Author: Jon Harris

It wasn’t that long ago that in many homes we didn’t even need to lock the door at night. Now there are increasing numbers of gated communities, people have multiple layers of door and window locks, there are audio/video monitoring systems as well as alarms to alert us of an intruder. In parallel with the physical world, there are also increasing attacks in the digital world, also known as “cyber attacks”.

According to IBM, “Cyber attacks are unwelcome attempts to steal, expose, alter, disable or destroy information through unauthorized access to computer systems.”

Our world is full of these cyber attacks. Around the globe there are hackers and like the mafia or “organized crime”, there are organized groups of hackers. These attacks are motivated by an evil desire for money and power. Everyone is at risk including hospitals, governments/militaries, businesses large and small, individuals, and even churches.

We must remain vigilant with our computers, homes, and businesses as these crimes will only intensify. What’s more important is that we are guarding our hearts and spirits as they too are constantly under attack. And for this we have the strongest gate and defense, Jesus Christ.

Jesus knows of the attempts to steal and disrupt:

“I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber! (John 10:1)

He promises that he is the gate, we are secure in him:

so he explained it to them: “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. (John 10:7)

He promises that as we put our trust in him, we will be saved:

Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. (John 10:9)

He also reminds us he always has our best interest in mind:

The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. (John 10:10)

And we can be like Jesus as we lead and love others, bringing his light into the world. Jesus is the ultimate servant leader, putting others first with the greatest example in going so far to lay down his life for us. He was not forced, he chose to die so that we may live. He will never abandon us, let us not abandon him.

¹¹ “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. ¹² A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock.  (John 10:11-12)

Today’s reading: John 10-11

What do you like to do to rest and recharge? What were your most special moments of the summer? What do you like to do when you want a break from the cares of life?

We’ve been on a family vacation for the last week. Our vacation mode is typically focused on trying to do as little as possible; being intentional about leaving the phones locked and turned off in a safe (although we need to do this more). While we love to travel, we aren’t much for tours and cramming in a lot of activities. We’re all about beaches, playing in the waves, games on the beach, reading “paper” books, eating fun food, late nights, sleeping in, enjoying drinks at beach bars, etc.

Regarding drinks: If you know me well you know that I enjoy wine, IPAs, margaritas, Negronis, old fashioneds, etc. Hopefully it isn’t offensive on a Christian web site, I’ll say it because it is true, I like alcohol.

Today’s reading (Luke 20-21)

“But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. (Luke 21:34)

Wanting to avoid that verse as a theme today made me realize even more that it should be raised as a topic as I stand convicted. While Jesus is calling out specific sins that many of us have been guilty of (such as dissipation or “overindulgence” and drunkenness), my takeaway is that we have choices and reaching the “sin” point usually starts with not doing the thing we should do.

Jesus is first saying to “watch ourselves” before saying not to get drunk or overindulge. He’s helping us avoid sin in the first place. Watching ourselves starts with sincere, frequent prayer as we seek to draw nearer to Him. I pray that this site blesses our readers to help all of us watch ourselves on a daily basis through the reading of scripture and vulnerability from our authors.

Also in Luke 21:34 is the phrase “cares of this life” (and there are many). While writing this journal today my heart is heavy for so many on our prayer list. There are people suffering from various illnesses (physical, emotional, mental), brokenness due to divorce and/or other relationships, and concerns about the future. I want to remind you that there is a God who knows you by name, who seeks a relationship with you, who showed perfect love by paying the ultimate price for you.

Thank you Jesus for being trustworthy. For loving us first, for your words, for your example and instructions as you teach us what is best for our lives. Forgive me for my sins as they are many. Will you draw nearer to me today? Will you speak to me? Will you do miraculous works in the lives of our readers? For your glory alone God. I put my trust in you today. Amen.

All I needed to do was deliver the pre-labeled box to a UPS driver or a drop-off location. The problem was that I was in a hurry and in an unfamiliar location (a hotel in northern Indiana). Then suddenly while walking outside the hotel, I was looking at my phone to find a UPS drop off point, and in that very moment a UPS driver pulled into the hotel parking lot directly in front of me, and kindly took the box. I had to laugh out loud (and am laughing as I type). The driver probably thought I was crazy, especially as I said to him, “you are a gift from God”.

While it would be cool to have some super-power to “will” things to happen in my favor (and for a brief moment I fantasized that I somehow had a part in the driver’s location), I am realizing more every day that I really have power over nothing apart from my own attitude. No power over illness, family, relationships, the weather or my future. Sure, we can make great choices to position ourselves but there are endless variables that we have absolutely no control over.

In today’s reading (Luke 8), what stood out was the stark contrast to our power as opposed to the unlimited, supernatural power of Jesus. Listed below are some of the examples and their corresponding verses. He has all authority and power over:

• evil spirits (2, 29, 32-33, 35)
• disease (2, 44)
• knowledge/wisdom; speaking on behalf of God (10, 18)
• nature (wind and the waves); (24)
• demons (as they acknowledged him as the Son of the Most High God) (28)
• death (53-55)

Jesus himself acknowledged his own power leaving him to help someone!

But Jesus said, “Someone deliberately touched me, for I felt healing power go out from me.” (Luke 8:46)

Today may we let go and give everything over to the one who holds our past, present, and future in his precious and most powerful hands!

We can see differences in our world from finite to infinte (David LaFrance also referred to this on 7/27). To summarize or recap the context from my own perspective, we often think of finite: Winner vs. loser, good or bad, binary (ones and zeros), one or the other.

We put God in the finite box when we doubt his will, his word, his plans, his promises when something “seems” to not go our way. Mankind and even Satan thought of a finite God with the mindset that the death of Jesus was the end of God’s plan (alive vs. dead). But God showed himself to be infinite through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

In today’s reading of Mark 12 the chief priests, scribes, elders, and Pharisees question Jesus in an attempt to trap him or prove him wrong in a finite context. Jesus in his infinite wisdom blew them all away each time, leaving the crowd speechless. Here are their various responses (which I’ve bolded for reference):

And they were seeking to arrest him but feared the people, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them. So they left him and went away. (Mark 12:12)

Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they marveled at him. (Mark 12:17)

And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions. (Mark 12:34)

And the great throng heard him gladly. (Mark 12:37b)

• Reflect on the responses of those who heard Jesus real-time. What is our response? In what situations do we walk away and when do we hear him gladly?
• In what ways do we also mistakenly attempt to make God “finite”? Hint: Our sins speak loudest.
• Spend some time meditating on the infinite and eternal attributes of God. Praise him for what he has done, is doing, and will do in your life. A lowercase finite “god” doesn’t care about you but our infinite loving God loves you and seeks a personal relationship with you! Let him in your heart today.

What’s your “impossible”? Give it over to the God of the possible!

But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26)

We are nearly three weeks into our USA tour as we visit family and friends. In anticipation of the trip my prayers were focused on “rest”. Recent prayers have transformed to the theme of “feeling refreshed”. Our friends and family have welcomed us with such open arms it is humbling. There have been small intimate gatherings and some parties lasting late into the evening.

While visiting the home of one of our amazing friends, we paused as we saw a rock in their garden inscribed with Proverbs 27:9 (as per the photo). This verse made me feel in that moment that God was speaking to me directly as we felt so blessed by these friends, for their love and kindness. That verse has since been the theme of my trip to the USA; feeling refreshed by sweet friendship, family, old friends, and brothers and sisters in Christ.

It is summer in the northern hemisphere where there is a generally optimistic view of the status of the pandemic. Covid 19 vaccines are becoming more readily available and worldwide there have been over 3 billion doses administered. As a result, people are starting to take vacations and there is some excitement in the air.

Not sure about you but I’m exhausted and ready for some rest. Work stress, pandemic stress, not having seen friends and family for two years stress, etc. The closing verses of today’s chapter (Matthew 11) were very timely.

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  (Matthew 11:28-29)

First thought was yes, I am going to enjoy some rest and vacation time. Then praying over the same verses the thought came that “this isn’t about me” and its not the “rest” that I initially had in mind. Then some guilt with the realization that selfish worry was ruling my emotions. Worrying about things beyond my control. Nudging God out. I had “unrest” because I wasn’t putting all of my hope and trust in Jesus.

And so I repented and asked for God’s guidance, for wisdom. For my heart and soul to have the kind of rest that HE has in mind. I prayed for the new opportunities with friends and family to be fruitful, to be more focused on others and not myself. To share the reasons for my hope. If you pray a similar prayer you will not be disappointed.

Soul Taxi

One answer to prayer surprisingly arrived in a taxi. A couple days ago my boys and I were en route across town when a Christian song came on the radio (and it is a song we know and love). The driver started singing and the boys and I looked at each other with smiles and surprise. And for the first time in our lives, Peyton and I started singing out loud in a taxi, not caring whatsoever how bad we sounded. It was pure joy (and yes, I got a little misty). That was the kind of rest and rejuvenation God had in mind for my soul!

Father God, thank you for your word, for your timing, for revealing yourself in miraculous ways, for the rest that can only come from you. Thank you for listening and responding to our prayers. I repent of worry which is a symptom of a lack of trust in you. May our hearts seek rest in you who are eternal instead of the temporary things of this world. Amen.

This week we learned of the passing of our friend and honorary family member, Isabel Burns. Our long-time readers may know her as “Scottish Granny“.

The draft of this post led with a phrase about “mourning the loss” but after writing those words I realized they weren’t really true. We are not mourning, we are celebrating the joy we experienced in knowing her. Isabel had been bedridden for the last few years with limited capacity to communicate. It was her time to go home to her maker; to be relieved of the pain and suffering she had endured for a very long time.

Let us all turn our mourning to praising God today for all that he has done. For the friends and family members he has given us; those we have lost and those with us. God’s timing is perfect, he makes no mistakes, everything he does is out of love for us so that we can do good things according to his plans.

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:10)

Today’s reading is Psalm 145, a song of praise, written by King David. Perfectly fitting for us to take a moment to praise our creator. What really hit me were the many attributes to describe God. The one TRUE God is:

• God and King (v1)
• Eternal (v2)
• Worthy, great (v3)
• Mighty, powerful (v4)
• Splendorous, miracle provider (v5)
• Doer (of deeds); not idle (v6)
• Good, righteous (v7)
• Merciful, compassionate, slow to anger, his love unfailing (v8)
• Good (to everyone), compassionate/merciful (v9)
• Thanked and praised (v10)
• His kingdom is glorious; he is powerful (v11)
• His deeds are mighty; he reigns (v12)
• He rules forever, keeps promises, gracious (v13)
• Helper, uplifting (v14)
• Giver, sustainer, provider (v15-16)
• Righteous, kind (v17)
• Near, available (v18)
• Giver, listens, responds, rescuer (v19)
• Protector, destroyer (of the wicked) (v20)

Just think, even on our very best day, in our very best moment, we may display only a few of those attributes. God was, is, and always will be every one of those and more. He is worthy of all praise, and as David closes out the song, may our response be the same.

I will praise the Lord,
and may everyone on earth bless his holy name
forever and ever. (Psalm 145:21)

Over ten years ago when my parents took our boys to the zoo, they did what all grandparents love to do. They say yes to things that the parents might say no to. That thing was to allow our little Peyton (~age 5 at the time) to drink Mountain Dew (which he immediately fell in love with, and still today begs for this drink whenever there’s a chance).

While Amy and I might have delayed this “yes”, we weren’t upset, and secretly I was a little proud as Mountain Dew also holds a special place in my heart. That strange green color, the unique citrus taste, memories of 50 cent Big Gulps at 7-11 in Mount Pleasant, Michigan (fire up Chips!) and Dew with my Taco Bell feasts.

Dew from Mount Hermon

Today’s reading is Psalm 133 which consists of only three verses so I sent the verses to my boys and asked them for their thoughts. They read it and had no thoughts (as can be expected from most teenage boys). Some days later while driving to school I asked the boys to read the verses out loud, so they started:

How wonderful and pleasant it is
  when brothers live together in harmony! (Psalm 133:1)

Laughter erupted as though we had all heard it for the first time and reflected on some of the arguing that occurred only moments prior! God’s word, out loud, supernatural. We had some conversation about what happens when we treat each other according to God’s ways and also what happens when we don’t live in harmony, going against God’s will. What a blessing. Why don’t we do this more often?

Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon
    that falls on the mountains of Zion.
And there the Lord has pronounced his blessing,
    even life everlasting. (Psalm 133:3)

As we wrapped up with verse three, I said this verse reminds me of being so thirsty and finally getting a cold drink of water. Peyton of course then said “dad, its Mountain Dew!” (dew from Mount Hermon). Yes son, I guess you’re right!

Arriving home about 15 minutes later I told Amy about the conversation and while we laughed we also talked about the God-ordained moments that point us to further belief.

Then about ten minutes later she went through her Timehop photos (where it shows your photo memories over the years) and this picture came up. Five years ago to this very day. Haven’t seen this photo in a year. Didn’t plan to talk about Mountain Dew in the car. Didn’t plan to read the Bible in the car. Didn’t know what I was going to write about for this post. Didn’t choose today’s scripture.

The takeaway is a deepened faith in our God who loved us first, who seeks a relationship with us, who went to the most extreme length to save us if we choose to follow him through faith in Jesus Christ. Just as God knew over ten years ago at the zoo that this photo would come up, and the scriptures aligned, I’d be writing this to you today – He knows your future, he has a plan, and it is good.

He’s in every story of all of our lives and as we open our eyes and hearts seek him, we find him. Thank you God.

You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13)

Where are you going today? Chances are, unless you’re injured/ill (in this case may the God bless you and keep you) you’ll be going somewhere with plans to return. May God bless you and keep you in your journeys.

Have you heard the song “The Blessing” by Kari Jobe? She sings “He is with you in the morning and the evening and your coming and your going”. Our family listens to and sings this song over and over (don’t ask for a recording, we’re not so vocally gifted). I still can’t get over the little tears that well up when I hang onto every lyric (especially the live version or when we sing during worship at church). The song really impacts me because I sense the Holy Spirit and have come to believe every word as truth; the song itself is a blessing!

I brought up the song because of the following verse in today’s reading of Psalm 121:

The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore. (Psalm 121:8)

Instead of “keep”, other translations use the word “guard” (MSG) or “keeps watch” (NLT). Do you sense his presence in your coming and going out? Do you sense his presence keeping watch over you right now? I pray as I write, for God to bless you dear reader. Pause and reflect that even this moment was planned as you read this post; I pray also that you are seeking His face, His will, His forgiveness, and you are actively receiving his love.

Think about it, the God of the universe, the creator of Heaven and Earth, is with us wherever we go. It is so hard to grasp that he could be with billions of people all at the same time, no matter where we are. As you walk out the door, interact with others, wait for the traffic signal to change, wait for the medical appointment, stand in grocery store checkout line, the walk through the park, bringing the kids to school, travel to other cities and everything else we are able to do – God is with you.

In your going out and coming in today, pause again and say a little prayer of gratitude; acknowledge Him for his presence and praise him for his never-ending love for you! This same God with you is the one who sent his only son Jesus to live in human flesh, to die on a cross, and to live again – all to reach us, to save us from our sins.

“the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:25-26 ESV)

Ahhh-men… Ahhh-men, ahhh-men….

This week I had the opportunity to travel to the United States for the first time in 1.5 years. It is hard to believe it has been so long since being in my home country, the land that I love.

The trip has been marked by several contrasts:

• Truly enjoying the wide American roads that could fit two of my tiny Italian cars side by side in a single lane.
• The USA is not at all like what the media makes it appear to be.
• In Italy everyone is wearing masks outside the home, in the USA, different.
• I’m reminded of the USA “down home” culture where people strike up conversations in an elevator, extremely friendly convenience store clerks call me “sugar” and genuinely ask “how’s your day going so far?”.
• Dining in restaurants open for breakfast, lunch and dinner (until late) in the US; something we’ve not experienced in Italy for I can’t remember how long.
• People share and talk about their faith in the US. In Italy they view this as very private, even the believers we’ve met struggle.

From a Christian faith perspective we face the contrasts when we wrestle with inner desires and the things that are acceptable in today’s culture vs. how Jesus tells us how to live. The culture promotes hating our enemies and getting revenge. As Christ followers, we are called to live according to God’s will, no matter what the culture says or does.

In Psalm 109 (specifically verses 6-15) David asks God for some serious smack-down on his enemies with great specifics! Such as for someone evil to oppose his enemy, for the enemy to be found guilty and die, for the enemy’s children to be homeless beggars and adverse impacts to happen upon generations. Check it out, David is not messing around!

Keep in mind that David leaves it to God to take action. David was a mighty warrior and King, but he sought to follow God and submit to His will. David certainly could have crushed his enemies and may even have been justified to do so (just like us). In the end, David asks these things for God’s glory. It is like the submission and right living when we abide by the words of Jesus:

⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,  (Matthew 5:43-44)

Jesus tells us to love our enemies and pray for them so that we may become the people God made us to be. As we love our enemies we point to a loving God who first loved us even though we as sinners were enemies to God, yet saved through the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ.

If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that.  (Matthew 5:47)

Who are your enemies (people who have wronged you) and are you showing them the mercy and love God shows you time and time again? I repent as I’m guilty, yet thankful for a God of second chances and a new day to forgive and be forgiven.