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Worship Wednesday – Revisiting “The Jesus Way” – Phil Wickham

August 26, 2026 admindeb Leave a comment

Photo Credit: Heartlight

[Adapted from the archives]

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” – John 14:6

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.” – Isaiah 55:8-9

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross. – Philippians 2:5-8

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” – Galatians 5:22-23

I will always be grateful for Bernie Cantrell. She loved me enough to tell me the truth.

In my 20s, I had fallen in love with a fellow college student, and we dated into his medical school years. Much of it long-distance and all of it out of God’s will for my life. He was Jewish, I was Christian. I don’t know about his mother, but my mother prayed.

Late in our relationship, I remember vividly a night at my women’s discipleship group, all of us sitting on the floor with our Bibles open, in Bernie Cantrell’s living room. They knew about my relationship with this young man. They knew also that my heart was sincere toward the Lord as well. This is what deception can do…you can be fixed on the way of the Jesus but your eyes can blur from misplaced desires, and, before you know it, you find yourself in a ditch.

I don’t remember if we were in John 14 that night, or if it became a kairos moment when Bernie felt the time was right to talk openly and directly to me about my relationship with this young man. She pointed me to the verse:

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” – John 14:6

That night, as she discipled me (all of us) on Jesus being the Way and only in walking in His way will we find Home, the Holy Spirit grabbed my heart anew. Shortly after that, both this boy and I mutually severed our relationship. Done deal. Full stop. No looking back.

He would marry a Jewish woman, and God brought Dave my way.

Now there have been other times in life, when I was tempted to choose my way instead of God’s way for me. Seasons when life was hard and I even questioned my salvation (that particular season was the one of parenting small children – physically exhausting and emotionally overwhelming at times). There were hard seasons when entitlement raised its ugly head and when offenses made me blind with hurt and anger. God’s Word seemed too far out of reach…or beyond my sense of fairness. Misplaced desires tempted me to believe lies over truth.

These days (in our country and occasionally seeping into our church life), we are bombarded by the push and pull of political ideology, cultural swagger, family estrangement, and the sense that God is far away.

Truth: God is NOT far away. We have been drawn off course, but He is as near as a Shepherd’s voice. He is just ahead. His way can be ours again.

I am so thankful for the truth of Scripture. So thankful for friends and family who point me back to Christ when I get distracted or discouraged. So thankful for opportunities when the Lord allows for me to point sweet ones to the way of Jesus.

God tells us that His way is different (higher) than the one we, in our sinful bent, would naturally take. However, when we surrender our lives to Jesus as Lord and Savior, we don’t have to be bound to another way anymore. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can walk in His way. We bear the fruits of the Spirit in this world…on this path. What an amazing life we have, reflecting the humility, mercy, and love that Jesus displayed. How much it profits those around us! How much it pleases God the Father!

The King will answer them, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers or sisters, you did it to me.” – Matthew 25:40

Sometimes it’s me who benefits the most – as “one of the least of these”…staying on the way of Jesus. No more being twisted in the wind of Satan’s lies about me and about others.

Earlier this year, Pastor Cliff preached on loving our enemies from Matthew 5:43-48. So good! In the worship play list for that morning, our worship leader Ryan included the Phil Wickham song The Jesus Way.

Jesus’ way is not the way of this world. It is so beautiful and so worth our lives to point in this direction. To walk in His way daily “tapping into a reservoir that is not of this world but for this world” (from Cliff’s message). For our sakes, our neighbors, our children and grandchildren, and our enemies.

Photo Credit: Heartlight

Worship with me.

[Verse 1]
If you curse me, then I will bless you
If you hurt me, I will forgive
And if you hate me, then I will love you
I choose the Jesus way
Oh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh

[Verse 2]
If you’re helpless, I will defend you (Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh)
If you’re burdened, I’ll share the weight (Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh)
And if you’re hopeless, then let me show you (Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh)
There’s hope in the Jesus way

[Chorus]
I follow Jesus, I follow Jesus
He wore my sin, I’ll gladly wear His name
He is the treasure, He is the answer
Oh, I choose the Jesus way

[Verse 3]
If you strike me, I will embrace you
And if you chain me, I’ll sing His praise
And if you kill me, my home is Heaven
For I choose the Jesus way

[Chorus]
I follow Jesus, I follow Jesus
He wore my sin, I’ll gladly wear His name
He is the treasure, He is the answer
Oh, I choose the Jesus way

[Bridge]
And I choose surrender, I choose to love
Oh God, my Savior, You’ll always be enough
I choose forgiveness, I choose grace
I choose to worship, no matter what I face
I choose the Jesus way, I choose the Jesus way
I choose the Jesus way, I choose the Jesus way

[Chorus]
I follow Jesus, I follow Jesus
He wore my sin, I’ll gladly wear His name
He is the treasure, He is the answer
Oh, I choose the Jesus way
I follow Jesus, I follow Jesus
He wore my sin, I’ll gladly wear His name
He is the treasure, He is the answer
Oh, I choose the Jesus way
Oh, I choose the Jesus way

[Outro]
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh*

“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” – Ephesians 3:20-21

The Jesus Way – Lyrics – Songwriters: Phil Wickham & Jonathan Smith

Faith Behind the Song: “The Jesus Way” – Phil Wickham – by Scott Savage

Just yesterday, an iconic singer/songwriter/philanthropist, Dolly Parton, went to be with the Lord. It made me so sad…not for her now in the presence of her Savior, but for this world a poorer place with her gone.

Photo Credit: Facebook , Thy Flame of Love

If you study her life, you get past all the glitz and even the inspired songwriting, and what you find is a deep and abiding faith in Jesus – across her life, more than not, she chose the Jesus Way.

Practicing the Way – Course & Free Resources on Spiritual Formation

Worship Wednesday – For Christ-Followers – It’s Surrender – Not Self-Improvement – Deb Mills

Worship Wednesday – First Things First – With Consumed by Fire – Deb Mills

https://www.youtube.com/embed/bpTOcZN9JB4?feature=oembed Bernie Cantrell Cliff Jordan Hayden Daum Jonathan Smith Love Your Enemies Movement Church Phil Wickham The Way of Jesus Worship Worship Wednesday

One last song by Dolly – sung at our Chad‘s funeral – “I Will Always Love You”

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Monday Morning Moment – Rewiring Our Brain – from Lies to Truth

August 24, 2026 admindeb Leave a comment

Photo Credit: David N. Johnson

What we think and then speak about ourselves (and others) can, with repetition, become hard-wired in our brains. This function, of which you may be familiar, is neuroplasticity. It’s super helpful with new work tasks, habit formation, and learning to play an instrument, for instance. The tricky thing about neuroplasticity is that it also is engaged when we repeat things that aren’t necessarily true about how we see ourselves or the world around us.

I follow Erika, a Christian neuroscience coach, on Instagram and Facebook. She recently posted a clear and practical guide to how we can consciously rewire our brain, especially when we’ve allowed negative (essentially untruthful) thoughts and comments take us to a dark place.

She should write a blog or Substack, but I haven’t found one yet. So below please find her well-studied take on “mind over matter (brain)”.

Erika writes: “Neuroscience shows us that: thought + emotion + repetition strengthens a neural pathway.”

She writes for Christians, but honestly, her 8 practices for rewiring our brains are noteworthy for anyone desiring to clear their thinking:

Notice the thought. Think about what you’re thinking about. At times we say things that if checked and sorted we know aren’t true; they are just how we feel at the moment. Not facts but feelings.
Identify the lie. Because of repetition, you may have thoughts that have taken up residence in your brain for so long (neuroplasticity), they seem true. You may need help, through prayer or with a trusted friend, to assess whether you have held onto a lie – about yourself or others.
Take the thought captive. One of my favorite Bible verses is 2 Corinthians 10:5 – “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.” Even if a thought or opinion has long been lodged in our minds, we don’t have to preserve it. With help from God or a friend, we can acknowledge a thought that is simply not true and begin the work of isolating it and ridding it from our minds. Rewiring our brain and altering a neural pathway.
Replace the lie with God’s truth. What an amazing guide for life is the Word of God! Wisdom for all of us. If you aren’t a believer, sort out what is really true vs. what has taken up squatter’s rights in your brain – hurting you rather than healing you. For Christians, we look for what is true in the Bible and replace the lie with the truth. It will require its own repetition to rewire our thinking. So worth it. “Is not my word like fire, declares the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?” – Jeremiah 23:29
Preach the truth to yourself. When a lie sets up residence in our brains, we have to use repetition to unseat it. Speaking what is true over the lie will put neuroplasticity in a higher gear. I love what Erika says here: “Your mouth reinforces what your mind believes”.
Keep renewing your mind. The old cortisol-filled thoughts aren’t going to go away easily. When they rise up, remember to speak/think what is actually true. The negative thoughts will fade. The Bible talks about “renewing the mind” (Romans 12:2) It is an ongoing practice.
Stay consistent when nothing seems to change. Again, those negative thoughts, those lies, may have embedded over years. The neural pathways are strong. Don’t be discouraged that change takes time. “Don’t mistake slow progress for no progress.” I’m a visual learner. Sometimes for me, it takes written cues on my keyboard, in my journal, on my kitchen counter, in my car. [OK, I can be a slow learner, too.] So thankful for truth that sets my captive brain free!
Build a Godly fortress in your mind. If you have dark days or you struggle with thoughts that overwhelm you, if you can’t resist speaking out contempt for yourself or others, you need to build fortification against such thoughts which turn into words. When we allow our brains to be wired with negative, hateful thoughts, we can rid ourselves of those thoughts. However, we also have to replace them with what is true (Matthew 12:43-45). Building a fortress takes work, but, over time, it is that amazing rewiring of our neural pathways and setting in motion a very different neuroplasticity. So worth the work!