THE HIDDEN STRENGTH OF FASTING

Fasting, when spoken of in Scripture, is not a punishment; it is a pathway—quiet, ancient, and holy—where the soul leans into God with a hunger deeper than the body’s own. From the prophets who trembled before the glory of the Lord to the early church that prayed and fasted before sending out missionaries (Acts 13:2–3), the people of God have always known that there are seasons when the stomach must grow silent so the spirit may speak. I believe, deeply and unapologetically, that fasting is good; not as a badge of honor, not as a legalistic demand, but as a gift that turns our hearts heavenward.

Yet wisdom compels us to speak with tenderness. Some cannot fast from food because of health needs—diabetes, medical treatments, pregnancy, or medications that require nourishment. The Lord who formed our bodies (Psalm 139:14) never calls us to harm the very temple He inhabits. There is no shame in this, no lesser devotion.

The purpose of fasting is not starvation; the purpose is surrender—and surrender can take many forms. Someone may set aside television. Another may fast from the endless scroll of the cell phone, that subtle thief of silence. Still another may lay aside books, hobbies, or anything that has grown too large in their affections. The point is not the object we set down, but the God we take up.

There are many kinds of fasts. Some abstain from all food for a brief season; others from certain foods like Daniel did in Babylon (Daniel 10:2–3).

Some choose a partial fast—skipping a meal to spend the hour in prayer; others choose a soul-fast—laying aside distractions that numb the spirit. Each is valid when done with a heart that seeks the Lord (Matthew 6:16–18).

In a world that feasts constantly on noise, novelty, and screens, a fast can be the holy refusal that opens the heavens.

And the spiritual benefits—oh, how rich they are.

Fasting sharpens our dependence on God; it reminds the heart that “man shall not live by bread alone” (Matthew 4:4). It softens pride, breaks stubbornness, and teaches us that the kingdom is found in weakness more than strength (2 Corinthians 12:9). It heightens our prayers, tunes our ears to the whisper of the Spirit, and loosens the weights that cling so tightly.

Many discover renewed clarity, deeper repentance, greater compassion, and a tender, almost trembling awareness of God’s nearness. Fasting can be a classroom where the flesh grows quiet—and Christ becomes everything.

But one truth must be spoken plainly. Many who champion “patternism”—the idea that we must replicate every possible detail of New Testament practice—seldom fast themselves. The early Christians fasted; Jesus assumed His disciples would fast; and fasting was woven into the worship, decision-making, and spiritual life of the first-century church (Acts 14:23).

To speak loudly of following a New Testament pattern while refusing the disciplines that shaped the New Testament people is a curious contradiction.

Fasting is not a mark of advanced spirituality; it is the humble melody of ordinary disciples who want more of Christ and less of themselves.

So, let the strong fast with wisdom; let the weak fast in other ways; let none feel coerced; let all feel invited. For whenever we set something aside for the sake of Christ, the heart discovers again that He is enough—He has always been enough.

Lord Jesus, gentle Shepherd of our souls, teach us to fast—not as a burden but as a blessing; not to impress You, but to draw near to You. Give us wisdom for our bodies, courage for our spirits, and joy in the journey. Empty us of lesser things, that we may be filled again with Your peace, Your presence, and Your perfect will. Amen.

BDD

A Christmas Sermon WHEN THE FULLNESS OF TIME HAD COME (Galatians 4:4)

When Paul wrote, “When the fullness of time had come” (Galatians 4:4), he was not speaking of a date on a calendar but of a divine symphony reaching its crescendo.

Christmas is not merely the story of a Baby wrapped in swaddling cloths—it is the moment when eternity stepped into time, when the Ancient of Days took His first breath, when God’s plan, God’s promise, and God’s providence converged in a Bethlehem night.

History had been holding its breath for centuries; prophets had whispered, kings had wondered, angels had watched; and then, like dawn breaking after the longest night, Christ came—right on schedule, right on mission, right into the aching need of the world.

Christmas is heaven’s declaration that God is never rushed, never delayed, and never caught off guard. He arrives in fullness. He arrives with purpose. He arrives for us.

I. THE PLAN OF CHRIST’S COMING — GOD PREPARED THE MOMENT

Paul tells us, “When the fullness of time had come” (Galatians 4:4), meaning that heaven was not guessing, reacting, or improvising—

Christmas was the unfolding of a plan older than stars.

All of history was a stage God Himself arranged: the cradle was prepared by prophecy (Isaiah 7:14), by promise (Genesis 3:15), and by providence (Micah 5:2).

Nothing was early and nothing was late. God is never before His time and never behind it.

The Roman roads were ready, the Greek language was universal, the Jewish Scriptures were widespread, and the human heart was starving.

Christ came not in chaos but in completeness—God’s perfect plan arriving in God’s perfect moment (Ephesians 1:10).

Christmas is heaven’s reminder that God never misses an appointment.

II. THE PERSON OF CHRIST’S COMING — GOD PROVIDED THE MESSIAH

“When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son” (Galatians 4:4). The Baby in Bethlehem was not merely the beginning of a life—He was the eternal Son stepping into time (John 1:14). He came “born of a woman” (Galatians 4:4), showing His full humanity; yet He was “sent forth,” showing His full deity.

Jesus is not part God and part man—He is all God and all man.

The incarnation is God bending low enough for man to touch Him and mighty enough that man may worship Him (Philippians 2:6–8).

Christ’s humility is like a king who stepped off his throne, laid aside his royal robes, and wrapped himself in beggar’s clothing—but without ceasing to be the king.

Christmas proclaims that God did not send an angel, a prophet, or a system—He sent Himself.

III. THE PURPOSE OF CHRIST’S COMING — GOD PURCHASED OUR MERCY

Christ came “to redeem those who were under the law” and to give us “the adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:5). He did not simply brighten the manger—He broke the chains.

The One who cried in Mary’s arms would one day cry, “It is finished,” upon the cross (John 19:30). Christmas points to Calvary; the cradle casts a shadow shaped like a cross.

He came to redeem, to rescue, to restore, and to bring us home. Christ left the halls of heaven to enter the hut of humanity in order to usher us into the house of God.

This is the purpose of Christmas: that the slaves might become sons, the fearful might become family, and the lost might become beloved (Romans 8:15–17).

Lord Jesus, thank You that in the fullness of time You came—not late, not early, but right on time. Fill our hearts with wonder at Your plan, worship at Your person, and gratitude for Your purpose. Let this Christmas draw us nearer to Your manger and nearer to Your cross, until our whole lives glow with Your redeeming love. Amen.

BDD

WHERE IS YOUR AUTHORITY TO NOD YOUR HEAD?

Some believers speak as though every motion, every response, every expression inside a worship gathering must have a specific command behind it—as though God handed down a checklist of approved behaviors.

But the Bible never teaches that worship operates like that. The Bible does not present worship as a fragile system regulated like Old Testament ritual; it presents worship as the overflow of a redeemed heart, rooted in spirit and truth, shaped by love, and centered entirely on Christ (John 4:23-24).

Once you see that worship acts themselves are not regulated the way some claim, the whole “authority” argument falls apart like the house of cards that it is.

If God does not regulate the acts, why would we imagine He regulates every human expression surrounding them? Where is the verse that authorizes sitting on a pew? Or glancing upward? Or nodding your head during a sermon? Or shedding a tear? These things are not “acts of worship”—they are human responses in worship. Clapping falls into the exact same category. It is a natural, human expression, not a divinely legislated ritual.

If clapping were wrong because it lacks a command, then so would smiling. So would raising an eyebrow. So would taking a breath at the wrong moment. But God never intended worship to be policed at that level.

Worship is not about correct mechanics—it is about a correct heart (Matthew 22:37). When someone claps from joy in Christ, it is simply the body expressing what the heart feels. And when another worships in silence, that too can be holy. The issue has never been the motion—it has always been the motive.

The danger is not in clapping; the danger is in binding where God did not bind, restricting where God gave freedom, and making worship heavier than Jesus ever intended (Matthew 11:28-30). If we condemn clapping but cannot condemn the nod of the head, we have revealed that our standard was not Scripture—it was tradition.

In the end, the most honest question is the simplest one:

Where is your authority to nod your head?

If you cannot produce a verse for that, then perhaps God never meant worship to be governed that way.

BDD

JESUS IN JUDGES

The book of Judges is a rugged landscape of failure and mercy, a cycle of wandering hearts and rescuing grace; yet woven through every deliverer, every fragile hero, every unexpected victory, we catch glimpses of Jesus—the true and greater Deliverer who never fails His people.

Israel cried out again and again, and God raised up judges who could save for a moment but could not save their souls. But in these imperfect rescuers—Othniel’s courage, Deborah’s wisdom, Gideon’s weakness turned to strength, Samson’s final sacrifice—we see shadows pointing toward the One who would come not merely to break chains but to break sin itself (Matthew 1:21; Hebrews 2:14-15).

Jesus is the better Judge who does not wait for us to rise from our despair but steps into it.

Where the judges rose only after Israel returned to the Lord, Christ came “while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8).

Where the judges brought temporary relief, Christ brings eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:12).

Where Samson stretched out his arms and died to defeat the enemies of Israel, Jesus stretched out His arms on the cross to defeat the enemies of every nation, tribe, and tongue—sin, death, and the grave.

Judges shows us humanity collapsing into chaos when “everyone did what was right in his own eyes,” but Jesus stands before us as the One in whom God’s righteousness, mercy, and glory gather into one perfect and saving King (John 1:14).

And in our own days—when the noise of the world grows loud, when cycles of sin feel unbreakable, when our strength proves thin—we discover again what Israel was always meant to learn: salvation is not in a system, nor in a human leader, nor in our own resolve.

Salvation is a Person.

A Deliverer.

A Judge who reigns forever.

Jesus meets us in the ruins and raises us by His grace; He restores us not only to freedom but to fellowship, not only to victory but to worship.

So let Judges teach us to lift our eyes. We do not wait for another flawed hero to arise—we run to Christ, our perfect Champion, our eternal Deliverer, our risen King.

BDD

Christmas 2025: THE LIGHT THAT SHINES THROUGH US

Christmas glows with a thousand small lights—twinkling strands draped across rooftops, candles flickering in windows, gentle colors blinking in the December night.

And into this world of shadows and sparkle, Jesus steps forward and says, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12); “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it” (John 1:5).

Those words, echoing through John chapter 1, settle into our souls like a promise made for winter: the Light has come, and He refuses to leave us in our darkness. Just as a house decorated for Christmas shines not only for those inside but for the whole neighborhood, so the brilliance of Christ’s life is not meant to stay hidden behind the walls of the heart.

The truth is simple: lights inside the home bless the family, but lights in the windows and the yard bless the world.

And the same is true of Christ in us. His presence warms the secret places within—our fears, our doubts, our weary corners—but His light is also meant to spill outward, to rest upon our faces, to soften our speech, to brighten our demeanor, to color the atmosphere around us with hope (Matthew 5:14–16).

The incarnation—God becoming flesh and dwelling among us (John 1:14)—is the ultimate outward-facing light, the ultimate declaration that God does not hide His glory but shines it where broken people can see it.

This is the wonder of Christmas: the true Light came near so that we might draw near to Him; the eternal Word stepped into our night so that His radiance might reflect from our lives like sunlight shaping a shadow.

If we walk close enough to Him, His light will define the outline of our days—step by step, word by word, glance by glance—until others begin to notice a quiet glow we could never generate ourselves.

The goal is not to draw attention to our brightness, but to let every shimmer point back to the One who “gives light to every man” (John 1:9). For when Christ fills the heart, He inevitably shines through the countenance.

So this Christmas, let the Light of the world decorate your life. Let Him string His grace across your thoughts, place His hope in your smile, and hang His peace like ornaments on your words.

Keep your windows open.

Step into the yard.

Show the neighborhood what it looks like when the Light has truly come.

Lord Jesus, Light of the world, shine in me and shine through me. Fill my heart with Your brightness and let that radiance spill into my words, my actions, and my face. May others see not me, but You—glorious, gentle, and full of grace. Amen.

BDD

CHRIST OUR HOPE

As an old hymn declares, “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.” The hope of Christianity is found in Jesus Himself. You can spell hope H-O-P-E, but you can also spell it J-E-S-U-S, for the foundation of our hope, the source of our confidence, and the object of our trust is Christ alone (1 Timothy 1:1).

The Apostle Paul emphasizes in Romans 15:13 that the God of hope fills us “with all joy and peace in believing,” so that through the power of the Holy Spirit we may abound in hope. This hope is grounded in the finished work of Christ—His cross, His resurrection, and His unbreakable promises. Our confidence is not rooted in emotion or circumstance, but in the Savior who conquered death and reigns forever.

In Romans 8:24, Paul writes, “For we are saved in this hope.” Christian hope is not wishful thinking; it is a confident expectation of what God has promised (Titus 1:2). Hope that rests only on what is visible is not hope at all. As Paul explains, “But hope that is seen is not hope. For why does one still hope for what he sees?” (Romans 8:24). True hope reaches forward—toward realities not yet experienced, but fully guaranteed by God.

We have not yet seen Jesus in the flesh. We have not yet beheld the fullness of His eternal kingdom. But we look forward with full assurance (Hebrews 11:1). This is the essence of Christian hope—to eagerly await the unseen, knowing it is absolutely certain because God Himself has spoken (Romans 8:25).

For now, as Paul reminds us, “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). Our hope is rooted in faith—faith in God’s Word, His character, and His promises. Hebrews 11:1 deepens the truth: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Faith gives substance to hope, and hope fuels faith; the two walk together as we journey through a world not yet fully redeemed (Romans 5:2–5).

The Christian life is filled with hope—always, in every season. No circumstance is too dark, no valley too deep, no sorrow too heavy to extinguish the hope God gives. Psalm 42:11 urges us, “Why are you cast down, O my soul? … Hope in God.” His Word continually calls us to anchor our hope in Him and His unfailing promises (Psalm 31:24).

The key to maintaining this hope is to shift our eyes from the temporary burdens of this world and fix them on Christ and the eternal truths of God’s kingdom (Colossians 3:2). Philippians 3:20 reminds us that we are “citizens of heaven,” and our ultimate hope rests in the return of Christ and the fullness of life with Him (Revelation 21:4).

The life to come is the life we prepare for. As 1 Peter 1:13 instructs us, we are to “rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” The grace we await includes the redemption of our bodies (Romans 8:23), the final removal of sin (Revelation 21:27), and the joy of inheriting the kingdom prepared for us (Matthew 25:34).

When we think of the coming of Christ, our hearts should be filled with peace and assurance, for He is the One who “is able to save to the uttermost” those who come to God through Him (Hebrews 7:25). Titus 2:13 calls this expectation “the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.” That hope sustains us now and empowers us to live with faithfulness, endurance, and joy (Romans 12:12).

When your thoughts turn to the day of judgment, rest in the certainty of your hope in Christ. “We know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2–3). That promise should bring confidence, not fear. And Scripture assures us, “For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:9–10).

Our hope is secure because it is anchored in the unchanging promises of God and the completed work of Jesus (Hebrews 6:19). So rest your hope fully on God’s grace, knowing with absolute certainty that Christ will save you, sustain you, and keep you until the very end (Philippians 1:6).

BDD

JESUS IN THE BOOK OF JOSHUA

Jesus shines through the book of Joshua not as a distant shadow but as a living promise, a holy presence guiding His people into the land of rest.

When Joshua stands near Jericho and lifts his eyes, he sees a Man with a drawn sword, the “Commander of the army of the Lord” (Joshua 5:13–15). Joshua falls at His feet, removing his sandals on holy ground—an encounter far too exalted for a mere angel. It is Christ before Bethlehem, the Captain of salvation, the One who goes before His people, not only commanding the battle but winning it.

In Joshua, we see Jesus as our greater Joshua, for even the names tell the story: Joshua—Yehoshua, “The Lord saves”—is the Old Testament sound of the name Jesus (Matthew 1:21).

Joshua led the people into the promised land; Jesus leads us into the greater inheritance, “an eternal salvation” (Hebrews 5:9).

Joshua broke down walls with trumpets and faith; Jesus breaks down the walls of sin and shame with the power of His cross.

Joshua gave Israel rest from their enemies; Jesus gives the rest that no enemy can steal, the rest of forgiveness, freedom, and life in His Spirit (Matthew 11:28–29).

We also see Christ in Rahab’s scarlet cord—a simple thread stretched from a window, yet deeper than any strategy or sword (Joshua 2:18–21). That scarlet line points to the blood of Jesus, the Lamb who shields all who trust in Him.

The day of judgment came to Jericho, but the house marked with the crimson sign stood untouched; so it is with every heart washed in the blood of Christ (1 Peter 1:18–19).

And Jesus appears again in the distribution of the land, for Joshua divides an earthly inheritance, but Christ grants “an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled” (1 Peter 1:4).

He is the One who fights for us, stands with us, saves us, shelters us, and leads us into everlasting rest.

In every conquest, every promise, every victory, and every mercy within the book of Joshua, the whisper grows clear: the Lord Himself goes before you—Jesus, our Captain, our Savior, our eternal Joshua.

BDD

THE LIGHT THAT WILL NOT GO OUT

There is a strange irony in reading The Portable Atheist, Christopher Hitchens’ curated anthology of disbelief. Page after page argues that the universe is empty of God, that faith is a human projection, that Scripture is an ancient reflection of tribal fear.

Yet the very intensity of the argument reveals that the human mind cannot escape the question of origins, morality, meaning, and purpose; the cosmos is too vast, too intricate, too symmetrical in its laws to silence the whisper of transcendence. Hitchens attempts to build a world without God, but like a spacecraft trying to outrun gravity, the very effort shows the inescapable pull of the One who made us (Psalm 19:1).

The universe itself behaves like a devotional text—an ordered system governed by constants so precise that even slight variations would collapse stars, atoms, and life itself. The rational mind instinctively traces patterns back to a Mind, order back to a Designer, moral motion back to a Lawgiver.

Remove God, and you must still explain why human conscience accuses and comforts (Romans 2:15), why beauty stirs longing, and why love refuses to fit inside the cold calculations of matter. Atheism can bring brilliant critique, but it cannot provide the warmth of meaning. It explains the machine but not the music.

And this is where the gospel shines with a brilliance no anthology of doubt can extinguish: God does not merely exist; He speaks, He seeks, He stoops.

In Christ, the Infinite entered the finite; the Author stepped into His own story; the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14).

The God that Hitchens thought too distant, too harsh, too improbable is the God who washed feet, wept at graves, welcomed doubters, and stretched His hands across a wooden cross to pull a broken world back to Himself. No philosophical argument can match the personal beauty of Jesus Christ—the One who is simultaneously the explanation for the universe and the healer of the human heart (Colossians 1:16-17).

So let The Portable Atheist do what it does best—raise questions. Let it challenge the mind, stir the dust, push against complacency. But then let those questions lead you to the only One who answers with both truth and tenderness.

Faith does not fear the shadows because Christ is the Light (John 8:12); it does not fear the void because Christ fills all things (Ephesians 1:23); it does not fear doubt because Christ walks beside the doubter until the dawn breaks. In Him the cosmos finds coherence, the conscience finds cleansing, and the soul finds its center.

The atheist may carry a portable anthology of unbelief—but the believer carries something better: the living presence of Jesus Christ, the One who holds atoms together and hearts together, the One who stands when every argument collapses, the One who remains when every star burns out, the One who says, “I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20).

BDD

HE WILL BE WITH YOU IN THE WATERS

Isaiah’s words rise like a steadying hand to the trembling heart: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you…when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned” (Isaiah 43:2). God never promised a life free of deep waters or fierce flames, but He promised His presence in every one of them.

The trial is real, but so is the Deliverer; the pressure is heavy, but so is His glory; the fear is loud, but His faithfulness is louder. The very waters that threaten to overwhelm us become the place where His nearness becomes unmistakable.

And it is in those waters that the simplest cry becomes the strongest lifeline. When Peter began to sink, he did not offer a long prayer or a perfect one; he simply said, “Lord, save me!”—and “immediately Jesus stretched out His hand” (Matthew 14:30–31).

That one moment is a picture of the promise God has given to every believer: calling on the name of the Lord is not complicated; it is not ceremony; it is not ritual. It is the desperate heart reaching for the willing Savior—and finding that His hand is already reaching back.

This is why the Bible says, “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). Not “whoever understands everything,” not “whoever gets their life together first,” not “whoever impresses God with spiritual strength”—but whoever calls.

The cry of faith may be weak, but the arm of the Lord is mighty; the heart may be trembling, but His compassion is unwavering; the storm may be violent, but His rescue is certain. The shortest prayer in the Bible remains one of the most powerful: “Lord, save me.”

And you can pray that anytime—right now, in fact.

Don’t wait for calm waters; don’t wait for steady footing; don’t wait for the perfect words. Decide to do it now. Call to Him from the middle of the waves, because He is the God who comes walking on the very storm that frightens you.

He is near, He is ready, and He is reaching for you even now.

BDD

CAN TWO WALK TOGETHER?

“Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?” (Amos 3:3).

This small sentence stands like a granite pillar in the prophecy of Amos. In the Hebrew text, the meaning is unmistakable: two travelers cannot share a path unless they have agreed on the journey. The verb carries the idea of intentional mutual commitment—a chosen harmony of direction, purpose, and destination.

Amos used it to confront Israel: God had entered covenant with them, but they were walking in a totally different direction. The prophet’s question was not philosophical; it was painful and practical—How can you claim to walk with the Lord when you have chosen another road?

But beyond its immediate context, the principle shines with a timeless spiritual light: walking together requires agreement—not the agreement of identical opinions, but the agreement of a united heart.

If we are going to walk in unity with Christ Himself, we must agree with Him about the direction of our lives. He does not bend His path toward ours; He calls us to His—“Follow Me” (John 21:19).

We do not negotiate terms with the King of Glory; we gladly surrender to His voice, His will, His way. To walk with Jesus is to say, with quiet, joyful resolve, “Lord, where You go, I will go” (Ruth 1:16). It is the agreement of love, not the agreement of doctrinal diagrams; the agreement of surrender, not the agreement of intellectual sameness.

And if we are going to walk in unity with one another, the same truth stands: we cannot walk together unless we have agreed to walk together.

Not agreed on interpretations.

Not agreed on every secondary teaching.

Not agreed on the latest debate, the latest emphasis, or the latest theological trend.

The early church did not stay together because they had perfect uniformity—they stayed together because “they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship” (Acts 2:42). Doctrine gave them foundation; fellowship gave them warmth; but Christ Himself gave them unity.

We walk together because we have agreed—not on every point of doctrine—but on our love for Jesus.

We agree that He is Lord (Romans 10:9). We agree that He alone is our righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21).

We agree that He is the Vine, and we are the branches, and apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:5).

We agree that He is the Shepherd, and we are the sheep of His pasture (John 10:11).

This is the agreement that binds hearts in a way no theological chart ever could—the agreement that Jesus is everything.

When Christ is the center, disagreement cannot divide us; it only humbles us. When Christ is the aim, we walk in step even when we don’t walk in sync on every issue.

When Christ is the treasure, fellowship becomes a melody, not a battlefield.

And when Christ is the life, the church becomes what she was meant to be—a people gathered, held, and guided by the One who said, “I am the way” (John 14:6).

Two cannot walk together unless they have agreed.

Let our agreement be this: we belong to Jesus, we love Jesus, and we are following Jesus.

And on that holy ground, unity will flourish.

BDD

SIMPLY JESUS — THE CENTER THAT NEVER SHIFTS

Trends rise like waves and vanish like mist; doctrines flare, cool, and are replaced by the next idea that promises to give weary Christians a shortcut to holiness or a formula for spiritual stability. But through every generation one truth has remained immovable, unshaken, radiant with the same undiminished glory: Jesus Himself is the life of His people.

The call of the gospel is not to chase Christian trends but to cling to a Person—“looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). Every other focus eventually fractures the heart, but Christ gathers its scattered pieces and makes them whole.

The church has always been tempted to fix its attention on something about Christ rather than on Christ. We drift toward favorite teachings, impressive personalities, or movements that promise deeper insight.

But when Paul wrote from prison, he did not say, “For to me, to live is ministry,” nor “to live is theology.” He wrote, “For to me, to live is Christ” (Philippians 1:21). Not truth detached from Him; not systems that describe Him; but Christ Himself—the living Christ, the indwelling Christ, the Christ who holds the universe together and still stoops low enough to hold the trembling heart (Colossians 1:17).

Every trend eventually asks for loyalty. Christ alone is worthy of it. Every doctrine eventually becomes a lens. Christ alone is the Light.

When the apostles preached, they did not announce a program—they proclaimed a Person.

Philip “preached Jesus to him” (Acts 8:35). Paul declared, “Him we preach” (Colossians 1:28). And to the Corinthians, caught up in competing voices, he wrote that he had determined “not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). Their world was full of spiritual ideas; Paul answered with a crucified Savior.

The latest trend might stir the imagination, but only Jesus steadies the soul. The latest doctrinal excitement might entertain the mind, but only Jesus renews it. The latest movement might fill a conference hall, but only Jesus fills the heart “with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:19).

It is possible to memorize every theological term and yet drift far from the One who said, “Abide in Me” (John 15:4). It is possible to defend a system and yet neglect the Shepherd. It is possible to be fascinated by Christian culture and yet forget the Christ who is “our life” (Colossians 3:4).

So let your mind breathe the name of Jesus. Let the heart return—again and again and again—to the One who never changes. Trends will fade; Christ remains. Ideas will clash; Christ unites. Movements will splinter; Christ restores.

And when all is said and done, when history folds and the ages bow, the Christian will discover what he was made for all along—“that I may know Him” (Philippians 3:10). Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). Christ before you, the path of life (John 14:6). Christ above you, the risen Lord who reigns forever (Revelation 1:18).

Not the trend. Not the noise. Not the doctrine detached from its Source.

Only Jesus—always Jesus—ever Jesus.

BDD

Christmas 2025: GOD WITH US

Christmas stands like a quiet, holy reminder that God has never been content to love us from a distance. When Matthew tells us that the Child’s name shall be Immanuel—“God with us”—he is not merely giving us a title to recite during December; he is unfolding the great width of God’s desire, the boundless reach of His compassion, the immeasurable span of His heart stretched wide across the ages (Matthew 1:23).

Christmas is the end of isolation; it is the death of distance. It is the moment heaven said, I will not watch from afar; I will walk beside you.

And oh, the width of that word—us. Not the deserving. Not the wise. Not the righteous. Us. The tired, the frightened, the grieving, the guilty, the forgotten, the overlooked, the spiritually empty—He has come for us.

The cradle in Bethlehem is the great announcement that God has tethered Himself to our story; that He has stepped into our world not as a visitor but as a Savior; that He has folded Himself into our weakness with the gentle strength of redeeming love.

The width of His nearness stretches into every room we think is too dark, every chapter we think is too ruined, every future we fear might collapse. His presence leaves nothing untouched.

It is easy at Christmas to think of what has gone from us—joy, time, people we loved, hopes that once burned brightly. But the gospel tells a different story: what we feared was gone is now gone with us, swallowed up by the presence of the One who has entered our world.

Our failures are not gone alone—they are gone with us into the arms of grace.

Our losses are not gone alone—they are gone with us into the comfort of the Shepherd who walks through every valley beside His sheep (Psalm 23:4).

Our sins are not gone alone—they are gone with us into a cross where mercy triumphs and new life begins.

So how do we make it at Christmas, when the world shines but the heart groans? We make it because God is with us, and that phrase holds more weight than galaxies.

We make it because His nearness is not seasonal and His love is not fragile.

We make it because the Child in the manger became the Man of Sorrows, and the Man of Sorrows became the risen Lord who said, “I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20).

The God who came in swaddling cloths now walks in resurrection glory—and still, He is with us.

This is the width of Christmas: not that God watched, but that God came; not that God advised, but that God accompanied; not that God loved from heaven, but that God moved into our humanity and carried our burdens in His own flesh. His presence is our courage. His nearness is our peace. And His “with us” is the promise that whatever we must face—we never face it alone.

So rejoice—not because life is easy, but because God is with us; not because the path is smooth, but because the Shepherd walks it with His sheep; not because sorrow disappears, but because love accompanies us through it.

This is Christmas—holy, wondrous, and wide. The God who came then is the God who stays now, stretching His arms across the breadth of our world, whispering again and again, “My child, I am with you.”

BDD

CHRIST ALONE — THE HOLY FOCUS OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE

The Christian life loses its fire the moment it loses its focus—its gaze—its holy obsession with Jesus Himself.  Doctrine matters, truth matters, theology matters, but none of it replaces the Person who stands at the center of our faith.

The Scriptures refuse to let us treat Jesus as an accessory to Christianity; they insist He is our very life (Colossians 3:4). Paul said without hesitation, “For to me, to live is Christ” (Philippians 1:21). Not doctrine. Not ideas. Not comforting concepts. Christ. The living, breathing, redeeming Savior in whom all fullness dwells (Colossians 1:19).

Christianity is not first about what we believe—it is about Whom we behold.

Paul’s heartbeat sounds again in another passage: “I also count all things loss…that I may know Him” (Philippians 3:8-10). Not merely know about Him—know Him. This is the blazing center of Christian experience, the pursuit that makes all others pale.

He is the One who loved us and gave Himself for us (Galatians 2:20), the One who intercedes for us (Hebrews 7:25), the One in whom all treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden (Colossians 2:3). And Paul, that giant of doctrine, confesses that the highest mountain he ever climbed was simply the desire to “know Christ.”

The gospel we preach is not a philosophy; it is a Person. Paul said, “Him we preach” (Colossians 1:28). Not systems, not speculations, not the novelty of new insights—Him.

When Philip went down to Samaria, the Scripture does not say he preached morality, or culture, or unity; “he preached Christ to them” (Acts 8:5). The early church did not spread because they were clever; they spread because they could not stop speaking the name that had saved them, healed them, forgiven them, and filled them. Jesus was not their topic—He was their life (John 14:6).

And what of that glorious phrase: “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27)? This is not an idea to admire; this is a reality to live in.

The indwelling Christ—forming us, shaping us, guiding us, holding us—is the pulse of the believer’s existence. Our hope is not in our wisdom, but in His presence; not in our understanding, but in His nearness.

Every command of Scripture becomes joy when we see the One who walks beside us and lives within us (Galatians 2:20). He is the Vine; we are the branches (John 15:5). Without Him, we can do nothing—and with Him, we have everything.

This is why Paul resolved “to know nothing… except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). That was not a rejection of doctrine; it was a confession that all doctrine finds its meaning in Christ.

When our hearts drift, it is always because our focus shifts—from Christ to concepts, from Jesus to ideas, from the Person to the presentation. But the Scriptures pull us back with relentless clarity: “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).

Faith begins with Him and ends with Him. He is Alpha and Omega (Revelation 22:13). He is the center and the circumference. Everything else is light only because He is the sun.

So let the believer fix their thoughts on Christ (Hebrews 3:1), meditate on Christ, delight in Christ, follow Christ, worship Christ, treasure Christ. Let your theology be warm because He is near; let your doctrine be alive because He is its heart; let your mind be filled not simply with truth, but with the One who is “the truth” (John 14:6).

Christ is not merely part of the Christian life—Christ is the Christian life (Colossians 3:4). And when He is our focus, our joy, our hope, our passion, our meditation—then faith becomes fire, worship becomes wonder, and life becomes a holy walk with the Person who loved us first (1 John 4:19).

BDD

Christmas 2025: CHRIST THE SEED OF WOMAN

Long before shepherds heard angels sing, long before wise men traced a star across the night, long before Bethlehem breathed its holy welcome, there was a promise whispered in Eden’s shadows. Humanity had fallen, the world had fractured, the serpent had struck—and into that devastation God spoke the first gospel: “The seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent’s head” (Genesis 3:15).

Christmas did not begin with a manger; it began with a promise. It began with God declaring that evil would not write the last chapter, that sin would not reign forever, that darkness would not have the final word. The seed would come—fragile, humble, unexpected—and through that seed the world would be healed.

And how wondrous that God said the seed of the woman. Not the strength of man, not the genius of humanity, not the might of kingdoms, but the quiet, miraculous work of God in a woman’s womb. In that single phrase, the Lord revealed that salvation would come in weakness, not power; in humility, not pride; in flesh, not force.

The seed of the woman would arrive with vulnerability in His veins, yet victory in His mission. He would look ordinary, yet carry eternity. He would lie in a manger, yet bear a crown no earthly throne could contain.

Christmas is the unfolding of that ancient promise—not hurried, not forced, but fulfilled with the gentle precision of grace. When Mary heard Gabriel’s words, the seed long promised took form; when Joseph trusted the angel’s message, the seed’s arrival drew near; when the Child was born, the serpent felt the first tremor of his defeat.

The One wrapped in swaddling cloths was heaven’s answer to Eden’s curse; the tiny hands that rested on Mary’s chest were the same hands destined to crush the serpent’s head through a cross and an empty tomb.

So when you look upon the Christmas story, see more than a Baby—see the Keeper of promises, the Warrior in weakness, the Seed who grows into the Savior. See the faithfulness of a God who refuses to forget His word, refuses to abandon His people, refuses to let creation die without redemption.

Christmas is the proof that God finishes what He starts; that He brings life out of barrenness; that He brings hope out of despair; that He brings victory out of vulnerability.

The Seed of the Woman has come. The serpent’s head has been crushed. And the promise spoken in Eden now sings in every redeemed heart: “Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given” (Isaiah 9:6).

The ancient promise has become a living Person, and in Him—through Him—because of Him—Christmas becomes the language of hope forever.

BDD

JESUS IN DEUTERONOMY

Deuteronomy stands like a preacher on the edge of the promised land—earnest, persuasive, full of warning and full of hope. It is Moses’ final call for Israel to remember the God who carried them, to love the God who chose them, and to obey the God who redeemed them.

But woven through its ancient words is the unmistakable silhouette of Jesus; for Deuteronomy is not only a book of law—it is a book of longing, pointing us toward the One who would fulfill the law, embody its heart, and lead His people into a deeper obedience shaped by grace.

We see Jesus in the Prophet greater than Moses, promised with tenderness and authority: “The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me…Him you shall hear” (Deuteronomy 18:15).

Moses could speak for God, but Jesus speaks as God; Moses could teach the covenant, but Jesus Himself is the covenant—faithful, steadfast, unbreakable. In Him, God’s voice is no longer distant thunder but a Shepherd calling His sheep by name.

We see Jesus in the God who draws near, the One Moses describes as “your life and the length of your days” (Deuteronomy 30:20).

The law taught Israel how to walk; Jesus gives the power to walk.

The law warned them not to turn aside; Jesus holds us when we would fall.

Deuteronomy urges the heart to choose life, and Jesus later declares, “I am the life,” revealing that the very choice Moses called for is fulfilled in the One who gives Himself to us without measure.

We see Jesus in the call to love the Lord with all the heart, soul, and strength (Deuteronomy 6:5). This is not cold duty; it is warm devotion.

And Jesus embodies that kind of love perfectly—loving the Father with all His heart, all His soul, all His strength—so that we, in Him, may learn to love with a sincerity we could never produce on our own.

The great commandment becomes not a burden but a blessing when we see it through the face of the One who loves us first.

We see Jesus in the God who carries His people as a father carries a child (Deuteronomy 1:31). Wildernesses break our illusions of strength, and Deuteronomy reminds us that every step has been upheld by divine mercy.

And when Jesus comes, He shows us that same mercy in flesh and blood—lifting the weary, forgiving the guilty, binding the broken, and carrying us when our knees give way. Moses wrote of a God who bears us; Jesus is the God who bears our sins, sorrows, and burdens all the way to victory.

Deuteronomy ends with a glimpse from the mountain—a land Moses cannot enter but can see. And there, too, is a whisper of Christ: the One who brings His people where Moses could not, the One who completes what the law began, the One who leads us not to a strip of earthly soil but to the fullness of life in God.

The book that begins with reminders ends with hope, because the God of Deuteronomy is the God who finishes what He starts.

BDD

CHRIST OUR SABBATH IN PERSON

The Sabbath was never meant to be the destination; it was the signpost pointing toward Someone greater. It was a weekly reminder that human strength has limits, but divine mercy does not; that bodies need rest and souls need restoration; that we were never meant to carry the weight of our own existence.

And into that longing steps Jesus—the One who takes the shadow of Sabbath and fills it with living light. When He said, “The Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath” (Matthew 12:8), He was unveiling the truth that rest is not merely something God gives; rest is Someone God sent.

In Jesus, the restless finally find home. The hurried breath slows. The anxious heart unclenches. The wounds we hide behind busyness are touched with the gentleness of the One who calls us to Himself—not to a ritual, not to a rule, but to a relationship full of mercy, full of patience, full of grace. He takes the weight of our guilt and replaces it with the weightlessness of forgiveness; He takes the exhaustion of our striving and wraps us in the peace that flows from His finished work.

The Sabbath was a weekly gift, but Christ is an eternal one—the rest that cannot be shaken, the stillness that never ends.

So today, let your soul settle beneath the banner of His love. Let your mind breathe in the truth that you are held. Let your heart rest—not merely because it is Saturday, but because the Savior who fulfilled the Sabbath still whispers, “Come to Me…and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

Every burden finds its place at His feet; every fear bows before His presence; every weary corner of life is met by His mercy. In Jesus, rest is not a pause in the journey—it is the One who walks beside you.

Lord Jesus, my Sabbath and my peace, draw my tired heart into Your gentleness today. Let the noise inside me quiet in the presence of Your mercy. Teach me to lay down every burden—my fears, my failures, my hurried thoughts—and place them in Your nail-scarred hands. Thank You that rest is no longer a day I must reach for, but a Person who has reached for me. Help me walk in Your stillness, trust in Your strength, and breathe in the grace You freely give. Keep me near You, Lord—near the rest that satisfies and the love that never leaves. Amen.

BDD

JESUS IN NUMBERS

Numbers is a wilderness book—wind-worn, dust-covered, honest about the frailty of the human heart. It is a story of wandering people, murmuring crowds, fearful spies, and a God who refuses to abandon the ones He loves.

And if we listen closely, its chapters breathe the name of Jesus—quietly at times, boldly at others—echoing through tents, deserts, complaints, and promises. Numbers whispers that the Christ of Bethlehem is the Lord of the wilderness, the Redeemer who meets us where our strength runs out and our sand-covered prayers rise weakly toward heaven.

We see Jesus in the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night—the presence that refused to leave Israel alone for even a single step (Numbers 9:15-23). That pillar is a shadow of the Christ who not only guides us but indwells us; not only leads us but carries us.

He is the Light that does not flicker, the Presence that does not withdraw, the Shepherd who does not abandon His flock when the terrain turns cruel. In every step of Israel’s journey, He was saying, *“I am with you”—*the same promise whispered at Christmas and thundered at the empty tomb.

We see Jesus in the manna, heaven’s bread falling upon earth’s barrenness (Numbers 11:7-9). Israel tasted mercy every morning before they tasted anything else. How could that not point to the Christ who said, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35)?

The wilderness teaches us what prosperity sometimes hides—that our souls are fed not by success or strength or certainty, but by the daily faithfulness of the God who provides Himself. The manna was temporary, but Christ is eternal; the manna sustained a day, but Christ sustains forever.

We see Jesus in the bronze serpent lifted high—a symbol as strange as it is glorious (Numbers 21:4-9). Poison pulsed through Israel’s veins; death crept into their tents; judgment hovered over them.

But the remedy was not in their effort—it was in looking. Simply looking.

And Jesus Himself said that this moment foreshadowed His cross, where the curse would be lifted onto the shoulders of the sinless One, and all who look to Him in faith would live (John 3:14-15). The serpent on the pole was grace in silhouette; Calvary was grace in full glory.

We see Jesus in the rock that gave water—struck once, supplying life to a thirsty nation (Numbers 20:11). Paul tells us plainly, “that Rock was Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:4).

And how like Christ it is—silent, struck, poured out for a people who grumbled even while they drank. The water flowed freely, undeservedly, abundantly; and so does the salvation that streams from the wounds of the Savior who was struck once for all.

And through it all—through rebels and wanderers, victories and failures—we see Jesus in the One who never gave up on His people.

Numbers tells us more about Israel’s sin than their strength, but it tells us even more about God’s perseverance. The wilderness was not just their testing—it was His testimony.

He remained faithful when they were faithless. He remained near when they drifted far. He remained God-with-them when they scarcely remembered His name.

This is the Christ we worship—the God who walks into deserts, who feeds the hungry, who heals the dying, who carries the broken, who leads the wandering, who loves the unlovely.

He is in Numbers, as surely as He is in Matthew; He is in the wilderness, as surely as He is in the manger.

And if He walked faithfully beside Israel through their long, hard journey, then He will walk faithfully beside you through yours—until the journey ends, and the wilderness becomes home.

BDD

WHEN OUR SILENCE WEAKENS OUR WITNESS

Christians must sometimes confess, with trembling honesty, that they forfeited their moral authority long before the present battle ever arrived. And one of those moments is this: we wonder why our voice carries so little weight in the debate over same-sex marriage, yet we forget that many stopped listening to us years ago—not because we preached truth, but because we preached “truth” bent and bruised by cultural prejudice rather than shaped entirely by the Word of God.

For generations, far too many believers opposed interracial marriage with a zeal the Bible never blessed. They quoted Scripture without context; they defended boundaries God never drew; they protected traditions God never sanctified. And in doing so, they added a burden to the gospel and placed a dividing wall where Jesus had torn one down (Ephesians 2:14).

The Scriptures are clear: God’s requirement for marriage has never been skin color—it has always been covenant, always been fidelity, always been one man and one woman bound together under the blessing of their Creator (Genesis 2:24). But when we elevated our preferences to the level of divine decree, we spoke where God was silent, and we were silent where God had spoken.

Is it any wonder, then, that when we now defend the biblical design for marriage, some shrug us off as inconsistent? Why should they trust our convictions today,they ask, when we were wrong—and loudly wrong—yesterday?

People remember when the church defended the indefensible. They remember when we acted as though ethnicity mattered more than righteousness, more than faithfulness, more than love. And so when we speak now about the beauty of God’s design—about the sacred covenant of one man and one woman—they hear echoes of an older argument, one we should have repented of far earlier and far more publicly.

But regret is not the end of the story. Grace never leaves us where it finds us. The same Christ who corrected Peter’s prejudice at the house of Cornelius (Acts 10:34–35) is the Christ who corrects ours today. And the same gospel that calls us to repent of yesterday’s distortions is the gospel that empowers us to speak clearly, humbly, and faithfully today.

Our failure in one generation does not excuse surrender in the next; it simply means we must speak with tears in our eyes and truth in our mouths.

So let the church confess the past without fear, and proclaim the present without apology. Let us say, with sincerity and Scripture in our hands, that marriage belongs to God—not to culture, not to politics, not to shifting winds of opinion. He made it, He defined it, and He blessed it: one man, one woman, joined as one flesh (Matthew 19:4–6).

But let us also say, with equal clarity, that He never restricted that union by race, and we were wrong when we did.

And perhaps—just perhaps—when a watching world sees a church that can repent of old sins while standing firm on eternal truth, they will hear us again. Not because our voice is loud, but because our hearts are clean; not because we are flawless, but because we are faithful; not because we seek to win arguments, but because we seek to honor Christ.

BD

Devotional in Song BLACK OR WHITE

In Christ, color fades and glory shines.

Sometimes a simple lyric reaches deeper than a thousand debates, and Michael Jackson’s “Black or White” does exactly that. “If you’re thinking of being my baby, it don’t matter if you’re black or white.” In a world that still trembles under the weight of prejudice and suspicion, such a declaration feels almost prophetic.

And yet, long before pop stars sang about unity, the Spirit of God thundered it from the pages of Scripture—declaring that the ground around the cross is not just level, but sacred; and in that holy place, color melts into glory, and ethnicity bows before a crucified King.

Jesus did not come to build a monochrome church; He came to build a blood-bought family, gathered “out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9). His heart was never confined to one people group, one shade of skin, or one cultural pattern.

The Christ who touched Samaritans, healed Gentiles, praised a Roman centurion, and welcomed Ethiopians is the Christ who stands today—arms wide, scars visible—saying, “Come to Me…all.” And in that word all, every earthly distinction dissolves in the light of His love.

Paul echoes this melody when he says, “There is neither Jew nor Greek…for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). He is not denying ethnicity—He is redeeming it; He is not erasing culture—He is sanctifying it. In Christ, identity is not diminished; it is transformed.

The skin we wear becomes a canvas upon which grace is painted, a reminder that God delights in variety. Just as the heavens are not beautiful because every star is the same, the church is not beautiful because every face matches; the church is beautiful because redemption has woven a tapestry that only the cross could create.

Michael Jackson’s refrain—“It don’t matter if you’re black or white”—rings true because it speaks to something eternal. Racism is not merely a social problem; it is a spiritual rebellion against the image of God. It is sin dressed in pride.

But when the gospel takes hold of the soul, love becomes the new instinct. Walls fall. Suspicion fades. And the church begins to look a little more like heaven, where every voice blends into a single song: “Salvation belongs to our God” (Revelation 7:10).

So let your heart say what Scripture has already declared: in Christ, color is never a barrier—only a blessing; never a wall—only a window through which we see the creativity of the God who made us. And may the church once again be the place where the world looks in and hears, with fresh wonder, the song of a kingdom where grace reigns—and where every brother and sister, black or white, stands equal beneath the shadow of the same redeeming cross.

BDD

Devotional in Song IRMA JACKSON

I’ve loved Merle Haggard since I first listened to his records in my uncle’s basement at the age of two (slight exaggeration). A lot of people say they “love Haggard and Jones” to get country cred, but I really do. Always have.

To me, one of Merle’s greatest songs is Irma Jackson, one that arrests the soul; a whispered protest against the walls men build, the divisions they defend, the hatred they inherit. It is the story of two hearts drawn together, and a world determined to keep them apart.

And somewhere beneath the melody, you can almost hear another Voice—gentle, steady, holy—calling us back to what we were meant to be. For Christ did not come to keep us separated by skin or heritage; He came to gather us into one new humanity, where the hostility we inherited is slain by the blood of the cross (Ephesians 2:14–16).

Racism is not merely a social problem; it is a spiritual wound—deep, ancient, and deadly. It is the sound of Cain rising up against Abel, the old lie that some lives matter more than others, the poison that blinds us to the image of God stamped on every face.

But the gospel breaks its power. Jesus Christ—our peace, our reconciliation, our Brother—refuses to let the dividing lines of the world stand unchallenged. In His kingdom the Samaritan becomes a neighbor (Luke 10:33–37), the Ethiopian is welcomed with joy (Acts 8:26–39), and the church at Antioch becomes a mosaic of races, cultures, and languages—worshiping as one, serving as one (Acts 13:1–3).

Where Christ is present, unity is not optional; it is inevitable.

And so Irma Jackson becomes more than a song—it becomes a parable. It reminds us that prejudice is loud, but love is stronger; that fear builds fences, but grace builds families; that the church must never echo the world’s hatred, but must stand as a living witness to Calvary’s reconciling power.

When Jesus walked the earth, He never once asked about a man’s background—only his faith. Never once did He measure a woman by her heritage—only her heart. And He calls us to do the same, for “God shows no partiality” (Acts 10:34). The ground at the foot of the cross is wonderfully, gloriously level.

Friends, let us allow the Spirit to search us; to wash away the hidden prejudice, the quiet suspicion, the subtle pride that lingers in the corners of the soul. Let us speak peace where others speak division, let us sow gentleness where others sow suspicion, let us stand with the heart of Christ—who gathers the children of God from every tribe, every tongue, every corner of the earth (Revelation 7:9).

And as we do, may our lives sing a better song than the world has ever heard—a song where love is stronger than fear, where mercy is wider than tradition, where the family of God is bound not by color but by the crimson grace of the Lamb.

Jesus calls us brothers and sisters (Hebrews 2:11), and if He calls us brethren, we dare not call each other anything less.

BDD