The Daily Memo

Listen We might think of Eden as the infamous place of mankind’s ultimate failure. But what happened there didn’t just ruin humanity’s track record—it also severed our relationship with God. Before Adam and Eve sinned by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:15-17), they existed in perfect union with the Lord. They walked with Him freely, unhindered in their ability to receive His love and love Him in return (Gen. 1:26-31). That&rsquo…

Listen As an Executive Coach the question I’d often ask clients was, “What’s gone wrong or what’s not working? After all, I’m supposed to help people improve in their business, personal, and spiritual life. Right? I’d go on to say, “pick one thing” and fix it. The steps to a final solution may include a dozen things that need done but pick the one thing that will lead you to the next step and do it. Then pick the next thing.…

Listen “Christian consciousness begins in the painful realization that what we had assumed was the truth is in fact a lie,” Eugene Peterson wrote in his powerful reflections on Psalm 120. Psalm 120 is the first of the Psalms of Ascents (Psalms 120–134) sung by pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem. And as Peterson explored this in A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, these psalms also offer us a picture of the spiritual journey toward God. That journey can…

Listen I’m baffled by the notion that Esau would give up all the rights and privileges that come along with being the firstborn, especially in the era in which he did so. For what? Bean stew? That makes no sense at all to me. Do you agree? I know he was hungry but just how bad could it have been? If Jacob refused to feed me and I’m his older brother, I would just put him in a headlock until he gives in, or better yet just take it and settle up after dinner. But…

No one escapes the lies the enemy perpetrates in our life. It’s not possible. Whether from well-intentioned individuals like the Pastor, or ill-intentioned people that are dead set against us. Most of those people have wounds of their own that need attention. Lies are commonplace in the world where we reside. The enemy has been telling them since the beginning and continues to do so because they’re an effective tool to take us out of the battle. To sideline us…

For those of you that were around in the late ’80s, you may recall a book written by Stephen Covey, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Habit number five he describes in this way. Seek first to understand, then to be understood. Flipping the script here a bit from Covey’s original intention, consider this. Matthew 7, verse 3 asks the question, “why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, and not notice the log that is in your own eye?;…

LIsten My father served in the Army during World War II. He rose to the rank of Master Sargent at lightning speed, being promoted to an Administrative NCO for an Ordinance Group at his post in Luzon, New Guinea. He was honorably discharged after the Battle of Luzon. A land battle of the Pacific Theater of Operations of World War II by the Allied forces of the U.S., its colony the Philippines, and allies against forces of the Empire of Japan. The battle resulted in a U.S.…

Listen When I was a little kid, I would try and imagine running to the end of a rainbow to find that pot of gold, wondering if I could get there fast enough before it disappeared. It looked so far away though. Was there a leprechaun waiting there too? I’d get on my bike and start peddling just in time to watch it disappear. Maybe next time I thought. How amazing it must have been for Noah and his family to see the promise God made, painted in the sky with the entire…

Listen When we place trust in Jesus, God doesn’t take us straight to heaven. Instead, He leaves us here on earth and gives each of us a ministry to carry out with Christ’s all-sufficient power. God has specifically designed a place of service to fit our personality, gifts, and abilities. He also equips and strengthens us to be able to meet the challenges of that calling. The believer’s responsibility is to obey with joy. Too many Christians approach…