Belief is good, but belief alone isn’t enough. John 12:37–50 reminds us that silence may keep us safe, but it always costs something. Some believed and stayed quiet, afraid of rejection — a choice that feels as real today as it did then.

To my grandchildren and their children: you’ll face moments like this. You’ll know something in your bones, and still the temptation will be to stay quiet. But if you do, you’ll miss the richer life waiting to unfold.

Living awake means listening to the code within — your conscience, your spiritual DNA. It means realizing that consequences are already woven into your choices. It means understanding that one act of kindness or courage multiplies like candlelight passed from flame to flame.

The invitation of this passage is not to wait for life to happen but to participate in it. Let your choices ripple forward. Let your light spark light in others. This is how legacy is made.

In John 12:27–36, Jesus whispers, “Now my soul is troubled.” That single line has stayed with me. If even he could admit trouble, then I can too. Life rarely hands us the whole picture — just puzzle pieces scattered across the table. We ache for the box top, but most of the time we only hold the next piece in our hand.

Sometimes what others call thunder feels like a voice to us. Sometimes a song on the radio feels like reassurance. What matters most is not convincing others of what we’ve heard, but noticing what awakens inside us.

Trouble is not weakness. It is the threshold where light begins. Borrowed light fades when its source is gone. But we are invited to walk in our own light — children of light, carrying forward the pieces we are given.

Life often feels like putting together a puzzle without the picture on the box. We see fragments and scattered pieces, but rarely the whole. In John 12:20–26, Jesus meets the request of some Greeks who longed to see him, and he responds with a surprising image: a grain of wheat falling into the soil, dying in order to bear fruit.

At a time when Rome glorified Caesar through violence and propaganda, Jesus redefined glory as humility, justice, and service. His words invite us to imagine a different kind of peace — not enforced by domination, but grown through justice and love.

This reflection explores how Jesus’ teaching connects to our deepest human desires: the longing for connection, the need for acceptance, and the search for purpose. Like a seed planted in the ground, our lives bear fruit when we release self-interest and open our hands to love.

Every act of justice, kindness, and service becomes another piece of the puzzle. One day, when the picture is complete, we will see that our lives have planted seeds of legacy that live on.

An ordinary dinner in Bethany becomes a turning point—on love, gratitude, timing, and the quiet fragrance we leave behind.

Stillness is a spiritual technology. Silence and solitude are essential tools for tuning into our inner calling and unique path. 

A Young Man’s Question: “Is Retirement All They Say It Is?”

I was standing in my soon-to-be son-in-law's father's kitchen when a young man asked me an intriguing question: "So, how is retirement? Is it all that they say it is?” I paused for a moment before answering. 

“No," I responded. "It's different. Not better, not worse, just different.” His eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open.

What does this mean for you and me? What should our children, grandchildren, and their children take away from this? Let's not just believe what Jesus believed about himself but also follow his example of how to have faith in ourselves. We should embody what is true about us, and our actions should spring from our unique identities. Easier said than done, right? 

I'm seeking insights to share with others: my children, grandchildren, and their children. Instead of contradictions, I want to provide them with truths that could enhance their lives and spark their curiosity about eternal concepts. 

For now, my only insight is the often unrecognized truth of uncertainty. We know, but don't like to acknowledge, that we live in an uncertain universe, each with an uncertain number of days. Yet here we are, with a brain that wants answers and a psyche that craves what it cannot have: certainty.

In that “lonely place," Jesus finds the courage to say, "Let's go!” As he passes by, I imagine him slowing down, looking my way, and asking, "Where is your lonely place?” Then it strikes me: withdrawal must be a conscious act, especially these days when our lives resemble an arcade’s constant noise and flashing lights more than a space of solitude. Like Jesus, I must withdraw and retreat to my own "lonely place” to hone the skill of hearing the voice within and the courage to say, “Let’s go!”

Those who have accomplished great things know how to use the most difficult two-letter word in English - no. Steve Jobs of Apple once said he was as proud of the things Apple hasn’t done as the things they have. "Innovation," he says, "is saying no to 1000 things.” Mahatma Gandhi said, “A ‘no’ uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a ‘yes’ uttered merely to please – or worse, to avoid trouble.”  

In December 1955, a seamstress boarded a bus and took her seat. As the bus filled up, the driver ordered her to give up her seat. Even though there were laws about this, she quietly but firmly said, “No." Was she too tired? She later explained, “The only tired I was, was tired of giving in.”

So, what's in it for Jesus? Jesus has spent time trying to open the imagination of his Jewish brothers so that they see God not as a distant, heavenly ruler but as a closely connected father and the messiah, not as an emerging, earthly ruler but an ordinary man with God within him. His teaching emphasized a profound connection with God (“The Father and I are one”) and with others (“My sheep hear my voice”), a connection that would lead to a fulfilling life. He modeled this life of connection and contribution, approaching each encounter, whether Nicodemus, the woman at the well, the hungry 5000, or the man born blind, with the question, “How can I enhance the life of the person in front of me?” So, what was the payoff for Jesus?

"Connection" was central to Jesus' life and teaching. His oft-repeated words "the father and I are one" and "my sheep hear my voice and follow me” show the significance of connection - upward to his father and outward to people. His most crucial commandment echoed, "Love the Lord, your God, and love your neighbor as yourself.” He could have said, “Connect with the Father and connect with your neighbor.” Connect with your wife. Connect with your children. Connect with your boss and coworkers. The magic is not “in me” or “in them” but in the “connection.” 

"Is this the right baby," I thought as we walked into the hospital room in 2017 and got our first glimpse of Millie. I was expecting another "Murray Girl" with blonde if any, hair, Blue eyes, and fair complexion. The expectation was well founded. Karen and I had three daughters who fit that description, and I just thought our granddaughter would, too.

A concluding thought to my grandchildren and their children: Jesus spent time in silence, listening for the timeless word and putting it into action in his daily life. He chose not to start a new religion but to model a new way of living. It wasn't about a new organization but following him and his way of living. He dared to believe that there was an infinite intelligence that put the universe in motion and that man could become one with that intelligence. That caused trouble then; It causes trouble today. 

Why does Jesus start with the entrance? Because the entrance indicates my intentions, and for Jesus, intentions are everything. Intentions are the starting line for thoughts, ideas, actions, habits, and character. He would say, "What's in the heart that counts!” Here, they only come in two flavors: good and bad. Am I a good leader or a bad leader? 

To personalize it, let me stand with the Pharisees and hear the story through a parent's ears. (but I could substitute any leadership role.) Shepherd or Bandit? Am I a good parent or a bad parent? Jesus is asking me to question my intentions continually. Is my heart turned toward them or me?

The word judgment, translated into English, comes from the idea of smoke clearing away so that someone may see adequately and make an informed decision or opinion. 

One of the side effects of certainty, or being so sure that we are right, is twisting and turning things to make them fit into life as we have always known it. We view them through our filter and force-fit them into our template. Sometimes, they fit; sometimes, they don’t.

Contemplating that blank space between these two sentences causes the hot water of my imagination to reach the boiling point, and the questions pop up like bubbles in the steam. What happened between the end of chapter 8 and the beginning of chapter 9? Was it overnight? How many nights? Did he spend them alone, like he did before? Did he spend this time praying and meditating? My working theory: It was at least one night, and he was alone and spent it in prayer and meditation. 

I love watching Simone Biles stick the landing and the high jumpers and pole vaulters bounce off the mat and raise their arms after clearing the bar. I shout, "Yes!" as if I have done it myself.

It's time to go into the linchpin verses of John’s story (8:31-32), and I'm just not ready. These verses are as crucial as John 3:16, and I must be prepared. It seems like I've left something important in the previous segments and verses, and I need to find out what it is. Do you know that feeling you get on a trip and think you might've left something important at home? And you're just not satisfied until you sort through everything and know for sure.