Not to Impress. To Walk Together.

When you write or speak a lot there is a temptation to write beautifully or speak memorably but it's time to remember that really we are learning to walk alongside someone. Not impress them.

Those aren’t the same thing.

When I read or relisten to a message the moments that stay with me are almost always the simplest.

Come and see.

Stay awhile.

Keep listening.

Rest awhile.

He is near.

I belong.

He loves me.

None of those intend to be clever. Better, They’re true.

And because they’re true, they have weight.

The danger for writers—especially those of us who teach—is that we start admiring our own sentences. I don't get the feeling that Jesus did. His words were memorable because they were simple enough to carry around for the rest of the day.

Think about John’s Gospel.

John doesn’t write:

“Permit me to unpack the theological implications of incarnation.”

He writes:

“The Word became flesh and made his home among us.”

He doesn’t say:

“Christological hospitality…”

He says:

“Come and see.”

The simplicity isn’t a lack of depth.

It’s what allows the depth to keep unfolding.

And perhaps then when I’m out of the way, we’ll notice Jesus together.