Another school year is here. New schedules. New faces. New pressures. New unknowns.
And if you’re like me, transitions like this stir up both excitement and anxiety. You start to ask questions like:
“Will I be who I was last year?”
“Will my friendships look the same?”
“Am I even ready for this?”
But what if the real question is this: Am I willing to trust God in this season even when everything around me is changing?
Ecclesiastes 3 reminds us that “for everything there is a season.” And while seasons shift—God doesn’t. He’s the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).
What makes this time of year so bittersweet is the in-between-ness of it. Some of us are grieving the end of a sweet summer. Some are nervous about growing up. Some are stepping into a new grade, a new town, a new calling. And some are just praying they can hold it all together.
But no matter where you are, this truth stands:
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” - Lamentations 3:22–23 (ESV)
New year? New season? Same mercy. Same faithfulness. Same God.
Here’s what I’m praying over my own life and yours:
That we wouldn’t cling to the comfort of last season, but to the presence of the One who walks into the next with us.
That we’d stop asking God to bring back what we had—and instead ask Him to do a new thing.
That we’d have open hearts and open hands to receive the joy, growth, and stretching that this next chapter holds.
And maybe above all else: That we’d remember our calling isn’t tied to what’s predictable. It’s tied to the Person who never changes.
So welcome the change. Step into the unknown. And walk confidently…not because you know what’s ahead, but because you know Who goes with you.
I hope you all have a great day, and God bless.
-Brady Baker
On Wednesday, I was reading out of 1 Chronicles. Yep…a lot of names and family trees. This is the star in the void that I found: Jabez was born in pain. Literally. His name means pain. His mother gave him a label based on the circumstance of his birth. But that’s not what defined his life.
1 Chronicles 4:9–10 (ESV) says:“Jabez was more honorable than his brothers; and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, ‘Because I bore him in pain.’ Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, ‘Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border…’”
Right in the middle of a long list of genealogies…a break in the begats (what a fun word)…Scripture pauses to tell his story. Why?
Because Jabez knew who he was through prayer. Not through his name, not through his trauma, not through his past, but through the voice of God. The only reason we read about Jabez is because he prayed. That’s it. One man who refused to live under the weight of what he was called, and instead lived into the weight of his calling.
You might’ve been named by pain. You might’ve been marked by trauma. But that’s not your identity. We must preach purity over the next generation…not sorrow. Your tragedy is not your title. Someone else’s frustration is not your future. If the enemy had his way, you wouldn’t have made it this far. But you did. You’re still here. And God’s not done.
Like Jabez, you have a choice: A. To live like pain, walk like pain, and talk like pain…Or B. To rise and pray, “God, bless me. Enlarge my territory. Use my life for more than what I came from.” That prayer changes everything. You are not what the world calls you. You are not what someone else’s disappointment named you. You are who God says you are…and that makes you honorable. Not because of your performance. But because, like Jabez, you called upon the Lord.
So this week, let it be known of your calling, not what you’ve been called. Let His voice be louder than the pain.
I hope you all have a great day, and God bless.
-Brady Baker
I’m going to be honest…this week stretched me. About as thin as I have been in a while.
Not because of busyness or burnout, but because I had to do something I really didn’t want to do: trust God in conversations that felt impossible. Conversations that were awkward. Emotional. Painful. Conversations where I didn’t know what to say, how it would be received, or what the fallout might be (especially this one).
I wanted to wait. I wanted to hide. I wanted to control how it all played out.
But deep down, I knew that obedience meant stepping into it anyway…with grace, with truth, and with a heart that said, “God, I trust You, even though I really don’t feel like it right now.”
That’s the hard part about faith—it doesn’t always feel good. It’s not always peaceful in the moment. Sometimes, trusting God feels like walking straight into the fire, believing He’s going to meet you in the flames.
It immediately brought me back to my life verse: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)
Leaning on my own understanding would’ve led me to avoid. To protect myself. To settle for false peace.
But God calls us to more than self-preservation—He calls us to walk in truth. And sometimes, the most faithful thing you can do is simply show up—even when your heart is pounding and your voice shakes.
Here’s what I’m learning:
Obedience doesn’t guarantee immediate clarity, but it does lead to freedom.
When we trust God with the parts of life we can’t control—especially in relationships—He meets us there. Not always with easy outcomes, but always with His presence.
So if you're standing in front of something hard today…If there's a conversation you don’t want to have…If there's an act of obedience that makes your stomach turn…You're not weak for feeling that way. But you’re strong when you choose to trust Him anyway.
And He sees that. He honors that. And He never wastes it.
I hope you all have a great day, and God bless.
-Brady Baker
I don’t usually bring politics into these posts—and I don’t intend to start now—but yesterday, I stumbled on a quote in an Instagram reel from President Ronald Reagan that stopped me in my tracks.
He said: “We’ve stood, again and again, for the idea that the United States is a shining city on a hill—an example to the world of what freedom, faith, and virtue can look like.”
Now, no matter where you land politically, that imagery should sound familiar. It didn’t start in a campaign speech—it started in the words of Jesus.
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” - Matthew 5:14 (ESV)
That phrase—city on a hill—wasn’t about nations, elections, or platforms. It was about us! Like WHAT!
Lately, I’ve felt convicted about just how easy it is to blend in. To mirror the world instead of being a light in it. To shy away from living differently because it’s more comfortable to just…fit.
But Jesus never called us to fit. He called us to stand out—not with arrogance, but with authenticity. To shine—not to draw attention to ourselves, but to draw attention to Him.
And if you’re like me, you know it’s easy to forget that. It’s easy to complain about how dark the world seems while quietly letting your own light grow dim. Sometimes you don’t catch it until it is flickering.
What if this week, you and I actually lived like a city on a hill? What if our words, our choices, our attitudes, even our social media, reflected something higher? What if we let our faith set us apart—not to divide, but to invite?
We’re not here to win popularity contests. We’re here to point people to the King.
So here’s my prayer for all of us: That we would be the kind of people who shine in dark places. That our lives would be marked by joy, by conviction, and by the kind of love that makes the world stop and wonder.
I hope you all have a great day, and God bless.
-Brady Baker
This week, I’ve been reminded how much I love having a plan—and how often God disrupts it.
I like to know what’s coming next. I like routine. I actually love it…but sometimes it can get the best of me. I like having the next step mapped out. But the truth is…life rarely sticks to our plans. And sometimes, that’s the best thing that can happen to us.
Some of the sweetest joys in my life so far were things I never saw coming. Friendships that started in the most unlikely places. Opportunities I never thought I’d get. Moments of laughter and peace right in the middle of chaos.
And I can’t take credit for any of it…it’s all God.
It made me think of Isaiah 43:19: “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”
I love that. God is in the business of doing new things. But here’s the challenge: you can’t see the new thing if you’re clutching the old thing too tightly.
We miss out on unexpected joy when we’re too busy resisting unexpected change. We miss out on what God wants to do because we’re so focused on what we thought He should do.
So here’s the question I’ve been asking myself:
Am I willing to loosen my grip on my own plan so I can receive whatever He has for me?
What if today—through a change you didn’t plan—God is opening a door to joy you couldn’t have imagined? What if this season of uncertainty is actually the setup for the season you’ve been praying for?
God’s ways are better. His timing is better. And His joy is deeper!!
So hold your plans with open hands. Live with an open heart. And don’t be afraid to let Him surprise you.
I hope you all have a great day, and God bless.
-Brady Baker
Funny how life works sometimes. Last week, I wrote about living like today is your last. About urgency, conviction, and bold faith. And I meant every word.
But then came the next day. And I woke up full of doubt.
Anxious. Overthinking. Worrying about my future. Caught in the trap of trying to figure out MY plan—not trust HIS purpose.
It was like whiplash. How could I go from proclaiming truth to wrestling with fear in less than 24 hours?
But maybe you’ve felt that too.
We proclaim the Gospel with confidence…then crumble when things feel uncertain.
We say we trust Jesus, but our peace depends on how our plans are going.
We pray “Your will be done”, but live like ours better be.
And in that tension, the Lord brought me to this:
“Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.” - 1 Peter 4:19
That verse stopped me in my tracks.
Because my anxiety didn’t come from trusting God—it came from trusting me.
I was building my life around MY vision, MY timeline, MY expectations. And when things felt fragile, so did I. As simple as that sounds…it was hard to feel.
But Peter reminds us: even in suffering, even in uncertainty, we can entrust our souls to a faithful Creator.
Not a distant god.
Not an absent Father.
A faithful Creator who formed us and hasn’t stopped holding us.
And the beginning of that chapter hits just as hard:
“Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking… so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.” - 1 Peter 4:1-2
That’s it. I was anxious because I was living for human passions—even good ones—when God was calling me back to His will:
He was asking me to surrender, not spin.
To trust, not try to control.
To stop chasing peace from plans and start finding peace in Him.
So if your week has been full of noise, stress, or fear, pause.
Don’t look further ahead. Look up.
The call today is simple, but not easy: Entrust your soul to a faithful Creator. Live for His will, not yours.
He’s steady…even when we’re not.
I hope you all have a great day, and God bless.
-Brady Baker
If today was your last day on earth…how would you live it?
Seriously though!
Would your priorities change?
Would you spend less time scrolling and more time praying?
Would you finally forgive that person you’ve been bitter toward?
Would you speak the Gospel boldly instead of waiting for “a better moment”?
The truth is: you’re not promised tomorrow. None of us are.
James 4:14 hits hard: “yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.”
We don’t like to think about that. We love comfort. We love later.
We live like we’ve got years to get serious about Jesus.
But following Christ isn’t something you schedule when life settles down. It’s a daily death to self. It’s a now calling. And eternity is too real for us to live casually.
You were never meant to blend in, coast through, or numb out.
You were created, redeemed, and placed here to live with urgency, to love boldly, and to point people to Jesus like their souls depend on it—because they do.
This isn’t about fear. It’s about focus. It’s about living with such unshakable hope that people have to ask what’s different about you.
So ask yourself today: If this was it—if the clock hit zero tonight—would you be found faithful? Would the people closest to you know what you believe? Would your life have pointed anyone to the cross?
Don’t wait to be bold. Don’t wait to get real. Don’t wait to walk in obedience.
You get one shot at this life. Let’s make it count for the only Name that matters.
Live like He’s coming back today. Because one day…He will! Praise Him!
I hope you all have a great day, and God bless.
-Brady Baker
This week, I was sitting with one verse my pastor referenced this past Sunday. That completely wrecked me in the best way:
“God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” -2 Corinthians 5:21
If you’ve heard that verse before, maybe it’s easy to let it slide by. But slow down and really read it.
Jesus. Perfect. Sinless.
Never lied. Never lashed out. Never acted in selfishness.
He knew no sin—and yet He became sin on our behalf.
Why? So that we—broken, prideful, wandering people—could become something we could never earn on our own: The righteousness of God.
That’s not just forgiveness. That’s not just a second chance. That’s complete identity transformation.
Jesus didn’t just take on your punishment—He handed you His perfection. He didn’t just erase your sin—He replaced it with His status before the Father.
And this wasn’t some impersonal transaction. This was love. Deep, personal, pursuing love.
We talk a lot about the cross in Christian circles. But this is the why behind it: Because God wanted you. And this was the only way to bring you home.
So if you’ve felt distant from God this week…if shame is creeping in…if you’re wondering whether you’re still loved or still enough, come back to this verse.
2 Corinthians 5:21 is proof that you never earned God’s love in the first place, so you can’t un-earn it now.
He sees you as righteous. Not because you’re crushing it. But because Jesus did.
That’s grace. That’s the Gospel. That’s our hope.
I hope you all have a great day, and God bless!
-Brady Baker
I had a moment the other day where I caught myself thinking, “I’m just tired…it doesn’t matter that much. Don’t push yourself.”
I wasn’t doing anything wrong, but I was cutting corners. I was exhausted from a long day. My conversations with my friend were drier than normal. Letting little frustrations shape my tone. Shrugging off the kind of intentionality I usually try to bring into my day.
And as the day went on, the Lord gently convicted me: Character isn’t about convenience. It’s about consistency.
Who we are when it’s easy is one thing.
Who we are when we’re tired, stressed, overlooked, or unseen—that’s where true character is revealed. That’s what I needed to implement.
Paul writes in Galatians 6:9, “Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”
That verse isn’t just about the “big” acts of goodness. It’s about daily faithfulness.
Choosing integrity when no one’s watching.
Choosing gentleness when you’re provoked.
Choosing honesty when it would be easier to just…not.
We’re not called to be perfect. But we are called to be consistent.
Not because we’re trying to earn God’s love, but because we’ve already received it. And now, we reflect it on to others.
Jesus didn’t change His character depending on who was in the room or what mood He was in. He was steady. Grounded. True. And if we want to look like Him, that’s the path we walk, too.
So if you’ve been tempted to let things slide lately—to justify that short tone, that lazy decision, that small compromise—pause and remember: Your consistency might be someone else’s glimpse of Christ.
I hope you all have a great day, and God bless!
-Brady Baker
This week, I found myself wrestling with the unknown.
Not in a crisis way—just life being life. Decisions I don’t have answers for. Plans that feel foggy. Expectations I’m trying to live up to that I don’t even remember agreeing to. I kept asking God, “What do You want me to do?” and it felt like silence.
But here’s what I’m realizing: sometimes the clarity I’m craving isn’t going to come from more answers. It comes from returning to what’s already been made clear.
And what’s been made clear is this: Jesus. The Cross. The Gospel. The simple truth that saves and sustains.
In a world that loves noise, strategy, opinions, and complexity, I’ve been reminded to get back to the basics. To not overthink what God has already made plain:
“For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” - 1 Corinthians 2:2
That verse hit me hard this week. Paul wasn’t trying to be flashy or profound. He was saying, “This is the foundation. This is where I stand.”
And when I feel like I don’t know what step to take next, that’s where I want to stand too.
It’s so easy to think we need more. More direction. More clarity. More confidence. But sometimes what we need is to slow down, breathe, and say, “Jesus, I trust You. Your Gospel is enough.”
Even if the path ahead is uncertain… the One who walks with you is not. Even if your plans fall apart… the cross still stands.
So if your week has felt cloudy, noisy, or directionless—maybe it’s time to stop chasing clarity and start clinging to the cross again.
Trust the Gospel. Get back to the basics. And let peace meet you right there.
I hope you all have a great day, and God bless!
-Brady Baker
This past Monday felt...off. I couldn’t explain it. Nothing was wrong, but I walked through the day like something was just out of sync. I was distracted. Unsettled. Even a little anxious. My fiancée, Faith, even noticed it that something was off in my character. And it wasn’t until late in the day that it finally hit me: I had rushed into my morning and skipped the one thing I never want to miss…spending time with Jesus.
No Scripture.
No prayer.
No pause to breathe and be still before Him.
I don’t say that to be dramatic. I say that because I noticed. I felt the difference. And maybe you’ve been there too. Those days when you just can’t find your rhythm, your thoughts feel scattered, and your soul is exposed to every little stress. That was me.
But the moment I opened His Word again—just a few verses, just a few minutes—it was like coming back home. I felt covered. Held. Protected. That peace that Philippians 4 talks about, the one that “surpasses all understanding,” wrapped around me like a warm blanket. It was so comforting!
It reminded me of Psalm 91:1. “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.”
That’s what I missed that morning: the shelter. The shadow. The rest.
We often think we can manage our days just fine and squeeze God in later. But here’s what I’ve been learning: when I start my day with Him, I’m not just adding a spiritual task to my to-do list—I’m stepping into the covering of the Almighty. I’m placing my heart in His hands before the world has a chance to pull it in a thousand directions.
So if this week has felt off for you, maybe it’s time to pause. Re-center. Come back home. God is never mad when we forget—He’s just always ready when we return.
Let Him cover you today.
I hope you all have a great day, and God bless!
-Brady Baker