We are drowning in a culture of violence. From school shootings to political hatred, from homes torn apart to neighborhoods living in fear – it’s everywhere. And it’s not just “out there.” It’s here. It’s in our backyards and workplaces. It’s in our communities and even in our neighborhoods.
Kids are growing up without dads and moms. Wives are burying their husbands. Families are shattered, futures stolen. And for what? Because we’ve convinced ourselves that if someone thinks differently, votes differently, believes differently, or looks differently they’re disposable.
So here it is as plain as I can say it: disagreement is not a license to destroy. Having a different opinion is not an invitation to yell, dehumanize, or harm.
It’s time to stop hiding behind screens. Time to stop shrugging our shoulders like nothing can change. It’s time to be human again. To remember that every person carries the image of God. To teach our kids that compassion is stronger than cruelty. To choose peace not because it’s easy, but because violence is destroying us.
Talking isn’t enough anymore. We must live differently. We must love differently. We must fight for life, not take it away.
Because this world doesn’t need more rage. It needs more courage, more kindness, and more humanity.
I’ve planted a church. I’ve walked streets where the buildings are strong, but the people feel invisible. And I’ve learned something loud and clear: Jesus doesn’t wait for people to come to Him. He breaks into lives, neighborhoods, and communities where He is invited – and sometimes, even where He isn’t.
Church planting isn’t just about starting a Sunday service or filling a building. It’s about being the kind of church that interrupts the normal flow of life with love that looks like Jesus. And here’s the deal: that only happens when the church gets out of the building.
Communities Don’t Wait
An unspoken truth that might need to be spoken more frequently is that communities don’t stop spinning because your church calendar is full. People aren’t waiting for a bulletin or a sermon to find hope. They’re looking at the people around them and asking, “Who’s going to care?”
If you want your church to matter, if you want your neighborhood to see the Kingdom of God in action, you’ve got to stop waiting for them to show up. Youhave to show up. Boldly. Intentionally. With hands ready to serve and ears ready to listen.
The Church Is a Light, Not a Lobbyist
Church planting isn’t about influence for influence’s sake. It’s not about programs or perks or trying to be the community’s “solution.” It’s about Jesus’ love being tangible in a broken world. That might mean helping with after-school programs, hosting community cleanups, mentoring youth, or simply sitting at tables of influence and listening.
When a church steps into a city with this posture, something amazing happens: people start to see Jesus before they ever hear a word of the Gospel. Neighborhoods start to feel safer. Families start to feel cared for. And slowly, the Kingdom begins to grow, not because of strategy alone, but because of a rhythm of faithful presence.
Start With Listening
But here’s where many churches miss it: if you want to plant a church that transforms, you cannot start with what you want to do. Start with listening. Sit with the mayor. Meet the principal. Talk to business owners. Ask your neighbors where they see gaps, needs, and struggles.
Questions like these can change everything:
“Where do you see the biggest unmet needs in our community?”
“What keeps families, kids, or neighbors from thriving?”
“How can a local church show up in a way that actually matters?”
When you ask, you’re not just gathering intel. You’re showing that Jesus’ love is practical, relational, and real.
Ok I get it. Church planting is risky. Showing up in neighborhoods can feel uncomfortable. Asking tough questions and admitting you don’t have all the answers takes humility. But here’s the punchline: Jesus shows up where the church shows up.The Kingdom doesn’t advance in boardrooms alone; it advances in neighborhoods, streets, and living rooms where His people are willing to step in.
Your Neighborhood Is Waiting
So here’s the challenge for every pastor, church planter, and leader reading this: stop planning the perfect program first. Stop waiting for perfect conditions. Stop talking about “serving the community” as if it’s a theoretical essay.
Get out. Ask questions. Listen. Serve. Love. Repeat.
When the church shows up like that, Jesus doesn’t just bless your efforts. He breaks in. Lives change. Families heal. Neighborhoods start to reflect His Kingdom. And the local church? It becomes exactly what it was always meant to be: a home for the hope the world is missing.
At Living Word, we celebrate every time someone is baptized. Some people wonder, “Why make such a big deal about it? Isn’t Baptism just a personal, private moment between me and God?”
Simple answer: Baptism is never just private. It’s always communal. It’s always family.
This is why I rarely, if ever, will do a private baptism service. I’ve been asked on a number of occasions to perform a baptism in private because the person is shy or doesn’t want a big deal made of it. That’s like having a family reunion and not inviting your family. We just don’t do that. We want to celebrate and welcome you as part of our faith family!
Baptism brings us into God’s family
When you’re baptized, you’re not only united with Jesus. You’re united with His people. The Church isn’t a random collection of strangers who happen to sit in the same building on Sundays. It’s a family of believers marked by the same promise: “You are mine. I have called you by name. You are washed clean.”
That’s why Baptism is one of the most powerful reminders of what the Church really is. It’s not a club. It’s not a hobby. It’s not just a Sunday gathering. It’s a family born of water and the Spirit.
How Baptism reflects our values
When we celebrate Baptism, we are living out the very values that shape us as a church:
Life works best with Jesus. Baptism is where life in Christ begins. It’s the starting point of grace and a future anchored in Him.
We bring families and kids closer to Jesus. Baptism isn’t just for adults; it’s God’s promise for every generation. It reminds us that kids don’t have to “earn” God’s love by a faithful decision. They’re included from the start.
Jesus turns strangers into family here. A person walks into the water as one, and comes out belonging to many. In Baptism, God weaves us together.
We share Jesus’ love in our neighborhoods. Baptism isn’t the finish line. It’s the launchpad. We’re sent into the world as living witnesses of what Jesus has done.
A celebration for everyone
This is why the whole church gathers around the font. When a child is baptized, parents and sponsors are reminded that they’re not raising this child in faith alone. They have a whole community walking alongside them. When an adult is baptized, the entire church family celebrates with tears, applause, and joy, because we all know: this is a miracle of God’s grace.
And here’s the best part: every Baptism we witness is a reminder of our own. We get to rehearse the promises spoken over us: “I forgive you. I claim you. I call you my child.”
Looking ahead
This Sunday we’ll continue in our Washed series and dive into more of the deep truths of God’s grace poured out for us in the waters of baptism. We’ll see what it means to be “buried with Christ and raised to walk in newness of life.” Baptism isn’t just a splash of water on your past. It’s a whole new future.
Don’t miss it. Bring someone with you. Let’s celebrate together.
Baptism isn’t just a moment in your life. It’s the beginning of a family that lasts forever.
Yesterday at Living Word we opened our new series Washed, and we started with a simple but courageous truth: Baptism is not about what we do for God. It’s about what God does for us.
That’s bold, and it cuts against the grain of how we usually think. We live in a world that says “prove yourself, earn it, make it happen.” But Baptism tells a different story. Baptism says, “You are not defined by what you do, you are defined by what Jesus has done for you.”
God does the washing
Think about the priests in the book of Leviticus. Before they could walk into the temple and stand before a holy God, they had to wash. It wasn’t optional. It wasn’t about scrubbing dirt , it was about being made holy.
Fast forward to Jesus. He calls Himself the new Temple (John 2:19–21). Paul later reminds us that we are now temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). Here’s the question: how does God make us holy temples? The answer is Baptism. In those waters, God Himself does the washing.
Baptism unites us with Jesus
Paul says in Romans 6:4: “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”
That means when you were baptized, your old self was drowned. Your guilt, your shame, your sin all nailed to the cross and buried in the tomb. And when Jesus walked out of the grave, He pulled you up with Him. You’re not just forgiven. You are alive.
Baptism gives you a family
Here’s the part I love most. Baptism doesn’t just give you a new identity, it gives you a new family. The Church isn’t a group of strangers who happen to sit in the same building on Sunday. It’s a family of people marked by the same promise: “You are mine. I have called you by name. You are washed clean.”
At Living Word, this is why we cheer, clap, and celebrate every Baptism. Because it’s not just their story. It’s a reminder of our story too.
Carry this truth with you
This week, I want you to hold onto one simple line:
Baptism is not just water. It’s water connected to God’s Word that makes us new.
When you feel unworthy, remember: you’ve been washed. When shame creeps in, remember: you’ve been claimed. When you wonder if you belong, remember: you’ve been given a family.
That’s why Baptism matters. And that’s why we’ll keep returning to the water again and again not because we need to be re-baptized, but because we need to be re-anchored in the promise of what God has already done for us in Jesus.
Vacations are supposed to be about rest and fun, but they have a funny way of teaching you life lessons, too. On my recent getaway, God reminded me of a few things, some lighthearted and some challenging, that I think are worth sharing.
1. There’s always someone less fit than you, so stop hiding from the sun. It’s easy to get self-conscious at the pool or the beach. But here’s the truth: there’s always going to be someone in worse shape than you and someone in better shape than you. The key? Don’t let insecurity steal your joy. Be grateful for the body God’s given you, flaws and all. Try to just enjoy the moment. Psalm 139:14 reminds us, “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” That truth doesn’t take a vacation.
2. Be content, but never complacent. I noticed something while on vacation: there are always people who can do more than you…and people who can do less. That’s life. Instead of comparing yourself, focus on growing. Be content with where God has you, but also push yourself to be stronger, wiser, and more faithful than you were yesterday. Philippians 4:11 says, “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content,” but contentment doesn’t mean laziness. It means gratitude in motion.
3. Memories last longer than money. This one is hard for me. I tend to want to be wise and careful with money (and we should be by the way), but God reminded me that while money comes and goes, memories are what we carry to the grave. The laughter over a shared meal, the sunset you watched with someone you love, the silly inside jokes – those are treasures no bank account can hold. Jesus even said in Matthew 6:20, “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.” Sometimes those treasures are the moments we make with the people we love.
Vacations end, the tan fades, the suitcase gets unpacked…but the lessons stick with you. And maybe, just maybe, the best souvenirs aren’t things you buy. They’re truths you carry home in your heart.
Most Christians don’t struggle with saying Jesus is Lord.
We just struggle with living like He is.
Sure, we trust Him with our eternity. We trust Him with our sins. But when it comes to the everyday stuff like the calendar, the bank account, the retirement plan suddenly the throne of our lives gets very crowded.
Let’s be honest: biblical generosity isn’t usually where discipleship begins. It’s where it culminates.
Giving is often the last stronghold we surrender in our walk with Jesus. Why? Because generosity isn’t just about money. It’s about control. It’s about security. It’s about faith.
That’s why Jesus talked about it so much. Not because He needed our stuff, but because our stuff has a way of replacing Him as our Savior.
Entrusting Jesus with Your T.E.R.M.
True discipleship means giving Jesus full authority over our T.E.R.M. That stands for our Time, Energy, Relationships, and Material resources. Until we do, we’re still holding back. We’re still hedging our bets. We’re still following Him… with conditions.
Let’s break it down:
Time
You can tell a lot about someone’s priorities by looking at their calendar. Does Jesus get the leftovers, or the firstfruits?
Do we have margin in our schedule for worship, prayer, service, or is our time budget already maxed out with soccer practices, Netflix, and overtime hours?
Paul says:
“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15–16, ESV)
If Jesus is Lord of our life, He must also be Lord of our time.
Energy
We all wake up with a certain amount of gas in the tank. And if we’re honest, most of us use it all on ourselves.
But discipleship means pouring out your energy not just on making a living, but on making disciples with your kids, your friends, your neighbors, your church.
“Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9, ESV)
Where you invest your energy shows who you believe is worthy of it.
Relationships
Who gets your best? To whom do you open your heart? Who do you serve without expecting anything in return?
Biblical generosity includes the giving of yourself to people who can’t pay you back. That’s grace. That’s the whole point of the Gospel.
And that’s exactly what Jesus did.
“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13, ESV)
Our relationships reflect our theology. Do we live like people are eternal, or are we too busy managing our circle for convenience?
Material Resources
Here’s where the rubber meets the road. Giving our stuff. This is where we talk about giving sacrificially, regularly, cheerfully. And it’s often the most tangible evidence of spiritual maturity.
Yet, it’s the part most Christians dodge, delay, or delegate.
“No one can serve two masters… You cannot serve God and money.” (Matthew 6:24, ESV)
Ouch. That one hits hard. Because most of us have tried. We keep both masters in the room and try to play the spiritual field.
But the truth is, you can’t follow Jesus with one hand on your wallet and one foot in the world.
Why Generosity Is the Final Stage
When we finally entrust Jesus with our T.E.R.M., we stop compartmentalizing our faith. It’s no longer “Jesus on Sunday and me the rest of the week.” It’s not “Jesus gets my heart, but I’ll keep my bank account, my calendar, and my comfort zones.”
It’s full surrender.
Because the goal of discipleship isn’t learning more about Jesus. It’s becoming more like Him.
And He didn’t give sporadically, spontaneously, or sparingly.
He gave everything.
“Though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9, ESV)
That’s not just good theology. That’s the blueprint.
Time to Take Inventory
So here’s the challenge: take a T.E.R.M. inventory.
Are you giving God your time or just squeezing Him in when it’s convenient?
Are you spending your energy on eternal things or are you running on fumes chasing temporary ones?
Are your relationships a reflection of Jesus or are they curated for your comfort?
Are your finances surrendered or are they still “off-limits” in your spiritual life?
Until we surrender all four, our discipleship is still unfinished.
But the moment we entrust Jesus with our T.E.R.M. that’s the moment we stop calling the shots, and start living like He’s truly Lord.
Sometimes it feels like kale. We know it’s good for us, but we’re not exactly craving it.
And yet, generosity is central to what it means to follow Jesus.
The problem? Most American Christians give like they eat kale, occasionally, reluctantly, and only when someone guilts them into it. That’s what I’ve heard called 3S giving: sporadic, spontaneous, and sparing.
The 3S Giving Problem
The numbers don’t lie. According to a 2022 State of the Plate report:
Only 5% of American churchgoers give 10% or more of their income.
50% of people who attend church give $0 in a year.
The average American Christian gives about 2.5% of their income.
And giving as a percentage of income was actually higher during the Great Depression than it is today.
We’re not talking about people in dire poverty here. We’re talking about suburban believers with gym memberships, Amazon Prime, Netflix, the latest iPhone and a side hustle to pay for their dog’s grain-free diet.
Giving isn’t broken because we’re broke. Giving is broken because our hearts are.
Jesus was clear:
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21, ESV)
He’s saying the way we give reflects what we treasure.
Enter the Rich Young Ruler
Remember that guy in Mark 10? This rich young ruler comes to Jesus, eager to inherit eternal life. Jesus lists off a few commandments. The man checks all the boxes. He’s nailed it. But then Jesus drops the mic:
“You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” (Mark 10:21, ESV)
And what does the man do?
“Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” (Mark 10:22, ESV)
He walked away!. Not because he didn’t love God, but because his stuff had a stronger grip on him than Jesus did.
Let’s not judge him too quickly. He’s us. He’s the modern Christian who tips God with a leftover $20 once in a while but wouldn’t dare rearrange their lifestyle to become truly generous.
There’s a Better Way: The 3P Giving Framework
If 3S giving is sporadic, spontaneous, and sparing, we need a shift. Let’s talk about 3P giving instead. This giving is:
Priority-Based Give first. Before the bills, before the extras. It’s not about what’s left at the end of the month. It’s about putting God first.“Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce.” (Proverbs 3:9, ESV)
Percentage-Based Choose a percentage of your income and commit to it. Start somewhere, anywhere! Maybe 5%, 10%, maybe even more. Percentage giving grows us in faith and reminds us that all we have is God’s anyway.
Progressive As God blesses you, grow in generosity. The goal isn’t to check a box and stay there forever. It’s to stretch, to trust, and to keep growing. Could you imagine doing a reverse tithe? That’s living on 10% while giving away 90%! It can be done if we try hard enough.
Imagine if every Christian embraced 3P giving. Churches would have all the resources needed to expand ministry. Missionaries could be sent. Families in crisis could be helped. Needs in the community could be met with abundance instead of scarcity.
Let’s Laugh (and Then Get Serious)
Sure, giving hurts sometimes. You might hear your bank account groan a little. You might have to delay that 17th streaming service or put off the latest gadget. But you’re trading temporary comforts for eternal impact.
Generosity isn’t just a money thing. It’s a heart thing. It’s about becoming people who trust God more than stuff, who treasure heaven more than Amazon, and who know that we’ve been given everything in Christ, so we live open-handedly in response.
“Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7, ESV)
So here’s the challenge: Audit your giving. Be honest. Are you living in the 3S world and giving sporadically, spontaneously, and sparingly? Or are you stepping toward 3P generosity that gives with priority, by percentage, and in a progressive way?
Let’s not be the rich young ruler who walks away. Let’s be the ones who follow and give with joy.
Inspired by Night 2 of the LCMS Youth Gathering & Hebrews 12:1–3
Some moments stay with you.
For many who gathered on Night 2 of the LCMS Youth Gathering, there was a phrase that echoed through the arena and hit deep into the soul:
“I am that joy.”
“Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2 (ESV)
What was the joy set before Jesus? You were.
That truth landed like a wave. Jesus endured the mockery, the nails, the weight of sin not out of obligation or guilt but with joy. And that joy was you. It was your restoration. It was your freedom. It was your life made new in Him.
You are the joy that kept Him on the cross.
That realization changes everything, especially in the moments we feel too broken, too stuck, or too far gone to endure in Jesus.
Because if we’re honest, sometimes we don’t. We give in to old habits. We isolate in shame. We spiral into addiction, self-harm, porn, or self-loathing, wondering if there’s any way back.
But Night 2 didn’t stop at the hard truth. It pointed us to hope real, honest, Spirit-filled hope.
Jesus endured the cross not just to rescue us but to recreate us. When we surrender the broken pieces to Him, the Holy Spirit goes to work not simply to polish us up, but to make us new.
“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)
So if you’re feeling like you’ve failed to endure, hear this:
There is no shame in coming back. There is no darkness too deep. There is no mistake too final.
Because Jesus saw all of it and still, you were the joy set before Him. He didn’t quit on you then. He won’t quit on you now.
Hold This Close:
Remind yourself of this throughout this week: “I am that joy.”
When shame creeps in, remind yourself: Jesus endured for me.
Pray: “Holy Spirit, take the broken places in me and make me new. I want to endure in Jesus.”
Let’s walk in that joy. Let’s endure not alone, not by our own strength but in Jesus.
Not just the sound of traffic or your neighbor’s dog or the 37th autoplay video on Instagram. I’m talking about the kind of noise that sits in your brain even when it’s quiet. The constant scroll, the endless to-do list, the pressure to keep up, to stay informed, to respond right now. We live in a world addicted to input. Every second of silence feels like wasted time, and every unoccupied moment screams to be filled with something, anything, just so we don’t have to sit still.
And if you’ve ever wondered, “Why does God feel so distant?” Maybe it’s not that He’s silent. Maybe it’s that we’ve forgotten how to listen.
Distracted Doesn’t Mean Disconnected, But It’s Dangerously Close
We don’t need a theological degree to know that something’s off.
You open your phone to check the weather and somehow 22 minutes later you’re watching a video about penguins ice-skating in slow motion. Or you sit down to breathe, maybe even pray, and your brain jumps straight to that email you forgot to send or the headline that just pinged your smartwatch.
We say we don’t have time for soul care, for reflection, for deeper things. But the truth is that we’re giving our attention to things that don’t even remember our names. And the tradeoff is killing us.
Peace? Gone. Clarity? Unclear at best. Spiritual depth? Drowned in noise.
There’s a cost to all this distraction. And it’s not just that we’re tired. It’s that we’re starving. Relationally. Emotionally. Spiritually. Starving!
Stillness Feels Like Rebellion
It almost seems like stillness is weird now. It feels unnatural. Like we’re doing something wrong if we’re not multitasking. But in a world that equates noise with importance and busyness with value, stillness is straight-up rebellious.
And yet, it’s exactly where God works best.
There’s a line from the Bible that says, “And behold, the Lord was not in the wind… not in the earthquake… not in the fire… but in the sound of a low whisper.” (1 Kings 19:11–12)
A whisper. Not a podcast. Not a push notification. Not a viral reel. Not a packed schedule. He was in the whisper.
God doesn’t compete for our attention like everything else. He’s not going to shout over the chaos. He waits until we’re ready to actually listen. And that’s the scary part. It’s scary because most of us never slow down long enough to be still.
The Fix?
It’s not going to be easy. But it will be worth it.
You won’t stumble into stillness accidentally. You have to fight for it. You have to get uncomfortable. You have to turn things off and shut things out and be okay with the fact that it might feel awkward and even a little boring at first. But you also have to believe this:
Stillness isn’t the absence of something. It’s the presence of Someone.
And maybe, just maybe, when the noise dies down and the distractions fade, we’ll find that God’s been whispering all along. Not with judgment. Not with pressure. But with love, grace, clarity, and peace.
You’re not crazy for feeling overwhelmed. You’re not broken for struggling to hear. But don’t ignore the ache inside you that knows something deeper is calling.
This is Part 1 of our series “Is It Me, or Is the World Just Louder Than God?” Up next: Digital Detox and Soul Repair.
Because let’s be honest, your soul wasn’t made for 24/7 notifications. And it’s time to get it back.
(Part 1 of 4 in the “Performing or Belonging?” series)
It often goes without saying – we’re exhausted.
Not from work. Not from parenting. Not from the latest crisis-of-the-week. So many people exhausted from pretending.
Smiling when we’re breaking. Posting like we’re thriving. Walking into rooms, churches included, wondering if we’re being judged for not having it all together.
We’ve been trained to perform. Perform at school. Perform at work. Perform in our friendships. Even perform at church. And somewhere along the way, we got the twisted idea that love, acceptance, and community were things we earn by being impressive.
But here’s the truth: Performance-based belonging is killing us. Slowly, quietly, spiritually.
You feel it, don’t you?
That subtle anxiety before walking into a room, wondering if you’ll be enough. That instinct to sanitize your story before telling it. That inner voice whispering, “Don’t let them see the real you. They couldn’t handle it.”
And the wild part? We’ve made this normal! We celebrate “being polished.” We admire the curated feed. We’ve confused authenticity with oversharing and vulnerability with weakness. But deep down, we all want the same thing: to be known and still loved. No mask. No pretense.
But we’ve bought into the lie that if we’re real, we’ll be rejected. So we keep performing. Keep managing our image. Keep walking into spaces like churches, friendships, even family dinners and thinking, “Don’t screw this up. Be who they want you to be.”
Let’s call it what it is: fake community. It’s shallow, it’s exhausting, and it’s not what God designed us for.
Want to know the truth? You were never meant to perform for love. You were made to belong in it. Real belonging doesn’t ask you to audition. It doesn’t hand you a mask. Real belonging walks into your mess and says, “Yeah, I see it. I still choose you.”
That’s what Jesus does.
No pretense. No filter. He doesn’t wait for you to clean yourself up. He doesn’t bless the fake version of you. He meets the real you tired, broken, guarded and offers something this world can’t: grace.
And if grace is real, then performance can die.
It’s time to stop faking it. It’s time to stop trying to impress people we don’t trust to love us. It’s time to build something better. It’s time for real relationships, real community, where masks aren’t needed and performance isn’t currency.
That kind of community doesn’t happen by accident. It takes guts. It takes honesty. And even a little faith. But I believe it’s possible. And if I’m being honest, I believe the church should lead the way.
Not with cheesy slogans. Not with religious guilt trips. But with raw stories, open doors, and the kind of love that says, “You don’t have to pretend here.”
If you’re tired of performing – then good. That’s the first step to finding something real.
This is Part 1 of 4 in a series exploring the tension between performing and belonging. Next up: The Pressure to Perform and why we chase approval like our lives depend on it (because for many of us, it feels like they do).
