Where Two or Three Are Gathered

_{This post is part of the Twisted Scriptures series, where we look at familiar Bible verses in their original context and consider what they truly mean. Series started May 3, 2026.}

Matthew 18:20 is often quoted when believers come together to pray.

“For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”

It is a comforting verse, and there is nothing wrong with remembering Christ’s presence when praying with someone in a small group, beside a hospital bed, or over the phone. Jesus is not limited by location, distance, or the number of people gathered.

At the same time, that is not the main subject of the passage.

Matthew 18:20 comes at the end of Jesus’ instructions about what to do when a believer sins against another believer. Jesus taught His followers to begin with a private conversation. If the person would not listen, one or two others were to become involved. If the matter still could not be resolved, it was to be brought before the church.

The Greek word connected with “gathered” is synagō, pronounced soon-AH-go, and written συνάγω. It means to gather, assemble, or bring together. In this passage, Jesus is speaking about believers coming together in His name and under His authority to deal faithfully with a difficult situation.

The purpose was not punishment or embarrassment. The goal was restoration.

Jesus was assuring His followers that when they carried out this responsibility according to His instructions, they were not acting alone. He would be present among them as they sought truth, reconciliation, and obedience.

That gives the verse more weight than we sometimes realize. Christ is present not only in the comforting moments of prayer, but also in the difficult moments when truth must be spoken, sin must be addressed, and damaged relationships must be handled carefully.

Biblical correction should never be driven by pride, anger, revenge, or the desire to embarrass someone. The goal is not to win an argument. The goal is to win a brother or sister back.

These conversations are rarely easy. It takes humility to speak honestly without becoming harsh, and it takes humility to receive correction without becoming defensive. Jesus promises to be present when His people approach these moments according to His Word.

So when believers gather in His name, whether they are praying together or working through a serious conflict, they can be confident that Jesus is not distant. His presence is both a comfort and a responsibility.

When we gather under His authority, we should seek His heart, follow His instructions, and desire restoration more than being proven right.

Bible Promise

“For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”

Jesus is present when His people gather in His name and submit themselves to His authority.

Reflection Questions

When has the promise of Christ’s presence encouraged you while praying with another person?
Is there a difficult conversation or damaged relationship that needs to be approached with truth, humility, and love?

Prayer

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for the promise of Your presence when believers come together in the name of Jesus. Help me remember that Your presence is both a comfort and a responsibility. Give me wisdom and humility when truth needs to be spoken. Keep me from using correction as a weapon or allowing pride to control my words. Teach me to receive correction with humility and to offer it with love. Let restoration, obedience, and the good of others be more important to me than proving that I am right.

I give You all honor, all the glory, and all of the praise. It’s in Jesus’ name I pray. Amen & Amen.

Plans to Prosper You

_{This post is part of the Twisted Scriptures series, where we look at familiar Bible verses in their original context and consider what they truly mean. Series started May 3, 2026.}

Jeremiah 29:11 is often quoted when someone is beginning a new season, facing an important decision, or hoping that something good is just around the corner.

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

It is a beautiful promise, but it was not originally given to people whose plans were about to fall perfectly into place. God spoke these words to the people of Judah while they were living in exile in Babylon. Their homes were far away, their nation had been defeated, and the future they expected had been interrupted.

Even more difficult, God told them that the exile would not end quickly. They were to build houses, plant gardens, raise families, and seek the good of the city where they had been carried. Seventy years would pass before God brought His people back to Jerusalem.

That context does not weaken Jeremiah 29:11. It makes the promise stronger.

God was not promising that every hardship would end immediately. He was promising that exile would not have the final word. Their present circumstances were painful, but God had not abandoned His people or forgotten His covenant with them.

The Hebrew word translated “peace” is shalom, pronounced shah-LOHM, and written שָׁלוֹם. It can speak of peace, wholeness, welfare, well-being, and completeness. God’s plans were directed toward the ultimate good of His people, even while they were living through a season they would not have chosen.

We often define prosperity by comfort, quick success, financial increase, or getting the outcome we want. Jeremiah 29:11 points to something deeper. God’s good plan may include waiting, correction, endurance, and growth before restoration comes.

That means we should not use this verse as a guarantee that every personal dream will succeed. God did not promise the exiles that Babylon would become easy or that their preferred timeline would be honored. He promised that He was still working and that their story was not over.

There may be seasons when you cannot see how your circumstances could possibly fit into a good plan. You may feel delayed, displaced, or disappointed by how life has unfolded. Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us that God sees beyond the chapter we are currently living.

His plans are not careless, and His timing is not empty. Even when the road is longer than expected, we can trust that God has not lost sight of His purpose.

The promise is not that every season will feel prosperous. The promise is that God remains faithful, even in the seasons that do not.

Bible Promise

Jeremiah 29:11

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

God has not forgotten you, and your present circumstances do not cancel His faithful purpose.

Reflection Questions

Have you ever treated Jeremiah 29:11 as a promise that God would make your personal plans succeed?
Where do you need to trust God’s purpose, even though His timing is different from yours?

Prayer

Heavenly Father,

Thank You that Your plans are good even when my circumstances are difficult. Help me not to measure Your faithfulness by how quickly my situation changes. Teach me to trust You when the road is longer than I expected and when I cannot yet see what You are doing. Give me patience to remain faithful, wisdom to live well in the season I am in, and confidence that You have not forgotten me.

I give You all honor, all the glory, and all of the praise. It’s in Jesus’ name I pray. Amen & Amen.

I Should Have Said Something Sooner

This isn’t a typical Priceless Moment.

There’s no clean lesson wrapped up at the end. No neat bow on it. No clear resolution.

This is me writing in the middle of something I’m still feeling.

And I have a sense… someone needs to hear this. Someone reading this is thinking about a person they’ve drifted from. A conversation they’ve avoided. A relationship that didn’t end, but just… faded.

If that’s you… don’t brush it off.

I’m writing this because I wish I hadn’t.

I’m writing this right now, not after I’ve processed it… not after I’ve figured out the lesson… not after I’ve cleaned it up and made it sound better than it is.

Right now.

And if I’m being honest, I don’t even fully know what I’m trying to say. I just know I can’t keep it in.

There’s a kind of grief I didn’t expect to feel like this.

It’s not from losing someone suddenly.
It’s not from a fight or a falling out.
It’s not from being hurt.

It’s from realizing… I didn’t show up.

That’s hard to say out loud.

Because it would almost be easier if I could point to something someone else did. Easier if I could say it was complicated or messy or unavoidable.

But it wasn’t.

It was slow. Quiet. Almost unnoticeable at first.

A missed call.
A text I didn’t answer.
A moment I told myself I’d circle back to later.

And later never came.

I didn’t wake up one day and decide to walk away from someone who meant that much to me. But that’s exactly what happened.

And now I’m sitting here… feeling it.

There’s this strange tension inside me right now. On one side, there’s joy. Real joy. I can picture someone I care about stepping into something good, something earned, something they deserve. I can see the smile, the excitement, the new season ahead. I can even picture moments that haven’t happened yet… the kind you don’t forget.

And I’m genuinely happy.

But at the exact same time… there’s this heaviness I can’t shake.

Because while they’re stepping into something new… I’m realizing something old is gone.

Not taken.
Not broken.
Just… gone.

And I let it happen.

That’s the part that keeps hitting me.

There were nights in my life when I didn’t have much left. Nights where the silence felt louder than anything else. Nights where I didn’t know what to do with everything I was carrying.

And there were people who made space for me in those moments.

They didn’t ask me to explain everything.
They didn’t make me earn it.
They just… showed up.

Consistently. Quietly. Faithfully.

That kind of presence is rare.

And somehow, I treated it like it would always be there.

I think that’s what hurts the most.

Not just that I lost something meaningful… but that I didn’t protect it.

Scripture says to make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit (Ephesians 4:3). Every effort.

If I’m honest… I didn’t.

I gave partial effort. Delayed effort. Occasional effort.

But not every effort.

And now I feel the difference.

There’s a kind of regret that doesn’t come with closure. It just sits with you. It shows up in quiet moments. It interrupts your thoughts when you’re not expecting it.

It whispers things like, you should have called.
You should have answered.
You should have gone back.

And the hard part is… it’s right.

At the same time, I’m holding onto this truth as tightly as I can…

God is not unjust to forget the love that was shown (Hebrews 6:10).

Nothing about those moments was wasted.

The conversations mattered.
The laughter mattered.
The presence mattered.
The prayers mattered.

Even if I didn’t steward it the way I should have… it was still real.

And I believe God still honors what was poured out in those seasons.

But that doesn’t remove the weight I feel right now.

If anything, it makes it more clear how valuable it was.

So I’m sitting here… in this moment… not trying to rush past it.

Letting it hurt a little.

Letting it teach me something I probably should have learned sooner.

People are not replaceable.

Real ones… the ones who show up when it’s inconvenient, who carry things with you, who make space for you when you don’t deserve it…

Those are gifts.

And gifts are meant to be valued… protected… responded to.

Not assumed.

If you’re reading this and someone just came to mind… don’t do what I did.

Don’t wait until it feels awkward.
Don’t wait until time has passed.
Don’t wait until you have the perfect words.

Just reach out.

Make the call.
Send the message.
Own your part.

Because the hardest kind of regret… is the one that didn’t have to happen.

And even in this… I’m holding onto hope.

God restores. He redeems. He teaches. He shapes.

He gives us moments like this not just to sit in regret… but to grow from it.

To love better.
To show up sooner.
To make the effort next time.

He restores what we’re willing to surrender (Joel 2:25).

So this is me… surrendering it.

The regret.
The missed moments.
The silence.

And asking God to make something good out of it.

Even now.

Reflection Questions

Who in your life deserves a call, a message, or a moment of effort that you’ve been putting off?
What would it look like for you to value the relationships in your life before regret has a chance to grow?

Prayer

Heavenly Father,

Help me not to take people for granted. Help me recognize the gift of the people You have placed in my life, especially the ones who have shown up for me when I needed them most.

Forgive me for the moments I have been silent when I should have reached out, distant when I should have drawn close, or distracted when I should have been present.

Give me the humility to own my part, the courage to make things right where I can, and the wisdom to love people better moving forward.

Thank You for Your grace, even in regret. Thank You for meeting me in broken places and using even painful moments to soften my heart.

I give You all honor, all the glory, and all of the praise. It’s in Jesus’ name I pray. Amen & Amen.

You Can’t Heal What You Keep Hiding

Some wounds do not stay in the past just because time has passed.

They often follow us quietly into new seasons, new relationships, and new responsibilities. What we bury does not always disappear. Sometimes it simply settles deeper beneath the surface, shaping reactions, habits, and emotions in ways we do not immediately recognize.

Many people want healing, but few want the honesty that healing often requires.

It is easier to manage appearances than to face pain. It is easier to stay busy than to slow down long enough to admit what still hurts. It is easier to hide struggles than risk being known.

But hidden things rarely stay harmless.

Scripture says in Proverbs 28:13 that the one who covers sin will not prosper, but the one who confesses and forsakes it will find mercy. While that verse speaks directly to sin, the principle also reminds us that secrecy often keeps us bound while truth opens the door to freedom.

I came to realize that some pain in my life was not healing because I was trying to carry it privately. I had learned how to function, keep moving, and stay productive, yet certain places in the heart remain untouched until they are brought honestly before God. Once those things were brought into the light, they began losing power.

This is often the turning point, when truth becomes stronger than secrecy.

James also teaches believers to confess faults to one another and pray for one another that healing may come. God never intended for us to carry every burden alone. Sometimes healing begins with prayer. Sometimes it begins with wise counsel. Sometimes it begins with one honest conversation.

If there is something in your life you keep hiding, consider whether secrecy has become part of the struggle.

What is brought into God’s light can begin to heal.

Bible Promise

Proverbs 28:13
“He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.”

Where honesty meets surrender, the mercy of God is ready to meet you there.

Reflection Questions

Is there an area of pain, struggle, or sin that you have been hiding instead of addressing honestly?
What trusted step of truth could begin healing in your life today?

Prayer

Heavenly Father,
Thank You that You are gentle with wounded places and merciful toward honest hearts. Give me courage to stop hiding what needs to be healed. Remove fear, pride, and shame that keep me stuck in secrecy. Help me bring every burden into Your light and receive the healing You desire to give. Surround me with wise and trustworthy people when needed, and let truth lead me into freedom. I give You all honor, all the glory, and all of the praise. It’s in Jesus’ name I pray. Amen & Amen.

Comeback: A New Year, A New Season

Scripture: “Do not gloat over me, my enemies! For though I fall, I will rise again. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light.” (Micah 7:8, NLT)

As the new year begins, there’s one word that keeps rising in my spirit… COMEBACK.

Not the kind that makes headlines. Not the kind that demands applause. But the kind that’s quiet and holy… the kind that happens after the healing, after the surrender, after the silence.

2024 was a year of sitting still, of deep work, of trusting God in the in-between.
2025 is the year to rise. To move forward. To say yes again.

A Comeback in Ministry
I have struggled and questioned whether I’d ever feel ready again. Whether the bruises I carried disqualified me from being used. But the truth is, ministry was never about perfection, it was about obedience.

Ministry isn’t what I do. It’s who I am.

There’s a fire inside me that never fully went out. God’s call didn’t disappear when the pain came in. The Word says, “God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable.” (Romans 11:29, NIV)

And again, “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6, NIV)

This year, I’m walking fully back into what He’s always called me to.

I’ll continue to write. To pray. To encourage. To teach.
The Priceless Minute will be a space where honesty meets hope, and where truth is shared in love.
This is the year I stop tiptoeing around my calling and step into it boldly.

A Comeback in Love
I have really wrestled with this one. I’ve asked God, “Will I ever be ready? Will I ever trust again? Can someone love and nurture my kids? Is there anyone who shares my passion for life and for the Lord?”

The truth is… I do believe in love. I do believe in the sanctity of marriage, the beauty of covenant, commitment, and Christ at the center.
I believe God restores what’s been broken, even if it looks different than I imagined.
I believe He still writes beautiful stories when we surrender the pen.

This year, I’m walking forward with an open heart. Not rushing, not forcing, but no longer closed off. I believe there’s someone who will walk with me, pray with me, and serve alongside me. Someone who knows the cost of ministry, but also the joy of it. A partner, not a fixer, not a replacement, but a woman of God who wants the same things I do: Jesus first, family strong, purpose fulfilled.

I’m not looking back. I’m trusting forward.

A Comeback for My Vision
The vision didn’t die… it was just waiting.

The Priceless Minute will launch and grow, becoming a space to write, reflect, and encourage.
The prayer center, called Kneel 24, is already in motion.
And the church? Still being prayed over, but the fire is there.

I’ve dreamed about a place where prayer never stops. Where people are discipled deeply. Where the broken find healing and the faithful find purpose. That’s not just a dream. It’s a calling. And this year, I’m taking steps toward it again.

I’m not chasing titles. I’m chasing obedience.

Rising After the Fall
One of the most powerful things about a comeback is that it doesn’t pretend the fall didn’t happen. It simply refuses to let the fall be the end of the story.

I’ve fallen. I’ve wept. I’ve sat in the dark.
But God has always been my light.

He’s taken ashes and begun turning them into beauty.
He’s taken mourning and begun giving me joy.
He’s taken despair and taught me to worship anyway.

“To all who mourn… He will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair.” (Isaiah 61:3, NLT)

This is the year I wear the crown. Not because I’ve arrived, but because I’ve survived. Because He is faithful. Because He is worthy. And because I believe this next season will be full of joy, purpose, and praise.

Bible Promise:
“The Lord will restore the splendor of Jacob… for the destroyers have laid them waste.” (Nahum 2:2, NLT)

Reflection Questions:

What area of your life is God calling you to reclaim this year?
What would a spiritual comeback look like in your heart, your home, or your calling?

Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for being the God of comebacks. For not giving up on me. For walking with me through the fire and never leaving my side. I give You 2025. I lay my calling, my heart, and my dreams at Your feet. Lead me boldly into this next season, and help me walk in confidence, not in shame. I pray for every person reading this who needs a comeback of their own. Remind them that You restore, redeem, and rewrite stories.
I give You all honor, all the glory, and all the praise.
It’s in Jesus’ name I pray.
Amen & Amen.

Forgiveness Isn’t a Moment… It’s a Ministry

Scripture: “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” (Colossians 3:13, NIV)

I used to think forgiveness was a moment. Something you decide once, and that’s it. But I have learned that sometimes forgiveness becomes a ministry. Something you live out day by day, moment by moment, decision by decision.

When my wife left, I chose to forgive. And I have had to keep choosing… Every time a memory came back, every time sadness hit out of nowhere, every time a new revelation or event made the pain fresh again.

One afternoon, my daughter asked me a question that stopped me cold. She looked up at me and said, “Dad, why don’t you ever say anything bad about Mom?” Her words pierced straight through me. She wasn’t asking to challenge me. She wasn’t being critical. She was simply noticing something… and wondering why.

That’s when I realized that forgiveness wasn’t just about me anymore. It was about her too. She was watching. She was learning from how I responded.

That’s why I made a decision early on. I would not speak negatively about her mother. Not because I wasn’t hurting. Not because I didn’t have things I could say. But because she was my wife. She is the mother of my children. And I believe she was once anointed by God to lead, to serve, and to love. Who am I to raise my hand, or my mouth, against that?

“Do not touch my anointed ones, do my prophets no harm.” (1 Chronicles 16:22, NIV)

I trust that God will take care of what needs to be handled. My job is to keep my heart right, and to protect my daughter’s in the process.

Forgiveness doesn’t mean I feel nothing. It means I give everything over to God. It means when bitterness knocks at the door, I don’t answer. It means when people try to speak badly about her, I shut it down. Not because she is perfect, but because I want to be found faithful.

Forgiving wasn’t about excusing what happened. It was about freeing myself from the prison of resentment. By letting go, I wasn’t just obeying God. I was opening my heart to His healing and His peace. Now, I can look back without anger or regret.

My daughter taught me a valuable lesson that day. Children see more than we realize. Forgiveness isn’t just a gift we give others. It’s a testimony of God’s grace to those watching our lives.

This season has taught me that forgiveness isn’t weakness. It’s worship. It’s not forgetting. It’s trusting. It’s not about getting justice. It’s about giving Jesus room to work.

And yes, I am still praying for restoration. I believe God can redeem anything. But while I wait, I will keep forgiving.

Bible Promise:
“So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.” (John 8:36, NLT)

Reflection Questions:

Who is watching your life that might learn about God’s grace through your forgiveness?
What would it look like to forgive today, even before the situation is fully resolved?

Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for showing me what true forgiveness looks like through the cross. Thank You for reminding me that forgiveness is not a one-time decision, but a daily act of surrender. Help me to forgive even when it hurts, even when the story feels unfinished. I trust You with my pain, with my future, and with the people I love. Use my life as a reflection of Your grace.
I give You all honor, all the glory, and all of the praise.
It’s in Jesus’ name I pray.
Amen and Amen.