Big Buts of the Bible

I interrupt your regularly scheduled Big Buts for a brief announcement about another project that is especially important to me.

Although, come to think of it, it really isn’t much of an interruption at all.

Around here, I like to say that but may be the most hopeful word in the Bible. Again and again, we find people facing circumstances that seem hopeless, impossible, painful, or beyond repair—but God hasn’t finished writing the story.

Hope shows up in some pretty unexpected places.

And that’s precisely what another project I’ve been working on for quite some time is all about.

Sanctuary Devotional: A Mental Health Journey Towards Hope & Healing, a new 365-day devotional I co-authored with Dr. David Hoskins, has officially been published and is now available on Amazon.

Sanctuary Devotional on Amazon

David and I have spent years working alongside people walking through some of life’s most difficult places. He brings decades of experience in behavioral healthcare; I bring my years as a pastor, chaplain, and writer. Together, we wanted to create something for people navigating mental and emotional struggles, addiction and recovery, grief, trauma, broken relationships, fear, shame, loneliness—and those seasons when simply holding onto hope can be difficult.

Sound a little familiar? It should.

Because if Big Buts is about discovering where broken stories meet God’s grace, Sanctuary Devotional was written especially for people living in the middle of those broken stories.

In many ways, the two projects are searching for the same thing: hope hidden in places where we might easily miss it.

Each day of Sanctuary Devotional offers one brief, Scripture-centered reflection designed to meet readers where they are and gently point them toward God’s presence, grace, and promises. It’s something you can carry with you throughout the day or settle into at night when you could use a little peace and rest.

No easy answers. No pretending difficult things aren’t difficult. Just a few minutes each day to turn toward Scripture and remember that whatever today holds, God has not lost sight of you.

And perhaps that’s why I wanted to interrupt the Big Buts to tell you about it.

You may not need Sanctuary Devotional right now. 

But you probably know somebody who does.

Maybe it’s a son or daughter going through a difficult season. A spouse carrying something quietly. A friend walking through recovery. A parent grieving a loss. Someone wrestling with fear, loneliness, discouragement—or simply trying to make it through today and find enough hope for tomorrow.

If somebody came to mind while you were reading that, perhaps you might tell them about the book. Share the link. Send them a copy. Put a little hope into their hands and simply say, I thought of you.

And if you’ve found encouragement in the things I share here at Big Buts, I hope you’ll recognize some of the same heart in these pages. That’s really what we’re trying to do around here every day anyway.

Look for hope.

Find it.

Carry it with you.

And when you can, pass it along.

Okay. Interruption over. Back to our regularly scheduled Big Buts.