Field Notes is me asking myself “Am I actually wearing the armor, or do I just like the idea of it?” I talk about the Helmet and the Shield and the Sword, but do I really know what that looks like in real life? Where in Scripture was this armor worn? What did it cost? How did it hold up? These are quick sketches from the greater story – moments where the armor was tested, worn, stretched, and lived. If I’m going to put it on every day, I want to know exactly what I’m wearing – and why.

  • Field Notes: Jesus

    Sometimes temptation shows up as the easy way out.

    After forty days of fasting in the wilderness, Jesus was starving when the Tempter came to Him. The suggestion seemed innocuous. Turn the stones into bread, eat them so you won’t be hungry.

    Solve the problem. End the hunger. Take the shortcut.

    But Jesus responded with Scripture. “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

    Three times temptation came. Three times Jesus answered, “It is written.”

    Truth spoken out loud became the blade that ended the battle.

    This is the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

    Matthew 4:1-11
    Armor of God: Sword of the Spirit – Ephesians 6:17

  • Field Notes: The Thief on the Cross

    Sometimes it all seems lost. There is no hope at all. Only darkness seems to lie ahead. Two criminals were crucified beside Jesus. One joined the crowd in mocking him. The other saw something different. He admitted his own guilt and recognized that Jesus had done nothing wrong. In the middle of that hopelessness, he…

  • Field Notes: Isaac

    Sometimes we just get tired of fighting. Conflict arises, and yeah, we could go at it again – but those times when we choose not to are the pinnacle of self-control and often where peace can be found. Isaac’s servants dug a well in the valley, and the local herdsmen immediately claimed it as their…

  • Field Notes: Joseph

    We’ve all had a moment when doing the right thing costs us immediately. Joseph was a slave in the house of Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, when Potiphar’s wife began pressuring him day after day. Joseph could have done it in secret. No one would have ever known. No one would have stopped him. But…

  • Field Notes: Micaiah

    What do you do when everyone around you agrees…and you know they are wrong? There was a prophet named Micaiah who stood before King Ahab while four hundred other prophets promised victory in battle. The king wanted reassurance. The court wanted agreement. But Micaiah refused to adjust the message. He said, “If you ever return…

  • Field Notes: Rahab

    You’ve felt this before. The moment when you act without guarantees. There was a woman in Jericho who hid two foreign spies in her home while her city prepared for war. The walls were still standing. No trumpet had sounded. No proof had been given. But she had heard enough about Israel’s God to stake…