“But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” - James 1:22 CSBAt some point, truth has to become response. It is possible to hear a sermon, agree with the doctrine, appreciate the depth, nod at the right moments, underline the right verse, and still walk away unchanged.That is the danger.We can learn about Jesus as Prophet, Priest, and King, and still keep Him at the edges...  Read More

“Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.” - Hebrews 4:16 CSBWe do not need a small Jesus. We need the whole Christ. We need the Prophet because we are ignorant. We do not naturally see God rightly. We misread life. We misread ourselves. We misread sin. We call dangerous things harmless and eternal things ...  Read More

“When your time comes and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up after you your descendant, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” - 2 Samuel 7:12–13 CSBMost of us like the idea of Jesus helping us. We like Jesus comforting us. We like Jesus forgiving us. We li...  Read More