At the Movies Bible Reading Plan

In addition to taking you beyond the post, I occasionally get the opportunity to offer my thoughts on the most pressing cultural and theological issues of…

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Lindsey Graham

Since Senator Lindsey Graham’s sudden passing over the weekend, I’ve watched two very different conversations unfold.

Some have offered heartfelt tributes. Others have responded with celebration, indifference, or open contempt. Given his long and often polarizing public life, none of that surprises me.

But as a follower of Jesus with a public voice, I’ve found myself pondering this one question all week:

How should followers of Jesus respond when someone with a complicated legacy dies?

First, let me address the elephant in the room. There are those who may feel I am being naive in using the word “complicated” to describe his legacy, so let me be clear. I do not believe death suddenly erases a person’s record, nor do I think every public figure deserves universal praise once they’ve passed. Senator Graham’s life, like every public life, will continue to be examined, debated, and evaluated.

Some of those conversations are both necessary and appropriate.

To keep it a buck, I have vehemently disagreed with Senator Graham on matters of policy and public life, and I will not ignore or rewrite those realities.

Neither, however, gives me permission to surrender my humanity.

One of the great temptations of our political moment is believing that conviction requires contempt.

Jesus never taught that.

He certainly confronted hypocrisy. He spoke truth to power. He challenged corrupt leaders without hesitation. But even His strongest rebukes were never invitations to delight in another person’s death or downfall.

In fact, Scripture consistently invites us to a higher standard.

The Book of Proverbs warns us not to rejoice when our enemy falls. The Apostle Paul tells us to bless those who persecute us and to refuse to be overcome by evil, choosing instead to overcome evil with good. Jesus Himself commands us to love our enemies and pray for those who oppose us.

None of those commands asks us to abandon discernment.

All of them require us to abandon hatred.

We can tell the truth about a person’s life without becoming cruel.

We can acknowledge real harm without celebrating death.

We can critique policies while still praying for grieving families.

Perhaps that’s what Christian maturity looks like in a polarized age.

Not revisionist history or selective memory but refusing to allow someone else’s life or death to determine the condition of our own hearts.

Death is one of the few moments that reminds us all of the same uncomfortable truth.

Every life, no matter how celebrated or criticized, eventually stands before God.

Not social media.

Not a political party.

Not public opinion.

Before God.

That reality should shape both our memory and our mercy.

One day, the final account of every life, including mine and yours, will not be settled by the loudest voices online but by the only Judge who sees perfectly, loves perfectly, and judges perfectly.

What I Read:

Kin by Tayari Jones

I’m giving special attention to this read since my Virtual Summer Book Club officially launches this week.

What I’m Listening To:

I don’t have any standouts in the listening category this week either. Bummer.

What KS Is Up To:

This past Sunday, we continued our summer series, KS at the Movies, which is our attempt to copy Jesus’ illustrative genius by using movies as modern-day parables.

The Week 2 message was based on the movie Inside Out. I’ll post a link to our church’s podcast, which is now on Substack as well, so you can check out the recap.

LISTEN TO WEEK 2 RECAP

The Week 3 message will be based on the movie Creed II as we explore what happens when more of anything becomes more of everything.

At the Movies Bible Reading Plan

In this week’s subscriber-exclusive episode, More Is Less: Beyond the Post, I share the information management system that makes everything else possible.…

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Derek Sivers

I must admit I laughed when I first read that quote, but it’s true.

We already know we should exercise. We know we should eat better. We know we should spend less than we make. We know we should put our phones down, get more sleep, and invest in the relationships that matter most.

Our problem isn’t usually ignorance; it’s implementation.

And Christians aren’t immune to this.

In many ways, we’ve become incredibly good at accumulating information.

We attend conferences. Listen to podcasts. Read books. Highlight Bibles. And fill notebooks with sermon notes.

We have access to more theological information than ever before, yet knowledge alone has never been the goal of following Jesus.

Jesus closes the Sermon on the Mount with a story about two builders.

One puts His words into practice, and the other doesn’t.

Both heard His words, so the difference wasn’t what they knew.

It’s what they did with what they knew that mattered, a reminder to us that the foundation of our lives (which the house metaphorically represents in Scripture) isn’t built on hearing but on obeying.

James, the brother of Jesus, echoes the same idea years later when he writes:

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”

Because it’s possible to confuse information with integration.

To mistake taking notes for taking action.

To assume that because something moved me emotionally, it has somehow changed me spiritually.

But information alone doesn’t transform people; practice does.

This realization has shaped everything I’m trying to build through speaking, writing, podcasting, coaching, and our community at Kingdom South.

It’s also why I often say:

We don’t need more notes; we need the courage to act on them.

Don’t misunderstand me: learning matters, but maybe it would be helpful to practice what Pat Flynn calls Lean Learning.

He writes:

He’s exactly right.

The goal isn’t to learn less. It’s to practice more.

Information is meant to fuel obedience, not replace it.

Spiritual maturity isn’t measured by how much we know about Jesus; it’s measured by how much of what we know has made its way into our everyday lives.

As one of my mentors puts it, “You’re not deep if you can’t do it.”

So maybe this is your reminder, and mine.

Read the book.

Take the notes.

Listen to the podcast.

And then go and do.

What I Read:

Lean Learning by Pat Flynn

The concept of Lean Learning revolutionized the way I learn, which in turn revolutionized my life. I’d encourage you to check out this book in hopes that it may do the same for you.

What I’m Listening To:

I haven’t really listened to anything that caught my attention this past week. Maybe I’ll have better luck this week.

What KS Is Up To:

This past Sunday, we kicked off our summer series, KS at the Movies. It’s our attempt to copy Jesus’ illustrative genius by using movies as modern-day parables.

The Week 1 message was based on the movie Creed. I’ll post a link to our church’s podcast so you can check out the recap.

LISTEN TO WEEK 1 RECAP

The Week 2 message will be based on the movie Inside Out. We don’t have enough conversations about emotions in the black community or the black church, but Pete Scazzero has accurately assessed:

At the Movies Bible Reading Plan

One of the greatest casualties of modern culture is nuance. We have become increasingly uncomfortable with the possibility that two seemingly contradictory things can be true at the same time.

This Fourth of July, I am reminded once again that celebration and frustration often occupy the same space, especially for those of us whose lived experience has not always reflected America’s stated ideals.

I originally wrote this last year, but as I reread it this week, I realized very little has changed. If anything, it felt worth sharing again because it remains my best attempt to hold both gratitude and grief at once.

“Our job is to try to save the world, and failing that, we can at least try to not be part of the problem.”—Ryan Holiday

I love the idea of America.

The words penned by imperfect men, in imperfect times.

The words were powerful, even prophetic.

They offered a vision of what could be, a nation where liberty and justice are not the privilege of a few but the birthright of all.

But I find myself, year after year, in the same place as a frustrated idealist. Caught between the beauty of our founding words and the brokenness of our lived experience.

From the beginning, America’s founding documents brought a radical hope into the world. The Declaration of Independence declared independence from tyranny and oppression, and then the Constitution sought to establish a framework for a republic governed by laws, not kings.

It’s crazy how they’ve inspired nations to ignite movements challenging oppressive forms of government around the world while also existing alongside and in contradiction to domestic realities like slavery, disenfranchisement, and systemic injustice.

How can a nation that promised liberty build its wealth on the backs of the enslaved?

How can a land that declared equality withhold it from women, Indigenous people, immigrants, and countless others?

How can a country that claims freedom of conscience persecute dissent?

Although I don’t have the answers, I do know these contradictions don’t negate the ideals; instead, they remind us that we have yet to reach them, which is where my frustration as an idealist grows and is often misunderstood on both sides.

Fortunately, I am not alone.

Frustrated idealists are prophets to the nation, and we come in various forms: activists, artists, creatives, podcasters, preachers, teachers, writers, etc.

We don’t hate America, and that makes some people mad.

At the same time, we are not blind to, nor silent about, the gap between what America says and what she does, and that makes some people mad.

However, I hope, especially on a day like today, that we can create space for both, which is why I refuse to condemn anyone celebrating today.

Nevertheless, I would like to challenge us all to adopt a different kind of patriotism.

The kind that is honest, sober, and hopeful.

The kind that demands alignment between word and deed.

The kind that celebrates progress while insisting there’s more to be done.

Because ideals need more than celebration, they need commitment.

So this year, I won’t settle for cynicism or cheap pride.

I’ll remain a frustrated idealist.

I’ll pray for America and work for justice.

And I’ll keep praying and working until the promise is realized:

That all people are created equal.

That liberty and justice belong to everyone.

And that love of country means loving it enough to want more for it and from it.

In the spirit of nuance: Happy Fourth. The marathon continues.

In this week’s subscriber-exclusive episode, Get the Rocket Ready: Beyond the Post, I build on this week’s reflection by sharing three practical ways to m…

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Winston Churchill

We spend a lot of time asking God for more. More opportunity. More influence. More responsibility. More success. Bigger platforms. Greater impact. But rarely do we pause long enough to ask whether our lives are actually prepared to sustain the very things we are praying for.

I heard it put this way:

And as I’ve been sitting with this thought, I couldn’t help but think about the life of Jesus.

In the Gospel of Luke 2:52, Luke gives us a fascinating detail about Jesus before His public ministry ever begins.

“And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.”

That verse has always intrigued me because immediately after this moment, scripture goes silent.

From roughly age twelve until age thirty, we know almost nothing about the life of Jesus.

Eighteen years of hiddenness and preparation, during which the One who would eventually change the world was not preaching sermons, gathering disciples, or performing miracles.

Think about that for a second.

With only three years of public ministry, Jesus spent far longer preparing than performing.

This can be a challenge for us to emulate because we live in a culture obsessed with visibility. We celebrate the launch. We applaud the platform. We admire the success story. But very few people appreciate the slow, often quiet work required to build a life capable of sustaining those things.

We want what comes next while ignoring what needs to happen now.

But small issues on the ground become big issues in the air.

The discipline we keep postponing.

The sleep we keep sacrificing.

The unhealthy relationships we keep tolerating.

The emotional immaturity we keep excusing.

The spiritual disciplines we keep neglecting.

The habits we keep telling ourselves we’ll address later.

These things don’t disappear when life accelerates; they’re magnified.

Preparation is not about perfection; it’s about capacity.

It’s doing the work of becoming the kind of person who can handle what God places in your hands.

I’ve been learning this lesson personally as I’ve been planting Kingdom South.

From the very beginning, I felt deeply convicted that I did not want to build just another church experience. I wanted to help create a community centered around spiritual formation, a place where people are not merely inspired by the teachings of Jesus but challenged to actually live them out.

What I didn’t fully understand was what that kind of calling would demand from me personally.

You cannot consistently ask people to practice the teachings of Jesus while refusing to do that work yourself.

It has forced me to confront parts of my own life that were easier to ignore when ministry was mostly about communicating information well.

But a formation-focused church requires something different. It insists that the person delivering the message is also being shaped by it.

Not simply building the thing but building the person to build the thing.

Perhaps this is why one of the most important lessons we can learn from Jesus, especially in a culture of constant noise and endless visibility, is hidden in the eighteen-year silence.

So maybe this is your reminder, and mine.

Get the rocket ready before you light the fuse.

What I’m Reading:

Kin by Tayari Jones

This is the selection for my first Virtual Summer Book Club, which you still have time to register for.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

What I’m Listening To:

Raging Moderates

This episode is titled “Explosive Trump Secrets Exposed in New Book.” It’s really good and not for the reason you may think. I’ve been intrigued by what people find so intriguing about Trump, and this episode helped me with that.

What KS Is Up To:

Sunday starts our summer series, KS at the Movies. It’s our attempt to copy Jesus’ illustrative genius by using movies as modern-day parables.

Week 1: Creed

I’m a boxing fan, so this was an easy choice for a teaching tool, especially since this year’s theme is Radical Warfare. What isn’t easy is learning that the enemy within you is much more powerful than the one around you.

⁠Gender Wars Bible Reading Plan (for Men)

One of the commitments I made to you was to create a space for deeper conversations, and today marks the start of that.

In this first subscriber-exclusive…

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Darren Hardy

Last week, I wrote about procrastination and the danger of burying what God has placed in our hands.

I reflected on Jesus’ parable in Matthew 25 and how the third servant ultimately lost what he had, not because he lacked potential, but because fear led him to believe that preserving what he had was safer than stewarding it.

This week, I find myself thinking about the first two servants.

¹⁶ The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. ¹⁷ So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more.

I came across a quote from Sahil Bloom that I haven’t been able to shake:

In the parable, we are never told how the first two servants multiplied what they were given, but they did.

What if it wasn’t a massive move but a series of small decisions made consistently over time?

Perhaps that is exactly what so many of us misunderstand about growth.

We tend to overestimate what can happen in a day and underestimate what can happen in a year of consistent effort. We look for breakthrough moments while ignoring the power of repetition. We want multiplication, but we resist the ordinary discipline that makes multiplication possible.

This year, I’ve been learning this lesson in real time.

Not through some grand revelation but through the simple discipline of showing up consistently. Writing more. Recording more. Creating more.

To be honest, nothing happened at first.

But slowly, almost imperceptibly, I began noticing change. Better systems. Better confidence. Better execution. Better clarity.

I used to get frustrated because I wanted instant transformation, but the way of Jesus has always been slower. Nobody becomes the person they are meant to be overnight, including me.

Transformation is cumulative.

Prayer compounds. Scripture compounds. Generosity compounds. Discipline compounds. Faithfulness compounds.

We see it play out in Jesus’ parable.

¹⁹ “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. ²⁰ The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’

²¹ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

²² “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’

²³ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

By not merely condemning the third servant's inactivity but praising the first two servants' productivity, Jesus teaches us how life works.

What if the magic is in the workout you don’t skip? The chapter you decide to read. The difficult conversation you finally have. The content you continue to post, even when only ten people see it.

It all eventually compounds.

So maybe this is your reminder, and mine, to stop underestimating beginnings and despising progress.

The goal is anything above zero.

What I Read:

Compound Effect by Darren Hardy

If this idea of consistency and compounding resonates with you, I’d highly recommend this book. I first read it a few years ago, but I find myself returning to its ideas often.

It will change your life.

Read at your own risk.

What I’m Listening To:

Sing the Wonderous Love of Jesus (When We All Get to Heaven) | Lor

I found this artist randomly, thanks to the YouTube algorithm, and I’ve been hooked ever since. She sings hymns with a beautiful unplugged kinda vibe. As a church kid, I feel connected to the old saints when I listen.

What KS Is Up To:

Sunday (Week 4) concludes the Gender Wars series for men. One of the leaders on our team is closing out the series, and it’s his first time sharing the word on a Sunday morning.

I’m looking forward to it.

⁠Gender Wars Bible Reading Plan⁠ (for Men)