Recently, I’ve become bothered by a phrase that Christians often throw around without much thought: “We’re called to be fruit inspectors.” It’s frequently used to justify inspecting and analyzing the lives of other believers.

Certainly, there is some merit to the fact that Jesus taught us to examine fruit (Matthew 7:16). However, I fear we’ve taken that idea and run it into the ground. Somewhere along the way, we’ve confused examining fruit with declaring ourselves gardeners.

When we inspect someone else’s life and see bruises, scars, failures, or struggles, we immediately try to “fix” them. At the very least, we often take our beliefs and convictions and drive them into people like a stake instead of offering them a cup of cold water. We step in with what we believe is the perfect solution, as though we’ve stumbled upon the magical answer that will miraculously cure their problem.

Even when our answer is biblically sound, more often than not, we need to allow the Holy Spirit to do the convicting. When we become laser-focused on truth alone, truth can become weaponized, and we lose the very person we are trying to lead into the Kingdom.

Perhaps the saddest outcome is when we finally realize we can’t fix someone. We quietly distance ourselves, exclude them from our circles, or simply walk away and call it holiness.

I am wholly convinced that this is not the way of Jesus.

Throughout the Gospels, we see Him continually reaching toward broken people rather than pushing them away. He never compromised the truth, but neither did He abandon people because they struggled. Jesus didn’t chase after the rich young ruler when he walked away, nor did He soften the truth to make him stay. He lovingly spoke the truth and then allowed the young man to make his own decision. Even then, Jesus never stopped showing compassion. He looked beyond the brokenness and saw the image of God staring back at Him.

Following Jesus means fighting daily against our own sinful nature. It also means standing beside people who are not yet ready—or may not even want—to fight that same battle. The Church is called to live in the world without conforming to it, not to remove itself from it.

Jesus sat with tax collectors. He touched lepers. He looked a prostitute in the eye. He welcomed sinners to His table. Again and again, He offered grace before calling people to a transformed life.

Our calling is no different.

We stand firmly on God’s truth while extending God’s love. We hold hands rather than point fingers. We listen before we speak. We love before we label. And we remember that redemption belongs to God. Our role is to faithfully love people while trusting the Holy Spirit to change hearts.

Jesus said, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost”(Luke 19:10). He also said, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40).

Perhaps we’ve become so focused on saying, “Hate the sin and love the sinner,” that we’ve overlooked something even more important: Hate your own sin, and then love the sinner.

The Church will truly shine when it stops becoming an expert at identifying the damaged. Instead, it will become the place where the world knows it can always find grace and truth together—a place that welcomes the hurting, embraces the broken, and offers every person the life-changing love of Jesus Christ.

In Christ,
James

I was saddened last week to learn that the United Methodist Church removed Asbury Theological Seminary from its list of approved seminaries. For more than 100 years, Asbury has faithfully and effectively educated thousands of ministers of music, missionaries, ordained deacons, and elders for the United Methodist Church.

Of course, there has long been disagreement among many clergy and laity regarding key theological issues, and those disagreements have not always been easy. But, as should be true among Christians, there has generally been cordial discourse between Asbury and supporters of other seminaries. Despite theological differences, these institutions coexisted and accomplished tremendous Kingdom work. Certainly, there were those who never missed an opportunity to criticize seminaries with which they disagreed, but the diversity of thought often produced healthy conversations.

Meanwhile, Asbury grew to become one of the largest seminaries in the world and educated more United Methodist pastors than any other Wesleyan educational institution. Even as the United Methodist Church experienced division and splintering, the seminary campuses remained committed to providing sound theological and academic training.

Sadly, over the years, criticism of Asbury from some other seminaries and their graduates has, in many cases, turned into open hostility. That is both sad and deeply concerning.

In the early 1990s, I was wrestling with God’s call to vocational ministry. At the time, I was blessed to be working in the profession I had always dreamed of. I had just married the love of my life, and we had purchased a home where we thought we would raise our family and spend the rest of our lives.

But when God’s call is genuine, it does not become quieter with time—it becomes louder.

Natalie and I prayerfully, and with great faith, said “yes.” We have never regretted that decision.

The United Methodist ordination process can be intimidating, and I remember being extremely nervous during my first meeting with the District Committee on Ministry. As I was leaving that introductory meeting, one of the pastors on the committee followed me to my car. We made small talk, and before leaving he said, “So, I hear you’re going to Duke. That’s good. All the boys go to Duke.”

Yes, he really said that.

At the time, I had planned to attend Duke. However, my brother-in-law, Charles—one of the most faithful Christians I have ever known—encouraged me to visit Asbury Theological Seminary before making my final decision. I knew very little about Kentucky beyond basketball and Abraham Lincoln, but I respected Charles, so I scheduled a campus visit.

The moment I stepped onto Asbury’s campus, I knew God had led me there. It remains one of the clearest answers to prayer I have ever experienced.

So I had to break the news to the pastor who had spoken with me earlier. Here was a seasoned minister with an opportunity to encourage a young man preparing for a major life transition. Instead, when I told him I had decided to attend Asbury rather than Duke, I will never forget the look on his face.

“Oh no,” he said. “You don’t want to go to that narrow institution. Besides, if you go to Asbury, you’ll never get a good appointment.”

Well, he was wrong.

There was nothing narrow about Asbury. It was well known for its academic excellence, commitment to Wesleyan theology, and unwavering dedication to the authority of Scripture. Throughout my ministry, I received not just good appointments, but five outstanding appointments—including the one I have today.

I learned this week that the United Methodist Church will no longer accept academic work from Asbury Theological Seminary or recognize its graduates for ordination. That is a tremendous loss. In my opinion, the University Senate has made a very narrow decision. I wonder whether it considered the thousands of lives that have come to Christ—and to the Wesleyan way of faith—because of this more than 100-year-old institution. Under the leadership of only a handful of presidents, Asbury has produced some of the finest Christian leaders in Methodism.

As I mentioned earlier, Asbury has educated more United Methodist pastors than any other Wesleyan seminary and has produced some of the denomination’s most faithful, effective, and biblically grounded pastors and leaders.

As of this writing, many Asbury graduates continue to faithfully lead United Methodist congregations through one of the most challenging seasons in the denomination’s history. What message does this decision send to those pastors who have faithfully served the church for decades? What does it communicate to them that the denomination no longer recognizes the institution that helped prepare them for ministry?

Does this decision suggest that the United Methodist Church no longer values pastors educated in historic Wesleyan theology, sound pastoral leadership, and orthodox Christianity? Is there no longer room for civility, even in academia, where thoughtful, honest disagreement should be encouraged rather than silenced?

For more than fifty years, Asbury graduates have sacrificed, prayed, served faithfully, planted churches, revitalized congregations, and encouraged the churches they served to faithfully support the ministry of the United Methodist Church through millions of dollars in apportionments.

The University Senate has made a statement that should cause every current member and clergy person of the United Methodist Church to pause and reflect.

Healthy Christianity has long regarded the Wesleyan Quadrilateral as a faithful guide for living out our faith with integrity. At Asbury, students are taught to think theologically through the lenses of Scripture, Tradition, Reason, and Experience. Those four elements have served Methodism well for generations.

Had the University Senate applied that same wisdom, perhaps it would have slowed the path it now appears to be taking—a path that risks becoming another example in church history of what can happen when the church turns away from its first love, embraces moral compromise, treats brothers and sisters in Christ as enemies, and calls lukewarm theology “grace.”

Lord, forgive us.

In Christ,
James

Disagreement is nothing new. From Genesis 4 onward, people have experienced conflict with one another. Cain and Abel. Jacob and Esau. Paul and Barnabas. Jews and Gentiles. Even the early church wrestled with disagreement. Human beings will always have differences of opinion, personalities, backgrounds, levels of understanding, and convictions. God has not made us carbon copies of one another. Each of us is “fearfully and wonderfully made” in God’s image (Psalm 139:14), which means we each reflect Him in unique ways.

Today we live in a culture divided by political ideologies, social issues, sexuality, socioeconomic differences, and differing interpretations of Scripture. Sadly, an alarming number of Christians have allowed these differences to become more important than the Gospel. Friendships are ruined. Families are torn apart. Brothers and sisters in Christ attack one another.

There are certainly times when we must stand firmly for the truth. The Bible never asks us to compromise our convictions. But neither does it ever permit us to insult others, make cutting remarks, publicly embarrass people, or celebrate winning an argument at someone else’s expense. We are commanded to “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15), and we are reminded that “human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires” (James 1:20).

If we find ourselves taking pleasure in criticizing, condemning, or tearing others down, we need to examine our hearts. In Jesus, grace and truth were perfectly united (John 1:14), and they must be united in our lives as well. A follower of Christ will never sacrifice biblical truth, but neither will they sacrifice biblical love. The Spirit of the living God is not displayed by how loudly we argue, but by how faithfully we love.

In Christ,
James

Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” It is perhaps one of the most beloved verses in all of Scripture.

However, it is important to consider the context in which these words were originally spoken. The people of God were living in exile in Babylon when they received this promise. They were far from home and burdened with hurt, loss, and uncertainty about what lay ahead. This promise was not a guarantee that their suffering would end immediately. Rather, it was God’s assurance that He had not forgotten them.

Even in the waiting, even in the pain, God was at work, accomplishing His purposes, and His plans for their lives had not been canceled. While this promise was spoken specifically to Israel at a particular moment in history, it reveals something timeless about the heart of God. The God who saw Israel in exile sees you and me as well. He knows where we are. He knows what we carry, and He knows what lies ahead.

When we trust Him and surrender our lives to Him, He guides us into the future He has prepared for us. Our circumstances may not change immediately, but God will never leave us, and His plans are always greater than our fears.

So don’t worry today, my friend. You’ve got plans—not your plans, but God’s plans. And they’re filled with hope.

I love you –
James

I don’t know why, but I’ve had Peter on my mind so much over the past couple of weeks. He’s remembered for many things, but more often than not, he is remembered for his failures.

Peter left the boat by faith, only to sink into the water when fear took over. He proclaimed that he would never desert Jesus, but denied Him three times before a rooster crowed twice. Peter’s life shows us that having doubts or even failing at times doesn’t mean we lack faith. True faith is continuing to come back to Jesus when we fall.

What is so powerful about Peter is not that he never displayed weaknesses or made mistakes; it’s that his relationship with Jesus Christ survived them all. When we think of Peter, what stands out in the story is Jesus’ patience and love toward him. Jesus had every reason to turn His back on Peter, and many did. But when Peter failed, Jesus picked him back up. When Peter sank beneath the waves in fear, Jesus extended His hand and pulled him out. When Peter denied knowing Jesus Christ, Jesus did not turn him away. Instead, after His resurrection, Jesus sought Peter out on the Sea of Galilee and restored that relationship.

Peter denied the Lord three times, and each time Jesus responded by asking Peter if he loved Him. Peter learned that day that God’s grace outweighs our failures every single time.

Many of us can relate to Peter. We want to fully trust God, but we are afraid. We make commitments we can’t always keep. We go through seasons when our faith is weak and timid. But what Peter’s life teaches us is that Jesus wasn’t looking for perfection. He was simply looking for the willing.

The same God who rescued Peter from the sea and restored him after he failed is reaching out His hand to you and me today. Our weaknesses don’t have the final say in our lives. God can use our failures to showcase His grace and do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine.

I don’t know about you, but that gives me great comfort. Instead of living afraid to trust God, I want to live afraid not to trust God. He is so good, friends, and His character is fully revealed through Jesus.

This world will always disappoint us. The safest place is to believe, even when we cannot see all the evidence, and to move forward with courage. Not perfect faith, but simply a willingness to believe.

That’s all it takes.

That’s all.

That’s enough.

James

Fair warning: Joseph is one of my heroes of the faith, and I find it difficult to be completely objective about him.

The story of Joseph and his brothers in Genesis is a powerful reminder that God can bring good out of even the worst circumstances. Joseph was deeply loved by his father, and that love stirred jealousy and resentment in his brothers. Their anger grew so intense that they sold him into slavery and led their father to believe he was gone forever. Before selling him, they threw him into a deep pit.

What Joseph’s brothers didn’t realize was that God reserves spiritual shovels for His children. Their jealousy blinded them to the fact that what they intended for harm, God would use for something far greater. Joseph endured betrayal, false accusations, imprisonment, and years of waiting, yet he continued to trust God. In time, God elevated Joseph to a position of great authority, enabling him to save countless lives during a devastating famine.

This story reminds us that when bad things happen, it is not the end of the story. God is always at work, even when we cannot see it, weaving together circumstances for His purposes and our good.

We can learn much from Joseph about forgiveness and trusting God’s plan. When Joseph was finally reunited with his brothers—the very men who had betrayed and wounded him—he did not seek revenge. He didn’t use his authority to punish them, even though he had every opportunity to do so. Instead, Joseph chose kindness. He showed them love and sought reconciliation.

What an example for us. Our natural tendency is often to strike back at those who hurt us. Joseph shows us a better way. When we surrender our lives to God, we can trust Him to transform our pain into something redemptive and healing. He heals our wounds, and He uses our experiences to reveal His faithfulness to others.

So, no matter what you may be facing today, remember that God is still working. The same God who gave Joseph a spiritual shovel has one with your name on it. God helped Joseph when he was in a pit. He helped him when he was in prison. Through every trial, Joseph kept his eyes on the Lord. In fact, Genesis repeatedly reminds us of this simple but powerful truth: “The Lord was with Joseph.”

And He is with you as well.

God loves you. He really does.

James

Last week, during Pentecost Sunday, I kept thinking about how we rush by this key event for Christians. We don’t treat it this way, but I certainly think it is just as important as Christmas and Easter! Right after Pentecost, these frightened people became men and women who lived by faith and walked in unmistakable JOY!

Acts 2 describes how they devoted themselves to studying the teaching of the apostles, fellowship, prayer, and daily life. They worshipped God with pure hearts. They looked out for one another’s needs, and the world took notice. Yes, the miracle of Pentecost was amazing…but it wasn’t the wind or the fire alone. It was an entire group of people who decided to let the Holy Spirit transform their everyday lives. They walked a little slower, really seeing one another, and the Lord moved among them in miraculous ways.

People responded to Christ, and every day the Lord added those who were repenting to their number.

Let me give you a word of encouragement today. Spiritual growth doesn’t occur in flashes of excitement; it comes through daily devotion and obedience. If you long for a deeper walk with God, start by spending a few minutes each day reading God’s Word and talking to Him in prayer. Worship God, fellowship with other believers who will spur you on toward faith, and look for opportunities to bless others.

Invite the Holy Spirit to direct your thoughts, words, and actions each day. He empowered the disciples…He’ll empower you! When we stay connected to Him, our faith grows stronger, our joy grows deeper, and our lives become a testimony that points others to Jesus.

Hold on to Pentecost…hold on to the Spirit!

James