Tag: bible

Nathan and the Courage to Speak Truth to Power

.Reading time 11 minutes.

A collaboration between Lewis McLain & AI

Few moments in ancient literature capture the moral courage required to speak truth to power as vividly as the encounter between the prophet Nathan and King David. The scene is brief, almost understated, yet it exposes a problem as old as authority itself: what happens when power no longer hears the truth.

David, at this point in the biblical story, is not a fragile leader. He is Israel’s greatest king—military hero, national symbol, and political success. His reign is stable. His enemies are subdued. His legitimacy is unquestioned. That success, however, has begun to insulate him from accountability.¹

The Bible does not soften what happens next, and it is worth telling plainly.

What David Did

One evening, David notices a woman bathing from the roof of his palace. He learns she is married to one of his own soldiers, a man currently fighting on the front lines. David summons her anyway. As king, his request carries force whether spoken gently or not. She becomes pregnant.²

David now faces exposure. Instead of confessing, he attempts to manage the situation. He recalls the husband from battle, hoping circumstances will hide the truth. When that fails, David escalates. He sends the man back to war carrying a sealed message to the commanding general—an order placing him where the fighting is fiercest and support will be withdrawn.³

The man is killed.

The machinery of power functions smoothly. No inquiry follows. David marries the widow. From the outside, the matter disappears. Politically, the problem is solved. Morally, it has only been buried.

This is the danger Scripture names without hesitation: power does not merely enable wrongdoing; it can normalize it.

Why Nathan Matters

Nathan enters the story not as a revolutionary or rival, but as a prophet—someone whose authority comes from obedience to God rather than proximity to the throne. He is not part of David’s chain of command. He does not benefit from David’s favor. That independence is everything.⁴

Nathan does not accuse David directly. Instead, he tells a story.

He describes two men in a town. One is rich, with vast flocks. The other is poor, possessing only a single lamb—so cherished it eats at his table and sleeps in his arms. When a guest arrives, the rich man does not draw from his abundance. He takes the poor man’s lamb instead.⁵

David is outraged. As king, he pronounces judgment swiftly and confidently. The man deserves punishment. Restitution. Consequences.

Then Nathan speaks the words that collapse the distance between story and reality:

**“You are the man.”**⁶

In an instant, David realizes he has judged himself. Nathan names the facts plainly: David used his power to take what was not his, destroyed a loyal man to conceal it, and assumed his position placed him beyond accountability.

This is not a trap meant to humiliate. It is truth delivered with precision. Nathan allows David’s own moral instincts—still intact beneath layers of authority—to render the verdict.

Speaking Truth to Power Is Dangerous

Nathan’s courage should not be underestimated. Kings do not respond kindly to exposure. Many prophets were imprisoned or killed for far less. Nathan risks his position, his safety, and possibly his life. He cannot know how David will react. Faithfulness here is not measured by outcome but by obedience.⁷

Speaking truth to power is rarely loud. It is rarely celebrated. It requires proximity without dependence, clarity without cruelty, and courage without illusion. Nathan does not shout from outside the palace gates. He walks directly into the seat of power and speaks.

David’s response is remarkable precisely because it is not guaranteed:

*“I have sinned against the Lord.”*⁸

Repentance does not erase consequences. Nathan makes that clear. Forgiveness and accountability coexist. The Bible refuses to confuse mercy with immunity.⁹

Why This Story Still Matters

This encounter reveals something essential about power: authority tends to surround itself with affirmation and silence. Over time, wrongdoing becomes justified, then invisible. Institutions close ranks. Loyalty replaces truth. Image replaces integrity.

Nathan represents the indispensable outsider—the one who loves truth more than access and justice more than comfort. He does not seek to destroy David. He seeks to save him from becoming a king who can no longer hear.

Scripture does not present leaders as villains by default. It presents them as dangerous precisely because they are human. Power magnifies both virtue and vice. Without truth, it corrodes.¹⁰

The Broken Hallelujah

This is where Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah belongs—not as ornament, but as interpretation.

The song opens with David’s musical gift, his calling, his nearness to God:

“Now I’ve heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord…”

But Cohen does not linger there. He moves quickly to the roof, the bath, the fall:

“You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you.”

Cohen refuses to romanticize David any more than Nathan does. He understands that David’s story is not primarily about victory, but about collapse and confession. And he understands something many listeners miss: praise spoken after exposure cannot sound the same as praise spoken before it.

That is why the refrain matters:

“It’s a broken hallelujah.”

A cheap hallelujah is easy—praise without truth, worship without repentance, confidence without cost. It thrives where power is affirmed but never confronted.¹¹

A broken hallelujah is what remains when illusion is stripped away. It is praise that has passed through judgment. It is faith no longer dependent on image, position, or success. It is what David offers in Psalm 51, after Nathan leaves and the consequences remain.¹²

Nathan does not end David’s worship. He saves it from becoming hollow.

For Our Time

Nathan’s story is not ancient trivia. It is a permanent challenge.

Every generation builds systems that reward silence and discourage dissent—governments, corporations, churches, universities, families. Power still resists accountability. Truth still carries a cost. And praise without honesty still rings empty.

Speaking truth to power does not guarantee reform. It guarantees integrity.

Nathan spoke. David listened. And centuries later, a songwriter captured what that moment sounds like from the inside—not triumphant, not resolved, but honest.

Not every hallelujah is joyful.
Some are whispered.
Some are broken.
And those may be the ones worth hearing most.

Scripture References & Notes

  1. David’s power and success: 2 Samuel 5–10
  2. Bathsheba episode begins: 2 Samuel 11:1–5
  3. Uriah’s death order: 2 Samuel 11:14–17
  4. Nathan as prophet to David: 2 Samuel 7; 2 Samuel 12
  5. Nathan’s parable: 2 Samuel 12:1–4
  6. “You are the man”: 2 Samuel 12:7
  7. Prophetic risk: cf. 1 Kings 18; Jeremiah 20:1–2
  8. David’s confession: 2 Samuel 12:13
  9. Consequences despite forgiveness: 2 Samuel 12:10–14
  10. Power and accountability theme: Proverbs 29:2; Psalm 82
  11. Empty worship critique: Isaiah 1:11–17; Amos 5:21–24
  12. David’s broken praise: Psalm 51:16–17

Hallelujah

Song by Leonard Cohen ‧ 1984

Now I’ve heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord
But you don’t really care for music, do you?
It goes like this, the fourth, the fifth
The minor falls, the major lifts
The baffled king composing Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you
She tied you to a kitchen chair
She broke your throne, and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

You say I took the name in vain
I don’t even know the name
But if I did, well, really, what’s it to you?
There’s a blaze of light in every word
It doesn’t matter which you heard
The holy or the broken Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

I did my best, it wasn’t much
I couldn’t feel, so I tried to touch
I’ve told the truth, I didn’t come to fool you
And even though it all went wrong
I’ll stand before the Lord of Song
With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Leonard Cohen / Theresa Christina Calonge De Sa Mattos

When Faith is Slipping

.Reading time 10 minutes.

A collaboration between Lewis McLain & AI
A long answer to a short question from Tuesday Morning Men’s Bible Study

“Granddad… my faith is slipping.”

“Granddad, can I tell you something and you won’t think less of me?
I feel like my faith in God is slipping away. I’ve prayed—truly prayed—for our family to heal, for hearts to soften, for conversations about the Lord to open again. These aren’t selfish prayers. They’re for relationships to be mended, for love to return, for estrangements to disappear.

But nothing changes.
Some hearts grow colder.
And any mention of God shuts everything down.

Why doesn’t God answer these good prayers?
Why is He silent when the need is so great?
I don’t want to lose my faith, Granddad…
but I don’t know how much more silence or tension I can take.”

**THE GRANDFATHER’S ANSWER:

A Loving Reassurance About the Awakening—The Kairos Moment God Has Appointed**

Come here, child. Sit beside me.
I want to tell you something about God’s timing, something Scripture calls kairos—the appointed moment, the perfectly chosen hour when God reaches the heart in a way no human effort ever could.

Before any other story, let’s start with the one Jesus Himself told.

THE PRODIGAL SON: THE PATTERN OF ALL AWAKENINGS

(Luke 15:11–24)

A young man demands his inheritance, leaves home, and wastes everything in reckless living (vv. 12–13). When famine comes, he takes the lowest job imaginable—feeding pigs—and even longs to eat their food (vv. 14–16).

Then comes the sentence that describes every true spiritual awakening:

“But when he came to himself…” (Luke 15:17)

That is the kairos moment.

What exactly happened in that moment?

  1. Reality shattered illusion.
    He saw his condition honestly for the first time.
  2. Memory returned.
    He remembered his father’s goodness.
  3. Identity stirred.
    He realized, “This is not who I am.”
  4. Hope flickered.
    “My father’s servants have bread enough…”
  5. The will turned.
    “I will arise and go to my father.” (v. 18)

Notice something important:

  • No one persuaded him.
  • No sermon reached him.
  • No family member argued with him.
  • No timeline pressured him.

His awakening came when the Father’s timing made his heart ready.

The father in the story doesn’t chase him into the far country.
He waits. He watches. He trusts the process of grace.

And “while he was still a long way off,” the father sees him and runs (v. 20).

Why this matters for your prayers:

You’re praying for the very thing Jesus describes here.
But the awakening of a heart—any heart—comes as God’s gift, in God’s hour, through God’s patient love.

The Prodigal Son shows us:
God can change a life in a single moment.
But He decides when that moment arrives.

This is the foundation.
Now let me walk you through the other stories that prove this pattern again and again.

1. Jacob at Peniel — The Wrestling That Revealed His True Self

(Genesis 32:22–32)

Jacob spent years relying on himself. But his heart did not change—
not through blessings,
not through hardship,
not through distance.

Only when God wrestled him in the night and touched his hip (v. 25) did Jacob awaken.

This was his kairos:

When his strength failed, his faith was born.

He limped away, but walked new—
with a new name, a new identity, and a new dependence on God.

2. Nebuchadnezzar — One Glance That Restored His Sanity

(Daniel 4:28–37)

After years of pride, exile, and madness, his turning point wasn’t long or gradual. It happened in one second:

“I lifted my eyes to heaven, and my sanity was restored.” (Dan. 4:34)

The moment he looked up was the moment God broke through.

Kairos is when God uses a single upward glance to undo years of blindness.

3. Jonah — The Awakening in the Deep

(Jonah 2)

Jonah ran from God’s call until he reached the bottom of the sea. Only there, trapped in the fish, did Scripture say:

“When my life was fainting away, I remembered the LORD.” (Jonah 2:7)

That remembering?
That was kairos.

When every escape ended, God opened his eyes.

4. David — Truth Striking in One Sentence

(2 Samuel 12; Psalm 51)

Nathan’s story awakened what months of hidden sin could not.
When Nathan said, “You are the man” (2 Sam. 12:7), David’s heart broke open.

He went from blindness to confession instantly:

“I have sinned against the LORD.” (v. 13)

Psalm 51 pours out the repentance birthed in that moment.

Kairos often comes through truth spoken at the one moment God knows the heart can receive it.

5. Peter — The Rooster’s Cry and Jesus’ Look

(Luke 22:54–62)

After Peter’s third denial, Scripture says:

“The Lord turned and looked at Peter.” (v. 61)

That look shattered Peter’s fear and self-deception.

He went out and wept bitterly—
not because he was condemned,
but because he was awakened.

Kairos can be a look, a memory, a sound—something only God can time.

6. Saul — A Heart Reversed on the Damascus Road

(Acts 9:1–19)

Saul was not softening.
He was escalating.

But Jesus met him at the crossroads and asked:

“Why are you persecuting Me?” (v. 4)

That question was a divine appointment—the moment Saul’s life reversed direction forever.

Kairos is when Jesus interrupts a story we thought was going one way and writes a new one.

7. What All These Stories Teach About Kairos Moments

Across all Scripture, kairos moments share the same attributes:

1. They are God-timed.

We cannot rush them. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

2. They are God-initiated.

Awakenings are born of revelation, not persuasion. (John 6:44)

3. They break through illusion and restore reality.

“Coming to himself” means the heart finally sees truth. (Luke 15:17)

4. They lead to movement toward God.

Every awakening ends with a step homeward.

Your prayers are not being ignored.
They are being gathered into the moment God is preparing.

8. Why This Matters for Your Family

You are praying for softened hearts, restored relationships, spiritual awakening.
Those are kairos prayers, not chronos prayers.

Chronos is slow.
Kairos is sudden.

Chronos waits.
Kairos transforms.

You can’t see it yet, but God is preparing:

  • circumstances
  • conversations
  • memories
  • encounters
  • turning points

just like the father of the prodigal knew that hunger, hardship, and reflection would eventually lead his son home.

The father didn’t lose hope.
He didn’t chase the son into the far country.
He trusted that God’s timing would bring his child to the awakening moment.

You must do the same.

**9. Take Courage, Sweetheart:

The God Who Awakened Prodigals Will Awaken Hearts Again**

The Prodigal Son’s turning point didn’t look like a miracle.
It looked like ordinary hunger.

David’s looked like a story.
Peter’s looked like a rooster.
Saul’s looked like a question.
Nebuchadnezzar’s looked like a glance.
Jonah’s looked like despair.
Jacob’s looked like a limp.

Kairos moments rarely look divine at first.
But they are.

And when God moves, hearts—no matter how hard—can turn in a single breath.

Don’t lose faith, child.
The silence is not God’s absence.
It is God’s preparation.

And when your family’s kairos moment comes,
you will say what the father in Jesus’ story said:

“This my child was dead, and is alive again;
was lost, and is found.” (Luke 15:24)

Until then, hold on.
Your prayers are planting seeds that God will awaken in His perfect time.

The Divine Conspiracy: The Beatitudes and the Blessed Life in God

.Reading time 13 minutes.

✨ Suggested by Dr Bobby Waite; Written by Lewis McLain & AI

A Study Edition Inspired by Dallas Willard

🌄 I. Setting the Scene — The Mountain and the Message

It was early in the ministry of Jesus. Word of His healings and authority had spread through Galilee. Crowds followed—farmers, fishermen, soldiers, widows, and scholars—all hungry for something more than spectacle.

When He saw them gathering by the Sea of Galilee, Jesus withdrew to a hillside. The slope formed a natural amphitheater where sound carried on the breeze. He sat down, the posture of a rabbi ready to teach, and His disciples drew near. Behind them stood the multitudes—hopeful, skeptical, wounded.

This is the setting of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7), the heart of the Gospel story where the Teacher begins to describe life under the rule of God. Like Moses ascending Sinai, Jesus now delivers a new law—not on stone tablets, but upon human hearts. Yet this Lawgiver does not shout from thunderclouds; He speaks softly, face to face.

The sermon opens not with command but with blessing. The Master looks at His disciples—men and women of no special rank—and calls them the seed of a new creation.

“Seeing the crowds, He went up on a mountain, and when He sat down, His disciples came to Him. Then He began to teach them.” (Matthew 5:1–2)

Thus begins what Dallas Willard calls “the divine conspiracy”—the quiet, redemptive invasion of heaven into the ordinary world through those who choose to live as Christ’s apprentices.

🕊️ II. The Heart of the Divine Conspiracy

Willard writes that Jesus’ teaching unveils a simple but radical truth: the Kingdom of God is available now. It’s not about escape to heaven later, but participation with God in the present moment. The Sermon on the Mount is therefore the curriculum for life in the Kingdom—not rules for unreachable saints, but descriptions of ordinary people transformed by extraordinary grace.

“Jesus’ teaching about the kingdom is not an invitation to wait for heaven later; it’s a call to live under heaven’s rule now.” — Dallas Willard

📖 III. The Beatitudes — The Great Reversal

Each Beatitude opens with Blessed—the Greek makarios, meaning deeply happy, whole, or flourishing. Jesus pronounces God’s favor upon those the world overlooks or despises. Willard teaches that these are not virtues to attain, but conditions where grace appears. They describe what life looks like when heaven’s power meets human weakness.

1. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3)

To be poor in spirit is to know your need of God.
The self-sufficient rely on their own strength; the poor in spirit rely on grace.

Willard’s Insight:

“The poor in spirit are those who have learned that their life is not manageable on their own. They stand ready to receive the Kingdom as a gift, not as a wage.”

Reflection:
When have you discovered that self-reliance is not enough?
How did that humility become a doorway to grace?

2. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4)

Mourning is not weakness—it is sacred honesty.
Those who grieve over loss, sin, or injustice open their hearts to God’s healing compassion.

Willard’s Insight:
“The world says, ‘Get over it.’ Jesus says, ‘Bring it to Me.’ Mourning becomes holy when it leads us into the arms of divine comfort.”

Reflection:
What sorrow has drawn you closer to God?
How might you become an instrument of comfort to others?

3. “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5)

Meekness is not weakness but power under control.
The meek trust God’s care more than their own control.

Willard’s Insight:
“The meek live without the need to manage others. They inherit the earth because they are content to let God govern it.”

Reflection:
Where do you sense God calling you to release control and rest in His authority?

4. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” (Matthew 5:6)

This is the longing for the world to be set right—within and without.

Willard’s Insight:
“This hunger is evidence of life with God already stirring within you. He alone satisfies the appetite He awakens.”

Reflection:
What injustices make your spirit ache?
How can you channel that hunger into faithful prayer and action?

5. “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” (Matthew 5:7)

Mercy interrupts the world’s cycle of revenge.

Willard’s Insight:
“The merciful dwell in a rhythm of grace—they forgive because they live forgiven.”

Reflection:
Who in your life needs mercy from you today?
How can compassion replace resentment?

6. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” (Matthew 5:8)

Purity of heart means singleness of desire—the will set wholly toward God.

Willard’s Insight:
“To be pure in heart is to will one thing: the good of God. When the eye of the soul is clear, everything becomes luminous with His presence.”

Reflection:
What distractions divide your heart?
How can simplicity of purpose restore your spiritual sight?

7. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:9)

Peacemakers are builders of reconciliation, bearers of God’s family likeness.

Willard’s Insight:
“The peace of Christ is not the absence of conflict but the presence of creative goodwill.”

Reflection:
Where can you build bridges instead of walls?
How might you embody the Father’s peace in tense spaces?

8. “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:10)

Faithfulness invites friction with the world’s systems—but God’s presence sustains the faithful.

Willard’s Insight:
“Persecution is not failure; it is confirmation that the Kingdom has taken root.”

Reflection:
When has standing for truth cost you something?
What courage grows in hardship?

9. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven.” (Matthew 5:11–12)

Now the blessings become personal—addressed to every follower.

Willard’s Insight:
“Joy in persecution is not denial of pain but recognition of purpose. You are living from an eternal horizon.”

Reflection:
How can you keep joy alive when misunderstood or maligned?
What eternal perspective steadies your heart?

🧭 IV. Discipleship as Apprenticeship

To Willard, discipleship means apprenticeship—learning to live your actual life as Jesus would live it if He were you. It is not belief alone but training of the heart. He outlines three essentials:

  • Vision – seeing the Kingdom as real and desirable.
  • Intention – deciding to live as Christ’s student.
  • Means – practicing disciplines that reshape the inner life (prayer, solitude, service, study).

This “curriculum for Christlikeness” transforms not just conduct but character.

🌿 V. The Hidden Life in God

The “divine conspiracy” is that God’s revolution happens quietly—from the inside out.
It unfolds in unseen obedience, ordinary kindness, unseen faithfulness. It is “hidden” because the Kingdom’s greatest victories are inward: forgiveness over hatred, humility over pride, patience over fury.

“The revolution of Jesus is one of character, and it proceeds in secret until it transforms everything.” — Willard

Those who live this way already share in eternal life—the with-God life that begins now and never ends.

💬 VI. Discussion & Application

  1. Which Beatitude most challenges your current view of “success”?
  2. How might the Kingdom of God reshape your response to suffering or insult?
  3. What practice could you begin this week to strengthen mercy, purity, or peace in your daily routine?
  4. How does Jesus’ personal instruction of His disciples encourage your own apprenticeship today?

🕊️ VII. Poetic Reflection — The Quiet Kingdom

On a hill above the waters, where Galilee’s winds still sigh,
He sat upon the green earth, as heaven leaned close by.
No trumpet sounded His Kingdom, no banners caught the sun—
Yet love began its quiet reign, and the world was being won.

He spoke not to princes or scholars, but to hearts that barely stand,
To fishermen, widows, wanderers—the dust of a weary land.
He called them blessed, not broken; He named them heirs of grace,
And light began to shimmer on each upturned face.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, who bring nothing but their need;
For God will clothe their emptiness and sow His living seed.

Blessed are the mourners, whose tears the Father keeps;
For He will bend beside them, and comfort while they weep.

Blessed are the meek, whose strength is calm and mild;
The earth will bloom beneath their hands, the humble reconciled.

Blessed are the hungry hearts, that crave for what is right;
They’ll taste the bread of justice baked in heaven’s light.

Blessed are the merciful, who let forgiveness flow;
They drink the cup of kindness only mercy knows.

Blessed are the pure in heart, whose eyes are clean and still;
They’ll see the face of God in every field and hill.

Blessed are the peacemakers, who end the ancient fight;
Children of the Father, they walk in holy light.

Blessed are the persecuted, whose faith the world disowns;
Their crowns are forged of suffering; their thrones are living stones.

And still He whispers softly above the clash and din:
“My Kingdom is among you; it grows from deep within.”

Not built of force or empire, not won by sword or gain—
It rises where the heart surrenders, and love alone shall reign.

The crowd went home in silence, but heaven had begun;
The meek looked tall, the mourners sang, the poor outshone the sun.
And though the ages darken, His promise still is true—
The Kingdom’s quiet power still moves in me and you.

🌅 VIII. Closing Thought

The Divine Conspiracy is the Gospel’s hidden heartbeat:
God’s Kingdom is not far away—it is available now.
To live as Jesus’ apprentice is to walk daily in the light of that reality,
to join the ongoing miracle of heaven quietly transforming earth.

Consider Your Ways — A Call to the People of God

.Reading time 12 minutes.

A collaboration between Lewis McLain & AI; Influenced by Jody Gerber

📖 Introduction: Haggai and His Prophetic Moment

The book of Haggai stands like a trumpet blast in the closing decades of the Old Testament. Composed around 520 B.C., during the reign of Darius I of Persia, it records only four short prophecies—yet each is direct, dated, and divinely charged.

Eighteen years earlier, the first exiles had returned from Babylon under Zerubbabel and Joshua the high priest. They laid the foundation of the temple with zeal (Ezra 3:8–10), but after facing opposition and discouragement, the work stopped. For nearly two decades the temple lay in ruins while the people built fine homes and pursued personal prosperity. Into this complacency came Haggai’s piercing message:

“Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: Give careful thought to your ways.” — Haggai 1:5 (NIV) [Bible Gateway]

The Hebrew phrase śîm lēb literally means “set your heart upon.” God’s call was not simply to think but to turn the heart inward, to evaluate one’s path and reorder one’s priorities.

Haggai’s book unfolds in four precisely dated oracles:

  1. A Call to Rebuild the Temple (1:1-15)
  2. Encouragement for the Builders (2:1-9)
  3. A Warning About Defilement (2:10-19)
  4. A Promise of Blessing and Future Hope (2:20-23)

Through them, God declares that true worship is not architectural but relational—not measured in stone and cedar but in obedience and holiness. The dwelling He desires is not a structure of marble but a people of faith.

I. “Consider Your Ways” — The Prophetic Core

“This is what the Lord Almighty says: Give careful thought to your ways.” — Haggai 1:7 (NIV) [Bible Gateway]

“You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough… You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.” (Haggai 1:6) [Bible Gateway]

The frustration of fruitless labor was God’s mercy in disguise. He withheld blessing not to punish but to awaken. “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little… Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house.” (Haggai 1:9) [Bible Gateway]

When the people obeyed, “the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel and of all the people, and they came and began to work.” (1:14) [Bible Gateway]
Reflection became repentance; repentance brought renewal.

II. Echoes Through Scripture — The Divine Rhythm of Reflection

1️⃣ In the Wilderness — Deuteronomy 8:2

“Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart.” [Bible Gateway]

Testing is revelation. God already knows our hearts; the wilderness exposes them to us.

2️⃣ In the Psalms — Psalm 119:59-60

“I have considered my ways and have turned my steps to your statutes. I will hasten and not delay to obey your commands.” [Bible Gateway]

Reflection must lead to movement. Contemplation without obedience is sentiment, not sanctification.

3️⃣ In Exile’s Aftermath — Lamentations 3:40

“Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.” [Bible Gateway]

Here is national repentance: collective soul-searching that restores covenant life.

4️⃣ In the Wisdom Tradition — Proverbs 4:26

“Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.” [Bible Gateway]

Wisdom is not speed but steadiness—foresight rooted in reverence.

5️⃣ In Jesus’ Parables — Luke 15:17

“When he came to his senses…” [Bible Gateway]

The prodigal’s awakening is Haggai’s sermon in story form: conviction that leads home.

6️⃣ In Christ’s Letters — Revelation 2:5

“Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.” [Bible Gateway]

From Moses to John, the call repeats: remember, repent, return.

III. The Church Is Not a Building

The temple in Haggai’s day pointed forward to something far greater—the living temple of the redeemed.

The True Meaning of “Church”

“And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” — Matthew 16:18 (NIV) [Bible Gateway]

The Greek ekklesia means “assembly” or “called-out ones.” It never refers to a building. As one commentary notes, “In the New Testament the church is always a people, never a place.” [Tabletalk Magazine]

A Living Temple of People

“You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood…” — 1 Peter 2:5 (NIV) [Bible Gateway]

Believers themselves are the stones, fitted together by grace, animated by the Spirit.

Members of God’s Household

“Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household…” — Ephesians 2:19-22 (NIV) [Bible Gateway]

Paul’s architecture is alive: Christ the cornerstone, the apostles and prophets the foundation, and believers the rising walls. Together they form a dwelling where God lives by His Spirit.

The Indwelling Presence

“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?” — 1 Corinthians 3:16 (NIV) [Bible Gateway]

Not the bricks, not the steeple, but the living community of faith.
Helpful commentary puts it plainly:

“In summary, the church is not a building or a denomination. According to the Bible, the church is the body of Christ—all those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation.” [GotQuestions.org]

And:

“We often hear that the church isn’t a building; it’s people. Church isn’t where you meet. It’s who meets.” [logos.com]

These reflections guard us from confusing the place of worship with the people who worship.

IV. The Cycle of Spiritual Renewal

StageScriptural ExampleMeaning and Application
Reflection“Give careful thought to your ways.” — Haggai 1:5 (NIV) [Bible Gateway]Self-examination exposes the distance between God’s priorities and ours. It is the spiritual inventory that precedes revival.
Repentance“Let us examine our ways and return to the Lord.” — Lamentations 3:40 (NIV) [Bible Gateway]Reflection without repentance leaves us unchanged. Repentance re-aligns our hearts and restores communion with God.
Renewal“The Lord stirred up the spirit of the people.” — Haggai 1:14 (NIV) [Bible Gateway]When hearts respond, the Spirit reignites vision and energy. Obedience becomes joy; service becomes worship.

This rhythm—Reflection → Repentance → Renewal—is the heartbeat of every true awakening.

V. Applying “Consider Your Ways”

Personal Life

We, too, may live in paneled houses while God’s work lies unfinished. Our modern “paneled houses” might be careers, comforts, or reputations—good things that crowd out the best. If we are restless though busy, fruitless though tireless, the Spirit whispers Haggai’s question again: Consider your ways. [Bible Gateway]

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” — Matthew 6:33 (NIV) [Bible Gateway]

Church Life

When we treat the church as a building rather than a body, we invert the gospel’s order. Programs replace prayer, facilities replace fellowship, and success is measured in square feet instead of souls. The early church had no cathedrals but changed the world because it carried Christ within. [Bible Gateway]

“These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here.” — Acts 17:6 (NIV) [Bible Gateway]

Let our sanctuaries serve our mission—not define it. The church is living architecture, built of souls, cemented by love.

National Life

“You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little.” — Haggai 1:9 (NIV) [Bible Gateway]

A nation that values prosperity above piety soon finds its harvest thin. When morality erodes, so does stability. “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin condemns any people.” — Proverbs 14:34 (NIV) [Bible Gateway]

VI. Building with the Right Materials

“If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is.” — 1 Corinthians 3:12-13 (NIV) [Bible Gateway]

Not every project is praiseworthy. Gold and silver represent truth and love—enduring virtues refined by fire. Wood and straw symbolize efforts done for applause or ease. The true measure of our work is not visibility but viability before God. [logos.com]

Every life is a construction site. Each day lays another stone on the foundation of Christ. To build well is to live with eternity in view.

VII. The Temple That Lives

When Haggai called Israel to rebuild, his goal was not architecture but adoration. God desired a people whose hearts were His dwelling. Today that dwelling is the church—the living temple of those redeemed by Christ.

The church is not a cathedral but a community; not a monument but a movement; not a place of brick but a people of breath.

🌿 Poetic Meditation

We are the stones that breathe and sing,
The temple not of brick but being;
Each life a wall, each heart a flame,
Together bearing Jesus’ name.
Not vaulted roof nor gilded spire,
But humble hearts that God inspires;
Consider, soul, the path you tread—
Build living homes where Christ is Head.

🙏 Prayer

Lord God, search our hearts and stir our spirits.
Help us to consider our ways.
Forgive us when we have treated church as a building rather than as Your body.
Teach us to live as Your people—united in Christ, filled with Your Spirit, building one another up in love.
Make us living stones in Your spiritual house, shining as Your temple in the world.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Morning Has Broken: The Song That Welcomed the Dawn

.Reading time 9 minutes.

A collaboration between Lewis McLain & AI

Oh, how I loved Cat Stevens from the first time I heard him. I saw him the first time when he performed in Fort Worth in the 1970s. It listened to his albums over and over. It was clear he was searching for spiritual clarity. He apparently found a solution for himself after his brother gave him a copy of the Quran. After his conversion, he gave away or destroyed all of his awards and guitars. He changed his name to Yusuf Islam. Decades later, his adult son found his guitar on the market and bought it. It is said that Yusuf immediately started playing. A few years ago, Linda and I flew to Washington, DC, where he played to an audience at the Kennedy Center. It was a wonderful trip back to hear his classics again. LFM

Morning Has Broken: The Song That Welcomed the Dawn

I. A Hymn Born in Simplicity (1931)

In 1931, British author Eleanor Farjeon was asked to craft new words for the traditional Scottish-Gaelic tune Bunessan (from the Isle of Mull). She wrote Morning Has Broken—three short stanzas that treat each sunrise as a fresh echo of Creation. Birds, dew, gardens, and “the Word” cast ordinary morning light as a sacrament of renewal. First printed in Songs of Praise (1931), the hymn traveled quietly through hymnals for decades.

II. Steven to Cat Stevens: Crisis, Silence, and Re-making (1968–1970)

Steven Demetre Georgiou—later known as Cat Stevens and today as Yusuf Islam—grew up over his father’s Greek-Cypriot restaurant in London, with a Swedish mother, a pencil and sketchpad never far from reach. By 18 he had a record deal; by 1967 he’d had pop hits and relentless touring. Then, in 1969, illness struck hard: tuberculosis with a collapsed lung. He was hospitalized for months and then sent into nearly a year of convalescence and isolation.

That enforced stillness became a hinge in his life. He read widely (mysticism, philosophy, scripture), sketched and wrote, questioned fame, and began composing the introspective songs that would define his second career: “Father and Son,” “Wild World,” “On the Road to Find Out,” “Into White.” When he returned, it was with a new sound—acoustic, intimate, spiritually searching—and a new partnership with producer Paul Samwell-Smith. The comeback albums followed in quick succession:

  • Mona Bone Jakon (1970): the quiet re-entry.
  • Tea for the Tillerman (1970): a masterpiece of spare folk-rock and spiritual longing.
  • Teaser and the Firecat (1971): the companion volume—gentler, sunlit, and home to “Moonshadow,” “Peace Train,” and “Morning Has Broken.”
    Stevens even painted the cover art—a child (Teaser) and a cat (Firecat)—an outward sign of the homemade sincerity of the era.

III. Finding a Hymn in a Hymnal (1971)

As Teaser and the Firecat neared completion, Stevens and Samwell-Smith wanted one more track that sounded like gratitude. Leafing through a hymnbook, Stevens found Farjeon’s Morning Has Broken. The text was brief, without a pop chorus, but it said exactly what his convalescent soul had learned: each day is a divine fresh start. “It fell into my lap,” he later said—less an idea than a gift arriving right on time.

IV. The Recording: Piano Like First Light

The arrangement needed light. Enter Rick Wakeman, a young session pianist (soon to join Yes). He improvised the now-famous piano prelude and interlude—those flowing, ascending figures that feel like sun lifting fog. Acoustic guitar, a modest rhythm bed, and Stevens’ hushed vocal kept the hymn’s humility while giving it living warmth. (Wakeman was initially uncredited, a footnote he’s mentioned ever since—ironically fitting for a song about unadorned grace.)

V. Release, Reception, and Reach (1971–present)

Issued late in 1971, the single bloomed slowly and then everywhere—Top-10 in the U.K., No. 6 on the U.S. Hot 100, and No. 1 on Adult Contemporary radio. It became a rare bridge between sacred hymnody and popular song, sung at school assemblies and charting on secular stations; used at weddings, dedications, and memorials; and re-introducing Farjeon’s text to churches that had forgotten it. For Stevens, the song sits on the arc that runs from illness → inward search → art as gratitude → later faith commitments and humanitarian work. For listeners, it proved a pop song can simply be thank you and still move the world.

VI. What the Verses Say (Paraphrased and Interpreted)

Verse 1 — The first morning, again
Morning opens like the world’s first dawn; birds break the silence like that first bird. Let all our singing and this very dawn become praise—new life springing from God’s speaking.

Verse 2 — Rain, light, and the garden
New rain gleams in sun; first dew pearls on fresh grass. Praise for sweetness in the watered garden—made whole where the Holy One has walked.

Verse 3 — Light we share, life we begin
Sunlight is ours; morning is ours—children of the same Light seen in Eden. So let joy rise with each dawn: every morning is God’s re-creation of the day.

Coda (Stevens’ reprise on record)
The album performance circles back to the opening stanza—musically and theologically saying: the first morning returns with every sunrise.

VII. Why It Endures

  • Simplicity that shelters depth: Three small verses, vast theology—creation as ongoing gift.
  • A voice recovered from silence: After TB and a season of doubt, Stevens chose wonder. You can hear recovery in the restraint.
  • Piano that paints light: Wakeman’s intro has become the sound of “daybreak” for multiple generations.
  • Common grace: It belongs equally to church pews and kitchen radios, to choirs and children.

VIII. Closing

Morning Has Broken is the sound of someone who nearly lost breath learning to love breath again. Farjeon’s parish hymn found its pilgrim singer; Stevens’ long quiet found its prayer. And the rest of us found a way to say, with the first bird and the last chord: thank You for today.

Morning has broken like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken like the first bird
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning
Praise for them springing fresh from the world

Sweet the rains new fall, sunlit from Heaven
Like the first dewfall on the first grass
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden
Sprung in completeness where His feet pass

Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning
Born of the one light, Eden saw play
Praise with elation, praise every morning
God’s recreation of the new day

Morning has broken like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken like the first bird
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning
Praise for them springing fresh from the world

Come to Me as a Child: The Invitation from Christ and Its Meaning Today

.Reading time 8 minutes.

A collaboration between Lewis McLain & AI

Introduction: The Most Disarming Invitation

Of all the invitations Jesus ever gave, none is more tender or more revealing than His call to “Let the little children come to Me.” In a world that prized power, rank, and age, Jesus placed a child in the midst of grown men and declared that the way into His Kingdom was not through merit, intellect, or strength—but through simplicity of heart. The Gospels record this lesson several times (Matthew 18:1-5; 19:13-15; Mark 10:13-16; Luke 18:15-17), which tells us how central it is to the heart of the Christian life.

The Scene: Greatness Redefined

In Matthew 18, the disciples were debating who would be greatest in heaven. Their conversation revealed an adult obsession with comparison and hierarchy. Jesus interrupted their ambitions by calling over a small child—someone overlooked, unranked, and powerless.

“Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3)

In one sentence, Jesus inverted the value system of His listeners. Greatness, He said, begins with humility. To “become like children” is to admit dependence and trust rather than display status. The Kingdom of God is not climbed into; it is received with open hands.

Reflection Questions

  1. What ambitions or comparisons most distract you from a childlike faith?
  2. How do humility and dependence challenge our culture’s idea of success?
  3. In what ways might “becoming smaller” actually enlarge your soul?

The Heart of the Matter: Childlike, Not Childish

Jesus did not praise immaturity, ignorance, or naivety. He praised childlikeness—qualities of heart that adults tend to lose: trust, wonder, forgiveness, curiosity, and the ability to be taught. A child depends without shame, asks without hesitation, and forgives without keeping score. These traits mirror the faith that connects us to God.

When He said, “Anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it” (Mark 10:15), Jesus was describing an approach, not an age. The requirement is not to remain small but to remain soft—humble enough to receive grace instead of earning it.

Reflection Questions

  1. Which childlike quality—trust, wonder, forgiveness, curiosity—do you find hardest to retain?
  2. How can you cultivate teachability before God this week?
  3. What would your worship look like if you came with that childlike heart?

The Blessing: His Hands on the Children

In both Mark 10 and Matthew 19, people brought children to Jesus, and the disciples tried to push them away. Perhaps they thought He had more important work to do. But Jesus became indignant—a rare word for His righteous anger. He insisted, “Do not hinder them.” He gathered the children into His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them.

That gesture still defines the heart of Christian ministry. To hinder a child—by neglect, cynicism, or hardness—is to obstruct the very image of faith God desires. Every time the Church welcomes the least, protects the vulnerable, or teaches with gentleness, it reenacts that moment of blessing.

Reflection Questions

  1. Who in your life might be “hindered” from coming to Jesus by neglect or discouragement?
  2. How can your words or presence become an open invitation instead?
  3. What practical steps could your church take to bless children and the childlike?

The Application: What It Means Today

1. Trust Over Control

Modern life prizes control—plans, schedules, data, mastery. Yet the Gospel calls us to trust. A child steps forward because the parent’s voice is enough. To follow Jesus is to release the illusion of control and to rest in His character.

2. Wonder Over Cynicism

Children see beauty where adults see routine. Faith flourishes when we regain our sense of wonder—when sunrise, Scripture, and song awaken gratitude instead of fatigue. Cynicism may sound sophisticated, but it cannot worship.

3. Relationship Over Performance

Children do not earn their place at the table; they belong by birth and love. In the same way, believers are accepted not by performance but by adoption into God’s family. Our worth is not negotiated—it is bestowed.

4. Presence Over Hurry

A child notices the moment; an adult is often elsewhere. Jesus invited children to come to Him—a call to be present. Prayer and worship are not tasks but encounters. To come as a child is to arrive unhurried, eager, and attentive.

Reflection Questions

  1. Where in your life are you trying to control what only God can direct?
  2. When was the last time you paused to experience pure wonder before God?
  3. How can you practice “presence over hurry” in your daily prayer or worship?

The Challenge: Becoming Small in a Big World

It is striking that Jesus did not tell the children to become like the disciples, but the disciples to become like the children. In every generation, the Church is tempted to mirror worldly hierarchies—titles, influence, eloquence, size. But the Kingdom belongs to those who kneel, not to those who climb. To be childlike is not to be weak but to be free from pretense. It is the posture that allows grace to enter.

Reflection Questions

  1. Where might pride or performance still keep you from kneeling?
  2. How does God invite you to rest in grace rather than achievement?
  3. What would your leadership, parenting, or ministry look like if shaped by childlike humility?
I love you, Ben, and will always be by your side.

Conclusion: The Open Arms of Christ

When Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me,” He was not limiting His invitation to a specific age. He was revealing the doorway of heaven. The arms that once cradled children on a Galilean hillside would soon stretch open on a cross to welcome all of God’s children home.

To come as a child is to come with empty hands, honest eyes, and an open heart. In that humility, we find not only the entrance to the Kingdom—but the embrace of the King Himself.

A Prayer of Childlike Faith

Lord Jesus,
Teach me to come to You not with pride but with peace,
not with credentials but with curiosity.
Make my heart soft again—able to wonder, to trust, to forgive.
Strip away the layers of cynicism that I have called wisdom,
and restore to me the joy of simple belief.
As a child finds rest in a father’s arms,
let me find rest in Yours.
Amen.

The Hands That Speak: The Ministry of Those Who Serve the Deaf

.Reading time 6 minutes.

Based on a letter from Lewis McLain to Pastor Sam One Year Ago Today.

Jenna Glory

Across sanctuaries, classrooms, and living rooms, there are remarkable people whose work often goes unnoticed yet speaks as loud as any sermon. They are the ones who serve the deaf — interpreters, teachers, and companions who translate not only words but compassion, joy, and the very movement of the Holy Spirit into a living language of hands and heart.

These servants of God live in a world where communication is not limited to sound but expanded by sight, rhythm, and spirit. Their hands become instruments of connection, conducting a symphony of faith that transcends the barriers of silence. In every gesture and facial expression, they proclaim that God’s voice cannot be confined to a single sense. They embody the truth that faith comes not only by hearing, but by believing — and by seeing love made visible.

Those who minister to the deaf practice a form of worship that requires complete presence. To interpret a sermon, a hymn, or a prayer is to listen deeply and respond with the whole body. It is worship in motion. Each word must be felt, understood, and then released through graceful precision. That requires more than technical skill — it takes empathy, reverence, and a heart completely surrendered to the Spirit.

Many of us in church may not realize that while we experience the service through sound, others around us are experiencing the same Spirit through light, touch, and motion. The same gospel is preached in two languages — voice and hand — yet both point to the same God who speaks to every heart.

A Living Example: My Church in McKinney

I have seen this truth with my own eyes. We often sit behind the deaf seating section. The Holy Spirit is all over, in, around, and through our church in McKinney. You can’t listen to the musicians play and the choir and worship leaders sing without being moved by the Holy Spirit. You can’t listen to Pastor Sam preach, or to any of our ministry staff speak, without feeling that the words of the Holy Spirit are flowing through them. The genuineness is visible.

There is no doubt in my heart — He’s real. He is a Spirit made tangible through our gifted leaders. Almost touchable, and certainly able to be breathed in.

But if there ever were a doubt, that doubt would disappear the moment you looked over at the Living Spirit working through the special people like Jenna Glory, signing for the deaf. They glow with a light not often seen in this world. They move with a rhythm that surpasses even the songs and words. It is God alive — vibrant, warm, and powerful.

A Conversation with Luella

Just yesterday, I sat next to a wonderful person named Luella Funderburg at an afternoon church gathering while we watched the Cowboys play. I asked her a few questions, and before long, I learned something extraordinary. She and her husband Ken drive in from Sherman, about thirty miles away. Their former church didn’t have a deaf ministry — but ours does.

Louella told me she teaches a Sunday school class for deaf members of our congregation, ranging from teenagers to senior adults. She even earned a college degree in ministering to the deaf. Truly amazing!

As she shared her story, I couldn’t help but see how her quiet faithfulness mirrors the Spirit I see every Sunday on the stage — hands alive with meaning, faces radiant with joy. Through her, and through all who serve like her, the Spirit continues to speak. The experience is a blessing. I was enriched by our conversation.

A Prayer of Gratitude

Lord, bless Your servants — Sam, Justin, Hollye, the choir, the musicians, and especially those wonderful signers who bring Your Word to life in ways that transcend hearing.

Thank You for people like Louella, who devote their lives to ensuring that every person, regardless of hearing, can feel Your presence fully.

Their ministry reminds me that worship is not limited to sound waves — it’s about Spirit waves. The Holy Spirit doesn’t just fill the air; He fills the heart.

Poem: “The Hands That Praise”

They do not shout, yet mountains move,
Their silence hums a holy groove.
Each motion breathes what words can’t say,
The gospel seen in hands that pray.

They catch the rhythm of unseen choirs,
Their fingers blaze like tongues of fire.
Each sign a psalm, each glance a hymn,
Each movement light, not shadow, dim.

For where we hear, they see the song,
And teach us where our hearts belong.
Through them, the Spirit softly sings,
With holy breath upon their wings.

O ministers whose hands reveal
The love no voice could e’er conceal,
May God renew your strength each day—
The world is blessed by what you say.

Genuine Goodness: The Quiet Strength of a Christian Life

.Reading time 9 minutes.

A collaboration between Lewis McLain & AI

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” — Matthew 5:16

There are people whose very presence calms a room. They do not demand attention, yet they seem to fill every space they enter with warmth. Their strength is not loud; their influence is not forced. They lead not through speeches or titles, but through the steady rhythm of goodness that flows from a heart aligned with God.

One such man is Harvey Oaxaca — a teacher, coach, administrator, mentor, and friend whose life continues to remind us that genuine goodness still has a face.

Roots of Character

Long before Harvey led Sunday school at First Baptist Church of McKinney, he was a young man in cleats, running plays on the fields of McMurry University in Abilene, Texas. There he earned his degree in education and became a record-setting running back and team captain.

After graduation, Harvey poured that same discipline into a lifetime of service in education. He spent more than four decades as a teacher, coach, and administrator, including twenty-three years in the McKinney Independent School District. He taught in classrooms, guided student-athletes, and eventually helped lead schools with the same calm faith and fairness that have always defined him.

Harvey wasn’t just fast — he was faithful. Teammates recall how he helped others up before celebrating his own touchdown. By graduation he had earned a place among McMurry’s top rushers and, years later, induction into the McMurry Athletic Hall of Honor.

But his greatest victories weren’t measured in yards gained — they were measured in character formed. The discipline of the athlete became the discipline of the servant; the humility of the player who lifted others became the humility of the man who now lifts spirits.

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.” — 1 Corinthians 9:24

Harvey’s race never ended at the goal line — it became a lifelong run toward goodness, guided by faith.

Faith That Speaks Softly

At First Baptist McKinney, Harvey leads his Sunday school class with that same steady resolve. He doesn’t dominate the room; he shepherds it. His teaching and demeanor are more conversation than lecture — he listens, nods, and draws wisdom even from the quietest voice in the circle.

“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.” — James 3:13

There is no pretense in Harvey’s faith. It’s as real as the man himself — genuine, unguarded, and shaped by decades of walking with the Lord.

Goodness in Action

When Harvey extends his hand, it’s never just a handshake — it’s a blessing. I’ll never forget watching him greet my three grandchildren as each graduated from high school over the recent years. One by one, he congratulated them with a personal acknowledgment, offering encouragement as if they were his own.

That’s Harvey: goodness not as ceremony but as instinct — quiet, consistent, sincere.

His close friend and co-leader of the class, Dr. Bobby Waite, put it best:

“Harvey’s only fault is he can’t say no to a request or a need. It breaks his heart if he’s double-booked. One way or another, he makes things happen to be there to serve.”

That truth showed itself again recently when Harvey returned to class after a hospital stay for a hip issue. As he stood before his friends, tears filled his eyes. Overcome with gratitude for every prayer and note of concern, he said he could not imagine a world without his church and his class. In that moment — unguarded, grateful, and full of grace — his true goodness was once again on display for all to see. One does not have to guess where his heart is.

Loved by All

To know Harvey is to be drawn to him. His life has touched countless others — students, church members, colleagues, and neighbors.

As one friend said, “You can’t be around Harvey and not believe in goodness again.”

In a world that rewards charisma, Harvey’s quiet strength stands apart. He reminds us that greatness is not about being seen — it’s about being genuine.

The Spirit of Goodness

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” — Galatians 5:22-23

Harvey lives those words as naturally as breathing — steady as his steps once were on the football field, steady as his walk now is with God.

His life testifies that Christian goodness is not dramatic or loud; it’s faithful, consistent, and full of quiet joy.

A Legacy of Grace

When people speak of Harvey, they don’t recall titles or positions; they recall presence — his smile, his kindness, his reliability. He’s the kind of man whose example lingers long after he’s left the room.

“Well done, good and faithful servant… Enter into the joy of your master.” — Matthew 25:21

That’s the prize Harvey has always been running toward — not fame, not applause, but faithfulness.

What More Can We Say About True Goodness

True goodness is one of the simplest virtues to describe and the hardest to live. It doesn’t draw attention to itself, and that’s what makes it powerful. In a culture that confuses being nice with being good, Harvey reminds us that goodness is not mere politeness — it is holiness expressed in kindness. One looks at Harvey’s face and sees Christ looking back.

Goodness is love with feet on the ground.
It’s compassion that costs something.
It’s humility that refuses to quit.

The truly good person doesn’t act good to be admired; he acts good because his heart has been changed. Goodness is what happens when a man allows God’s Spirit to shape his motives, reactions, and tone. It’s not performance — it’s transformation.

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” — Psalm 23:6

Goodness follows those who walk with God — it’s the fragrance left behind by faith.

A Benediction of Goodness

Goodness walks softly, without sound,
Its footsteps holy, sure, and bound
To hearts that serve and hands that mend,
To lives that love until the end.

It does not shout, it does not shine,
It whispers of a grace divine.
It bends to lift, it waits, it prays,
It lives the truth it dares to praise.

No crowd applauds, no trumpet rings,
Yet Heaven knows such quiet things.
The smile that steadies, the prayer unheard,
The faithful deed, the gentle word.

And when life’s race is nearly run,
And shadows fade before the Son,
The voice of God will softly say —
“Well done, good heart, you showed the way.”

In Harvey Oaxaca, we glimpse what true goodness looks like — not distant, not impossible, but alive, humble, and quietly shining in McKinney, Texas, every Sunday morning.

Concentric Circles of Concern

.Reading time 18 minutes.

A collaboration between Lewis McLain & AI

Revisiting an influential book for me, fitting into the primary theme of my recent posts. LFM

Introduction: The Man Behind the Circles

William Oscar Thompson Jr. (1918–1980) lived a life that testified to the power of relationship. He was not a man of grand celebrity or global fame; rather, he was a pastor and evangelist whose impact spread quietly through students, parishioners, and colleagues who absorbed his conviction that the Christian life must be lived relationally, not institutionally.
After two decades of faithful pastoral work, Thompson became a professor of evangelism at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. It was there, during his own physical suffering and eventual battle with cancer, that he refined the model that would outlive him — a model that connected spiritual authenticity with human connection.

Thompson’s health declined even as his insight deepened. He realized that the gospel was never meant to travel primarily by microphone or mass event, but through people whose lives touched one another’s every day — in kitchens, workplaces, front porches, and hospital rooms. After his death in 1980, his wife, Carolyn Thompson Ritzmann, edited his unfinished manuscript, and evangelism teacher Claude V. King (best known for Experiencing God) later helped expand and republish it. The revised edition, Concentric Circles of Concern: Seven Stages for Making Disciples, was released in 1999 by Broadman & Holman, nearly two decades after the original 1981 publication.

The phrase “concentric circles” is not just a metaphor in Thompson’s hands; it is a theology of life. His belief was that the Christian’s influence for Christ begins not in distant mission fields but within the very relationships already entrusted to them. Evangelism, he argued, must ripple outward from the integrity of the inner life — from the soul that has been made right with God — until it touches every layer of community, from family to stranger. His framework provides a vision of discipleship that is both deeply personal and expansively missional, a reminder that faith spreads through people who love well.

The Concentric Circles and Their Living Logic

At the heart of the book lies a simple, unforgettable diagram: seven circles, each one nested inside the next, radiating outward from a center. The image, though deceptively modest, reshapes how one thinks about spiritual responsibility.

1. Self

The innermost circle, labeled Self, represents one’s own soul — the center of all relational and spiritual life. For Thompson, self-examination and humility before God are not indulgent acts but sacred ones. A Christian must first cultivate honesty with themselves and communion with their Creator. Spiritual neglect at this level produces hypocrisy; spiritual health here produces authenticity that naturally flows outward. He reminds his readers that “the most important word in the English language, apart from proper nouns, is relationship.” That relationship begins vertically — between oneself and God — and then extends horizontally into every human connection. Evangelism without integrity is noise; discipleship without inner renewal is hollow ritual.

2. Family

The second circle embraces one’s immediate family. It is easy, Thompson observed, to romanticize missions across oceans while ignoring ministry across the dinner table. The home is the first proving ground of grace. Faith that cannot be lived out among those who know us best will rarely stand in the wider world. A Christian who learns to forgive within marriage, to listen to their children, or to extend patience to aging parents is already practicing evangelism of the highest order. Family is the first “field” of discipleship, where love is tested daily and faith becomes tangible.

3. Relatives

The third circle includes extended family — the kin network that may stretch across states, generations, and emotional boundaries. These relationships are often complicated by history, misunderstanding, or absence. Thompson urges believers not to abandon these connections but to redeem them. The gospel’s reconciling power, he writes, often begins when a believer takes the initiative to heal an old wound or rekindle a neglected bond. A letter of apology, a phone call of encouragement, or an unexpected act of service within the extended family can become the spark of redemption.

4. Friends

Friends form the fourth circle — those we choose to walk beside in life. Unlike family, friendship is elective; it is built on mutual trust and shared affection. Thompson views friendship as one of the most powerful conduits of witness. Friends already see us unfiltered; they know our habits, hopes, and contradictions. When they witness genuine spiritual transformation in our character, they often feel it before they hear it. To live faithfully among friends is to let the gospel speak through laughter, loyalty, and long conversation.

5. Neighbors and Associates

Next come Neighbors and Associates — the people who share our routines but not necessarily our intimacy: colleagues, classmates, teammates, or the barista who knows our order by heart. Thompson believed these daily intersections were fertile soil for spiritual conversation, if approached with humility and care. Instead of seeing such relationships as mundane, he taught his students to see them as providential appointments. Every encounter, no matter how ordinary, carries the potential of divine significance.

6. Acquaintances

The sixth circle widens to include those we know only loosely — the casual relationships of community life. Here, evangelism takes the form of kindness and presence more than speech. Thompson often told his students that “you may be the only gospel someone ever reads,” meaning that one’s demeanor and compassion can preach where words cannot. Consistency — being gracious over time — often speaks louder than any tract or slogan.

7. Person X

Finally comes Person X — the unknown stranger, the person with no prior connection. Most evangelistic training begins here, teaching believers how to witness to strangers. Thompson deliberately places it last. He argues that the credibility built in inner circles prepares believers to approach outer ones with sincerity rather than anxiety. When a life already radiates peace and love, even a stranger senses authenticity. Evangelism to “Person X,” then, is not a special performance; it is the natural overflow of a life already aligned with God.

Thompson captured the urgency of this relational approach when he wrote, “Most of our lives are crucified between two thieves, yesterday and tomorrow. We never live today. But the time to live is now.” The concentric circles remind us that the mission field is not someday or somewhere else — it is here, in the people who already populate our lives.

The Seven Stages of Making Disciples

Thompson’s circles describe who we are called to influence; his seven stages explain how. The stages form a dynamic rhythm — not a rigid checklist but a living cycle of growth that repeats again and again.

Stage 1: Get Right

Spiritual influence begins with moral clarity. To “get right” is to confront sin, mend broken relationships, and align one’s will with God’s. Thompson likens unreconciled relationships to blockages in a pipe: until they are cleared, the Spirit’s flow is obstructed. Getting right means making amends, confessing pride, forgiving debts, and letting the Holy Spirit cleanse the inner life. This stage humbles the believer before they presume to guide another.

Stage 2: Survey

Once reconciled, the believer must “survey” their relational field — a prayerful mapping of the people God has already placed within reach. Thompson encouraged writing names in each circle, not as a project list but as a sacred responsibility list. The act of seeing these names laid out visually reawakens compassion. We begin to see that our lives are already mission fields bursting with divine opportunity.

Stage 3: Pray

Prayer, for Thompson, is the lifeblood of evangelism. He calls it “a guided missile — it always hits its target.” Prayer aligns the heart with God’s timing and opens doors that human persuasion cannot. The believer prays not only for conversion but for understanding, patience, and divine orchestration — that conversations will arise naturally, that the Spirit will prepare both speaker and listener. Without prayer, evangelism degenerates into salesmanship; with prayer, it becomes partnership with God.

Stage 4: Build Bridges

Bridge-building is the practical art of connection. It may involve hospitality, listening, volunteering, or sharing a meal. Thompson viewed every bridge as an act of incarnation — stepping into another’s world as Christ stepped into ours. Bridges require humility, empathy, and time. They often begin with small acts: remembering a name, showing up at a funeral, sending a card. Over time, these gestures form trust strong enough to carry the weight of truth.

Stage 5: Show Love

The fifth stage deepens bridge-building into tangible service. “Love that is not demonstrated is not credible,” Thompson warns. To show love means to meet needs: to feed the hungry, comfort the grieving, or simply listen without agenda. Genuine love expects nothing in return. When people experience that kind of care, they become open not merely to a message but to a Messenger. Thompson’s famous illustration of a student returning a stolen motorcycle mirror captures this stage perfectly: confession and restitution became a living sermon that words alone could not match.

Stage 6: Make Disciples

Having earned trust and demonstrated love, the believer can now share the gospel sincerely. But Thompson insists this is not the finish line — it is the midpoint. True discipleship involves walking with new believers as they learn to obey Christ, discover Scripture, and find community. Evangelism divorced from discipleship, he warned, produces orphans; discipleship joined with love produces heirs. Making disciples means nurturing growth until the new believer can, in turn, disciple others.

Stage 7: Begin Again

The cycle ends where it began — and then continues. The new disciple becomes a new center of concentric influence, applying the same seven stages to their own relationships. Thus, the gospel spreads organically, not by mass production but by multiplication — one circle at a time. Thompson’s model mirrors nature itself: seeds producing fruit that carries new seeds. Discipleship is the divine geometry of multiplication through love.

Theology and Heartbeat of the Model

At its core, Concentric Circles of Concern is a theology of incarnation. It declares that God’s mission moves through human relationships — not in spite of them. Christ entered history relationally, dwelling among us; His followers must do the same. The model ties spiritual maturity to relational responsibility. To be “right with God” without being reconciled to others is an illusion.

Thompson’s vision also bridges two great biblical commands: the Great Commission (“Go and make disciples”) and the Great Commandment (“Love your neighbor as yourself”). The circles remind believers that these are not separate mandates but two halves of the same calling. Evangelism divorced from love becomes manipulation; love without truth becomes sentimentality. The mature Christian practices both — speaking truth through relationships of genuine care.

Prayer anchors this balance. Thompson’s metaphor of prayer as a “guided missile” conveys both power and precision: prayer can reach where presence cannot. It can travel across distance, culture, and even hostility. When believers pray for those within each circle, their hearts become attuned to God’s compassion, and they see people not as projects but as souls.

Strengths, Challenges, and Contemporary Relevance

The enduring strength of Thompson’s model lies in its simplicity. It does not require technology, programs, or budgets — only attentiveness, humility, and perseverance. Yet its simplicity hides profound depth. The circles create a lifelong map for Christian influence, reminding believers that evangelism is less about campaigns and more about consistency.

In today’s world of fractured relationships and digital disconnection, Concentric Circles of Concern feels prophetic. Our social networks may have expanded, but our intimacy has shrunk. Thompson’s framework invites believers to slow down, notice, and invest. Modern adaptation can include digital circles — online friends, social followers, professional networks — but the principle remains unchanged: spiritual credibility flows through relationship.

Still, Thompson’s model demands balance. One must not become so inwardly focused that the outer circle, Person X, is forgotten. Nor should believers treat relationships as strategies for conversion. The goal is love, not leverage. When love is real, evangelism follows naturally. As Thompson might say, evangelism is not a project to complete but a person to become.

Memorable Quotations

“The most important word in the English language, apart from proper nouns, is relationship.”
“Intercessory prayer is like a guided missile — it always hits its target.”
“Most of our lives are crucified between two thieves, yesterday and tomorrow. We never live today.”
“Love that is not demonstrated is not credible.”
“You cannot lead someone closer to the Lord than you are yourself.”

These words capture his conviction that relational faith is both the method and the message of the gospel.

Reflective Poem — Ripples of Concern

I stand within the quiet center,
A soul restored, the heart made whole;
From this still place the circles widen,
Grace flows outward, soul to soul.

My home becomes the first frontier,
Where love must bloom before it’s taught;
And every quarrel, every silence,
Is soil where mercy must be sought.

Through friendship’s bridge and neighbor’s need,
Through acts of care that speak, not plead,
The gospel walks on human feet,
Love’s language stronger than a creed.

Beyond the known, to stranger’s face,
The ripples travel, still by grace;
Till every heart, in widening span,
Feels heaven’s pulse through human hands.

And when another life takes flame,
A new set of circles starts again;
From self to world, from love to light,
The pattern echoes Christ’s design.

Concentric Circles of Concern remains one of the clearest blueprints ever written for living out the Great Commission through the Great Commandment. Thompson’s wisdom continues to challenge believers to think relationally, act prayerfully, love tangibly, and live authentically — one circle at a time

Here Am I, Lord: The Call and Commission in Today’s World

.Reading time 15 minutes.

A collaboration between Lewis McLain & AI

I. Introduction: The Prophet Who Heard the Voice

Among the great figures of the Old Testament, Isaiah stands tall as one of the most profound and poetic prophets ever called by God. Living and writing in the eighth century before Christ, during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah—four kings of Judah—Isaiah witnessed both the spiritual decline of his nation and the political upheavals that threatened its very survival. His name, Yeshayahu, means “The Lord is salvation,” and indeed, his entire message weaves together judgment and redemption, despair and hope, sin and grace.

Isaiah’s writings form one of the most theologically rich books in all of Scripture—sixty-six chapters that stretch from visions of God’s holiness to prophecies of the coming Messiah. Scholars have called Isaiah “the fifth gospel” because it so vividly anticipates the life, suffering, and triumph of Christ centuries before His birth. Unlike many prophets who simply declared oracles of doom, Isaiah combined poetic beauty, moral clarity, and divine vision. He saw beyond the immediate history of Israel to the sweeping purposes of God for all nations.

What sets Isaiah apart is not only the grandeur of his language but the intimacy of his calling. His ministry begins not with action but with awe—with a vision that breaks and remakes him. In the year that King Uzziah died, Isaiah saw “the Lord, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple.” He hears angelic voices crying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory.” Overwhelmed by divine holiness, Isaiah cries out, “Woe is me, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell among a people of unclean lips.” Then, in a moment of grace, a seraph touches his lips with a live coal from the altar, saying, “Your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” Only then does Isaiah hear the divine question: “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” His response—simple, immediate, and wholehearted—has echoed through millennia: “Here am I; send me.”

II. The Original Moment: From Vision to Vocation

Isaiah’s encounter in the temple is one of the most profound calling narratives in Scripture because it reveals the entire arc of spiritual transformation—conviction, cleansing, and commission. Before Isaiah can speak for God, he must be purified by God. The coal that touches his lips symbolizes both pain and purification; it burns away unworthiness and ignites a new fire of purpose. Isaiah learns that divine service is not earned by merit but granted through mercy.

This moment defines prophetic ministry for all who follow. Isaiah does not volunteer because he feels capable; he volunteers because he has been forgiven. His “send me” is not a boast of strength but a surrender of will. It shows that readiness in God’s kingdom comes not from talent or position but from humility and obedience. The prophet’s call reminds every believer that God does not ask for perfection, only availability. He does not seek the qualified; He qualifies the willing.

III. The Voice That Still Calls: Modern Applications of “Send Me”

Though centuries separate us from Isaiah’s temple vision, the same question still echoes: “Whom shall I send?” The call of God is not a relic of ancient prophecy—it is a living summons to every generation. In every time and place, men and women hear this question in the quiet chambers of conscience and the crowded corridors of daily life. The divine call may not come through visions of angels, but it comes through needs that cry out to be met, through injustices that demand courage, through moments of compassion that ask for response.

A. The Personal Call: Faith in the Ordinary
In a world that prizes self-assertion, Isaiah’s answer is radical: availability over ability. “Here am I” means being present before God—before the noise of ambition or distraction drowns out His voice. For the modern believer, this call begins in small, faithful acts: showing kindness when it’s inconvenient, forgiving when it’s undeserved, speaking truth when it’s unpopular. It may mean teaching a Sunday school class, visiting the sick, mentoring a child, or simply standing up for integrity in one’s profession.
The modern application of Isaiah’s “send me” is less about geography and more about posture. You may never cross an ocean, but you can cross the street. You may not go into a pulpit, but you can live the Gospel at your desk, in your classroom, or around your dinner table. In every generation, God asks not “Who is talented?” but “Who is willing?”

B. The Public Call: Faith in the Civic and Professional Realm
Isaiah was not just a preacher in the temple; he was an adviser to kings and a voice in national affairs. His message reached palaces and public squares alike. Likewise, today’s disciples are called to bring righteousness into their professions—to be prophetic voices in civic life. Whether one serves in government, finance, education, or healthcare, the “send me” spirit calls for moral clarity amid compromise.
In municipal councils, corporate meetings, or courtrooms, there is still a need for those who say, “Here am I” not to their own advancement but to the cause of truth and justice. The Isaiah spirit is the courage to stand for what is right even when it costs reputation or comfort—to call nations back to integrity, to defend the vulnerable, to remind leaders that power must serve people. In every public servant who leads with humility, in every teacher who shapes conscience, in every judge who loves mercy, the voice of Isaiah lives on.

C. The Global Call: Faith Beyond Borders
Isaiah’s vision of God’s glory filling the whole earth anticipates the Great Commission of Christ. “Send me” is a global phrase—it transcends race, nation, and time. In our interconnected world, the mission field is both next door and around the globe. It includes the refugee, the orphan, the imprisoned, the forgotten. To say “send me” today is to accept the responsibility of love in a wounded world.
It might mean serving on a mission trip, supporting a humanitarian cause, or developing technology that uplifts rather than exploits. It can mean using one’s influence, wealth, or voice for those who have none. The modern missionary is not only the preacher or doctor abroad, but also the scientist working for sustainable solutions, the artist telling redemptive stories, and the citizen advocating for peace and dignity.

IV. The Obstacles to Saying “Send Me”

Many never reach Isaiah’s moment of surrender because they stop at his first confession: “Woe is me.” Fear, inadequacy, and distraction paralyze potential prophets. The world today offers endless reasons to delay obedience—busyness, cynicism, self-doubt, or the illusion that someone else will go. The modern heart is often over-informed but under-committed.

Yet the secret of Isaiah’s response lies in trust. He did not know where he would be sent, what he would face, or whether he would succeed. God revealed only the call, not the destination. And still he said yes. The modern disciple must learn this same holy courage—the faith to say “yes” before knowing the cost. Real obedience precedes full understanding.

We also face cultural barriers. The age of irony mocks conviction; the age of comfort avoids sacrifice. But God still calls amid the noise. Every generation must rediscover the sacred simplicity of Isaiah’s answer: to stand up when called, to speak when it’s easier to stay silent, to go when it’s safer to stay home.

V. The Transformation of the Willing Heart

The power of Isaiah’s response lies in transformation. He entered the temple burdened by guilt and left commissioned by grace. The same God who cleansed his lips also shaped his life. Service becomes the fruit of forgiveness. Every believer who says “send me” enters this same pattern: encounter, cleansing, and calling.

Modern discipleship is not a part-time endeavor but a lifelong response. When we offer ourselves to God’s purposes, He transforms both us and the world around us. A single “send me” can ripple through generations. One teacher who sees their classroom as a mission field, one civic leader who governs with justice, one artist who creates with reverence—each becomes a vessel through which God’s light reaches others.

In this way, Isaiah’s call is not a moment but a movement. It is the continual surrender of the heart that says, “Use me, Lord, wherever You will.”

VI. Conclusion: The Call Continues

Isaiah’s cry, “Here am I, Lord; send me,” remains one of the purest expressions of faith in all of Scripture. It is both an answer and a challenge. Across the centuries, prophets, apostles, and saints have echoed it in their own tongues—Moses before Pharaoh, Mary before the angel, Peter beside the sea, Paul on the Damascus road. And still the question comes: “Whom shall I send?”

Every believer must decide whether to remain a spectator in the temple or to become a servant in the field. The call may come through Scripture, through conscience, or through the cry of human need. The answer must come from the heart: “Here am I.” In those three words lies the essence of Christian discipleship—the surrender of self to the will of God.

In a fractured world that hungers for hope, the echo of Isaiah’s voice is needed more than ever. The Lord still seeks those who will go—into classrooms, hospitals, city halls, neighborhoods, and nations—to live out His message of redemption. To every willing soul, He still asks the ancient question. And to every heart brave enough to respond, He still gives divine purpose.

“Here am I, Lord; send me.” May it not be only Isaiah’s prayer—but ours.

Reflective Prayer: “Here Am I, Lord”

O Lord, high and lifted up,
whose glory fills the earth and whose mercy touches even the most unworthy lips,
we come before You with humbled hearts.

We have heard Your question echo through the ages —
“Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?”
And though the world grows noisy with fear and distraction,
still Your voice breaks through.

Touch our lips as You touched Isaiah’s,
burn away our pride, our hesitation, our excuses.
Cleanse what is unclean,
renew what is weary,
and make our hearts burn again with holy purpose.

When the needs of the world seem too vast, remind us:
You do not ask us to save the world, only to serve in it.
You do not need our strength, only our surrender.
You do not require our perfection, only our presence.

So here we stand, O Lord —
in our cities, our classrooms, our homes, our workplaces.
Here we are, with our small voices and open hands.
Send us where love is lacking.
Send us where truth is silenced.
Send us where hope has grown dim.

And when we go, go with us —
that every act may carry the mark of Your grace,
and every word may bear the weight of Your holiness.

We pray this not in our own name,
but in the name of Jesus Christ,
the One who was sent and who sends us still.

Amen.