A New Chapter
Introducing...Work These Words
We began this journey together six months ago. Thank you for your continued support and trust in the content we've shared through Ordinary Insights. Your engagement has been invaluable, and it's been an honor to journey with you thus far. However, after much reflection, I've decided to take a bold new step.
But first, let me tell you a story.
In 2014, after hitting what I later learned to be a spiritual plateau, I began a journey that changed my life: I started following Jesus of Nazareth.
I know how that sounds and what you must think, but hear me out.
Yes, I was a church kid, but if you had backed me into a corner, I had no idea what it meant to follow Jesus. I enjoyed the church environment and had strong retention skills (so I could regurgitate Bible stories), but that was the extent of my spiritual development.
Don't judge me.
I had no idea that following Jesus was even part of the plan. I assumed the goal of life was to love God and be a good person. Don't get me wrong, I was grateful for Jesus because he was nice enough to die for us, but I didn't know we owed him anything in return aside from gratitude.
Again, don’t judge me.
Surprisingly, I've discovered I wasn't alone. Over the last decade, I’ve met lots of people who were just like me. They loved God, served in their local church, and wanted deeply to be "a good person" but had no map for what that even looked like, which led me to pen this vision-driven question that will shape my life's work moving forward: What does it look like to follow and be formed by Jesus in the modern world? To give myself fully to this question, I need to make some necessary changes to align my content with this vision.
So, as of today, Ordinary Insights has officially become Work These Words.
Immersing myself in discipleship and spiritual formation has taught me to pay careful attention to Jesus' words. They have the power to shape us in unimaginable ways, especially when we go beyond just hearing them. Jesus echoes these sentiments in one of the best verses I've seen in scripture on formation found in Matthew 7.
In context, this passage follows a series of teachings we call the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus explains the principles of the Kingdom of God, covering topics like love, humility, prayer, and judgment. In this final analogy, He uses the metaphor of two builders—a wise one who builds his house on a rock and a foolish one who builds on sand. The wise person represents the person who hears and applies His teachings, while the foolish person is the one who only listens without action. The storms symbolize life's inevitable challenges that expose our foundation and lead us to the conclusion Jesus had alluded to throughout the entire teaching: we can only find security in a life grounded in Jesus' words
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." Matthew 7:24-27 NIV
Puts Them Into Practice.
In his Message translation, Eugene Peterson offers a paraphrase of this passage that has captured my heart and given birth to my new formation ecosystem.
"These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock. But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don't work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards." Matthew 7:24-27 MSG
Work These Words.
Don't you love the way he framed that?
While the Enlightenment invited us to explore the world with our minds, Jesus calls us to transform the world with our actions. The use of ‘puts them into practice’ (in the NIV) and ‘work these words’ (in the MSG) challenges the Enlightened belief that intellectual grasp equates to growth. In this way, Jesus redefines wisdom, shifting it from intellectual achievement to faithful practice.
So, what does this mean for the newsletter?
My approach to transformation with Ordinary Insights centered around four delivery systems: church, charity, coaching, and content. While these remain delivery systems for me, Work These Words advances this conversation by defining (true) transformation as following and being formed by Jesus. My focus in this newsletter will be on living out the teachings of Christ within the context of the post-Christian West, offering insights into how His words should shape our daily lives. Each edition will be grounded in scripture with actionable takeaways to help you put your faith into practice. Whether new to following Jesus or seeking new ways to live out your faith, Work These Words will be a helpful guide to facilitating spiritual growth and authentic transformation.
Thank you for being part of this community. I'm excited to enter this new chapter and work these words together.
SD
PS: Work These Words is a formation ecosystem with a podcast launching later this fall. You can subscribe today on Apple or Spotify.