The Good Within Your Reach

Proverbs 14:26:"Confidence and strength flood the hearts of the lovers of God who live in awe of him, and their devotion provides their children with a place of shelter and security."Today's Episode: Make Courage a ShelterPicture a six-year-old walking into school. Now put four federal marshals in the picture.That was Ruby Bridges on November 14, 1960, in New Orleans. She was the first Black child to desegregate William Frantz Elementary. Her mother walked with her. A racist crowd made it dangerous for a child to do something as ordinary as go to school.I keep thinking about the grown folks in that picture. Ruby needed adults to walk with her through that door.Listen to Proverbs 14:26 in The Passion Translation:“Confidence and strength flood the hearts of the lovers of God who live in awe of him, and their devotion provides their children with a place of shelter and security.”A flood and a shelter, right there in the same verse. I like what happens between those two pictures.First, confidence and strength flood your heart. Then your devotion gives your children, or those under your care, somewhere safe to stand.That tells me something beautiful about the strength God gives me. It can help me walk beside somebody who shouldn’t have to walk alone.Sometimes it takes courage to be the grown-up who speaks. You hear somebody dismiss a child because of how they look, how they talk, or where they come from. You know what you heard. Now what are you willing to say?Sometimes it takes courage to listen. A child tells you what happened and you want so badly for it to be okay that you say, “I’m sure they didn’t mean it.”Slow down. Let that child finish. Find out what they need, and take the next step with them.I wish Ruby could’ve walked into school without an escort. We can honor her courage and still ask what it will take for children today to walk through their own doors safely.🔥 REMEMBERLet the strength God gives you make somebody’s child safer.🙏🏽 PRAYERGod, give us courage that makes children safer around us.🎯 TODAY’S CHALLENGEAsk one parent or caregiver what would make their child’s week a little safer or easier. Offer one specific thing you can follow through on. Get full access to Hey Fred Lynch! at heyfredlynch.substack.com/subscribe

Proverbs 13:5:"A good person hates false talk; a bad person wallows in gibberish."Today's Episode: Wallowing in GibberishYou ever get a text message that starts, “I don’t know if this is true, but…”?Okay. We could’ve stopped right there. But you know you read that whole text.Back in 2016, Microsoft put a chatbot named Tay on Twitter. People could talk to it. Within the first twenty-four hours, Microsoft says a group figured out how to exploit a weakness in it. The bot started posting offensive stuff, and Microsoft immediately took it offline.That was a targeted attack. Still, it made me think about us. What do I keep giving my attention to? And how much of it comes back out of my mouth?Listen to Proverbs 13:5 in The Message:“A good person hates false talk; a bad person wallows in gibberish.”Wallowing. That’s when you’ve been sitting in it a while.Maybe you don’t even like gossip. You just happen to know everybody’s business, the order in which it happened, and who wasn’t supposed to tell you.And now you’ve got an opinion about somebody you haven’t spoken to in six months.I’ve had to ask myself: Why am I so interested in this? What am I getting out of it? And would I be so quick to believe it if it was about me?Hating false talk means checking what we’re about to repeat. Sometimes it means going back and saying, “Hey, that thing I told you yesterday? I didn’t check it. I shouldn’t have passed it on.”That can be awkward. Go ahead and do it anyway. Somebody might still be walking around believing what you told them.And here’s another thing we can do: give our attention to something worth repeating. Listen to somebody who knows what they’re talking about. Spend a little time with Sacred Text. Ask a person what happened before you let a whole group chat tell you their inflated opinion.We get to decide what we keep coming back to. And we can practice telling the truth in a way that takes care of people.🔥 REMEMBERBefore you pass it on, ask if it’s true and worth repeating.🙏🏽 PRAYERGod, help me love truth enough to check my words.🎯 TODAY’S CHALLENGEBefore forwarding one claim today, check the original source. If you can’t verify it, let it stop with you. Get full access to Hey Fred Lynch! at heyfredlynch.substack.com/subscribe

Proverbs 12:2:"A good person basks in the delight of God, and he wants nothing to do with devious schemers."Today's Episode: Let ’Em LookOne day I was walking and talking to God. I was giggling under my breath. What can I say? That’s how we talk sometimes.Then I looked up. My son and my nephew were standing there staring at me. Laughing.And I could see why. As far as they could tell, I was just walking around, talking to myself, grinning like a goofy old man.For a second, I almost said, “Y’all, I’m praying.”Then I thought, why am I explaining this? I was having a good time. Let ’em look.Listen to Proverbs 12:2 in The Message:“A good person basks in the delight of God, and he wants nothing to do with devious schemers.”Basks. Now that’s a word. Think of finding a warm patch of sun on a cool day. You stand there a little longer than you meant to. It feels good right where you are.That’s how I hear this proverb. God delights in goodness. We get to enjoy that. The other half of the verse makes clear that God takes no delight in scheming. You don’t need an angle here. You can come honestly and say what’s on your heart.Even if all you’ve got to say is, “God, that was funny.”That day with my boys was probably fifteen years ago. They were kids then. Now they’re coming into their thirties, and both of them have their own delightful conversations with God.I wonder if somebody’s ever caught one of them smiling to themselves and thought, “What’s wrong with him?”If so, fellas, welcome to the club.What I love is that they found a joy of their own. And it makes me wonder how much joy we miss because we’re busy checking how we look.You might have something heavy to talk about with God today. Bring that, too. You can be honest about what hurts and still enjoy the company of the one you’re telling.And if you happen to smile along the way, let ’em look.🔥 REMEMBERYou’re allowed to enjoy the God you’re talking to.🙏🏽 PRAYERGod, help me relax and enjoy spending time with you.🎯 TODAY’S CHALLENGETake two minutes today to talk to God in your everyday voice. Tell God one thing that made you smile. Get full access to Hey Fred Lynch! at heyfredlynch.substack.com/subscribe

Proverbs 11:18:"The wicked man does deceptive work, But he who sows righteousness will have a sure reward."Today's Episode: What Service SowsOn Veterans Day, I think about my great-uncle, D. A. Record. We called him Uncle Bubba. He served in World War Two. Near the end of his life, he kept telling me one story.His unit had driven a tank into a minefield without realizing it. To get out, somebody had to follow those tracks backward, every twist and turn. You couldn’t just throw it in reverse and hope for the best.Uncle Bubba told me he’d been driving tractors in rural Dallas since he was eight years old. Imagine that. Something he learned as a little boy in a field became a lifesaving skill on a battlefield halfway around the world.And it worked. He got that tank out without setting off a mine.But then came the part that still hurt. The way he remembered it, the credit went to his white superiors. He helped get everybody out, but somehow his name got left out of the story.Listen to Proverbs 11:18 in the New King James Version:“The wicked man does deceptive work, But he who sows righteousness will have a sure reward.”I hear both sides of that verse when I think about my uncle. There’s the good he did, and the injustice of somebody else getting the credit.I wish he’d received the recognition he deserved. And I like to think he’s smiling down on me right now as I tell his story.Now, when the proverb says “sure reward,” I don’t hear a promise that everybody gets a medal. My uncle’s story won’t let me say that.But here’s what I do know: somebody else getting the credit couldn’t undo the good he did. Those lives mattered. That was part of the harvest.So do honest work. Give credit where credit is due. And don’t wait till somebody’s gone to tell their story.My uncle’s name was D. A. Record. We called him Uncle Bubba.Today, I’m saying his name.🔥 REMEMBERDo work worth honoring, and give people credit for theirs.🙏🏽 PRAYERGod, help me serve honestly and honor those who serve.🎯 TODAY’S CHALLENGEThink of someone whose work went unnoticed. Thank them today, naming what they did and why it mattered. Get full access to Hey Fred Lynch! at heyfredlynch.substack.com/subscribe

Proverbs 10:14:"Wise men store up and treasure knowledge [in mind and heart], But with the mouth of the foolish, ruin is at hand."Today's Episode: Write It Down–Store It UpI was in the studio the other day, and I spent twenty minutes getting a vocal to sit right in the mix. Then I opened the next session and thought, “Now, what did I do last time?”Dang! Should’ve written that down.Today is World Science Day, and I’ve been thinking about a part of science that doesn’t get much applause: keeping notes. What did you try? What happened? What happened when you changed one thing? Did you write it down?Even the attempt that didn’t work is worth keeping. Next time, you know where you’ve already been.Listen to Proverbs 10:14 in the Amplified Bible:“Wise men store up and treasure knowledge [in mind and heart], But with the mouth of the foolish, ruin is at hand.”I like that word treasure. A note can look like nothing when you write it down. Then a week later, it’s the missing piece you need.Say you’ve had a hard conversation, and that night you write a couple lines in your journal.“I was ready to go off. I took a walk first. When I came back, I could actually tell them what hurt.”Nothing fancy. You probably don’t even underline it.Then a week later, somebody gets under your skin again. You flip back and there it is, in your own handwriting: taking a walk gave you enough room to say what you meant.You’ve got something to try because you took the time to notice what happened and wrote it down.And when somebody asks you for advice, you’ve got more to offer than the first thing that pops into your head. You can say, “Here’s what I tried. Here’s what I noticed.”That’s worth treasuring.So keep a note about what God’s teaching you. Read it back. Put it to work till it sticks. The answer you’re looking for tomorrow might start with something you noticed today.🔥 REMEMBERWrite down what you notice. You might need it later.🙏🏽 PRAYERGod, teach me to notice, remember, and use what matters.🎯 TODAY’S CHALLENGEWrite three lines today: what I tried, what I noticed, and what I’ll try next. Get full access to Hey Fred Lynch! at heyfredlynch.substack.com/subscribe

Proverbs 9:16:“Let all who are simple come to my house!” To those who have no sense she says,Today's Episode: Whose House?Whose house?If you heard that question and answered it in your head, you already know where I’m going.Run-D.M.C. “Run’s House.”They didn’t start hip-hop, but they helped bring it to a whole new audience. And on that record, Joey Simmons, aka Run makes it clear whose house he insists you’re standing in. You better recognize.Now, take that question with you into Proverbs chapter nine. Two people are inviting you over. Both make you feel welcome. And if you only hear the first line, you might think they’re hosting the same party.Proverbs 9:16 in the NIV says:“Let all who are simple come to my house!” To those who have no sense she says,That’s Folly talking. Go back to verse four and Wisdom opens with the very same words.So how do you tell the difference?Keep listening.Wisdom invites you to eat, leave your foolish ways behind, and learn how to live. Folly offers stolen water and food eaten in secret. She makes the secrecy sound like part of the fun. By the end of the chapter, we find out where that invitation leads.Funny how nobody puts that part on the flyer.They tell you who’s coming. What’s on the menu. Maybe there’s even complimentary baby oil. I got questions, but let’s keep moving.You got invited. Fine. What’ll you be expected to go along with when you get there?Maybe it’s a room where everybody laughs at somebody who isn’t there. You came to hang out. Now they’re waiting for you to pile on.Or it’s an opportunity that sounds good until somebody says, “Just don’t tell anybody how we do it.”Pay attention to that part.You can be glad somebody thought of you and still decide to stay home.Wisdom’s house might ask more of you up front. At least you know what you’re being invited into: a way to live.Before you say, “I’m on my way,” ask yourself.Whose house?🔥 REMEMBERBefore you accept the invitation, find out what comes with it.🙏🏽 PRAYERGod, help me recognize wisdom before I walk through doors.🎯 TODAY’S CHALLENGELook at one invitation you’re considering. Name what you’d have to go along with to say yes. Decide if it’s worth it. Get full access to Hey Fred Lynch! at heyfredlynch.substack.com/subscribe

Proverbs 8:31:"And how happy I was with the world he created; how I rejoiced with the human family!"Today's Episode: Wisdom Delights in UsTell me if you know this feeling. You just finished cutting the yard. Before you push the mower back to the shed and move on to the next chore, you turn around, breathe in that fresh-cut smell, and look at the lawn like, “I did that.”Or you finish a song and tell yourself you’re checking the mix, but really, you just wanna hear it one more time.Okay, last one, ’cause this is getting good. You get dressed, stop at the mirror on your way out, and give yourself in your Austin Powers voice: “Yeah, baby!”Yeah baby…Go ahead. Enjoy it.Listen to Proverbs 8:31 in the New Living Translation:“And how happy I was with the world he created; how I rejoiced with the human family!”That’s Lady Wisdom talking. She delights in God’s world and the human family.And you know what? God did something like that in the creation story found in Genesis. At the end of the sixth day, God looks at everything he’s made and calls it very good. On the seventh day, God rests.Now, in my words, that sounds a little like God saying, “Oh I did that thing.”So if you’ve ever stood back and said that, you might sound a little like your heavenly Father.We can get so caught up in what something needs to become that we barely let ourselves enjoy what it already is.The lawn will grow back. The song might need another pass. And please, don’t let me catch you wearing that same outfit all week.You still get to enjoy it. Right now.What if you gave yourself a little measure of grace today? I know you got a ways to go, but look at how far God has brought you. Maybe a conversation you used to avoid is one you finally had. Maybe you asked for help before you ran out of strength. All of that counts.Don’t get it twisted, there is plenty left to do. But let yourself be glad about what’s already here.Go ahead. Turn around and look. See what God’s been doing.🔥 REMEMBERYou can enjoy how far God’s brought you, even when you’ve still got a ways to go.🙏🏽 PRAYERGod, help me pause and enjoy what you’ve already done.🎯 TODAY’S CHALLENGEBefore your next task, stop for one minute. Name one thing you’ve finished or one way you’ve grown. Thank God for it. Get full access to Hey Fred Lynch! at heyfredlynch.substack.com/subscribe

Proverbs 7:25:“Do not let your heart turn to her ways or stray into her paths.”Today’s Episode: Before Your Feet FollowBefore your navigation app gives you directions, you have to tell it where you want to go.You can have a full tank, good tires, and a beautiful day for a drive. But if you enter the wrong destination, every helpful instruction takes you farther toward a place you never needed to be.Sometimes we need to check what destination our heart has entered.Proverbs 7:25 says:“Do not let your heart turn to her ways or stray into her paths.”The chapter warns about seduction and adultery. But notice where this instruction begins.The heart.Before the feet follow a foul path, the heart will tag and save an emotional smart link right to that destination.You been secretly imagining “what it would be like” and then you’re surprised when you offer yourself allowances for things you never thought you’d permit.Then…when you finally do the deed, you say, “I don’t know how I ended up here.”Our feet may have been following directions our heart had been low-key giving them for a while.Now, a passing thought isn’t a decision. Feeling attraction doesn’t mean you’ve betrayed somebody. An angry feeling doesn’t mean you’ve chosen revenge.We do have choices about what we keep entertaining and preparing to act on.Take resentment. We can spend days rehearsing what somebody did, imagining the confrontation, polishing every cutting remark. Then one ordinary question comes along, and we unload the whole speech.The conversation caught them by surprise. We’d been practicing.What if we noticed that rehearsal earlier?“God, I’m hurt. I keep imagining ways to hurt them back. Help me find an honest way to address this.”That’s a different destination. We can tell the truth, seek support, and set a boundary without making retaliation the goal.Wisdom invites us to pay attention while choices are still taking shape.What am I making room for? Where would this lead if I kept feeding it? Is that somewhere I want my life to go?And if you’ve already taken some wrong turns, you can still ask for help changing direction.Start with what’s happening in your heart. Give it honest attention before another step.🔥 REMEMBERYour feet can follow the directions your heart keeps rehearsing.🙏🏽 PRAYERGod, guide my heart toward paths my feet can follow.🎯 TODAY’S CHALLENGEName one harmful outcome you’ve been rehearsing. Write a wiser goal, then take one action toward it today: ask for help, address the hurt, or set a boundary. Get full access to Hey Fred Lynch! at heyfredlynch.substack.com/subscribe

Proverbs 6:28:“Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched?”Today’s Episode: What Did You Think Was Gonna Happen?“Can I walk across those hot coals without burning my feet?”Well... what did you think was gonna happen?Sometimes wisdom is that blunt. You can almost hear somebody standing on the porch, watching you work very hard to make a bad idea sound reasonable.Proverbs 6:28 in the New International Version asks:“Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched?”The next verse applies that picture to adultery. Getting involved with somebody else’s spouse brings consequences. Desire doesn’t make betrayal harmless.We can see the problem when it’s feet and fire. But put our own situation in the picture, and suddenly we need to explain.“Naw see…what had happened was…It’s complicated.”The circumstances may be complicated. But stupid is still stupid. And the harm can still be real.“Oh we’re just talking.”Then why does the conversation need to stay hidden?“Now I know where the line is.”Are you using that knowledge to stay clear of it, or see how close you can get?The proverb brings us back to something ordinary: what we choose puts us in contact with consequences.Sometimes we keep asking God to protect us while refusing to step away from what is doing the damage.We want the relationship protected, but we keep feeding the secret. We want trust restored, but we’re still holding back the truth.And the people who get hurt may never have agreed to take that risk with us.Wisdom asks us to consider them before another step.That warning can sound severe. It can also be mercy reaching us while there’s still time to change direction.You can end the inappropriate conversation. Stop making opportunities to be alone together. Ask a trustworthy person to help you keep the boundary you’ve been negotiating.And if harm has already happened, you still have a next step. Take responsibility. Seek help. Respect the hurt person’s boundaries and the time repair may require.Forgiveness is precious. Rebuilding trust takes honest work.The question is right there in front of us.Can you keep walking on the coals and expect your feet to be fine?You already know enough to choose your next step.🔥 REMEMBERDon’t ask your good intentions to cancel your harmful choices.🙏🏽 PRAYERGod, give me courage to step away from harmful choices.🎯 TODAY’S CHALLENGEName one boundary you’ve been negotiating. Take one concrete step to honor it today, and tell a trusted person what you’ve decided. Get full access to Hey Fred Lynch! at heyfredlynch.substack.com/subscribe

Proverbs 5:7:“So now, children, listen to me; do not turn aside from the words I speak.”Today’s Episode: That Means You TooThere’s a certain kind of announcement that gets made in a house.“Everybody, come here.”And somebody always needs clarification.“Me too?”Yes. You live here. Everybody includes you.Proverbs 5:7 in the New English Translation says:“So now, children, listen to me; do not turn aside from the words I speak.”Children. I like that word here.The teacher has been warning about the damage unfaithfulness can do. Now he gathers his listeners’ attention again. There’s a relationship inside the instruction.The NET says “children.” Daughters can receive this wisdom, too. And what about those of us with gray hair? Child please.Being grown doesn’t mean we’ve outgrown being taught.That means you too, preacher. Teacher. Parent. President. Chaplain. Person everybody calls when they need advice.There’s a strange illusion that can happen when we pass truth along. Because we know how to explain it, we start feeling like we’ve graduated from needing it.We can preach a whole message on patience and get irritated when somebody takes too long to say amen.Don’t get it twisted. We still need the wisdom we’re handing out.And when people trust us to teach it, we have a responsibility to examine how we’re living it.If I keep telling you that truth will change your life, but mine stays raggedy in the very places I’m correcting you, eventually you’re going to have questions.You should.Our behavior can make it harder for people to trust what we’re saying. They’ve heard the lesson. They’re also watching the life.That doesn’t mean teachers have to be flawless. It means we need to be honest, accountable, and willing to repair what we damage.“I was wrong” belongs in our vocabulary right beside “Let me explain.”The verse says, “do not turn aside.”That warning still applies after we’ve taught the class. After we’ve counseled somebody. After the microphone is off.God can work with a teachable heart. We can hear Scripture address us, receive correction, and practice what we’ve been recommending.Before I decide who needs this message, let me sit with it myself.Children, listen.That means me too.🔥 REMEMBERPassing wisdom along doesn’t give you a pass on living it.🙏🏽 PRAYERGod, let the wisdom I share keep shaping me first.🎯 TODAY’S CHALLENGEChoose one wise instruction you’ve been recommending to somebody else. Name where your own practice falls short, and take one corrective step today. Get full access to Hey Fred Lynch! at heyfredlynch.substack.com/subscribe