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Welcome.

This is a space I created for distilling my thoughts as I discipline myself in my craft.  At heart – I am a writer… a poet…  Clarity finds me when I can put a pen to paper or rest my finger tips on a keyboard.  Sanity comes as the swirling thoughts in my overloaded mind make it the page… Most times it feels like I’m just rambling, but every now and then the end result is actually something intelligible….

You are welcome to join me on this journey.  Who knows?  We may actually learn something from one another.  Maybe you’ll inspire me or be inspired by me – I certainly hope so!  Maybe, I’ll piss you off – or maybe you’ll frustrate me – that may be even better.  You see, I have this strange theory that conflicts needn’t be avoided.  Conflicts need to be managed.  They are the friction that causes motion! I actually believe that we learn more from those with whom we disagree than from most any other source.  The discord is actually an opportunity for harmony.  Thesis… Antithesis… Synthesis… Growth.  We will all end up a bit wiser, broader in our experience and perspective, more tolerant, and more compassionate.  That is my hope, at least.  I guess we will have to wait and see what happens!

Peace

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Everywhere You Go (2)

Since God is with us—everywhere—we can have confidence regardless of the circumstances.

There is no place we can go where God is not.

This is a comfort, but for me, it also comes with conviction.

There is no place we can go where God is not.

When stress causes me to feel like God has forgotten me,

when anxiety compels me to worry,

When temptation presses me to hide my face,

I remember.

There is no place we can go where God is not.

This is comfort—sometimes conviction—but ultimately a reminder that I am connected.

There is no place we can go where God is not.

In strength or in weakness, in success or in failure—whether up, down, sideways, or backwards—God is present—grace is present.

There is no place we can go where God is not.

This grace challenges and convicts, comforts and chastens, consoles and checks us.

This grace calls us and comes after us relentlessly—and this is Good News!

The Psalm writer says it like this…

4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.

5 Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.

7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?

8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.

9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;

10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.

12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.

Psalm 139:4-12

Say it with me:

“There is no place I can go where God is not.”

Good morning. I love you all.

ihs,

just adam

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Everywhere We Go?

Did you know that much of what we, as Christians, cherish as Scripture in the New Testament was written by the Apostle Paul while he was imprisoned—under house arrest?

Let that sink in.

Some of the most encouraging and hope-filled words we quote so easily were penned by someone living under restriction, sacrifice, and persecution. Paul did not write from a place of comfort or ease, but from confinement.

Philippians is often called the epistle of joy. It’s the letter that gives us those familiar, strengthening words:

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)

Paul’s life reminds us of something essential: our faith in Christ determines our disposition—not our circumstances. His joy wasn’t rooted in freedom, success, or favorable conditions. It was grounded in Christ.

Paul shows us that even when life is far from ideal, confidence in Jesus allows us to preserve our integrity and protect our peace. When we acknowledge Christ’s presence and trust God’s sovereignty, we can remain resilient and hopeful. With the Spirit comforting us, we can stay confident—even in crushing circumstances.

And because of that, we can be faithful witnesses wherever we are. No matter what’s going on. No matter who’s around us. Even in difficult seasons, God can use us to have an unexpected influence and a positive impact.

Listen to how Paul viewed his own situation:

“I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ.”
Philippians 1:12–13

Paul understood something powerful: Jesus was with him. The Spirit was at work. God’s providence had not paused because of prison walls.

Christ was present—everywhere he went.

May we carry that same awareness today. Wherever we find ourselves, may we trust that God is still working, still strengthening, and still using us for His glory.

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

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Clean Inside? (4)

At the risk of sounding redundant, it bears repeating again and again: while we often scrutinize how things appear, the Creator searches our hearts.

All that is seen is made up of that which is unseen. Integrity and faithfulness are always inside jobs. While our actions do, in many ways, reveal our motives and our most prominent desires, they can just as easily belie our intentions.

In a few words—we can and often will do what seems right for the wrong reasons. Greed and selfishness masquerade as drive and ambition. Pride and avarice present themselves as confidence and acumen. Cruelty and harshness are mislabeled as strength and conviction. Self‑deprecation and insecurity disguise themselves as humility and meekness. And, most disturbingly of all, sometimes only God knows the difference.

Some of the most consistent and unfortunate lies are the ones we tell ourselves. Thankfully, we are not left alone—the LORD has given us His help: the Holy Spirit, who sensitizes us, exposes our self‑deceptions, and frees us from them.

The psalmist must have known this when he declared:
“O Lord, You have searched me and known me…” (Psalm 139:1)

Do you see again how the Word and the Spirit collaborate to make us clean on the inside?

While we are often absorbed with and enamored by aesthetics, the God who makes all things beautiful in their time also desires truth in the inward parts.

Get it?

Are you ready to get clean on the inside?

Pray with me:
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
—Psalm 51:10

Good morning. I love you all.

ihs,
just adam

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Clean Inside (3)

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve had to be more careful about what I eat and drink. Certain foods—though I really like them—don’t agree with me the way they used to. In some cases, they make me feel downright sick.

You’d think I would heed wisdom and avoid those things. But more than once, stubbornness has gotten the best of me, and I’ve paid for it. The days that follow usually require lots of water and a determined effort to flush that mess out of my system before I start feeling better.

The funny thing is, I know I’m not alone in this. Most of us have learned—at some point—that certain things aren’t good for us, yet we refuse to let them go. We fall into a familiar cycle: restraint, lapse, then detox… restraint, lapse, detox. And all the while, we keep making ourselves sick because of a lack of discipline.

Repentance is a lot like a spiritual detox. And like any detox, it comes with discomfort—grief, guilt, sorrow, and pain. Repentance and faith do work. They grant us grace—the grace to get up and try again. Thank God for grace! But at some point, we ought to begin learning to do better.

And doing better requires something deeper than behavior modification. It requires an inner transformation—a change in our hearts and minds that begins to reshape our actions, attitudes, and outlook. Get it?

It’s not enough to diet, to abstain, or to set physical limits on ourselves—though those things may work for a season. Lasting transformation comes from an inner change, a yielding of our hearts and minds to the will of God. We need to get clean on the inside.

  • Getting clean on the inside means unseating anything—or anyone—that has taken up residence on the throne of our hearts and undermines our relationship with God and our spiritual well-being.
  • Getting clean on the inside means decluttering our hearts and minds, turning down the noise, and creating space to hear the voice of the Spirit more clearly.
  • Getting clean on the inside means allowing God to cleanse us through the washing of the Word (John 17:17).
  • Getting clean on the inside means receiving a spiritual, mental, and emotional detox from the things that make our souls sick, steal our joy, or disrupt our peace.

Paul put it this way:

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Romans 12:2

Are you ready to get clean on the inside?

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

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Clean Inside? (2)

When I was growing up, my mother had high standards for what clean meant. Housecleaning wasn’t just about appearances. It meant washing walls and baseboards, and scraping gunk out of the windowsills with a butter knife. The smell of Clorox wafting through the air was the scent du jour. By the time I went into the Army, I was well prepared for inspection—because Sarah Nell could give any drill sergeant a run for his money.

From my mother, I learned that looking neat is not the same as being clean. Appearing to have things in order is not the same as being clean. By her standards, it wasn’t enough for something to look clean—it needed to feel clean and smell clean, through and through.

In my mother’s world, there was no shoving things under beds or stuffing them into closets. Nothing was pushed out of sight. She was meticulous about keeping a clean house.

Oh, that we would take such care when considering the contents of our hearts and minds.

Politeness is no replacement for a pure heart. Courtesy is no cover for corrupt intentions. Gentility is a poor substitute for genuine grace and generosity. And no amount of religiosity can reckon with our need for a real and right relationship with God.

Doing what appears to be right is not always the same as doing what is actually right. Doing the right thing must include right intentions and right timing.

Jesus said it like this:

“Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.

Matthew 23:26-28

Lord, grant us clean hands and pure hearts!

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

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Clean Inside?

Have you ever bitten into an apple only to discover it was rotten? Or been served a beautifully prepared meal that looked incredible—but didn’t taste nearly as good?

Our culture is obsessed with optics and appearances. There’s an entire industry devoted to making food look good to eat. Never mind that many of the tricks involved make the food inedible—the goal is appearance, not substance.

How much of what we do is for appearances?
How much energy do we spend managing optics?
How many things do we do simply because of how they make us look?

Let me remind us this morning: looking good is a poor substitute for being good. Presenting well is not the same as living well. Caring for our bodies is virtuous—it’s stewardship—but let’s be sure we’re tending to our souls, our hearts, and our minds as well.

Get it?

“There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.”
Mark 7:15

If nothing outside of us can defile us, then nothing outside of us can make us holy, acceptable, or beautiful in God’s eyes either. That’s an inside job.

LORD, grant us clean hands and pure hearts.

Good morning. I love you all.

ihs,
just adam

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Have You Been with Jesus? (5)

After the Resurrection and Ascension, Jesus promised us the Comforter—
the One who would guide us into all truth and remind us of everything He commanded.

God is with us—ever present.
Yet we will not recognize God’s presence, nor benefit from it, if we do not acknowledge it—
if we have not spent time with Jesus— if we have not read, reflected on, prayed through, and meditated on His words.

Have you been with Jesus?

We often mischaracterize and reduce the work and person of the Holy Spirit as something—
a feeling that overtakes us— rather than Someone— the very presence of God within us, empowering us to love and obey, to walk in compassion and faithfulness.

Have you been with Jesus?

Then you will know His voice, and the voice of a stranger you will not follow!

Jesus says,

“I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,
just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.”

John 10:14-15

Have you been with Jesus?

Good Morning, I love you all.

ihs,

just adam

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Have You Been with Jesus? (4)

The relationships and friendships we maintain influence us. We pick up the habits, attitudes, and patterns of those we spend time with.

This can be a very good thing when we are surrounded by people who love us, inspire us, challenge us, and encourage us.

Unfortunately, we also find ourselves in relationships that exploit us, make excuses for harmful behavior, or expose us to things that do not bring out the best in us.

I know, I know—we all have strengths and weaknesses. No one is perfect. But recognizing this should not cause us to sink into or surrender to negative influences that neither strengthen us nor inspire the best in others.

Jesus loves us deeply. And when we spend time with Him, He somehow challenges and comforts us in equal measure. He sees us as we are, loves us as we are, but He will not leave us as we are!

The influence of His Spirit transforms us. His words lift us as we learn of Him and learn from Him. His presence is grace—grace that elevates us to be and to do our best.

Have you been with Jesus?

Jesus is the truest Friend—faithful in desiring the best for us and requiring the best from us—refusing to abandon us when we are at our worst. He is a present help in times of need! There is no greater love.

“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”
John 15:13

Have you been with Jesus?

May we aim to be to others the kind of friend that Jesus is to us.

Good morning. I love you all.

ihs,
just adam

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Have You Been with Jesus? (3)

When we have been with Jesus, we are confronted not only with a truer image of ourselves, but with a transformed view of others.

The high horses we once rode—looking down on those around us—are swept from beneath us, and we are gently but firmly put in our place. When we have been with Jesus, we are beckoned toward humility, not hardness of heart.

Paul presents a striking example. Proud, self‑assured, and convinced of the nobility of his plans, Paul was fully committed to destroying Christians—until he met Jesus.

Paul’s story stands as a warning to us all. We can be deeply devout, full of conviction, and sincerely wrong. We can be motivated and misguided. Pride can blind us to God’s purposes, poison good intentions, and betray compassion. It can even lead us to persecute the very ones we are called to love and serve.

But when we have been with Jesus, everything changes. Our view of God, our understanding of ourselves, and our treatment of others are transformed.

We may set out in one direction, only to find ourselves in a very different place…

And he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” And the Lord said unto him, “Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.”
Acts 9:6

When we have been with Jesus, we are humbled—in our perspectives toward others, in our understanding of God’s purposes, and in our own plans and pursuits.

And we cannot help but utter, with awe, reverence, and holy fear:

“Lord, what will You have me to do?”

Have you been with Jesus?

Good morning. I love you all.

ihs,
just adam

Posted on by Pastor Poet

Have You Been With Jesus? (2)

There are moments when circumstances squeeze us into tight places—spaces where our integrity is tested. I wish I could say I always pass with shining colors, but that wouldn’t be true.

Still, it’s good to remember that our character is not defined by a single moment. It is graciously carved over time—through trials, through trips, and yes, through triumphs.

When we’ve been with Jesus, there is grief when we fall short, gladness when we rise to meet the challenge faithfully, and grace no matter what.

Peter, perhaps, understood this better than most. But if we’re honest, all of us have moments that are far from stellar.

Thank God the grace we encounter when we have been with Jesus is persistent—somehow always right there when we need it most. Grace comes after us. Yes, there is conviction. Yes, there is correction. But there is always comfort, too.

During the trial of Jesus, Peter tried to conceal his identity. Yet even in denial, Christ’s presence could not be hidden…

“But a certain maid beheld him as he sat by the fire, and earnestly looked upon him, and said, This man was also with Him. And he denied Him, saying, Woman, I know Him not.”
Luke 22:56–57

When we’ve been with Jesus, there is something about us—something that refuses to stay hidden.

Have you been with Jesus?

Stop trying to hide it. Those who have been with Him cannot prevent His grace from breaking through—even through the cracks created by our own failures. Even our weaknesses bear witness to the sufficiency of His grace.

Stop hiding. Accept your sacred identity. Get up from where you’ve stumbled, and get going.

Have you been with Jesus?

I don’t care where you’ve been or what you’ve done. Get up. Get going. Grace is coming after you.

Good morning. I love you all.

ihs,
just adam