It’s easy to mistake—even within ourselves—people-pleasing for love. But they’re a universe apart. People-pleasing is fueled by fear of rejection and the need for praise. It looks like kindness when in fact it’s cowardice. Love acts for the good of the other even when it hurts.

If we suspect God is preventing us in any way from durable and lasting happiness then rebellion will always lurk at our heart’s door. “He withholds from us no good thing” must be wholeheartedly embraced if one hopes to obey and abide in Jesus over the long haul.

If you have never watched more than a few seconds of MLK's I Have a Dream speech, today is the day. Full: youtube.com/watch?v=I47Y6V… Five Minute Excerpt: youtube.com/watch?v=3vDWWy…

1. Solve problems at the right time, not sooner. Just because it’s broke and you can fix it doesn’t mean you should fix it right now. 2. Solve problems that are yours to solve. It's fruitless to dream up solutions outside your jurisdiction, influence + calling. #sermonstoself

"When productivity is our main way of overcoming self-doubt, we are extremely vulnerable to rejection & criticism & prone to inner anxiety &depression. Productivity can never give the deep sense of belonging we crave...[it] reveals to us that we are driven by fear." -@HenriNouwen

A sobering and much needed essay from my boss and friend, a man who's life makes his words worth hearing. medium.com/@chrisahall/we…

A courageous decision? Using the money spent on weapons for a “global Fund” to defeat hunger. This would help avoid many wars and the emigration of many of our brothers and sisters from the poorest nations.

42 hours left to support and pre-order my new album. kickstarter.com/projects/brian…

Dear politicians/political influencers: When you tweet about my father’s birthday, remember that he was resolute about eradicating racism, poverty & militarism. Encourage & enact policies that reflect your birthday sentiments. Here’s the authentic #MLK:

Three years ago Andy Squyres boldly proclaimed on Kickstarter "I intend to make one of the most compelling faith-oriented albums ever." That's an absurdly high bar to set. And he met it. Give Poet Priest, out yesterday, a deep listen... or ten. open.spotify.com/album/5TEkZiui…

New single out today! May it help re-wonder you to the resurrection, His and ours. morykon.com/both-alive

SO awesome to hear one of my all-time favorite albums, So by Peter Gabriel, quietly and beautifully reinterpreted 35 years later by folk duo Lowland Hum. tonetree.ffm.to/lh-solow

Harsh criticism of self and others is often a preemptive defense mechanism: you can’t reject me if I reject me (and you) first. This kills love. It creates distance from God and others and even self. God wants to reveal root causes, bring healing, and teach us new thoughts.

The new album out today from @taylorleonmusic is stunning slinky.to/HoldStill

Like those flowers that only bloom once a decade, my full-length albums are slow coming but hopefully worth the wait. "Known" is out today and streaming everywhere! morykon.com

I’m delighted to share my interview on the From the Forefront podcast with Scott McClelland. During our chat, we talked about the story behind the song Wounded Boy, the beauty of brokenness, and more. Listen now fromtheforefront.com/65

No matter how you vote, you are welcome in our church. I just ask that you would commit to see politics thru Jesus & not Jesus thru your politics; that you would be curious about why your brothers & sisters see things differently. And that you would live humble, prayerful lives.

For years we've hosted the Renovaré CraftCMS (parody) website on @ArcustechUSA. They are one of those rare hosting companies that focuses on fundamentals. No gimmicks, no fancy control panel, just fast servers for a good price supported by knowledgable and friendly humans.

Shame dresses itself up as humility. Don’t buy it. Shame is the arrogance of believing my sin is stronger than God’s forgiveness and that it’s my job to avenge my own mistakes through self-punishment. True humility repents and receives grace.

How many prayers have gone unprayed, how many worries unreleased because of the thought that God has more important things to deal with. God is big enough to be fully present to the largest humanitarian crisis and to our smallest concerns.