The Week In Review
August 1, 2026
One Good Thing This Week
This week, I have been paying close attention to the rhythms that shape my life. Not the big moments. Not the conferences, retreats, or occasional bursts of inspiration. I mean the small things I do repeatedly; the habits, practices, and patterns that quietly form who I am.
The more I reflected, the more convinced I became that my life is shaped less by what I intend to do and more by what I repeatedly do. Thus I picked up a simple practice this week called BELLS: Bless, Eat, Listen, Learn, and Sent. Together, they form a repeatable rule of life for everyday discipleship.
Each practice is small enough to fit into a person’s normal week and formative enough to produce disciples who naturally live on mission wherever God has placed them:
Blessing others trains generosity to become an instinct.
Eating with others cultivates hospitality, presence, and friendship.
Listening for the voice of God develops an ongoing attentiveness to the Spirit.
Learning the life and teachings of Jesus fills the heart and mind with wisdom that can be embodied.
Living as one who is Sent restores the missionary posture that centuries of cultural Christianity quietly trained out of the church.
As I was working through these, it hit me… imagine these practices extending beyond the individual and becoming the shared rhythm of an entire congregation. What would happen if a church became known for blessing its neighbors, opening its tables, listening carefully to God, learning the way of Jesus, and living as a people sent into the world?
Over time, these rhythms would supersede 'programs.' They would become the lifeblood of the church. Hospitality would no longer belong to a committee. Missions would no longer be reserved for a special trip. Discipleship would no longer be reduced to consuming information. The entire congregation would begin to see ordinary life as the primary place where God forms His people and advances His kingdom.
I am convinced… Small practices, repeated faithfully [for years] across a broad community, will reshape the imagination of a church. And eventually transform the community around it.
This week I had BELLS on… It was a good week.
Something Beautiful This Week
My best friend from high school was unexpectedly stranded in Dallas this week. His flight was canceled by American Airlines, which I know comes as a shock to everyone. What began as an inconvenience became an incredible blessing.
We got to spend a few hours together catching up. We laughed about old stories, talked about where life has taken us, and easily picked up the conversation, something that only comes from years of shared history.
Our time together reminded me of something important: even the best friendships do not maintain themselves.
History may connect you, but history alone will not keep you close. Life gets busy. Careers change. Families grow. Miles separate. Before long, someone who once knew everything about your life only knows what they happen to see online.
Friendship requires effort. It takes phone calls, shared meals, inconvenient travel, honest questions, and the willingness to keep showing up. You have to choose to stay connected. You have to make room for the people who matter.
This week, a canceled flight gave us that room. I am grateful for the unexpected time, but I do not want disruption to be the only thing that brings old friends back together. Moving forward, I’m going to make the call. Put the date on the calendar. Buy the plane ticket. Drive the extra hour. Ask the deeper questions.
I refuse to let a meaningful friendship die from neglect and then call it busyness. Some relationships are too valuable to leave to chance.
Know someone who needs a lil' good trouble? Sharing is caring…
Something Worth Imitating/Remembering
I have a note taped to my desk that reminds and guides me as I run after the hearts of men [every pastor/leader of men should remind himself of these things regularly]:
Men are image-bearers of God. Not problems to fix, but sons to form. Treat them as such.
Masculinity is not a liability. It is a divine intentionality-broken by sin, redeemed by Christ, empowered by the Spirit.
The church must stop shaming men. Conviction reforms men. Condemnation ruins them.
Men flourish under affirmation. When you strengthen what is good in a man, you multiply goodness. Everyone wins.
We are responsible for calling men up, not into cultural alignment, but to the target Scripture paints, God’s original design.
A revived man revives everything he touches. Families, churches, communities, and nations rise when men rise.
My 3 Favorite Quotes of the Week
"Husbands, what if Jesus treated His Bride like you treat yours?" — Anonymous
This may be my new life motto: "Stagger onward rejoicing…" W.H. Auden, Atlantis
"Most spiritual growth feels boring while it's happening. You usually don't notice it until years later." — Chris McKinney
Something I Found Interesting This Week
I appreciate that Anthony B. Bradley beats the same drum with articulate, consistent intensity… "Psycho-analytic research is CLEAR: school-age boys cope with the absence of intimacy with their fathers through substance abuse, pornography, and video game obsessions, etc. So why are churches pushing Covenant Eyes & accountability groups instead of building father-son intimacy? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?"
Great question. So much of what we do in the church is restorative [e.g., Celebrate Recovery, Cov Eyes, Divorce Care, etc]. What would happen if we put as much emphasis on formation [early] as we did restoration [later]? Much of the brokenness we are trying to restore today would have been mitigated by faithful action 20 years ago.
Book(s) I Read This Week
I am a BIG fan of Joel Beeke’s work. So when I discovered that his wife, Mary Beeke, had written a book about teaching children how to work, I was in.
In fact, I bought one hundred copies. Many of you may be getting one in the mail soon.
I have wrestled with how to instill a strong work ethic in my children. Growing up, work came naturally because it was not optional. If you did not work, you did not eat. It was pretty simple. No one had to convince me that work mattered. Chores were not opportunities for personal growth. They were necessary responsibilities. Everyone contributed because everyone was part of the family and the family suffered if you didn’t pull your weight.
My children are growing up in a different world. They have more comfort, more convenience, and more options than I ever had. That’s a blessing, and a curse… I have long asked myself, "How do I give my children opportunities I never had without removing the struggle that helped shape me?"
That’s why Mary Beeke’s book, Teach Them to Work, resonated with me. She reminds parents that work is not a punishment we should protect our children from. It is one of God’s primary tools for forming responsibility, perseverance, humility, gratitude, and service.
Requiring children to work is not cruel… refusing to prepare them for adulthood is. My biggest takeaway from the book: Do not merely do things for your children; teach your children how to do hard things for themselves and for the good of others.
Our goal as parents is not to raise successful children. It is to raise men and women who know how to carry responsibility, serve joyfully, and work faithfully for the glory of God.
Well worth the read.
Song(s) I Listened To This Week
I love it when music and movie converge. Incredible song. Even better video. McCougheney for the win…
"My father is a bet’n man… but I got me a steady hand…"
What God Taught Me This Week
"But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men…" — Phil 2:7 [KJ version]
This week, I found myself on the receiving end of praise and criticism. And honestly, I’m not sure which is more dangerous.
Criticism will crush me if I give it too much weight. Praise will deceive me if I drink my own Kool-Aid. Both have a way of exposing how much I still care about what people think.
God is teaching me that maturity is not becoming indifferent to human judgment. It is learning to receive it without being ruled by it. I want to be humble enough to learn from criticism without allowing it to destroy me, and grateful enough to receive encouragement without becoming a glory addict [easier said than done].
The opinions of others have a way of lingering. I can replay the conversation, rehearse the criticism, or return again and again to the compliment. Before long, someone else’s opinion begins carrying more weight than it deserves.
I’m learning not to let the hype go to my head or the hate go to my heart. Philippians 2 tells us that Jesus "made himself of no reputation." He did not live for applause. He did not spend His life defending His image or managing everyone’s perception of Him. He emptied Himself, took the posture of a servant, and remained obedient to the Father, even when He was praised by some, misunderstood by others, and rejected by many.
That is the life I want. Not a great reputation, but a faithful life.
I am learning to let people praise me without believing the hype. To let people criticize me without becoming bitter. To receive what is true, release what is not, and keep walking in obedience.
I do not need to be understood by everyone. I do not need to win every room or correct every opinion. I want to become a man of no reputation; content to be known by God, faithful to what He has called me to do, and free from the exhausting work of managing what everyone else thinks of me.
Here’s to the #NoRepLife
Looking to connect in person? Here are some places I’ll be in the next few weeks:
Nashville Men’s Conference, August 8, Nashville, TN
One Man Conference, August 14-15, New Hope Church, Eunice, LA
Trinity Baptist Church, 100th Year Celebration, August 17, Lake Charles, LA
New Life Church Men’s Night, August 22, Russellville, AR.
KC Men’s Conference, August 29, Graceway, Kansas City, MO
Sunday Service, August 30, Graceway, Kansas City, MO
Brothers, my pledge to you…
"You will never suffer at my hands. I will never say nor do anything knowingly to hurt you. If you're down and I can lift you up, I'll do that. I will always, in every circumstance, seek to help and support you. If you need something and I have it, I'll give it to you. No matter what I find out about you, no matter what happens in the future, either good or bad, my commitment to you will never change."
For the King,
—Harp
Harp...great insights, again! Thank you. As a 72 year old grandfather of six I have the opportunity to watch both my son and my daughter, alongside their amazing spouses, raise their children in the way described in Mary's book. Solid, loving, and faithful.
My opinion? If we asked most parents of the rising generation what their primary responsibility is in raising their children, they would reply "to protect them." And as a result of being protected we have a generation of college students who do not know how to work, and in fact avoid it at all costs, are entitled, lazy, and selfish. A sad result of incredible affluence...
Of course, thankfully, there are many exceptions to that rule.
Another note. I felt convicted by your story of reconnecting with your friend. It's so easy for me to just stay home and be comfortable, to not make the effort to reach out, to make the phone call, to make the invitation for dinner, or lunch, or a round of golf with friends. Thanks for the reminder that relationships need to be fed.
Have a great week!
Always a valuable investment to read your blog. Thank you for all the good trouble that you’re making!