There’s a story about a farmer who planted wheat only to discover that an enemy came and secretly sowed weeds among the good seeds.  The farmer’s servant immediately wanted to uproot the weeds but was warned against it.  He was told to leave them be until harvest time when the reapers could separate the wheat from the weeds.

The farmer understood that weeds, though annoying, wouldn’t keep the wheat from reaching maturity and that trying to uproot them too early could be potentially dangerous to the good seed that was growing. So, he left them alone until the harvest.

Though confusing and probably a bit frustrating, the weeds were left to grow alongside the wheat. Only at the harvest, would the reapers do the separating. But in the meantime, the wheat grew among the weeds…

We must learn to grow among the weeds.  

We may never find ourselves in ideal circumstances.  There’s no such thing as a pristine environment.  There’s no escaping the presence of sin in a fallen world.  While we covet and crave a perfect situation, it’s unrealistic.  

Grow anyway.  Flourish anyway.  Mature anyway. Create anyway.  Be fruitful anyway – even among the weeds!

Jesus said that while we are in the world, we must not be of it!  We must learn to grow – even among the weeds! And God, in due season will bring about a harvest and do the separating!

I do not know all the particulars of your circumstances, but I want to encourage you to grow anyway! I know you see the weeds sprouting up and spreading around you, but don’t be discouraged or distracted!  

God planted you, and it is His will that you become who you were created to be, and nothing can prevent that!  

So, focus on your own growth, and trust God to deal with these weeds!  Don’t allow your energy or attention to be diverted from God’s plans and purposes for your life!  Trust God!

Grow anyway – even among the weeds!

²⁹ But he replied, ‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. ³⁰ Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’ ”  

(Matthew 13:29-30, NRSV)

Grow anyway!

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

My mother used to say that lying was one of the worst things. She said that lying was the only thing you couldn’t defend yourself against. The surest way to incur her wrath was to lie. She may cut you some slack if you were honest, but lying was not tolerated!

She taught us that while we may guard against thieves and robbers, there’s no escaping a liar. Lies can only be endured and outlasted. There’s no point in chasing down a lie or rumor, you just have to let it run out!

I never knew my mother was such a sage. Her words return to me frequently. In these strange times, when it seems like nothing can be trusted, and so many have fallen prey to deception and lies, her words have never been truer.

The devil is still a liar. Only now, without subtlety, the enemy traipses about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. No longer skulking about in the shadows, but he is a bold-faced, loud, and blatant liar.

While many realize the lies, most make excuses for them or simply lack the will to resist. The worst among us, however, repeat these lies, and with some twisted notion believe that if they are repeated enough they will become true.

“The truth stands, and lies run out,”
my mother said.

These are the times we are living in. Too many have accepted or become apathetic about this distorted and destructive reality. We live in a time where telling the truth is so rare that it has become radical. It’s exhausting…

I can hear my mother’s words, “The truth stands, and lies run out…”

I wonder if there are any among us who have the courage or will to stand.

8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 9 Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers* all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.
(1 Peter 5:8-9, NLT)

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,
just adam

Yes, we are in the middle of an information overload. We are inundated with lies, misinformation, and bad news. The adversary’s intention is to intimidate us, to exhaust us, and to make us anxious.  The goal is to make us afraid and to wear us out with worry – to paralyze us with fear and frustration – to hamstring us with hopelessness.

The enemy is on the job daily, sowing discord and lies. But please understand this, even if a devil presents some fact, his wicked intentions are to undermine the truth! Do you hear that?

You see, when truth-telling is the supposed motivation, then love, liberation, light, and redemption become possibilities. But when the truth is weaponized by wicked intentions, then the outcomes are guilt, darkness, oppression, hatred, and separation. Thus, any such expression of ‘truth,’ becomes a lie!  

How do we know the difference?  It’s simple.  Ask, ‘Why?’  

We must learn to interrogate not only the source, but the substance of, as well as who is being served by these sayings.  Know that the devil is always a liar –  even when quoting the truth!  

Guard your heart today. Train your eyes and ears to recognize lies.  Discipline your mind to ask questions that expose deceit.  And whatever the circumstances, brothers and sisters, don’t despair – love and truth will prevail!  

The devil is subtle, but not creative.  The same old tricks we witness in the creation stories, are the same old tricks and traps from the beginning – the devil is always a liar!

Pay attention!

Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made… 

Genesis 3:1a

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

Four years ago, I walked away from a job I had been on for twenty-three years.   I was part of an organization that was growing and as it grew I prospered.  I had the best team and worked with some of the best people I have ever known. I am grateful for my time there.

But, after about twenty years the work environment changed.  The people who built the company began to retire or leave. The leadership and ownership of the company changed and things got really bad. I was put in an ethical dilemma. And when I protested, I went from being respected and valued to being isolated and ignored. In an attempt to do what was right for the organization while preserving my integrity and protecting my team, I paid a heavy price.  And, I probably stayed too long.  

Needless to say, things got increasingly hostile.  And while the quality of my work could never be challenged, I was routinely disrespected.  At about that time, I started hearing from recruiters and headhunters about jobs that I hadn’t even applied for.

One day after a particularly rough week, my wife looked at me and said, ‘If they offer you a job, you need to take it…’ This was not Job’s wife speaking – I could hear the voice of the Spirit.

The job offers came, and unsurprisingly, I ended up better off. While I lamented leaving my team and felt like I was somehow letting them down, my fears and anxieties were unfounded and I ended up in a good place.  That was four years ago, today!

God is faithful. God is a provider.  God is more than a resource. God is the source of my supply. 

Things around us are going to change. How we do things will change.  Who comes and who goes with us will change. Which way we go may change… But, God is faithful!  God takes care of God’s own.  

I was not expecting to change jobs after so many years. I planned to retire from that place.  I had been a part of building something.  I had a great team.  But, it was time to go! 

When things get tight around us and uncomfortable, and maybe even downright hostile; this is growing season.  When things become unhealthy and your integrity is being challenged; this is a going season! 

When you are encountering all these things all at once – this is a knowing season! 

Take heed… Pray and ask God about where you are, where you should go, and when.  And then, when you can hear God clearly – take the step! 

God will take care of us!

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

There are legitimate occasions when confusion about how to move forward should cause us to slow down.

When we are in a new place and don’t quite know our way around, speeding is ill-advised.

When we’re cooking a new recipe, rushing and improvising may not be such a good idea.

When we’re entering a new relationship, being cautious may be wise. There’s some veracity to the saying, ‘fools rush in.’

But when we’ve examined our hearts , after we’ve asked for help, and heard from the LORD, we must accept guidance, and then ACT on what we know to be right.

While we may not be able to see or control all of the outcomes, we can not allow the ‘paralysis of analysis,’ cause us to rationalize our disobedience.

Being patient with others, gracious, generous, loving, and polite are always appropriate. Even in challenging and holding one another accountable – as Christians we do so with a grace that affirms dignity. When we have to approach sensitive matters, and even while our emotions run hot and our anger may be justifiable – we do not sin!

Even when our critique is valid and our protest is well-founded and the truth is uncomfortable – we must strive to do what is right. When we don’t, in a moment we slide from being a victim into becoming an offender.

Many would call it weakness to lead with love and grace when one is confronted with hatefulness and cruelty – but this is the cross we willingly bear as followers of Jesus.

In the words of MLK, ‘the time is always right to do what is right…’

James writes,

Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

James 4:17

In the words of the Mayor in Spike Lee’s, Do the Right Thing, ‘Mookie… always do the right thing!’

For you and me, that means we lead with grace, we lead with generosity, we lead with compassion and mercy; we lead with love!

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

The saying, ‘life is full of surprises’ is a truly enigmatic adage that’s been passed down through the years.

On the one hand, nature is unpredictable and mysterious.  But with another set of eyes things are very orderly and predictable.

On one hand human beings are mysterious but on the other hand we are rather ordinary and unremarkable.  

The science and the mechanics that make life possible are awe-inspiring and miraculous.  But human behavior is often obvious and disappointingly ordinary.

There is, in my opinion, one major exception that is truly marvelous.

The human tendency toward greed and selfishness is boring and mundane – the cause of wars, violence, struggles, and unnecessary suffering. We have enough of that, huh?   While the capacity to love and be loved despite such tendencies is as amazing as life itself.

Our humanity is an equalizer.  We are all basically the same – driven (though in differing degrees) by hunger, thirst, and desire.  But, the ability to subvert our primal urges in the name of love bears the markings of a divine impetus.

Love makes us exceptional.  To choose love – to give and to receive love – this makes us extraordinary.

Love, in a world full of hatred and brutality, violence and vitriol, fills our lives with surprise – the capacity for joy amid sorrow, comfort through grief, grace under fire, and resilience in the midst of uncertainty.  

Life is indeed ‘full of surprises,’ when we are led by and lead with love.

So today, I hope we will choose love.  Today, I hope we will abandon the mundane human tendencies that create destructive suffering and yield to the creative power of love.

Yes, love is a risky endeavor, but it is worth it!  It is the noblest and most exciting adventure to which we might give ourselves. 

Indeed, life is ‘full of surprises,’ especially when we are led, and lead with love!

⁷ Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸ Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 

1 John 4:7-8

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

I don’t know what your morning routine consists of, but as a writer the first thing I do is look for something with which to write…

Let me pause there.  

Long before I stood in a pulpit, I was a writer.  It was therapy for me in a sometimes chaotic, unstable home.  My journaling evolved into poetry, and then, when I became a Christian, many of these thoughts and poems became prayers. And now, these thoughts, poems, and prayers have become the meditations and devotions that I share with you all, and sometimes they even become sermons!  Who knew?

I was concerned when I first started whether these little writings would be well-received or do any good for anyone besides myself.  But time and again, I receive little notes and responses—signposts that affirm my efforts and let me know that I am doing exactly what I am supposed to be doing.

And this ‘doing’ is an extension of my being.  I am a writer.  I love Jesus.  I love you all.  I am who God created me to be, and I try to use what God has given me for His glory and for the good of others.  And guess what? That’s all God requires.

Whoever God has created you to be –  BE that!  Whatever gifts God has given YOU – use them for God’s glory! BE and then DO what you were created for and God will be pleased, you will be blessed, and you will be a blessing!

Don’t know what that is?  Ask God.  But, don’t be surprised if it is something you have already been given to! Now do it for God’s glory!  You may well discover that someone has been waiting on you to BE who you were created to be!

¹⁰ As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: ¹¹ whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 

1 Peter 4:10-11 

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

It’s difficult to imagine that the difficult days we face are no surprise to God.  

The meanness and cruelty that seems to have seized the day, while disappointing and disturbing, are not rare when we pay attention to the redundancy of human history.

The way power and influence continues to corrupt the hearts of humanity… the way selfishness and brutality are lauded as strength…  the way wickedness in high places seems to go unchecked… While difficult and unsettling, these things should come as no surprise.  Even a faithless student of history can perceive the patterns.

But we are not faithless.  We are counted among the faithful, and we can take heart in seasons of despair and grief.  We can find confidence and relief in the Good News that is able to keep us in the love of God as we anticipate the abundant mercy of Jesus our LORD!

Our ancestors, spiritual and otherwise, endured and encouraged themselves. Even as they witnessed the darkness that pervaded the land, they were emboldened by the promise of God’s grace!

Bruised and battered, tried and troubled, assaulted and afflicted- they built themselves up, they prayed, and remained faithfully grounded – kept in the love of God – sustained by the living hope which is Jesus our LORD!

It’s difficult to imagine that these difficult days are no surprise to God… 

But,

¹⁸ They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” ¹⁹ It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. ²⁰ But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, ²¹ keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.

Jude 18-21

Be encouraged, family, and encourage one another with these words!

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

We are almost halfway through another year, and time has been flying, but not because we’ve been having fun.  

Things have been tough, huh? There is so much suffering and turmoil, so much bad news, it can get overwhelming.  Socially, politically, economically – things are bad.  And on top of all these things,  we all have our personal struggles and trials.  It’s not surprising that we find ourselves weary and restless. It’s not surprising that we are tired and frustrated.  

But what I do find surprising is how joy persists amid our sorrow, how hope prevails despite pervasive darkness, and how compassion continues to cut across the cruelty that seems to be winning the day!

You may be wondering where I am encountering such compassion, hope and joy.  I will tell you where…

When we gather for worship, fellowship, prayers, service, or study – I witness the love of God, the compassion of Jesus, and the glad presence of the Spirit. When we gather, just to spend time, I hear the kindness and sincerity of the gracious words you offer to one another, and sometimes even to me – I see your generosity.

You are a deeply encouraging reminder that light will not succumb to darkness, that love is durable and resilient, and although we do have our struggles – life is sweet!  You are a reminder that we are not alone.  

When I see you,  I see living breathing proof of God’s goodness, faithfulness, and love! 

Thank God for you!

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” 

John 16:33

Good morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam