Read Titus, chapter 2 (itty-bitty book toward the back of the Bible) today. Pray about becoming the type of role model God wants you to be.

With the new school year only a week away and an overarching feeling of The Unknown in other aspects of my life, today’s verse from my Daily Bible app really spoke to me:

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it” (Isaiah 30:21, NIV).

I’ve written before about waiting (and how it isn’t my strong suit). I find it is much easier to wait for an anticipated outcome (ie, like a birthday, which No. 4 is completely obsessive about, even though his isn’t until the end of October). It is far more difficult to wait for The Unknown. I feel like Paul Atreides in Dune, where he envisions dozens of possible outcomes, based on choices and consequences of his present circumstances — some self-selected and other scenarios imposed upon him.

Do you ever feel burned out in your faith? Pray about finding a friend who will hold you accountable. Encourage one another.

Take a moment to pray for someone needing encouragement today—a frazzled parent, a stressed co-worker, a widow, our pastors & staff.

You only have one life. Do you really want to spend it chasing after the world’s approval? Meditate on that thought today.

Being a Christian doesn’t = an easy life. (Sorry to burst your bubble if you thought it did.) How can your life speak in the tough times?

Have you ever done anything bold for God? Pray about how God might want to use your life as an example for his glory.

Anytime you walk into a restaurant with five children in tow, there is a certain look that the host and wait staff give you. They try not to, of course, but if you are as attuned to the look as I am, then you can still detect it. The look says, “Oh, no – please, please, please don’t sit them in my area!”

Just last week, I took the boys out for an early dinner, and we were seated in the back of the restaurant at a large round table. I leaned in and asked the kids in a low voice, “Do you know why they put us at this table? Because they expect you to be loud and disturb the other guests, so let’s prove them wrong! Let’s show them that you are the best behaved kids they’ve ever had here.” As we were getting up to leave after the meal, a lady a couple of tables over stopped me and complimented the kids. Wow – one of the highest praises that parents can receive (in my humble opinion) is to being­ told by a stranger that their children have good manners. Are they always perfect? Of course not, but it’s sure good to hear when they do well.

What a great reminder that was for the kids that people are watching us. All. The. Time. They stereotype and expect the worst: kids = rowdy. It may be unfair, but we are not always innocent until proven guilty. For example, what about these stereotypes? Churchgoer = stuffy killjoy. Christian = hypocrite. Religious = weirdo.

Titus 2: 7-8 reminds us that our job as believers in Christ is for our lives to speak the Gospel more than our words do. Do our lives reinforce the negative stereotypes, or are we willing to be a little weird in the world’s eyes and go against the grain? Are we going to prove them wrong? They are watching. What is your life telling them?

Psalm 125 is one of the Psalms of Ascent. Likewise, prepare your own heart for worship time tomorrow by addressing your compromises today.

The good news about God’s unfailing grace is that even when we’ve turned our backs on him, he welcomes us to turn back around. Will you?