Proverbs 22:24

Do not make friends with an angry person, and do not associate with a wrathful person,

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A kid walked into the doctor’s office with a bad cough. The doctor listened to his chest, shook his head, and said, “Your lungs are fine — but I have to ask: who have you been around?”

The kid looked puzzled. “What do you mean? I’m the one who’s sick.”

The doctor smiled and said, “Sure, that’s right. But illness spreads. You caught this from somebody.”

The truth was simple: some things are caught because they’re just contagious.

Anger is Contagious

Paul the Apostle said: “Bad company corrupts good manners” (1 Cor. 15:33). Proverbs sharpens it:

Don’t make friends with angry people.

See, anger is contagious. Post Covid I decided to purposely gravitate toward that word ‘contagion’ because I realized that it would be a reality that we had to continually be aware of in our zeitgeist. That’s why I say that I want to make the Sacred Positively Contagious. But here’s the flip we all know: wrath spreads too. Walk with it, befriend it, make it a useful association, and you’ll catch it.

Walking With the Wrong Crowd

When you walk with someone ruled by rage, their habits rub off.

Paul, the same one that talked about bad company corrupting good manners also said that he “longed to be with the Romans so he could “impart a spiritual gift” (Rom. 1:11). But angry people impart something too — not wisdom, not faith, but wrath.

The Underbelly of Our Moment

Right now, we all can feel the tension of anger rising, especially here in America.

The murder of Charlie Kirk. The canceling of Jimmy Kemal. The unsolicited invasion of U.S. troops into our own cities. And that soft vulnerable underbelly that no one’s talking about enough? Our FRAGILE Economic turmoil — the kind that feels like being strapped into a rollercoaster, listening to those last clicks before the drop.

We’re tense. We’re anxious. We’re angry. And that’s exactly where wrath can spread the fastest.

Anger as Turbo Fuel

Anger isn’t always wrong — it’s proof your heart is alive. If your car overheats, you want the dashboard to warn you. Anger is that warning light.

But it’s also like a turbo fuel. Push the button, and things happen fast and furious. Keep pushing it, though, and you’ll burn your engine out. That’s why Proverbs says don’t befriend it. Don’t let wrath be your default. You have to figure out how to negotiate difficulty in more ways than just being ‘mad all the time’.

So Here Are Three Steps to Navigating Anger

* Acknowledge it. Don’t deny it. Say, “I’m angry,” and let that warning light do its job.

* Accept it, but don’t cling. Think Jedi-style or radical acceptance — see it, name it, and let it pass like weather.

* Lay it down daily. Don’t let the sun go down on your wrath (Eph. 4:26). At day’s end, slot your burdens down, reconnect with love, and let rest restore you. Tomorrow’s sunrise often shows the same problem with less heat.

Bottom Line:

Anger spreads fast. But only love heals what anger infects.

Prayer

I’m angry, Lord—don’t let me stay here. Guide me.

Today’s Challenge

Don’t carry anger alone. Share one frustration with a trusted friend today — not to fuel the fire, but to process it together. A most powerful thing you can do is Cry. That may sound raw, but it works! I recommend Richard Rohr’s new book The Tears of Things as powerful reference material.

About the Author

Fred Lynch is a creative communicator, author, and Christian Hip Hop pioneer. To learn more about Fred and what he’s up to now…click here or you can find him in all the socials by searching the handle: heyfredlynch

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Proverbs 21:27

To bring an offering to God with an ulterior motive is detestable, for it amounts to nothing but hypocrisy.

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The first murder recorded in the Bible didn’t happen in a dark alley. It didn’t come from a robbery or revenge. It happened after worship.

Two brothers brought offerings to God. One was accepted, one was not. And instead of learning, changing, or humbling himself… Cain, the older brother, chose hate. Imagine that — turning an altar into a crime scene. That’s not just tragic. That’s absurd.

Proverbs 21:27 in The Passion Translation says: “The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable—how much more when brought with evil intent!” See, you can dress it up, package it nicely, sanitize the story — but a corrupted offering is still a corrupted offering. Cain could never erase the blood of his younger brother Abel crying from the ground. No matter how he spun it, no matter how much he wanted God to overlook it, God saw the whole picture.

It’s Still Happening…

Today we hear loud voices offering their version of “truth” and “patriotism.” They speak with fire, slurs, and calls for punishment. They drape it in the language of faith, family, and freedom.

But words that divide, dehumanize, and incite violence cannot be transformed into holy offerings just because they’re wrapped in Bible verses or church language. God does not — and will not — celebrate hatred as righteousness.

Some people act like “blood, fire, and smoke” prove their devotion—as if God were really impressed by rage. Others imagine that removing one group of people would somehow purify the nation. But God is not interested in a love that excludes. He is interested in a love that embraces all of His creation.

⚠️ History’s Warning

History warns us: when faith fuses with power, when nationalism dresses itself as religion, it becomes idolatry.

Isaiah reminds us that “all our righteousness is as filthy rags” (Isa. 64:6). Think about that. All Israel’s sweetest incense, their best music and dance, their spotless rituals — God said, “Look, you’re missing the point. You’re wearing Me out, because you’ve forgotten love.”

God isn’t impressed with rituals or reputations. He’s moved by mercy. Not by loyalty to one tribe over another, but by a love that refuses to leave anyone out.

So I Can’t Leave This Out:

Cain thought God would ignore the blood on the ground. Will we?

Prayer

Lord, purify my worship until love defines all I do.

Today’s Challenge

Listen carefully to words around you — especially the loud ones. Ask: Do these words give life, or do they drain it? Do they sound like Cain, or like Christ?

About the Author

Fred Lynch is a creative communicator, author, and Christian Hip Hop pioneer. To learn more about Fred and what he’s up to now…click here or you can find him in all the socials by searching the handle: heyfredlynch

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Proverbs 20:30

Blows and wounds scrub away evil, and beatings purge the inmost being.

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You ever notice how pain and change are never far apart?Like two sides of the same coin—you almost can’t have one without the other. Every deep wound, every hard lesson, is just the setup for a new beginning. But every new beginning…well, it usually comes gift-wrapped in pain.

Proverbs 20:30 says it so good: “Blows and wounds scrub away evil, and beatings purge the inmost being.”

Yep. Facts. Some of us won’t move at all until pain makes things crystal clear. And pain has no problem telling us what we’d rather avoid—if we’re willing to listen.

PAIN! Nobody likes it. But pain seems to be part of the growth-plan. C.S. Lewis put it like this: “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain. It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”

Buddhist teacher and psychologist Tara Brach said it another way,

"Pain is a given; suffering is our story about the pain."

See that’s saying that there’s a difference between pain and suffering. Pain is an involuntary physical or emotional sensation (like stubbing your toe). While suffering is our voluntary mental and emotional attachment to the event, the mental and emotional turmoil that follows. It's the anxiety, the anger, the self-pity, the replay in our heads about stubbing it again.

When we accept pain as a teacher, those wounds aren’t torture—they’re training. They’re the threshold where old ways die out and new ways are born–again (And I think somebody once said that the whole being born into something again is pretty important…right?). So even a stubbed toe can become my teacher if it wakes me up to pay attention to where and how I’m walking. Pain did its job.

That’s why I called this the precipice of pain. Because pain is proof that you’re standing on the edge of change…the edge of a miracle. The only question is: will you turn back in fear, or step forward into the new?

So take care of yourself. Rest up. Eat well. Tend to your soul. Do what you must so you can endure—not just to the threshold or the precipice of the pain, but through it— into what God is making new.

So Feel This:

Pain isn’t punishment. It’s preparation for who you’re becoming.

Prayer

Lord, use this pain to refine me, not define me.

Today’s Challenge

Don’t numb it. Don’t run from it. Take one honest look at a current pain point in your life—physical, emotional, or spiritual. Instead of asking “Why me?” ask, “What is this teaching me?”

About the Author

Fred Lynch is a creative communicator, author, and Christian Hip Hop pioneer. To learn more about Fred and what he’s up to now…click here or you can find him in all the socials by searching the handle: heyfredlynch

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Proverbs 19:19

Let angry people endure the backlash of their own anger; if you try to make it better, you’ll only make it worse.

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A young trainee once asked a lifeguard,“Why don’t we jump in right away when somebody is drowning?”

The lifeguard replied,“Because when a swimmer is thrashing in panic, they’ll grab onto anything—even their rescuer—and still in a panicked state, drag you under with them. If I go too soon, I won’t save them. I’ll drown too.”

The trainee frowned.“So what do you do instead?”

He said,“I stay close. I wait for the fight to wear down, for that moment when they’re ready to be pulled to safety. That’s when rescue works.”

⚠️ Proverbs 19:19 in The Message Version says:

“Let angry people endure the backlash of their own anger; if you try to make it better, you’ll only make it worse.”

Sometimes the most loving thing is to not rush in. Let anger wear itself out, otherwise you risk both of you going under.

🤔 Real Life Example

Let me make this plain.

Almost a decade ago, my wife and I suffered a terrible separation. One of the hardest backlashes—was watching my children experience the pain of their parents’ fighting, separating, and facing divorce. My son, in particular, seemed to hate me. His words toward me were often sharp, hostile.

At times I wanted to put him in check, but more than anything I wanted to fix it, to explain it, to rescue the relationship. But while in prayer, I heard wisdom whisper: “Let him hate you. He doesn’t hate you as much as he thinks he does. His anger will exhaust itself.”

And so I waited.

Yesterday, that same son turned 28. And the best gift I could ever receive—was him walking into the room, hugging me, and telling me he loved me.

Some stories can find their way to a happy end. You just have to wait for it.

🎤 Remember:

Sometimes love looks like waiting at the water’s edge—close enough to save, patient enough to let the storm run out.

Prayer

Lord, teach me patience, wisdom, and timing in every rescue.

Today’s Challenge

Before you try to “fix” someone’s anger today, pause and ask:Will my words rescue, or will I get pulled under too?Let God’s timing guide your response.

About the Author

Fred Lynch is a creative communicator, author, and Christian Hip Hop pioneer. To learn more about Fred and what he’s up to now…click here or you can find him in all the socials by searching the handle: heyfredlynch

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Proverbs 18:19

A relative offended is harder to reach than a strong city, and disputes are like the barred gates of a fortified citadel.

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I ain’t gonna hold you in suspense on this one—honestly, I don’t know, but I pray we don’t.

Still, if you look around, things are rough right now. We’ve lost the art of listening to each other. There’s more contempt than connection. And we’ve got to be real about where this road is leading us: if we keep nursing our grudges, America could fracture from the inside out.

📖 Scripture Insight

That’s why Proverbs 18:19 is so relevant right now:

“A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city, and contentions are like the bars of a castle.”

Notice the first two words in this Hebrew text. The first word is אָח (‘āḥ) — which translates to “a brother.” The second word is נִפְשָׁע (nip̄šāʿ) — which translate to “offended.” Put em together: אָח (‘āḥ) נִפְשָׁע (nip̄šāʿ) and that’s just the punchline to the riddle: These words shouldn’t belong together.

It’s an oxymoron. Two words that shouldn’t go together, like deafening silence, awfully good, or pretty ugly. The text almost stumbles on purpose—because when brotherhood and offense sit side by side, you’ve got a situation nearly impossible to overcome.

It’s like trying to break into Fort Knox. Once offense builds walls, you can’t get back in from the outside.

Here’s the danger: when we protect our contentions more than our relationships, we guarantee collapse. That’s true in families, friendships, and yes—in nations. If we keep vilifying ideological opponents instead of seeing each other as fellow citizens, the walls between us only get higher and thicker.

And ain’t that the biggest oxymoron of it all? We get deafening silence instead of dialogue. We fight for an awfully good reason that turns out not to be so good after all. We let the beauty of our brotherhood become pretty ugly when offense takes the driver’s seat.

But it doesn’t have to stay that way. I still believe there’s hope. The answer is in reclaiming brotherhood. Yea, Brotherhood almost seems like a bad word these days, but our civic bond, shared humanity, and neighborliness remind us that before party, before ideology, before opinion—we’re family. We’re Americans.

 And the only way to keep this house from falling apart is to stop turning away from each other or on each other and start turning toward each other.

Bottom Line A nation at odds is fragile; a nation as kinfolk can’t fall.

Prayer

Lord, heal offense, restore kinship, and strengthen our shared bond.

Today’s Challenge

Think of one “opponent” in your circle—family, friend, coworker. Instead of debating them today, ask one sincere question that shows you care more about the relationship than the argument.

That’s how we start breaking down walls—from the inside out.

About the Author

Fred Lynch is a creative communicator, author, and Christian Hip Hop pioneer. To learn more about Fred and what he’s up to now…click here or you can find him in all the socials by searching the handle: heyfredlynch

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Proverbs 17:19

Whoever loves a quarrel loves sin; whoever builds a high gate invites destruction.

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 So advertisers have figured out something new over the last decade or so, and it's pretty wild. Forever, everybody knew that sex sells. I mean, if you wanna promote something, anything, just sprinkle a little sexy on it and boom, it takes off, right?

But they've discovered something that sells even better than sex, and that's outrage. That's right, rage keeps people glued to the feed. Engagement turns into dollars, and that's the business behind the scroll.

We live in the economy of calamity. Rage pays. Fury keeps the lights on. Every scroll, every clapback, every viral comment war — someone’s cashing checks at the expense of our pettiness while we burn civility down.

Business professor Scott Galloway points out that nearly 40% of online ad revenue is tied to keeping us glued to the social media feed.

It wasn’t always built this way. Remember those early promises? “Connect the world…or Do No Evil?” Sounds noble, right? But once advertising dollars met the turbo fuel of outrage, a new model was born — one that rewards division over connection, calamity over community.

It’s like a nuclear energy that as long as you don’t pay any attention to the the fallout: rising anxiety, depression, polarization, you have yourself a pretty nifty mean money making machine. Leaders know it. Executives know it. But they keep doubling down — because calamity is keeping us on these platforms!

 But Proverbs nails it, whoever loves a quarrel loves sin. It's not just individuals addicted to the fight. Entire kingdoms have been built on the premise of warring and striving. And who makes the money? Those who are creating the weapons, who are creating the battlefields.

Now I’m not telling you this to depress you — I’m calling you to mobilize.  Remember the story of Jesus when he fell asleep in the boat and this storm came about and he's asleep in the boat and the storm is raging. The disciples are panicking, they wake Jesus, and he goes to the platform of the boat. And he speaks to the wind and the waves, "Peace be still".

What if we, too, could step up in the middle of the storm and speak the kind of calm that breaks the outrage loop?

The great 13th-century Sufi poet Rumi gave us some useful language:

“Out beyond ideas of wrong-doing and right-doing, there is a field. I’ll meet you there.”

So here’s the move: name the harm honestly (call it out), and refuse to feed the outrage machine. Be a peacemaker who acts — not a provocateur who profits. Rumi’s field is the place we aim for: a grounded commons where we look each other in the eye, begin again, and get to work.

So let me end it like this:

We see what they’re doing. Rage may pay their bills — but love fuels our call.

Prayer

Lord, rescue me from quarrels; let love shape my words.

Today’s Challenge

Spot one post baiting your anger. I’m sure it won’t be hard to find. When you see it, simply say, “We see what you’re doing”...Pause. Pray. Then choose one loving move: write a gracious reply, share a constructive resource, or simply stay silent. That small refusal is how we begin starving the economy of calamity.

About the Author

Fred Lynch is a creative communicator, author, and Christian Hip Hop pioneer. To learn more about Fred and what he’s up to now…click here or you can find him in all the socials by searching the handle: heyfredlynch

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Proverbs 16:24

Nothing is more appealing than speaking beautiful, life-giving words. For they release sweetness to our souls and inner healing to our spirits.

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You ever need a palate cleanse? A break from the mess? Because let’s be real — the world feels toxic right now. Everywhere you look, it’s words on words on words—and it’s ugly—cancel culture, clap-backs, callouts. Words can build or destroy. And lately? A lot of words have been poisoning our collective gut.

Now when I was a kid, I remember letting my mouth get slick in front of my great-grandmother (and I guess since she was a few generations removed from what we called liberation) she had her own version of a palate cleanse: that Ivory soap. For Real! I lie not! Mrs. Gertrude wasn’t having it and I caught a mouth washing that day! Whole bar. Bubbles and all. Never forgot that taste. And what made it worse was, I was the good kid—and I got caught!” But I digress…

Grandmamma was teaching me something. Words leave residue. And sometimes, you gotta cleanse.

See, this verse is a divine reminder:

“Nothing is more appealing than speaking beautiful, life-giving words.”

The scripture doesn’t say “soft” words or “sugar-coated” words—it says “life-giving”. Words that carry healing. Words that bring sweetness.

That’s a palate cleanse.

💭 Now — don’t get me wrong. We still need to fight for truth. We still call out lies. We still name words that wound and demand accountability. That’s part of healing too. But before we re-enter the chaos, wisdom says: Cleanse your palate. Wash out the toxic aftertaste of the culture. Rinse your spirit with words that are sweet, wholesome, and healing.

So how do you do it?

Well, remember this is an algorithm thing so:

* First: Switch up your feed—

Follow and like accounts that bring joy, not just outrage.

*  Second, enjoy good news. Not just the shock stuff, but the "Ahhh..." stuff ( I think you know what I'm talking about. Stories that bring hope)

* Then: Laugh at pure, silly, wholesome humor. That laughter itself is healing.

Choose to speak one life-giving word to somebody today. Just one.

🎤 Bottom Line

Sometimes the most radical thing you can do is step back, take a deep breath, and let your spirit taste sweetness again.

Prayer

Lord, wash my words until they heal, not harm. Amen.

Today’s Challenge

Take a 24-hour palate cleanse. We’ll get back to the fight tomorrow, but for now,  fill your mouth, your mind, and your media with words that heal — nothing toxic, nothing bitter. Just sweetness.

About the Author

Fred Lynch is a creative communicator, author, and Christian Hip Hop pioneer. To learn more about Fred and what he’s up to now…click here or you can find him in all the socials by searching the handle: heyfredlynch

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Proverbs 15:28

The heart of the righteous weighs its answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil.

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Gotta love the NIV translation for this great word ‘gush’...it says, that the mouth of the wicked ‘gushes’ evil. What a word picture: a busted pipe where foul stuff just won’t stop flowing. Know anybody like that? Maybe you catch yourself like that some days? Alright get this—next time, look in the mirror and just tell yourself:

“Stop being so gushy.” You’re gushing too much!

📖 Wise People Study Their Answers

When you’re rooted in wisdom, you don’t just shoot off words to win the argument or clap back. You pause. You consider. You study your answers.

Not because you’re trying to be “on brand” or please the crowd. But because you care about the soul on the receiving end.

That hit me this week when I got replies to what I shared about Charlie Kirk. Some friends—conservative in their views—pushed back. I knew that would happen. And instead of going back and forth, I chose to take my time, and answer from my view with respect, while considering their position. My hope was to follow this wisdom principle.

James Baldwin once said:

We can disagree and still love each other, unless your disagreement is rooted in my oppression and denial of my humanity and right to exist.

I’m feeling that. I won’t sacrifice the image of God in another human to win an argument. Period. There is no point to prove in mutilating the imago Dei, because discovering the image of God within each other is the point.

✂️ There’s a Time for Sharpness — But Let’s Be SurgicalSometimes words must cut. Prophetic correction, necessary rebuke, truth that snaps someone out of a lie: these all exist. But there is a difference between surgical truth and recklessly “gushing” out words that bring more harm. The wicked have no filter; they vomit. They ‘gush’. Wisdom asks: Is this corrective? Will it heal? Is it proportionate?

Because if our words don’t carry both truth and love, then they’re not wise—they’re just noise.

🎤 So Let me Say This:

Words can wound. Words can heal. Wisdom always pauses to choose which one they’ll do.

🙏🏽 Prayer

Lord, give me wisdom to weigh my words with love.

💡 Today’s Challenge:

Before you answer anyone today—breathe three deep counts. Ask: Is this true? Is it loving? Will it heal? Then speak.

About the Author

Fred Lynch is a creative communicator, author, and Christian Hip Hop pioneer. To learn more about Fred and what he’s up to now…click here or you can find him in all the socials by searching the handle: heyfredlynch

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Proverbs 14:34

Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people.

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I love going on train tracks... train tracks lead you to somewhere. And what you often have to do is , look at what track you are on and you'll understand where you're headed.

I'll be honest, I'm a little bit grieved today. I'm grieved because of all that's going on in the nation. I'm sure you guys heard of the situation with the young man, Charlie Kurk, who was assassinated. I will call it murder. And, I'm grieved because that was another human and I think that killing is just not the answer.

Nor is the ideology that he pushed that instigated other people to be harmed, harassed & killed without reason. I'm grieved because of the dangerous ideology that's twisted so many into this tribalistic, misused Christianity. That's being leveraged as 'click- fuel' and erupting on the world stage in all of our faces.

We're all worse off for this. Nobody is benefited when someone is killed. When someone is dehumanized, when someone is defamed, and I'm specifically talking about the people that this young man, using his ideology, abused...those same toxic ideas did the same thing to him.

And I'm seriously grieved because of the HBCU's that had to shut down due to bomb threats because more people jumped to a lapse in judgment thinking that this was done by anyone other than the type of person that “we all knew” that had the real capacity to do this:

“a young white male furious at how things are and thinking that he can change it in his own way with his own hands.”

 I'm grieved for the silent partners, those who bankrolled the rage fan, the trauma cycles who profit off of addiction to our own outrage and our repetitive watching of the videos, our replaying of the rhetoric.

We cannot pretend that this is just politics.

It's more than that. It's spiritual wounds and it's bad for us all.

But in grief, I also see...the truth.

Our souls are crying out because we are not right with one another.

We've made a spectacle of each other's worst moments, and we've cast judgment instead of healing, and we've demonized instead of restoring.

📜 Scripture Speaks

But Proverbs says that righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.

True righteousness means "right standing with God-and with one another." See, we are called to stand right in “right fellowship with each other” and not ignoring the wrong, but refusing to let our hate and our ideology blind us to our shared humanity.

You know, the word sin in Hebrew is חֵטְא "chot".

It means simply missing the mark as if you were on track and you got off track. And then the word repentance is תְּשׁוּבָה teshuva.

Teshuva is simply recognizing that you're off track and getting back on track.

That's where we are, in our nation, in our world, recognize that we're off track and that we get back on track. To redirect our hearts toward God and back toward each other.

Right standing with one another means releasing the temptation to shame and demonize each other. Think about this. Jesus went and touched a leprous person. Everybody hated to touch them, but he went to 'em and touched them and said, I want you to be whole.

What if we looked at what we felt like was 'leprous ideologies' of our opponents,

and we went and touched them and said, I want you to be whole because I've experienced wholeness in my life, and I think I can share this with you.

So remember thisRighteousness lifts us up, but sin, it shames us. But if we would only recognize that we're off track, we can simply get back on track.

🙏🏽 Prayer

Lord, help me return. Stand love and heal in unity.

💡 Today’s Challenge:

Reach out to someone that you've judged or written off, that they're all off track and they can't get back on. Take some time to listen. . Begin restoring community. Not for their perfection, but for shared humanity.

About the Author

Fred Lynch is a creative communicator, author, and Christian Hip Hop pioneer. To learn more about Fred and what he’s up to now…click here or you can find him in all the socials by searching the handle: heyfredlynch

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Be Wise and Be Well...peace.

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Proverbs 13:20

Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.

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This one here, is good. I want you to walk with me as we talk about this verse. Jim Rohn once said,

“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”

Oh, that’s deep. If you want to know what type of person you are, look around YOU. Who gravitates to you and who do you gravitate to? Pay attention to it because it’ll give you a clue…about you.

Long before Rohan dropped that gem, Solomon was inspired and caught this divine revelation that your company shapes your destiny.

One of the most immediate forms of ‘walking with someone’ is in cultivating an abiding presence. In other words, walking ‘with’ someone is learning to move in rhythm, a syncopated companionship, a dialogue of discovery you commit and work at finding the flow. That means walking together isn't always easy. Sometimes it looks like you're wrestling... and not just walking. That's important though, because sometimes it means being willing to let another's life experience touch your soul.

And wisdom also calls for discernment. So there are seasons when the path that you're on will diverge from the people that you once walked with. That doesn’t require disdain. In fact, real wisdom pays homage to the teachers, mentors, and even former companions whose perspectives carried you as far as they could. Honor the past, learn from it, and step into the future with gratitude and discernment. You glean from those lessons and then you go into your future with gratitude and clarity.

But “walking with” wisdom goes far beyond proximity.

For me, walking with wisdom has often looked like walking with books. I’ve sat at the feet of A.W. Tozer, Myles Monroe, Rumi, Frederick Douglass (my namesake), Richard Rohr, Brian McLaren, Malcolm X, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., T.D. Jakes, R.C. Sproul, Rob Bell… and the list could go on. If you know these thinkers, you’d probably think I was schizophrenic—they don’t all agree! But neither did the writers of Scripture.

The truth is, I walked in step with each for as long as I could. I took what they could give me, and when the path diverged, I moved forward. Yet I often circle back and I find myself revisiting those old landmarks of my map. Their differing voices have become a compass for me, guiding me through the complexities of my own journey. That’s the literary side of walking with the wise.

And then there’s real people in your life—mentors, peers, pastors, artists, friends. People that look up to you, people with whom you see eye to eye, and people whom you look up to. Each person brings a particular lived experience that intersects with my own, shaping me in ways I couldn’t have reached alone. Some voices stay for a lifetime; others are seasonal. But all deserve honor. Even when we can’t walk the same road anymore, wisdom calls me to look back with gratitude for the steps we did share.

Remember

You are shaped by who you walk with. So choose those companions with care.

🙏🏽 Prayer

Lord, shape me by wisdom, honor, gratitude, and holy love.

💡 Today’s Challenge:

Choose one “walking partner” today—through a book, a sermon, or a real life conversation. Let their wisdom shape your thinking. And then, pause to honor someone from your past who walked with you for a season but no longer does.

About the Author

Fred Lynch is a creative communicator, author, and Christian Hip Hop pioneer. To learn more about Fred and what he’s up to now…click here or you can find him in all the socials by searching the handle: heyfredlynch

📱Experience Proverbs Daily by Subscribing!

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Go to proverbsdaily.org for the app  or just click that Subscribe button right now!

Be Wise and Be Well...peace.

Thanks for reading Proverbs Daily! This post is public so feel free to share it.