My S.O.A.P. Box: August 2025

Thursday, August 28, 2025

Life, Peace, and the Trouble with Carnal Thinking - Romans 8:6

The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.

Paul wrote, “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace” (Romans 8:6 NKJV). That’s not just religious talk — it’s a reality check. What we set our minds on truly shapes our lives. And let’s be honest: sometimes what we see in ourselves (and in the church) looks a lot more like carnality than spirituality.

You can spot the difference pretty quickly, though. Ever notice how some folks will go to a ball game in the pouring rain, but a drizzle on Sunday morning is enough to cancel worship? Or how we can feel “too sick” for church, but somehow well enough to drag ourselves to work Monday morning? That’s not dedication — that’s our priorities showing up.

Nicodemus: From Darkness to Light - John 3:1-3

Now there was a , a man named who was a member of the . He came to at night and said, “, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

Nicodemus is one of those fascinating figures we read of in the Gospel of John. He wasn’t a fisherman, tax collector, or ordinary person like many of Jesus’ other followers. He was a Pharisee—a respected religious teacher, an expert in Scripture, and a member of the Jewish ruling council. In other words, Nicodemus was the kind of man people looked up to for answers.

And yet, when we read of him coming to Jesus in John 3, he came at night. It is possible he didn’t want his colleagues to see him. Maybe he was afraid of what others would think. Or he simply wanted a private conversation with the teacher who was performing all of the miracles he was hearing about. Whatever the reason, John makes it clear that Nicodemus came to Jesus “in the dark.”

My Blog's Purpose

This blog really started out as something simple. I was just trying to keep track of my daily Bible study notes—little thoughts, insights, and questions that came to me as I read. I wanted a way to look back at what I’d learned and remind myself of what God had been teaching me. At first, it was just for me. Then I thought, Why not put these online so I can reach them from anywhere? That’s when I started using Google’s Blogspot.com. Before long, I realized that if I was already writing and sharing online, maybe someone else might benefit from what I was learning too. Maybe my thoughts could encourage someone, or even spark a conversation that would help me understand God’s Word better. That’s really how My S.O.A.P. Box came about. It’s a collection of those reflections—personal thoughts that grew out of my own time in Scripture and in everyday life. They’re not meant to be deep theological studies or scholarly commentaries. They’re simply what happens when an ordinary person sits down with God’s Word and listens. The name comes from the S.O.A.P. Bible study method: Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer. It’s a simple way to slow down and really engage with what you’re reading. That’s what I try to do in each piece—look at what God is saying, notice what stands out, think about how it applies to my life, and end with prayer. My hope is that as you read through these pages, you’ll be encouraged to spend time in the Word yourself. Maybe something here will speak to your heart, help you grow in your faith, or simply remind you that we’re all learning and walking this journey together. If these thoughts of mine can help you draw a little closer to God, then this blog has done exactly what I hoped it would.

Thursday, August 28, 2025

Life, Peace, and the Trouble with Carnal Thinking - Romans 8:6

Tuesday, August 26, 2025

Nicodemus: From Darkness to Light - John 3:1-3