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Divine Direction | Day 7 | September 17, 2025

  Trust I live in Oklahoma where the weather can change dramatically and very quickly. One year in March, we had the most beautiful sunny spring day and a high of 83 degrees. The very next day it snowed three inches. As dramatic as that change was, it’s nothing compared to tornado season. Storms seem to swirl up out of nowhere. Just like they do in our lives. I talked to a woman at my son’s soccer game recently who’s been battling some health issues. She explained how she was close to God years ago and used to be very involved in our church. But when she started going through some very real trials, she questioned why God would allow it. She fought back tears as she said, “How can I worship a God I can’t trust?” Will we trust that God is good even when life is not? This woman’s question hits at the heart of one of life’s biggest decisions. Will we trust that God is good even when life is not? Our response to pain and challenges determines so much about our future. By its very nature...
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Divine Direction | Day 6 | September 16, 2025

  Connect When I realized I was made to not only serve in the church, but to serve others as the church, connecting with people became paramount. You can’t serve without connecting. And who you connect with will change the stories you tell tomorrow. This has been true throughout history. Just consider the man who wrote more than one third of the New Testament, the apostle Paul. Paul wasn’t always a Christian. Before he was a follower of Jesus, he was Saul from a city called Tarsus, an angry guy who persecuted and killed Christians. If you don’t like Jesus groupies, you’d have loved Saul. But after taking the lives of those who believed Jesus was raised from the dead, Paul became one of them himself. His transformation was so big, so radical, so life-changing that Saul (who was renamed Paul) immediately wanted to tell others about Jesus. The problem was that no Christians trusted him and for obvious reasons. The book of Acts puts it simply:  When [Saul] came to Jerusalem, he tr...
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Divine Direction | Day 5 | September 15, 2025

  Serve Serving others does not come naturally to me. I’m a self-centered person. I like it my way. It’s not something I’m proud of, but unfortunately, it’s true. I’m not the only one. All of us can be a bit self-centered. By nature, we are selfish people. Just think about it: you don’t have to teach a child to be selfish. According to Jesus, life is not all about us, and yet everything in our culture (including that burger place) tries to tell us to have it our way. One of the quickest ways to forget about God is to be consumed with “self.” Jesus had pretty direct words for those who wanted to follow Him. He said,  “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”  Matthew 16:24 NIV God wants us to have it  His  way. And He’s not talking about extra meat, hold the lettuce. Speaking of food, Jesus made a statement that should make us pause before we order our next burger.  “My food … is to do the will of him who s...
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Divine Direction | Day 4 | September 14, 2025

  Go Do you sense something new happening in your life? Do you want something different? Even if you don’t feel it now, it’s always a good idea to keep your heart prepared for change because it’s a guarantee. We’ve talked about  start ,  stop , and  stay . Sometimes the best decision you can make in finding God’s direction is to  go . Often we’re called to stand our ground when the pressure mounts, but many times we need to take a risk. Do you feel restless where you are? God may have planted a divine desire in you to serve Him in some surprising way. Maybe He’s inspired you with a specific group of people, an idea, a problem, or a place. Maybe He’s calling you to go. Follow that hunch and see where it takes you. Embrace the adventure. The best way to make a leap of faith is to get a good running start. There’s a great story in the Old Testament about Abram and Sarai (later renamed Abraham and Sarah) that illustrates “go” perfectly. In Genesis 12, God spoke to A...
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Divine Direction | Day 3 | September 13, 2025

  Stay I’ve thought many times about how different my life would be if I’d given up when I wanted to. My story could’ve become something like, “Yeah, I used to think I was supposed to be a pastor, but I gave it a shot and things didn’t work out. That’s just how it goes.” I’m certain you’ll have to wrestle with occasional challenges in different seasons of your life: a boss you don’t think you can stand another day, a relationship that’s suddenly hurting, a dream that’s running out of resources, a move that’s failed your expectations. When you face difficulties, it’s natural to reconsider your huge, life-altering decisions. You might ask questions like these. Should I take my chances, quit this job, and look for something else? After my spouse’s affair—is it time to move on? Am I really cut out to run a business? Should I cut my losses before things get any worse? In each of these examples—and with most major life choices—you’re at a crucial fork in the road, and it’s time to decide...
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Divine Direction | Day 2 | September 12, 2025

  Stop One of the best decisions you can make when you’re feeling an impulse or facing a high-stakes dilemma is the decision to  stop . Take a time-out. Pray for guidance. Sleep on it.  Get some godly wisdom from people you trust and picture the possible outcomes. Then, ask yourself, “Is this something I should stop completely?” Most of us have good intentions or at least some kind of justification for the things we do. And yet so many of us seem surprised when we find ourselves a long way from the direction we want to go. The big changes in our lives—both negative and positive—rarely happen without a series of decisions piling on top of each other like never-ending dominoes. Do you see how stopping can be one of the most productive things we do? When you stop to take stock of where you are and where you want to go,  then  you can decide how to move toward your destination. What can you stop in order to move you closer to God’s divine direction? Are you doing an...
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Divine Direction | Day 1 | September 11, 2025

  Start  Every day we make choices that shape our life story. What would your life look like if you let godly principles guide those choices? Over the next week, we’ll begin to explore seven principles from my  Divine Direction  book to help you find God’s wisdom for your daily decisions. If someone asked you to tell your life’s story, what would you say? You might start with where you were born and how you were raised. You might mention your first love. Maybe you’d talk about the big move your family made or when you left for college. If you’re married, you might describe how you met your spouse. If you’re not married, you might describe why. If you’re a parent, you might scroll through some photos on your phone and show off your family. Or maybe you’d describe your career path. What’s in your story? Most of us have chapters we’d rather not share with anyone. Maybe you’ve ended up somewhere you never wanted to be. You didn’t mean to blow it, but you did. You made de...
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