HEY! Y’all ever realize that God was wildin’ in the Old Testament. I’m talking top tier LEVEL petty! Like, think of the story of Jonah, right? God, back when He used to speak to people in stereo . . . God went to Jonah, spoke to him and said, “Hey yo! Jonah! I need you to deliver a message to Nineveh!” Jonah was like, “I ain’t going to no Nineveh!” And the Lord said, “Oh nah?” And Jonah said, “NAH! They got Freddy Kreuger, they got Michael Myers, they got the Booty Boy over there, I ain’t going to no Nineveh! I don’t know none of them! As a matter of fact, I’m about to go on vacation!” The Lord said, “Oh yeah?” And Jonah said, “You know it!” So, Jonah packed up his bag, like an omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent being didn’t just give him a direct order! Now, while he’s on the ship, God decides to send a storm! I need y’all to understand something. We ain’t talking about no regular precipitation or an ordinary storm, you know what I’m saying? We talkin’ about a God-tier level storm! This is tectonic plate moving, earth shattering, Goku going Super Saiyan for the first time STORM! Got the cats on the ship all running around scared, done struck the chickens down dead, the crew members all running around scared, and the captain yellin’ “HEY! ONE OF Y’ALL DONE SIN! This GOTTA be YAHWEH!” And they over here looking like, “I didn’t sin! Did you sin? Nah! I didn’t sin!” And Jonah over here like, “ I may have told God I wasn’t going to Nineveh like He asked!” The crew and the captain shakin’ their heads like, “You told Him WHAT? HEY! GET THIS . . . YOU GOT TO GO!!!” So they done cast Jonah off the boat, the freaking sky clears up, everything all ha, ha, he, he, the crew members are like “YEAH!”, So, now Jonah is DROWNING! Screaming for his mama! Meanwhile, this big ole anglerfish comes up and swallows him! Now the reason it was an anglerfish is because, you know, the kraken wasn’t available, and you know, God ain’t want to traumatize him too daggone bad, like darn near drowning and being swallowed by a fish wasn’t enough!

He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends. — Proverbs 17:9 Thoughts on Today's Verse... You've probably heard this poisonous statement many times: "It's just a little harmless gossip." The Wise Teacher reminds us that gossip is neither little nor harmless. Sharing someone else's stumble, offense, failure, or flaws separates friends and causes horrible damage. The consequences of such gossip are severe, and its damage is often lasting and devastating, especially to relationships. Instead, it is much better to be a peacemaker and an offense-mender, someone who covers over an offense with grace, forgiveness, and love. As Jesus said: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God (Matthew 5:9). A peacemaker is one who covers over an offense and promotes love and peace. Let that be said of us! My Prayer... Father of Glory, I confess that I am often more a peace lover than a peacemaker. Being a peacemaker seems to be a lot harder for me. Covering over offenses feels a lot more difficult than passing on the gossip about an offense. So, please give me the character not to repeat gossip, but instead to have the wisdom and strength to be an offense-mender and an offense-coverer. Through the Prince of Peace, himself, I pray. Amen.

"When you have to listen to abuse, that means you are being buffeted by the wind. When your anger is roused, you are being tossed by the waves. So when the winds blow and the waves mount high, the boat is in danger, your heart is imperiled, your heart is taking a battering. On hearing yourself insulted, you long to retaliate; but the joy of revenge brings with it another kind of misfortune - shipwreck. Why is this? Because Christ is asleep in you. What do I mean? I mean you have forgotten his presence. Rouse him, then; remember him, let him keep watch within you, pay heed to him... A temptation arises: it is the wind. It disturbs you: it is the surging of the sea. This is the moment to awaken Christ and let him remind you of those words: 'Who can this be? Even the winds and the sea obey him." (excerpt from Sermons 63:1-3)

A young man was angry at having been disrespected. A wise old man approached him and said: “You think disrespect is an insult . . . it is NOT! It is INFORMATION! It tells you that the person in front of you showing you disrespect has low character, poor judgment, and deep insecurity and a lack of self-esteem. It tells you that person is NOT your people. It tells you that you must move on! Remember this always! A Lion does not get angry when a Sheep disapproves of it’s roar; it simply keeps on walking and roaring. Treat disrespect NOT as a wound, but as a compass that points you away from the wrong people. In Matthew 10:14, Jesus tells his disciples, "If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town". Context and Meaning - Scriptural References: This command appears in the Synoptic Gospels when Jesus sends out the disciples to preach (Matthew 10:14, Mark 6:11, Luke 9:5). It is also practiced by Paul and Barnabas in Acts 13:51. - Significance: It was a 1st-century Jewish gesture indicating that a place was unclean or under judgment. - Application: The phrase is sometimes used today to represent letting go of negativity, toxic situations, or unproductive efforts after having done all one can.

My pastor and long-time friend had just told me he was questioning his faith — and suddenly I looked at myself and realized I can quote scripture but can’t answer a single “why” question. It was 10:32 PM on a Wednesday when Pastor Tim opened up to our small group. Not about someone else. About himself. A Seminary graduate who had led churches for 25 years. Now telling us, “I’m not sure I have real reasons for what I’ve been preaching.” His voice cracked when he said it. “I’ve taught people what to believe but I never examined why any of it is true.” I drove home in silence, my hands gripping the steering wheel too tight. When I got home, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I sat at the kitchen table, staring at my Bible, realizing I was exactly the same. I believe the Bible is true. But why? Because… it’s God’s Word? But how do I know it’s God’s Word Because the Bible says so? My stomach dropped. Circular reasoning. The exact trap that’s destroying Pastor Mike’s faith right now. I sat there — someone who’s been a Christian for 30 years — completely unable to defend the most basic claim of Christianity. The next morning, I tested myself again. Why did Jesus have to die? Why couldn’t God just forgive us? Because… we needed Jesus to save us? But why? What would happen if God just said, “You’re forgiven,” without the cross? I had no idea. I knew the story, but I didn’t understand the theology. That Friday at men’s breakfast, I brought it up. Three other guys had the same problem. Believers for decades. Active in church. Yet they couldn’t explain why they believed a single word of it. We were a generation of Bible readers who would crumble the first time life forced us to ask “why?” I spent that weekend obsessed. 1:47 AM Saturday night, I was reading articles about faith deconstruction. The pattern was everywhere. Adult Christians facing crisis, meeting their first real doubt, and having zero answers. Not because they were rebellious, because they’d been taught what to believe, but never why it’s true.