Month: June 2026

“They were weaponizing the department.”

Weaponization.

You hear that word almost every day now. One side claims the government is being weaponized against its opponents. The other side says the same thing. Whether the accusation is true or not, the fact that so many people find it believable says something about our times.

Most government agencies were created to serve the public. They were intended to protect rights, enforce laws fairly, and provide a measure of order. Yet whenever power is involved, there is always the temptation to use it for purposes beyond its original mission.

Of course, government is not unique. Give someone authority and there is always the possibility it will be abused. Give someone influence and there is always the possibility it will be leveraged for personal gain. Give someone a cause, and sometimes the cause becomes more important than the people it was supposed to help.

The religious leaders of Jesus’ day were not immune. They possessed knowledge of Scripture, positions of honor, and the respect of the people. Yet many used those gifts to elevate themselves rather than serve others.

Jesus described them this way:

They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.
Matthew 23:4 (ESV)

The warning is not merely for politicians, government officials, or religious leaders. It is for all of us. Parents can misuse authority. Employers can misuse authority. Pastors can misuse authority. Physicians can misuse authority. Any position entrusted to us by God can be used either to serve people or to serve ourselves. Perhaps that is why discussions about weaponization resonate so deeply. We recognize the temptation because we have seen it in others—and if we are honest, sometimes in ourselves.

The question is not whether power exists. The question is what we will do with it. Will we use what God has entrusted to us to advance ourselves, or to serve those around us?

Love and trust in the Lord; seek His will in your life.

#faith #trustinggod #christianity #jesuschrist #bible #seekinggodswill #truth #sanctification #godisincontrol #godhearsourprayers #salvation #providenceofGod #weaponization #Matthew23:4

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“Here you go!”

My brother-in-law handed me a small cup of espresso. The aroma reached me before the cup did. I took a sip.

“This is delicious. Your espresso machine is great.”

He laughed. “It is great, but I didn’t use the machine.” He pointed toward the stove. “I made it with that.”

Sitting there was a Moka pot. I had seen them before while traveling through Italy and Spain. It wasn’t much to look at. Water goes in the bottom. Ground coffee goes in the filter basket. Put it on the stove and wait. A few minutes later, espresso.

I looked back at the impressive machine sitting on the counter. It had buttons, gauges, settings, and enough polished metal to make me think it belonged in a laboratory rather than a kitchen. The little Moka pot looked almost primitive by comparison. Yet the espresso in my hand had come from the simple one.

On the drive home, I found myself thinking about how often I assume the best solution must be the most sophisticated one. I like plans. I like information. I like knowing where I am going before I start. When I am facing a decision, I often want God to show me the entire route before I take the first step. I want certainty. I want details. I want assurances that everything will work out the way I hope. Instead, God usually gives me enough light for today.

The older I get, the more I realize that much of the Christian life is not complicated. That doesn’t mean it is easy. It isn’t. Forgiving someone who hurt you is not easy. Trusting God when the future feels uncertain is not easy. Loving difficult people is not easy. But understanding what God asks of us is usually not the hard part.

Jesus was once asked which commandment was the greatest. Of all the laws, regulations, traditions, and debates surrounding the faith, He answered with remarkable clarity:

And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Matthew 22:37–39 (ESV)

There is tremendous depth in those words. A person could spend a lifetime learning what they mean. Yet they are simple enough for a child to understand.

Love God.
Love your neighbor.

The challenge is not understanding them. The challenge is living them.

As I finished that espresso, I thought again about the little Moka pot. It lacked the appearance of the expensive machine beside it, but it faithfully did exactly what it was designed to do. Sometimes I wonder if we make the Christian life harder than it needs to be. We search for hidden formulas, secret insights, and complicated answers while overlooking what God has already made clear. Love Him. Love others. Trust Him enough to obey what He has already said.

There is nothing simplistic about that. 

But there is something beautifully simple in it.

Love and trust in the Lord; seek His will in your life.

#faith #trustinggod #christianity #jesuschrist #bible #seekinggodswill #truth #sanctification #godisincontrol #godhearsourprayers #salvation #providenceofGod #espresso #Mokapot #Matthew22:37-39

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I was downsizing and trying to find a home for some antiquated electronic equipment. Among the pile was an analog video camera. Long ago, I had converted all of my VHS tapes into digital media, and as far as I could tell, the camera had outlived its usefulness.

There was a camera shop near my home that advertised purchasing used audio and video equipment. I brought the camera in, expecting little interest. To my surprise, the owner greeted me enthusiastically.

“This is in excellent condition!”

He examined it carefully and offered me a generous amount of cash. I eagerly accepted, but I was puzzled.

“Who would want such an outdated camera?”

He smiled. “You’d be surprised. Gen Z kids love this stuff. They’re buying everything analog. They’re even buying things like old Polaroid cameras.”

I laughed. “Why?”

“They like to use these analog video cameras to film themselves skateboarding and hanging out with friends. They like the retro feel. It’s kind of a pushback against all this digital stuff.”

I walked out of the store shaking my head. For years, I had been donating old possessions because they seemed outdated and obsolete. Apparently, if I had enough patience—and enough storage space—some of those items might become valuable again. Things that one generation considered worthless were suddenly being sought after by another.

The whole experience made me think. There seems to be something deeply human about looking backward. Fashion trends return. Vinyl records make a comeback. Old movies find new audiences. Vintage furniture becomes desirable again. Even technology that was once discarded finds its way back into the hands of a younger generation. Perhaps it is because progress does not always satisfy us.

We live in a world that is constantly chasing the next update, the next device, the next trend, and the next breakthrough. We assume that newer automatically means better. Yet every generation eventually discovers that while technology can make life more convenient, it cannot answer life’s deepest questions. No smartphone can tell us why we are here. No social media platform can give lasting purpose. No artificial intelligence can reconcile us to God. No technological advancement can remove guilt, heal a broken heart, or conquer death. For all our progress, the deepest needs of the human soul remain unchanged.

That may be one reason why some people are drawn to older things. They remind us that not everything valuable is new. As Christians, we understand this principle better than anyone. The truths that have transformed lives for centuries are not new. They are ancient. The Bible was already old when many of the world’s greatest civilizations were young. Yet despite countless predictions of its demise, it remains. Empires have risen and fallen. Philosophies have come and gone. Scientific theories have been proposed and replaced. Cultures have changed dramatically. Yet God’s Word continues to speak with authority and relevance.

The prophet Isaiah wrote:

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.
Isaiah 40:8 (ESV)

Unlike my old video camera, Scripture does not become valuable because it comes back into style. It remains valuable because it never goes out of style. The world constantly searches for something new. God continually points us back to truths that never change. Repentance is still necessary. Grace is still amazing. The Cross is still sufficient. Jesus Christ is still Lord.

The irony is that while young people are rediscovering old cameras, old music players, and vintage technology, many are also searching for something deeper—a sense of meaning, identity, and purpose. Perhaps that longing explains why the oldest Book in many homes remains the one people most need to read. Not because it is retro or nostalgic. But because it is true.

Jesus said,

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
Matthew 24:35 (ESV)

In a world constantly chasing what is new, God still changes lives through something wonderfully ancient: His Word. The newest thing is not always the best thing. Sometimes the most valuable treasures are the oldest ones.

Love and trust in the Lord; seek His will in your life.

#faith #trustinggod #christianity #jesuschrist #bible #seekinggodswill #truth #sanctification #godisincontrol #godhearsourprayers #salvation #providenceofGod #whowouldwantthis #Isaiah40:8

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Recently I kept running across the acronym FIRE on social media.

At first, I assumed it was another investment strategy or perhaps a new mutual fund. It turns out FIRE stands for Financial Independence, Retire Early. The idea is straightforward: save aggressively, invest wisely, and accumulate enough wealth that you can leave the workforce years before most people retire.

It is not hard to understand why the movement has become so popular. After decades of work, many people dream of the day when they no longer need to punch a clock, answer to a boss, or worry about a paycheck. Social media is full of stories of people who have reached their FIRE number and stepped away from their careers while still relatively young.

As I read about the movement, an interesting thought occurred to me. I wondered whether the first FIRE investor might already appear in the Bible. Jesus told the story of a wealthy farmer whose land produced such an abundant harvest that he ran out of storage space.

And he thought to himself, “What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?”
Luke 12:17 ESV

His solution seemed perfectly reasonable.

“I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.”
Luke 12:18 ESV

There is nothing reckless about his plan. He is not gambling. He is not wasting money. He is not living irresponsibly. In fact, he appears to be doing exactly what a prudent investor would do. Then comes the moment he has been working toward:

Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.
Luke 12:19 (ESV)

Many years. Enough stored away. No financial worries. Time to enjoy life. If someone posted that story online today, there would probably be thousands of comments congratulating him for reaching his FIRE number.

Then Jesus abruptly changes the direction of the story.

But God said to him, “Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?”
Luke 12:20 ESV

I have read that parable many times over the years, but it struck me differently this time. Perhaps that is because I now read it from the other side of a career. After more than forty years in medicine, retirement is no longer a future plan sitting somewhere on the horizon. It is my present reality.

There were certainly seasons when retirement seemed almost mythical—a distant destination that would arrive someday if I worked hard enough and planned carefully enough. Like many people, I imagined the freedom that would come when the responsibilities finally eased. Retirement has now arrived, and I have discovered something interesting. Freedom from work is a gift. But it is not a purpose. It creates space, but it does not tell you what to do with that space.

I have known physicians who delayed retirement because they feared losing their identity. Others retired and quickly discovered that leisure alone was not enough. Still others found new opportunities to mentor, volunteer, travel, write, create, and invest in relationships that had been neglected during busy careers.

Retirement itself is not the issue. The rich fool’s mistake was not that he planned for the future. His mistake was assuming that his future belonged to him. Reading the parable carefully, I am struck by how often he speaks of himself. My crops. My barns. My grain. My goods. God had blessed him with abundance, yet God never enters the conversation. The man had prepared for every possibility except the certainty that one day he would stand before his Creator.

The older I get, the more I appreciate the wisdom of saving and planning. Scripture commends stewardship. There is nothing spiritual about financial chaos. But there is also nothing ultimate about financial independence. A healthy retirement account can replace a paycheck. It cannot provide meaning. It cannot provide forgiveness. It cannot provide eternal life. Those things were never sold on the stock market.

Jesus ends the parable with these sobering words:

So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.
Luke 12:21 ESV

The FIRE movement asks a reasonable question:

“How much is enough?”

Retirement has taught me that another question follows immediately behind it:

“What will I do with the years God gives me next?”

The rich fool never asked that question. He simply assumed the purpose of life was to enjoy what he had accumulated. Jesus saw a much larger problem. The man had prepared for the next twenty years, but not for eternity. Financial independence is not a bad goal. But if it becomes our ultimate goal, we may wake up one day and discover that we spent our lives preparing for retirement while neglecting the life that comes after it.

When you finally have enough, will God still be enough? That may be the most important retirement question of all. And unlike the rich fool, we still have time to answer it.

Love and trust in the Lord; seek His will in your life.

#faith #trustinggod #christianity #jesuschrist #bible #seekinggodswill #truth #sanctification #godisincontrol #godhearsourprayers #salvation #providenceofGod #F.I.R.E. #retirement #Luke12:16-21

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Hundreds of ads bombarded me with campaign pitches, maligning opponents and trumpeting reasons why the populace should vote for one candidate or another. Finally, after months of campaigning, the big day arrived.

The radio was filled with pundits explaining the issues. At the end of one of these programs, a tongue-in-cheek statement was made: “So… vote early, and vote often!”

Given the controversies surrounding voter identification and election security, it was a fitting way to wrap up the campaign season. The comment made me smile, but it also made me think. As Christians, we cast votes every day. Not ballots. Choices. We vote with our priorities. We vote with our time. We vote with our attention. We vote with our wallets. We vote with our words. Every day we cast a vote for what matters most to us.

The world campaigns aggressively for our allegiance. Advertisements tell us what we need to buy. Politicians tell us what we should fear. Influencers tell us who we should become. Our own flesh whispers promises of comfort, pleasure, and self-sufficiency. Everyone is asking for our vote.

Joshua challenged Israel with a simple but profound command:

Choose this day whom you will serve.
Joshua 24:15 (ESV)

The choice was not merely for election day. It was a daily decision. The same is true for us. Every morning, before we speak a word, before we open a browser, before we turn on the television, before we check our phones, we are already beginning to vote. We are choosing where our hearts will turn and whose voice we will trust.

The encouraging news is that God’s kingdom is not won by campaign promises. Christ has already secured the victory through His death and resurrection. We are not voting to determine who will be King. The King has already been crowned. Our daily choice is whether we will follow Him.

So perhaps there is a spiritual lesson hidden inside that old election joke. Vote early. Vote often. Begin each day by choosing Christ. Then keep choosing Him throughout the day—in your thoughts, your actions, your conversations, and your decisions.

One choice rarely changes a life.

Thousands of small choices, made faithfully over time, often do.

Love and trust in the Lord; seek His will in your life.

#faith #trustinggod #christianity #jesuschrist #bible #seekinggodswill #truth #sanctification #godisincontrol #godhearsourprayers #salvation #providenceofGod #voteearlyvoteoften #Joshua24:15

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