One Good Thing This Week
Brother is anointed. PAM reminds us that time is running out. This is the time to take our walk with Christ seriously. We cannot take it for granted. We must be warriors for the Kingdom of Heaven and contend for the faith—not just for ourselves, but for the sake of those around us.
A good and timely word this week.
Something Beautiful This Week
I learned about Maximilian Kolbe this week. In the summer of 1941, the iron gates of Auschwitz closed behind Kolbe, a Polish priest. A man of deep faith and deep love, Kolbe was arrested by Nazi forces for sheltering Jews and resisting evil through mercy.
Inside the camp, he continued his priestly work: praying, comforting, and encouraging fellow prisoners. But the real test came when a prisoner escaped. The punishment? Ten men were selected to die by starvation in an underground bunker. A random man was chosen—he cried out, "My wife! My children!"
Kolbe stepped forward. "I am a Catholic priest," he said. Let me take his place.
The guards, stunned, allowed it.
In that dark bunker, Kolbe led the men in prayer and hymns. Day after day, as their bodies failed, their spirits rose. Kolbe was the last to remain alive, calm, prayerful, and ready. Finally, the guards injected him with carbolic acid. He raised his arm willingly. He died with peace on his face.
The man he saved? Franciszek Gajowniczek. He survived the camp, lived to old age, and was reunited with his family. Until his death, Francis told the beautiful story of the priest who laid down his life for him.
Something Worth Imitating
I am on a mission to make ordinary sexy.
Too often, especially in the church, we create, promote, and celebrate the things that only extraordinary people can do.
The couple who adopt 5 kids.
The financial planner who sells his firm and funds a school in Rwanda.
The man who moves into the inner city, opens a BJJ gym and teaches fathers and sons discipline, duty, and devotion.
The business owner who reverse-tithes, '90/10' on his vanity plate.
The Polish priest who extinguishes Nazi hatred with Christ-like love.
Over and over, extraordinary feats by extraordinary folks, while the rest of us sit in church and feel less than. Yet, most of us, dare I say 99% of us, are not called to the extraordinary. We are called to be faithful in the ordinary. And in some ways, that is harder—ordinary faithfulness is not easy. But we can do it, we can strive to be ordinary. What does that look like?
Pray like it changes everything-because it does.
Give when it costs you. Especially then.
Sit with someone in their sorrow. Don't rush the silence.
Stay when it's messy. Stay when it's hard. Stay.
Forgive even when you're not asked to.
Speak life when death is louder.
Worship when your heart is breaking.
Intercede for people who don't even know you're praying.
Offer your table. Share your time. Make room.
Stand up for the unseen, the unheard, the hurting.
Send the text. Make the call. Don't wait.
Give away what you were tempted to keep.
Refuse bitterness. Choose mercy
Walk away from gossip, even if it costs you "connection"
Make peace instead of just keeping it
Respond to the Spirit's nudge, especially when inconvenient
Offer grace like a second language
Stay rooted in the Word so your fruit feeds others
Strive to be ordinary. I dare you.
[shoutout to Ray Hayles for sending me this list]
My 3 Favorite Quotes of the Week
"Love is such a priceless treasure that you can buy the whole world with it." —Dostoyevsky
"Don’t judge my breakthrough if you haven’t seen my 'been through.'" — Anonymous
"Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength." — Eric Hoffer
Stat(s) I Found Interesting This Week
We often hear the narrative, "My family was super religious, but I rejected it when I was young…" This narrative just isn’t true. The data indicates that only 2% of people report having had a very religious childhood and leaving that faith early.
The truth is, religion is usually passed down. A parent's faith tends to become their child[ren]’s faith.
The truth: Mom & [especially] Dad, your faith matters. What you do with Jesus matters. You want your child[ren] to walk with Jesus? Walk with Him yourself. Spurgeon was right…
"Train up a child in the way he should go—but be sure you go that way yourself."
My Favorite Pic This Week
I hosted a Thursday night "wings & wisdom” with Harp. I invited 15 young men from my church to my house for Wingstop and a Hermeneutics session, where, together, we learned how to study the Bible.
8 men showed up.
Facts: There is a hunger. Most young men just need an invite. When we finished, to a man, they all asked, "When’s the next gathering?"
Book(s) I Read This Week
Read this from Lewis this week…
"But please, please — won't you - can't you give me something that will cure Mother?" Up till then he had been looking at the Lion's great feet and the huge claws on them; now, in his despair, he looked up at its face. What he saw surprised him as much as anything in his whole life. For the tawny face was bent down near his own and (wonder of wonders) great shining tears stood in the Lion's eyes. They were such big, bright tears compared with Digory's own that for a moment he felt as if the Lion must really be sorrier about his Mother than he was himself.
'My son, my son,' said Aslan. "I know. Grief is great. Only you and I in this land know that yet. Let us be good to one another…'"
In my sadness and grief, I often forget, whereas I’ve only tasted the cup, He drank it dry. Every. Last. Drop.
My King was "a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief" [Isa. 53:3].
Song(s) I Listened To This Week
So good…
"I gave a lover, my heart. Jesus, my soul. Left my mind up for wonderin' and my spirit to the road…"
What God Taught Me This Week
"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." — John 15:13
Maximilian Kolbe [see 'something beautiful'] is an example of cruciform courage. In a world full of hollow heroics, where "bravery" is often reduced to social posturing or defiance for applause, Kolbe shows us the real thing: a life poured out for others because it was first laid down before Christ.
His bravery wasn’t loud. It didn’t trend. It was hidden in the shadows of Auschwitz, in a starvation bunker beneath the soil. But that’s often where the Kingdom shines brightest: beneath the surface, behind bars, or on a cross.
Kolbe’s act was not reckless, nor was it rooted in pride or bravado. It was priestly. Voluntary. Sacrificial. Christ-like. He stepped forward because he knew where he stood—on the solid rock of the resurrection. He didn’t fear death, because he had already died with Christ [Gal. 2:20]. And that’s the secret: Resurrection courage only comes after cruciform surrender.
The world celebrates self-preservation. Jesus calls us to self-sacrifice.
There are many counterfeit braveries today. We confuse platform with conviction, hot takes with holy courage, attention with faithfulness. But the bravery we need—the kind that will last, the kind that can raise sons, anchor churches, and endure persecution—is Kolbe’s kind.
Kolbe didn’t just die for someone. He prayed with them. He sang with them. He pastored them into glory. That’s the kind of man I want to be. That’s the kind of man Jesus was.
I am praying that God will give me Kolbe-strength. Not the strength to go viral, but the strength to do the unseen, unnoticed, applause-less things. The courage to go underground and die well.
"God help me to live like I believe that the resurrection is coming."
Looking to connect in person? Here are some places I’ll be in the next few weeks:
CyLife Men’s Gathering, CyLife Church, Cypress Texas, July 19
Equip Conference [Texas] SBC, Houston First, Houston Texas, July 26
Sunday Service, Lake Church, Arlington Texas, July 27
Sagemont Men’s Gathering, Sagemont Church, Houston Texas, August 9
Advancing the Church Conference, Southern Indiana/Louisville, August 14-15
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
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Thanks for this! I am learning to be ok with obscurity and hiddenness. Jesus’ eyes are the only ones that matter to me. Goes along with ordinary life being holy when lived to the glory of God. Praying for your ministry!
Love that “ordinary” list. I’m going to share that with all my coaches next week. Thanks!