​A Word to the Wise: 8 Reasons We Can’t Give Up on Our Non-Believing Friends
 

1. God’s still doing the work of drawing people unto Himself. He will be doing so until believers from every nation, tribe, people, and language gather around His throne (Rev 7:9-10). The family member or friend for whom you’ve been praying for a long time might well be in that number.
2. We don’t always know what’s going on in the hearts of others. We might think we do, but we can’t fully know what others are thinking. I’ve seen situations where someone who seemed to be hardened was actually considering Christ – just quietly and unbeknownst to me.
3. We don’t always know what God’s up to in their lives. I’m so glad that God works according to His plans, but I’m still learning how to trust Him with His plans. What I’m learning is that God isn’t obligated to give me the details when He’s working in somebody else’s life.
4. God’s timing for responding to our prayers is seldom our timing. He doesn’t operate according to our calendar or our clock. He’s not rushed, nor is He ever late. His delay in answering our prayers is not evidence that He doesn’t care – so we can’t give up.
5. God loves our family and friends more than we do. He sent His Son to die for the sins of the world, and He is love in His very nature. That love ought to allow us to rest in His work in our lives and the lives of others.
6. It’s the enemy who wants us to give up on others. Ultimately, what he wants us to do is not just give up on others, but rather give up on God. “After all,” he says, “God surely doesn’t care if He hasn’t answered your prayer yet.”
7. Some of us can speak of God’s answering prayers many years after we started praying. If you’ve read this blog for some time, you know we prayed for my dad and mom for 36 and 47 years, respectively, before the Lord dramatically changed them. 
8. Many of us can talk about others who never gave up on us, no matter how far we had walked away from God. They kept praying for us. And kept praying for us. And prayed some more, until God saved us. In many cases, we’re our own best example of why we can’t give up on others.

Chuck Lawless, 5.5.25, https://chucklawless.com/2025/05/7-reasons-we-cant-give-up-on-our-non-believing-friends/

A Word to the Wise: Love Through Punctuality: Why Being on Time Matters
 
3 Reasons Why Being on Time Matters
1. Punctuality Is a Form of Love
“Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” – Philippians 2
2. Punctuality Reflects Integrity
“Let your ‘Yes’ be yes and your ‘No,’ no.” – Matthew 5:37
3. Punctuality Is Part of Your Witness
“So that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.” – 1 Thessalonians 4:12
 
Strategies for Punctuality
The heart is the most important part of this thing, that’s why I began with the “why.” But here are some super practical ways to be better at being on time.

1. Plan in Reverse – Instead of asking “What time do I need to leave?” ask, “What time do I need to start getting ready?”
2. Build in Buffer – There will always be unexpected delays—especially if you have kids. So don’t try to time everything out perfectly. Always try to overestimate how long it will take.
3. Dress, then Rest – A lot of times we end being late because we were relaxing and waited until the last minute to start getting ready. Instead, get ready to go first, then spend some time relaxing before you actually have to leave. Bonus: This way is a lot less stressful.
4. Set a Leave Alarm – This assumes you’ve already figured out when you need to be out the door. But once you have that time, then set an alarm 5–10 minutes before that time. That way you don’t lose track of the time, or have to constantly be checking the clock.
5. Prep the Night Before - This applies more for morning appointments. But laying out your clothes, getting your lunch or whatever else you need together in advance, these simple steps can save you loads of time (and anxiety) in the morning. And they can help you be punctual.

Reagan Rose, Redeeming Productivity, 4.22.25, https://redeemingproductivity.com/punctuality/

A Word to the Wise: Ken Sande
 
One of the best ways to improve your relationships is to develop the habit of drawing attention to EGGs. Not the ones you cook or search for at Easter, but the innumerable Evidences of God’s Grace that he lavishes on you and those around you … and calls you to recount to others.

Ken Sande, 4.16.25, One Simple Habit That Transforms Relationships

A Word to the Wise:
 
The Bible calls us to be transformed by the renewal of our minds. This is a better framework for thinking about the Bible than "applying" its principles to our lives.
 
I believe there's a better word than "apply," and that's "transform." In fact, I can't think of any passage in the Bible that instructs us to apply the Bible to our lives as I have described it above. It's simply not the verb used. Sometimes, we are called to hear, obey, and keep God’s commands. At other times, there are other words like "being transformed from one level of glory to another" or "growing in knowledge," and such words name the general way in which we grow in the word.
 
What's a better general term than application? I believe we need to consider the words "contemplation" and "transformation." When you contemplate the Bible, you reflect on what it says so that it can transform you from the inside out. This aligns with how the Bible talks about transformation. For example, Romans 12 says, "Don't be conformed to the world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind."
 
What happens is that when you reflect on Scripture, you contemplate in your mind what is being said about reality, and you come to know what is true about reality—whether that's about yourself or the world around you.
 
So rather than asking, "How do I apply this Bible passage to my life?" we might ask, "How does contemplating this truth transform how I see reality?" When we do this, the Bible doesn't become a manual for extracting principles; it becomes a lens through which we see the world as it truly is—created, fallen, and being redeemed by God.
 
Through contemplation, the Bible transforms us from the inside out, renewing our minds and changing how we interact with everything from the stars above to the miracle of new life.
I am not saying “applying” the Bible is bad. I simply think there is a better way to generalize what we are doing when we read the Bible to know God. We read to be transformed from the inside out by what we have contemplated in his word and world.
​
Wyatt Graham, 4.2.25, Don’t Apply the Bible to Your Life. Do This Instead. (One of Trevin’s Seven, 4.11.25)

A Word to the Wise: A Simple Truth to Fight Temptation (Chuck Lawless)

Here is the way Jesus taught us to pray about temptation: “And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” (Matt 6:13). Albert Mohler, my president for many years when I served at Southern Seminary, notes these conclusions about this text:

• First, we must recognize that temptations are a real, daily threat to our life with Christ. 
• Second, we must understand that we are not able to resist temptation by our own power. 
• Third, we must pray for endurance in the fight against temptation. 
• Fourth, we must pray that the Lord delivers us from our own personal patterns of temptation. 

What most catches my attention, though, is that Jesus taught us to pray about temptation before we get into it.

Chuck Lawless, 3.28.25, A Simple Truth to Fight Temptation 

A Word to the Wise: The Trinity and Prayer
 
This Trinitarian mutuality impacts public prayer in two ways. First, each member of the Trinity is intimately involved in the very act of praying. As the old saying goes, we pray to the Father, through the Son, by the power of the Spirit. Paul Miller helpfully elaborates on the mysterious Trinitarian interplay in the act of praying:

Even now I often don’t realize that I am praying. Possibly, it isn’t even me praying, but the Spirit. Paul said, “God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Galatians 4:6). The Spirit is not assisting us to pray; he is the one who is actually praying. He is the pray-er. More specifically, it is the Spirit of his Son praying. The Spirit is bringing the childlike heart of Jesus into my heart and crying Abba, Father. Jesus’s longing for his Father becomes my longing. My spirit meshes with the Spirit, and I, too, begin to cry, Father
(A Praying Life).
 
While Miller is talking about the Trinity moving us in personal prayer, the same is true in public prayer. The Holy Spirit moves leaders to prepare and pray Christlike prayers to the Father on behalf of his gathered children.
​
Pat Quinn, Crossway, 4.1.25, Prayer Is and Should Be Trinitarian

A Word to the Wise
 
Discipleship isn’t just about teaching someone to live like Jesus—it’s also about helping them lead like Jesus.
 
Too often, we overcomplicate leadership development. But when you strip it down, it's simpler than we think—and far more powerful when we make it personal.
 
Here are three practical ways to put it into practice starting today:
 
1. Ask more, tell less. Instead of always giving answers, start asking better questions. Jesus rarely just “told” His disciples what to do—He asked questions that made them think.
 
2. Invest in the few to impact the many. Jesus spent most of His time with 12 people. He knew that multiplying leaders happens best through deep relationships, not big events.
 
3. Teach people to see decisions as discipleship. Every decision a leader makes is a chance to grow in wisdom, faith, and character. Helping someone make better decisions is one of the best ways to disciple them.
Discipling leaders isn’t about filling their heads—it’s about forming their hearts.
Mac Lake, 3.17.25, Leadership Development Isn’t Complicated – It’s Discipleship

A Word to the Wise
 
Discipleship isn’t just about teaching someone to live like Jesus—it’s also about helping them lead like Jesus.
 
Too often, we overcomplicate leadership development. But when you strip it down, it's simpler than we think—and far more powerful when we make it personal.
 
Here are three practical ways to put it into practice starting today:
 
1. Ask more, tell less. Instead of always giving answers, start asking better questions. Jesus rarely just “told” His disciples what to do—He asked questions that made them think.
 
2. Invest in the few to impact the many. Jesus spent most of His time with 12 people. He knew that multiplying leaders happens best through deep relationships, not big events.
 
3. Teach people to see decisions as discipleship. Every decision a leader makes is a chance to grow in wisdom, faith, and character. Helping someone make better decisions is one of the best ways to disciple them.
 
Discipling leaders isn’t about filling their heads—it’s about forming their hearts.
​
Mac Lake, 3.17.25, Leadership Development Isn’t Complicated – It’s Discipleship

A Word to the Wise
 
Gallup identified four key expectations followers have of their leaders. They need leaders to provide hope, trust, compassion, and stability.
 
Pastors and other leaders often feel responsible for providing countless benefits to those under their care. But what is it people actually need from those leading them?
 
Gallup released the “Global Leadership Report: What Followers Want” report after conducting a worldwide study to discover the types of leaders with the most positive influence on people’s daily lives and the most dominant need among followers.
 
Gallup asked respondents to list three words that best describe what their most positive leader contributes to their life. Using this open-ended question in multiple leadership studies in the U.S. and additional countries, Gallup identified four key expectations followers have of their leaders. They need leaders to provide hope, trust, compassion, and stability.
 
Of those four, followers most need hope. Of all the attributes individuals list about their most impactful positive leader, 56% are tied to hope, particularly attributes of inspiration, vision, and personal integrity.
 
Additionally, however, pastors should be inspiring people with a positive vision for the future of the church, overcoming obstacles to trust, displaying compassion for the needs of their people, and serving as an example of stability in times of chaos.
Pastors cannot generate these feelings in and of themselves, but as they lean on Christ, He can ensure the congregation has their leadership needs fully met.
​
Aaron Earls, Lifeway Research, 3.7.25, What do people want most from their leader? Hope
 

A Word to the Wise by Paul Tripp
 
Suffering Is Never Neutral
We never suffer only the thing we are suffering; we also always suffer the way we are suffering. We never come to our suffering empty-handed. We always drag a bag full of experiences, expectations, assumptions, perspectives, desires, intentions, and decisions into our suffering.
 
Thus, our lives are shaped not only by what we suffer but by also what we bring to our suffering. How we think about ourselves, life, God, and others will profoundly affect the way in which we think about, interact with, and respond to the difficulties that come our way.

​Fight the Enemy by Counting Blessings
When we are suffering, we must force ourselves to pay attention to our private conversation, that is, the words we say to ourselves that no one else hears. We are always talking to ourselves about ourselves, life, God, others, meaning and purpose, relationships, trouble, solutions, hope, the past, the future, and so on. Because of this constant internal conversation, we influence ourselves more than anyone else does, since we hear what we ourselves have to say more than we hear anyone else. But every sufferer must ask, ‘Has my suffering caused me to begin to believe things that are not true and therefore to say to myself things that are not true?’ We need to question our own assumptions. We need to argue with our own hearts. We need to confront evidences of unbelief in our private conversation.
 
There is no more powerful tool against debilitating doubt than gratitude. It is exactly at the point where we are tempted to doubt our blessings that counting our blessings is the most important. A thankful heart is the best defense against a doubting heart. Recounting evidences of God’s presence, his grace, his faithfulness to his promises, his provision, and the reliability of what he has told us in his Word reminds us of God’s goodness—and, because it does, it protects us against the lies that tempt us to deem him as less than good.
 
No matter how difficult or long-lasting our suffering may have been, there are blessings to be found.
 
Our battle is not merely the difficult thing we are facing but also encompasses the impact of the difficulty on our hearts.
​
Paul Tripp, 3.1.25, excerpts from “Grace + Knowledge: When Suffering Knocks”