Tag Archives: newspaper column

Bible Gleanings, devotions

Don’t Fight Every Scorpion | Bible Gleanings | September 5-6, 2026

Leave a comment

The baby slept soundly in his swing while a scorpion stealthily skulked down the suspension cord above him. His father, Kino, stared like a snake ready to strike, carefully calculating how to kill the eight-legged intruder. But the predator didn’t give him time to play chess, and injected the infant with his toxic tail. The boy was engulfed in agony and Kino was consumed with anger, prompting him to seize the fiend, smash him into a paste within his hand, and hurl the scorpion’s remains into the dirt. The newborn’s mother frantically attempted to extract the venom with her lips, and they hurried him to the town physician in hopes of saving his life—a debacle that could have been averted entirely had Kino simply grabbed the baby instead of facing down a foe he was powerless to conquer. 

Kino, why didn’t you snatch your son from the scorpion? Why did you fight when you should have fled with the boy? That is what you will shout from the reader’s chair while reading John Steinbeck’s short novella, The Pearl. The book commences with the aforementioned fictional story of baby Coyotito being struck by a scorpion because Kino ran headlong into a fight he should have ran away from while cradling his son. Sometimes, the surest strategy for subduing certain foes is retreating rather than trying to prove how strong you are only to demonstrate that you aren’t. 

Likewise, the Author of Scripture repeatedly shouts to believers, “Don’t fight when you should flee.” The Lord certainly commands Christians to stand firm against Satan and valiantly fight the good fight (Eph. 6:11; 1 Tim. 6:12), but there are some spiritual skirmishes that believers need to run away from rather than run toward with guns a-blazing. Paul exhorted the Corinthians with desperate urgency in his voice, “Flee from sexual immorality” (1 Cor. 6:18), and later on, “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry” (1 Cor. 10:14). When intense temptations for sexual sin and idol-worship come crawling down the rope, that is not the time to show off how spiritually mature you are—that is time to get out of Dodge and make a run for it. Retreat doesn’t mean defeat—sometimes the best strategy for survival is to run as far away and as fast as you can. 

Joseph of old employed this tactic when Potiphar’s spouse sought to seduce him. He didn’t negotiate with temptation or stick around to prove his competence—he ran for the hills (Gen. 39:12). Samson, on the other hand, lingered with Delilah foolishly thinking that he could conquer the allure of sin with his great might—and he lost (Judges 16:4-22). Don’t fight every spiritual scorpion that slithers your way—know when to run like your soul depends on it, because it does. “The prudent sees danger and hides himself,” wrote Solomon, “but the simple go on and suffer for it” (Prov. 22:3).

Brandon is the pastor of Bandana Baptist Church in Bandana, Kentucky, where he lives with his wife, Dakota, their much-prayed for son, Oliver, and their three dogs. Brandon and Dakota previously served as foster parents through Sunrise Children’s Services of Kentucky. Brandon is also a published author and his Bible Gleanings columns are featured in over sixteen publications throughout Kentucky, Illinois, Tennessee, and Indiana. He is also a devotional contributor for Kentucky Today, a news publication of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, and an editor at Reforming the Heart.

Bible Gleanings, devotions

Finding Faithful Friends | Bible Gleanings | August 22-23, 2026

Leave a comment

Straight lines look crooked with enough pressure from a crowd. Psychologist Solomon Asch demonstrated this during a landmark experiment in the 1950s. He seated one unsuspecting test subject in a room with numerous actors, and displayed two cards to everyone—one featuring a solitary straight line, the other displaying three lines of obviously varying lengths with only one matching the line on the first card. The assignment was straightforward: match the lines. So easy, a monkey could do it blindfolded.

Shockingly, over 75% of participants got the answer wrong. How did they fudge such a simple task? Because the actors were instructed to lie and swear that the shorter lines matched the one on the first card although anyone with eyes could see that they absolutely didn’t. Many of the respondents initially matched the lines correctly, but changed their minds due to peer pressure. Dr. Solomon concluded that human beings will do what is wrong even though they know what is right—all it takes is enough influence from others.

Solomon the Preacher reached a similar conclusion from the experiment of life: spend enough time walking with someone and you will eventually start walking like them—for better or worse. “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise,” he wrote, “but a companion of fools shall be destroyed” (Prov. 13:20, KJV). Who you befriend influences what you believe and how you behave. Friendship is formative, which is why you must stick close with companions of character and commitment who draw you closer to Christ and avoid “friends” who lead you astray by making sin easier and obedience harder. You cannot live righteously while walking with the wicked, nor can you live righteously without walking with the righteous—so choose your friends carefully.

When you hang around a fire for a while, smoke will cling to your clothes—when you hang around people who are playing with fire by living disobediently, their sin will cling to your life (Prov. 22:24-25). But when you fellowship with believers who are “on fire” for the Lord with white-hot zeal for His glory, the flame of your own zeal will burn hotter. The best kind of friend is one who improves your sanctification and holiness, not one who hinders it: “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another” (Prov. 27:17). Faithful friends also tell you what you need to hear rather than what you want to hear: “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy” (Prov. 27:6; cf. 27:9-10). Christlike companions, furthermore, love you at your worst—not at your best (Prov. 10:12; 17:9, 17; 19:4, 6-7).

Still, even the best of earthly friends will fail and disappoint—there is only One who will never leave you nor forsake you—the Friend of sinners: “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Prov. 18:24; cf. John 15:13-15; Rom. 5:8). Take an honest inventory right now of your closest friends—where are they taking you and how are they “making” you?

Brandon is the pastor of Bandana Baptist Church in Bandana, Kentucky, where he lives with his wife, Dakota, their much-prayed for son, Oliver, and their three dogs. Brandon and Dakota previously served as foster parents through Sunrise Children’s Services of Kentucky. Brandon is also a published author and his Bible Gleanings columns are featured in over sixteen publications throughout Kentucky, Illinois, Tennessee, and Indiana. He is also a devotional contributor for Kentucky Today, a news publication of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, and an editor at Reforming the Heart.

Bible Gleanings, devotions

Little Providences | Bible Gleanings | July 25-26, 2026

Leave a comment

One might say it was an extraordinarily lucky shot when an archer randomly fired his bow into the air and somehow struck and severely injured the armor-covered King Ahab precisely where he was exposed (1 Kings 22:34). Some would conclude that the stars aligned when the midnight insomnia of King Ahasuerus could only be cured from reading an old book—one that just so happened to record the forgotten loyalty of Mordecai, compelling the king to honor him rather than hang him (Esther 6:1-11). Some would suppose that the widow Ruth carried around a rabbit’s foot and a four-leaf clover when she went to work in a field that serendipitously belonged to Boaz, her future husband and redeemer (Ruth 2:3). Some might believe it was a fluke of good fortune when the little boy with a sack lunch “coincidentally” stood near Jesus exactly when the multitudes needed to eat (John 6:9). Some may argue that fate smiled upon the apostle Paul, whose life was repeatedly spared simply because he was a Roman citizen (Acts 16:35-40; 22:22-29). 

But according to Scripture, nothing is random—everything is ruled by the Lord (Prov. 16:33). Nothing is a happy accident—everything is a divine appointment (Psalm 139:16). Nothing is a coincidence—everything is a providence. “[God] works all things,” wrote Paul, “according to the counsel of his will” (Eph. 1:11b). And small things are part of all things. 

They say that the biggest doors still swing on the smallest hinges and that every avalanche begins with a single snowflake. And the Bible teaches something even greater: the Lord often accomplishes His grandest purposes through the smallest details of everyday life. He doesn’t merely move mountains—He moves molecules. The God who governs the galaxies also intricately directs detours, delays, disappointments, and even daily decisions. As the Puritans used to say, the Lord’s greatest works are often His quietest works.

It is tempting to associate the Lord’s power with mighty miracles only, but miracles are frequently hiding in plain sight. Perhaps this is why Scripture says not to despise the day of “small things” (Zech. 4:10). He may use a minor inconvenience to completely redirect the course of your life or place you beside the right person at the right time to hear the right words to counsel or encourage you. He may use one sentence from one sermon to change your mind, one verse in Scripture to comfort your soul, one unexpected phone call that answers a prayer, or even one different route home to spare you from unforeseen harm. God tends to the little things like counting hairs (Matt. 10:30), ensuring that every star has a name (Ps. 147:4), feeding the sparrows (Matt. 6:26), giving the lions their prey (Ps. 104:21), and making the grass grow (Ps. 104:14). And He will never fail to superintend the little things in the lives of His people.

Brandon is the pastor of Bandana Baptist Church in Bandana, Kentucky, where he lives with his wife, Dakota, their much-prayed for son, Oliver, and their three dogs. Brandon and Dakota previously served as foster parents through Sunrise Children’s Services of Kentucky. Brandon is also a published author and his Bible Gleanings columns are featured in over sixteen publications throughout Kentucky, Illinois, Tennessee, and Indiana. He is also a devotional contributor for Kentucky Today, a news publication of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, and an editor at Reforming the Heart.

Bible Gleanings, devotions

He Knows His Own | Bible Gleanings | July 4-5, 2026

Leave a comment

Her life was a lie. Twenty-eight years passed before she discovered the life-shattering truth. In a quest to uncover her family lineage, Raylane Amaral submitted her DNA to a trustworthy ancestry firm. The first result hit her like a freight train: the woman she called “mom” was not her biological mother at all. Then came another revelation which left her questioning everything—she had a brother she never knew about.

The New York Post reported that Raylane contacted her newly discovered brother, who claimed his sister was born the very same day. Surely, she was that baby and reuniting with her real mother was finally on the horizon. Not even close. Raylane and her newfound brother learned that his “sister” had also been mistakenly sent home with the wrong woman, meaning that there had not been one mix-up in the hospital, but two. At last, the web of confusion untwined when the women tracked down their real mothers, while the hospital became trapped in a web of its own when all the families joined together in a lawsuit.

Stories like these are rare nowadays because of safeguards in maternity wards, but it serves as a reminder that human beings with the best intentions sometimes mix up who is who. The postal service occasionally delivers your neighbor’s mail to you. Waitresses sometimes bring the wrong meal to your table. Airports erroneously assign your luggage to someone else. But this is something the Lord will never do, which is why the Scripture says, “But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: ‘The Lord knows those who are his’” (2 Tim. 2:19a).

The all-knowing Christ similarly promised, “I know my own and my own know me” (John 10:14b). Paul likewise guaranteed, “But if anyone loves God, he is known by God” (1 Cor. 8:3). The Lord knows every believer by name and has recorded their names with indissoluble ink in the Book of Life (Phil. 4:3; Rev. 3:5). He will never forget His children—the only thing He forgets are their sins (Heb. 8:12). This is why God tenderly swore, “Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands” (Isa. 49:15-16a). 

You are known by God if you know Christ and there is no possibility of any mix-up. The Lord never questions whether or not you are His. You can never slip from His memory or be accidentally mistaken for an unbeliever. The hymn-writer Norman J. Clayton (1903–1992) said it best:

“Jesus, my Lord will love me forever,

from Him no pow’r of evil can sever,

He gave His life to ransom my soul;

Now I belong to Him;

Now I belong to Jesus,

Jesus belongs to me,

not for the years of time alone,

but for eternity.”

Brandon is the pastor of Bandana Baptist Church in Bandana, Kentucky, where he lives with his wife, Dakota, their much-prayed for son, Oliver, and their three dogs. Brandon and Dakota previously served as foster parents through Sunrise Children’s Services of Kentucky. Brandon is also a published author and his Bible Gleanings columns are featured in over sixteen publications throughout Kentucky, Illinois, Tennessee, and Indiana. He is also a devotional contributor for Kentucky Today, a news publication of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, and an editor at Reforming the Heart.

Bible Gleanings, devotions

Stewarding Your Spiritual Gifts | Bible Gleanings | February 7-8, 2026

Leave a comment

Being blind, uneducated, and seventy years-old, there was not much she could do—but she wanted to do something. The African woman had been led to Jesus by a gospel-preaching missionary, but her newfound zeal hit a brick wall because of her limitations. She wanted to serve the needy, but felt too old. She yearned to teach, but she couldn’t read. But after seeking God’s wisdom, she conceived an unconventional idea. 

She gave her Bible to the missionary and asked him to underline John 3:16 in red ink. She then passed around her Bible to younger villagers, asking, “Can you read the passage underlined in red?” Then came a follow-up question: “Do you know what this means?” When the youth would respond, “No,” she would then tell them “the old, old story of Jesus and His love.” Although she wasn’t a missionary or a Bible teacher, she understood that the Lord gave her a job to do—and she made it all about Jesus. 

Likewise, if you believe in the Man whose voice inspired the red letters, you also have a calling to fulfill, a ministry to steward, spiritual gifts to use, and divinely-tailored tasks assigned by God exclusively for you. As Paul explained, “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone” (1 Cor. 12:4-6).

And the not-so-secret secret for faithfully fulfilling your God-given calling is centering your service and spiritual gifts around the “words in red,” and the Man who spoke them. When Jesus is not the focus, service swiftly degenerates into self-serving. If the glory of Christ is not the goal of your Spirit-supplied abilities, then recognition, results, and reputation will take its place. Thus, whether you are pastoring a church, teaching Sunday school, changing diapers in the nursery, evangelizing a lost neighbor, singing in the choir, leading family worship, caring for the sick, or counseling the broken—the cross must be the axis. This is why Peter said, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 4:10-11a).

Jesus illustrated this truth in His parable of the talents (Matt. 25:14-30). A master entrusted great fortunes to his servants while he was gone. Two servants invested what they were given, but the “wicked and slothful servant” buried his money in the ground for safekeeping. When the master returned, he blessed the servants who used what he gave them, but cursed the servant who did nothing with what he was given. And the lesson is clear: use what God has given you (Rom. 12:6). Don’t bury your abilities and spiritual gifts—steward them faithfully.

Brandon is the pastor of Bandana Baptist Church in Bandana, Kentucky, where he lives with his wife, Dakota, their much-prayed for son, Oliver, and their three dogs. Brandon and Dakota previously served as foster parents through Sunrise Children’s Services of Kentucky. Brandon is also a published author and his Bible Gleanings columns are featured in over sixteen publications throughout Kentucky, Illinois, Tennessee, and Indiana. He is also a devotional contributor for Kentucky Today, a news publication of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, and an editor at Reforming the Heart.

Bible Gleanings, devotions

Idol Worship Stinks | Bible Gleanings | October 25-26, 2025

Leave a comment

The woman was “down in the dumps,” having entangled herself in a messy situation which prompted her to reassess her priorities. The Brinnon Fire Department in Washington State reported that a lady in her 40s requested emergency assistance, after falling headfirst into a vault toilet at a frequented hiking area. On the list of “worst things to happen to hikers,” this ranks as number two. How did she end up neck-deep?

She reportedly dropped her smartphone in the outhouse latrine and attempted to retrieve it—unsuccessfully. Initially, she tried fishing it out with her dog’s leash, and let’s just say her furry friend went home leashless that day. Next, she removed the seat and leaned into the abhorrent abyss to get closer—and that’s when it happened. The entire latrine collapsed inward, causing her to plunge into the filth below, where she dialed 9-1-1 from her soiled cellphone. All of this for a $200 smartphone. 

The lengths we will go for what we love and the things we are willing to do for what we value are truly astonishing. And many times, the price we pay in doing so is not worth the gain. But this is precisely what we do when worshiping gods that are not God. We often invest precious time, money, and energy into idols we believe will make us happier and more fulfilled—although they leave us down in the dumps. As the psalmist counseled, “The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply” (Psalm 16:4a).

Idol-worship always costs more than it pays, and the false gods of possessions, protection, power, pleasure, prestige, and position always take more than they give. As Jonah cautioned, “Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love” (Jonah 2:8). You can’t get from gods what you can only get from God. So, why give to gods and get nothing when you can give to God and get everything He promises?

Nevertheless, emulating Josiah of old (2 Chron. 34:33) and demolishing our idols is challenging because, as John Calvin once stated, our hearts are “factories of idols,” equipped with a golden-calf assembly line, eager to fashion a god from anything and everything. Paul likewise stated in Romans that we are prone to worship and serve “the creature rather than the Creator” (Rom. 1:25). This is why we are exhorted, “Flee from idolatry” (1 Cor. 10:14, KJV), and admonished, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols” (1 John 5:21). Therefore, we must continually “turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them” (Acts 14:15b).

Idols are all glitter and no gold—God is God and always good. Idol-worship stinks—worshiping God satisfies. As David declared: “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11).

Brandon is the pastor of Bandana Baptist Church in Bandana, Kentucky, where he lives with his wife, Dakota, their much-prayed for son, Oliver, and their three dogs. Brandon and Dakota previously served as foster parents through Sunrise Children’s Services of Kentucky. Brandon is also a published author and his Bible Gleanings columns are featured in over sixteen publications throughout Kentucky, Illinois, Tennessee, and Indiana. He is also a devotional contributor for Kentucky Today, a news publication of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, and an editor at Reforming the Heart.

Bible Gleanings, devotions

Let God Sort ‘Em Out | Bible Gleanings | October 18-19, 2025

Leave a comment

He was contemptuously convicted of crimes he never committed. Witnesses stepped forward, alleging that he tried to spark a political insurrection and urged individuals to engage in tax evasion. Other witnesses accused him of terroristic threatening, stating that he vowed to demolish a local religious center and reconstruct it in three days. When the judge inquired whether the man had anything to say in his defense, he surprisingly kept quiet. Dissatisfied with the proceedings, the judge forwarded the case to another neighborhood judge, who repeatedly pressured the man to refute the accusations against him—but there was only silence.

No appeals for mercy. No assertion of innocence.  

This famous trial was for the most blameless Man who ever lived, the sinless son of God (Matt. 26:57-68; 27:11-14). The Gospels teach that Jesus remarkably refrained from defending Himself while being unjustly prosecuted (Mark 14:61). He spoke only a few words about His divine nature to the seething Sanhedrin and a probing Pilate, but never once shouted, “I have done nothing wrong!” He had no need to—the holy One had nothing to prove. But according to Peter, there was an additional reason for the Lamb’s silence before His shearers: Jesus believed that the Judge of all humanity would set the record straight and right every wrong:

“He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly” (1 Pet. 2:22-23).

If you have been a Christian for long, you have likely been the target of false accusations and unjust criticisms just like Jesus. Rumors, gossip, and slander can incinerate precious relationships, put our jobs in jeopardy, and tarnish our otherwise godly reputation. And the easiest and most natural reflexes are revenge, rage, resentment, retaliation, and a refusal to forgive. But the righteous response is the one modeled by Christ: entrusting ourselves to the Defender of the oppressed and Avenger of the wronged (Psalm 9:9; 10:17-18; Nahum 1:2). The Lord knows every heart, His scales are perfectly balanced, and He will vindicate us if we are blameless (1 Sam. 16:7; Prov. 16:11; Deut. 32:35). 

Therefore, when you are unfairly condemned, do not take matters into your own hands. It is already in the hands of the God whose verdicts are always right. “The LORD loves justice” (Psalm 37:28), and has never misjudged a case—and He won’t start with yours. His job is to judge, and yours is to rest in His righteous justice. Let God sort ‘em out.

Brandon is the pastor of Bandana Baptist Church in Bandana, Kentucky, where he lives with his wife, Dakota, their much-prayed for son, Oliver, and their three dogs. Brandon and Dakota previously served as foster parents through Sunrise Children’s Services of Kentucky. Brandon is also a published author and his Bible Gleanings columns are featured in over sixteen publications throughout Kentucky, Illinois, Tennessee, and Indiana. He is also a devotional contributor for Kentucky Today, a news publication of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, and an editor at Reforming the Heart.