Happy Sunday,

The following is a draft section of my book, scheduled for release in ~Fall 2027. 

I add/revise/cut content based on feedback from this newsletter each week, so if something stands out as wrong, confusing, or wow-that-actually-helped-please-don’t-change-it… hit reply and let me know!

Today’s excerpt addresses some helpful feedback on last week’s edition from people who noted feeling overwhelmed/paralyzed by the amount of issues and needs in the world.

Scriptural Basis
‘For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you took care of Me; I was in prison and you visited Me.”

Jesus (Matthew 24:35-36)

Embracing Finitude
Finitude is the state of having limits or boundaries. 

God is the infinite creator, and we are His finite creation. He is omnipresent (all places at once), omniscient (all-knowing), and omnipotent (all-powerful), and we are not. While our desire to be “like God” in these ways goes all the way back to Adam and Eve eating the apple in Genesis 3, our history as creatures with limits goes even further back to Genesis 1 & 2. God designed us to be dependent on Him, on one another, and on the rest of creation. 

This dependence is not the result of sin; it’s a part of God’s very good design.

The fact that there is more happening in the world than you can be involved in is not a personal failure. And, when you feel guilty for not doing enough, the solution isn’t a morning cold plunge and an AI virtual assistant to keep you on schedule; it’s recognizing that you can never do enough. Because you were designed not to be able to do enough! To fight against that is to believe afresh the tempter’s lie that we can be “like God.”

We miss something important when reading Matthew 24:35-36 (above) in most English translations. Every time Jesus says “you” in this passage, it’s plural. If Jesus were in Texas, he’d be saying, “y’all fed me, y’all gave me a drink, y’all took me in, y’all clothed me, y’all cared for me, y’all visited me.” 

Cowboy Jesus isn’t assigning each individual Christian an impossible checklist; He is describing the kind of things the collective body of His followers should be known for. 

You (singular) don’t need to always do all those things; we (together) need to. Following Christ is a team sport, not a solo mission. 

So, next time you read a news story of a tragedy that you cannot act on, do not feel guilty. Instead, try one of these beautifully finite responses:

Embracing our finitude frees us from impossible expectations and allows us to follow God's call on our lives in a way that is life-giving, not soul-crushing.

Was this valuable? Was this heretical? Do you have a rebuttal? Should it not make the book?

Please hit reply and let me know! Your replies are genuinely a huge help and are massively shaping this book. I don’t have time to respond to each one, but I personally read every email.

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