Nobody accidentally becomes strong. Nobody casually builds a great marriage. Nobody unintentionally lives a meaningful life. Nobody wakes up one day spiritually sharp by accident. Growth, purpose, and maturity don’t happen because we simply exist long enough. They happen because we engage, contend, and remain intentional. Victory isn’t accidental. It is the result of countless choices made over time.
Read MoreThe Problem With Being “Good”
One of the most dangerous lies in our culture sounds incredibly harmless. In fact, you’ve probably heard it this week. Maybe you’ve even said it. “He’s a good guy.” “She’s a good person.” We hear it at funerals. We hear it at family gatherings. We hear it when conversations start moving toward faith and someone wants to redirect them toward something more comfortable. “He was a good man.” “She was a good woman.”
Read MoreOccasionally, a verse grabs hold of your soul and refuses to let go. For me, that verse is Jude 23: “Rescue others by snatching them from the fire.”
Not encourage them from a distance.
Not observe them from a safe place.
Not post about them online.
Rescue them.
Snatch them.
Pull them back from destruction.
It’s active. It’s urgent. It’s messy. It’s costly.
Honestly, I think we’ve forgotten just how radical that calling really is.
Read MoreIn the ever-evolving journey of leadership, understanding the true cost of obedience is paramount. Today, I want to delve into what it truly means to be committed to a mission, a cause, or a calling—particularly when that mission involves rescuing others from the metaphorical flames of judgment, as inspired by Jude 23, my life verse.
The Smells Like Smoke Journey
Welcome to the Smells Like Smoke podcast blog. My name is Trevor DeVage, your host and guide on this journey of transformation and redemption. We've rebranded from "The Make" to "Smells Like Smoke"—a nod to a deeper, more resonant understanding of our purpose. This voyage that began with sermons and scriptures has now led to my first book titled "Smells Like Smoke," which encapsulates years of reflection.
Read MoreTwo years ago, I received a Facebook message on Christmas Eve that I’ve been thinking about this week. A member of our church, a young woman who would not live to see the next year, wrote to thank me for our service that night and one song in particular. All of us hear “O Holy Night,” every Christmas, again and again. But that year, one lyric lifted my friend’s spirit: “A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices.”
That hope is what she needed that Christmas.
That hope is what her husband and kids would need just a few short days later.
That hope is what we preached at her funeral a week later.
That hope is what every reader of this blog needs in 2021.
Read More
