The Daily Memo

Every now and then Scripture distills the entire gospel into a single, breathtaking sweep. 1 John 4 is one of those places. John writes with pastoral urgency—warning, comforting, instructing—all while calling us back to the center of our faith: Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, the One who loves us perfectly and drives out fear. John begins by reminding us that not every voice we hear is trustworthy. “Do not believe every spirit.” In a world filled…

“But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” — Matthew 6:3 (ESV) For decades, the passing of the offering plate was as much a part of Sunday morning as hymns and handshakes. As a kid, I remember the thrill of dropping a shiny quarter in the plate—roughly ten percent of my allowance—because that’s what I was taught good Christians did. A minimum standard. A religious formula. A number tied…

(And Why We Can Still Learn From Mary Oliver) “Instructions for living a life:Pay attention.Be astonished.Tell about it.”— Mary Oliver Every once in a while, a line from outside the walls of the church echoes something profoundly true about the heart of God. That’s Mary Oliver. While she never claimed Christianity in a doctrinal sense, her writing carried a posture Christians would recognize instantly: wonder, reverence, stillness, gratitude, and a…

“Behold, I am doing a new thing;now it springs forth—do you not perceive it?” Isaiah 43:19 (ESV) As we stand on the threshold of a new year, we find ourselves looking back with gratitude and ahead with expectancy. God has been faithful—again. Not just in the mountaintop moments, but in the quiet ones. The hidden ones. The ones you didn’t know if you’d make it through, yet here you are. Tonight isn’t about making resolutions that…

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory…” — John 1:14 (ESV) On this Christmas Eve, we’re reminded of a truth so staggering it’s easy to take for granted: God stepped into our story. Not from a distance. Not from the clouds. But into a manger—low, quiet, breakable, vulnerable. He came close. The world waited for a King and got a Child. Humanity longed for a throne and was given a feeding trough. We…

There’s a quiet kind of wisdom tucked inside an old Cat Stevens lyric—“Take your time, think a lot. Think of everything you’ve got.For you will still be here tomorrow, but your dreams may not.” There’s truth here that echoes a far older voice. Scripture reminds us that the rush of life, the urgency of our desires, the pressure to make something happen now can blind us to what God is actually doing. We live in an age of acceleration&mdash…

Most of us are familiar with the Bible's reference to the “12 tribes of Israel.” What’s surprising is that Scripture actually contains 14 tribal names—yet only 12 appear at any given time. The lists change depending on the season: land inheritance, military service, priesthood, or prophecy. Jacob’s 12 sons formed the original tribes, but when he adopts Joseph’s sons—Ephraim and Manasseh—as full heirs, the family expands.…

This morning, I joined Tommy “Rivs” Puzey on an iFIT walk through Stephen’s Grove in the heart of the California redwoods—towering trunks reached toward heaven, some standing for centuries. Along the trail, we passed fallen giants—massive logs with hundreds of rings visible inside. Each ring marked a year of growth, each scar a season of fire or drought endured. John Muir once wrote, “As soon as a redwood is cut down or burned, it sends…

“For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” — Hebrews 2:18 ESV When you’re hurting, rejected, or facing temptation, there’s a deep ache that rises from somewhere words can’t quite reach. It’s the place where loneliness whispers, “No one understands what I’m feeling.” But Scripture interrupts that lie with something astonishing: God does. Not from a distance.…