There is a Latin phrase that I like: “Esse quam videri.”

Which means, “To be, rather than to seem.”

In other words, it is about what’s really true and not what we pretend to be true.

The little book of Jonah is a profoundly unsettling story, and one of the things it does is show us the gap between who Jonah says he is and who he actually is.

It turns out that Jonah, despite what he says, is very far from being a God-fearing prophet.

Reading through the book of Jonah will cause us to examine our own lives.

"Where is the gap between who I really am and who I pretend to be?”

Are you on the Standard Plan or the Sunday Plus Plan?

In our final installment of the What I Learned on Summer Vacation sermon series, we looked at a basic principle Jesus teaches the disciples:

In the Kingdom of God, if you lean in you get more.

This is a secret that all-too-few Christians know; it’s a life hack that will change your life

It’s one of the saddest things I can think of:

What if God were ready to bless but we weren’t ready to receive?

In this latest installment of our series What I Learned on Summer Vacation, we talked about the urgency of preparation.

I love what the Apostle Peter told the early church:

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

“Preparing your minds for action….”

What a great exhortation.

This past Sunday, I talked about some really big things we have coming up, and what it will take for us to be prepared for God to use these things and do something great.

Ever seen that bumper sticker, “God is my co-pilot”?

Heard that song, “Jesus, take the wheel”?

I totally get the sentiments behind that kind of thing, but over the summer I’ve been really troubled by the underlying, unspoken ideas that go along with those sorts of sayings and sentiments.

The reason why is because the Bible teaches that God created humanity to represent him and rule over the non-human creation. God’s desire is not to control us, but to save us and shape us so we can join the divine mission.

Every year, I come back from summer vacation with lots of things on my mind to share with Asbury.

This year, it’s one simple verb that has really got me thinking: the verb “learned.”

As in “I learned to be content” (Philippians 4:11).

Here’s why that word means so much to me.

There is something beautiful about the sweetness and simplicity of a child's prayer as they go to their Heavenly Father.

Jesus emphasized the importance of childlike faith by taking the time to help His followers understand it. In doing so, a few traits stand out: humility, humbleness, and simplicity. Yet, there is also a persistent quality that seems relentless. Have you stopped praying because you have yet to see God move? Have you distanced yourself from God because your prayer was not answered?

Could it be that Jesus wants us to approach the Lord with a child's perspective to better understand His goodness, faithfulness, and the complexity of prayer?

Acts 4:23-31 is a remarkable prayer! Peter and John have just spent the night in prison after healing a man and proclaiming the good news of Jesus. Rather than praying for protection, they ask the Lord to give them the ability to "continue to speak your word with all boldness."

They could have focused intently on their challenging circumstances.

Instead, they turned their attention outward to the mission of God and asked for strength to keep going.

This simple shift in perspective can bring deep and lasting change to your life.

If the answer to every prayer were an immediate “Yes!” then prayer would be easy.

Prayer warriors are forged in the furnace of adversity, grit, determination, and perseverance.

Like most things that matter in life, prayer takes work.

Breakthrough is possible.

And so, keep going. One day at a time.

Have you ever realized that children are our reinforcements?

Building up and building for the next generation is the best way to push back against the darkness, to really make a difference.

Hence: "family is how we fight.”

But, it’s not easy.

Even to talk about it makes a lot of us uncomfortable.

On Father's Day 2025, we dived right into the discomfort and the controversies.

Yes, this stuff is hard, but it’s also good!

I believe that the Gospel of John is one of the greatest works of art in all human history. Its first twenty chapters are a masterpiece. And the conclusion that John gives us at the end of chapter twenty—after the resurrection, the greatest thing that has ever happened—after Jesus calls Mary by name, and she turns and knows—after Jesus breathes the Holy Spirit on the disciples—after Jesus shows Thomas His scarred hands and side—the conclusion that John gives us after all of that is just perfect:

30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name [John 20:30–31].

The screen finally fades fully to black. We finally exhale, deeply moved. We shift in our seats, slowly stand and stretch, and silently begin to make our way out of the theater. We don’t want to say anything and ruin the moment, so we walk single file down the stairs at the end of the row. The credits begin to roll.

And then, when we least expect it, the screen lights up again and the story continues!

John chapter 20 seems to end on the perfect note, but John is a peerless artist and what happens next is beyond perfection.

There is another chapter—an epilogue.

With John 20:30–31, nothing more needs to be said about Jesus. His story is complete, and we have all we need to know to believe in Him.

But John knows there is more to be said about the church and its mission, and that is the purpose of his beautiful epilogue in chapter 21.