Is It Spirit Inspired?

 Readings 051326

Some days,
as I scroll through all the Christian content online,
I feel two very different winds blowing.

Some voices are grace‑filled—
humble, prayerful, rooted in Christ.
Others feel unsettling—
as if God has been reshaped
by someone’s fear,
or someone’s anger,
or someone’s personal filter.

And that’s the heart of the problem:
not everything labeled “Christian”
is inspired by the Holy Spirit.

Jesus promises,
“When the Spirit of truth comes,
He will guide you to all truth.”
The Spirit always points to Jesus—
never away from Him,
never toward a self‑made gospel,
never toward a God of our own invention.

Jesus also tells us,
“He will glorify me,
because He will take from what is mine
and declare it to you.”

From the beginning,
God made us a people who seek Him—
a God who is not far
from any one of us.

Not far.
Not hidden.
For “in Him we live and move
and have our being.”

But in our ego and pride,
we sometimes look to ourselves first
as god.
We chase “your truth,”
or “my truth,”
or the algorithm’s truth—
anything but the truth
that flows from Christ
and leads us back to Him.

So today,
as a thousand voices claim to speak for God,
remember this simple measure:

If the message is truly Christian,
it will glorify Christ.
It will echo His words.
It will carry the Spirit’s peace.
And it will draw you closer
to the God who is not far from you at all.

Prayer

Lord Jesus,
keep my heart steady
when the voices around me grow loud.
Let Your Spirit of truth
guide my thoughts,
my scrolling,
my conversations,
and my witness.
Draw me close to the God
who is not unknown,
but lovingly revealed
in Your face.
Amen.

I Wonder How They Sang

 Readings 051226 

I sometimes wonder how well Paul and Silas sang
in that midnight prison.
Were their voices steady or shaky?
Did they sing boldly,
or did the notes quiver in the dark?
Maybe they lifted a Psalm—
one of those ancient songs that carry hope
when the world feels tight and heavy.
Whatever they chose,
it was enough to make the earth tremble.

And thinking about them
always brings me back to second grade—
when the music teacher handed me crayons
and sent me to the corner
while everyone else sang.
That moment settled deep,
as if my voice didn’t belong.

But the Lord has a way
of rewriting old stories.
Years later, He called me to be a Deacon—
and wouldn’t you know it,
He placed a song right back in my mouth.
My wife says I hit a note or two now,
and every once in a while
I even land on key.
But that’s not the heart of it.

Because somewhere along the way,
I realized I don’t sing to impress.
I sing because I believe.
I sing the Easter Proclamation,
I sing before the Blessed Sacrament,
I sing the Alleluia
whenever they give me the chance.
I sing because Jesus promised
the Holy Spirit—
the Advocate—
would come to us,
fill us,
and convict the world of truth.

So maybe Paul and Silas
had better voices than mine.
Maybe not.
But I know this:
they sang because the Spirit burned in them.
And that same Spirit burns in us.
We sing because we belong to Christ.
We sing because we believe.

Prayer

Holy Jesus, 

Place Your song deep within my heart.
Let the Holy Spirit 

steady my voice in every season.
As You strengthened Paul and Silas, 

strengthen my praise.
Turn my weakness into worship 

and my fear into faith.
I sing because I belong to You.
Let every note rise as an offering of love.

Amen