Barber Chair Bible Talks

🚨TRIGGER WARNING🚨We must think about this!

We talk about the pain of the cross, but there’s something about Jesus’ suffering that I don’t think I’ve ever really stopped to consider. By the time the nails were driven into His body, He had already endured an entire night without rest.

Jesus prayed in agony in Gethsemane. He was arrested during the night, taken from hearing to hearing, interrogated, mocked, struck, and abused. By morning He was before Pilate. Then came the scourging, the crown of thorns, the mocking, the journey to Golgotha, and finally the cross. He wasn’t entering the crucifixion rested. He entered it physically exhausted and already wounded.

That matters more than I realized. Research on sleep deprivation has shown that prolonged wakefulness can increase our sensitivity to pain while weakening some of the body’s natural mechanisms for suppressing it. In other words, extreme exhaustion doesn’t necessarily make you numb to pain. It can actually make pain feel worse, up 15-30% worse!

Now think about what that means when we consider Christ. His body had already endured tremendous physical and psychological stress before the nails ever came. He had been struck. He had been scourged. A crown of thorns had been pressed onto His head. He had gone through the night without rest, and now an already exhausted and traumatized body was subjected to crucifixion.

And crucifixion wasn’t a momentary injury. Mark tells us Jesus was crucified around the third hour and died around the ninth. Approximately six hours. Six hours hanging wounded on a cross with no comfortable position to escape into. Hours of wounds continuing to send pain signals through an exhausted body. Hours of thirst, muscular fatigue, cramping, and the cumulative effects of trauma.

I don’t think we can truly comprehend what those hours felt like.

Maybe part of the reason is that we have become so accustomed to seeing the cross. We wear crosses around our necks. We hang them on our walls. They sit on top of our churches. The image has become so familiar that it can be easy to forget what the cross actually was.

It was an instrument of ex*****on and suffering.

And Jesus knew it was coming.

He said, “No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.” — John 10:18

That is the part that gets me. Jesus wasn’t unknowingly walking toward Calvary. He knew.

When His exhausted body was experiencing unimaginable pain, He stayed. When He was mocked, He stayed. When He was thirsty, He stayed. When every instinct of the human body would have wanted relief from suffering, He stayed.

Not because the nails were powerful enough to hold the Creator of the universe to a piece of wood, but because He willingly laid His life down.

“He was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities…” — Isaiah 53:5

And as horrific as His physical suffering was, we can’t stop there. The cross wasn’t merely an example of how much physical pain Jesus could endure. The sinless Son of God was giving Himself for sinners. He bore our sins in His body on the tree. The innocent stood in the place of the guilty.

So the next time you see a cross, really stop and think about it. Think about the sleepless night. Think about the exhaustion. Think about how exhaustion itself can heighten the experience of pain. Think about the scourging. Think about the thorns. Think about the nails. Think about the hours He remained there.

Then remember that He knew what was coming.

He could have stopped it.

And He stayed.

That gives an entirely different weight to the words:

“Christ died for us.”

What an incredible blessing it is to see God continue to work across the world. 🇵🇰❤️

Today, Shaunna had the opportunity to speak to and teach the women and children of Nabeel’s church in Pakistan. She shared from Proverbs 31, speaking about what it means to be a woman of God—walking in strength, wisdom, courage, and faith—and encouraging them to be bold in their faith in Jesus Christ, even when following Him comes with a cost.

There is something incredibly humbling about sitting thousands of miles away and seeing a room full of women and children gathered together, hungry to hear the Word of God.

This ministry has never just been about sending Bibles or financial support. It is about building relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ, encouraging one another, teaching the Word, praying together, and reminding each other that we are one body in Christ, regardless of the distance between us.

I am incredibly proud of Shaunna for stepping out in faith and allowing God to use her to minister to these women and children. I pray that the words she shared planted seeds, strengthened their faith, and reminded them that God can use each and every one of them for His Kingdom.

Please continue praying for Nabeel, his church, these women and children, and all of our brothers and sisters in Pakistan who are faithfully following Jesus.

“Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.” — Proverbs 31:25

The Gospel knows no borders.

Christ is King. 👑

🚨PSA🚨

Looking at these pictures is a humbling reminder that most of us in America have never truly experienced what it means to be hungry. We talk about being “starving” because we skipped lunch, while many of our brothers and sisters in Christ wonder where their next meal will come from.

Because of your generosity, Christian families in Pakistan received bags of flour, rice, lentils, cooking supplies, hygiene items, and other necessities. One brother told me there was a sister in Christ whose family had no food, so the money that was originally intended for more Bibles was used to feed them instead. That’s the love of Christ in action.

The Gospel isn’t just something we preach—it’s something we live. We proclaim Christ crucified, care for those in need, and trust that God uses both to draw people to Himself.

Thank you to everyone who donated, bought a shirt, shared the fundraiser, and prayed. You may never meet these families this side of eternity, but your obedience has fed hungry believers, encouraged the persecuted church, and is helping open doors for the Gospel to be proclaimed.

Please keep praying for our brothers and sisters in Pakistan. There are still many families in need, and we are believing God will continue to provide so that more lives are cared for physically and, more importantly, come to know Jesus Christ.

“Let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” — 1 John 3:18

To God alone be the glory. ❤️✝️🇵🇰

Because of your generosity, we were able to send another $356 to Pakistan to support our brothers and sisters in Christ.

This money will go toward providing food for families, purchasing Bibles where they’re desperately needed, caring for widows and orphans, and continuing to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Every dollar you gave is making an eternal impact. Many of us will never meet these believers this side of heaven, but your love is reminding them they are not forgotten. Thank you for answering the call to care for the body of Christ.

Please continue praying for Nabeel, the pastors, and the believers in Pakistan as they faithfully proclaim the Gospel despite persecution.

Thank you to everyone who gave. Your generosity is helping advance the Kingdom of God in ways you may never fully know until eternity.

“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” — Galatians 6:2

Tonight I was talking with my brother Nabeel in Pakistan.

He told me that Christians there face discrimination because of their faith. Many live in extreme poverty. Some children work in brick kilns instead of going to school. Some families struggle just to eat. He told me that churches have been attacked and that Christians can face accusations of blasphemy that carry devastating consequences.

Yet his words that stood out the most were these:

“Every trial has only strengthened my trust in Christ.”

Then I look at my own life.

I have multiple Bibles. I can openly worship Christ. I can preach the gospel without fearing imprisonment. I can gather with other believers every week.

And yet how often do I let comfort become an excuse?

Moses warned Israel about this in Deuteronomy 8. After God blessed them with abundance, He warned them not to forget the Lord when they were full, prosperous, and comfortable. Comfort isn’t sinful, but it can become dangerous when it causes us to rely on ourselves instead of God.

Maybe the greatest threat to many American Christians isn’t persecution—it’s comfort.

Pray for our brothers and sisters around the world who faithfully endure hardship for the name of Christ. And pray that we would steward the freedom God has given us by reading His Word, living holy lives, and boldly proclaiming the gospel while we still have the opportunity.

“Beware lest you forget the LORD your God…” — Deuteronomy 8:11

If you say, “The Bible is just boring,” or, “I don’t have the time,” or you have any other excuse for neglecting God’s Word…

Ask yourself this: Would you be comfortable saying that to Jesus on the Day of Judgment?

We make time for our phones, Netflix, sports, hobbies, and social media. Yet when it comes to the very words of the God who created us, saved us, and the One we will all stand before, somehow we’re too busy.

The Bible isn’t just another book. It’s God’s Word. It teaches us, corrects us, convicts us, and points us to Christ.

One day every excuse will disappear. Don’t wait until then to take His Word seriously.

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” — Psalm 119:105

I am beyond humbled and blessed to share that this week I had the opportunity to preach virtually to a small house church in Sahiwal, Pakistan.

As I spoke with the brothers and sisters there afterward, I learned something that broke my heart. Many of them do not own a Bible. Not because they don’t want one, but because Bibles are difficult to obtain and are often sold at prices many families simply cannot afford.

Imagine gathering together to worship Christ, hungry for His Word, but not having a Bible of your own to read.

Their faith, joy, and love for Jesus were evident despite their circumstances. If anything, it challenged my own faith. Here in America, many of us have multiple Bibles sitting on shelves collecting dust, while believers around the world are praying for just one.

I would love to help provide Bibles for this church family. If the Lord places it on your heart to help, please send me a message. Every dollar given will go directly toward putting God’s Word into the hands of believers who desperately want it.

Most importantly, please pray for this church, for their leaders, and for the continued spread of the Gospel in Pakistan.

God is moving across the world, and I am incredibly grateful He allowed me to witness a small part of it.

“Your word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” — Psalm 119:105

✝️ Jesus’ Commands for His Followers – A Timeless Guide for Life
In the Gospels, Jesus didn’t just teach nice ideas — He gave clear, direct commands to those who want to follow Him. From the Sermon on the Mount to His final words before ascending, His instructions form the heart of Christian discipleship.

Here’s a compiled list of many of His key commands in the order they appear in the New Testament:

Early Teachings (Matthew 5–7):
• Repent and believe the good news
• Let your light shine• Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you
• Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect
• Do not worry about your life
• Seek first the kingdom of God
• Do to others as you would have them do to you (The Golden Rule)
• Enter through the narrow gate

Throughout His Ministry:
• Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Me
• Forgive others — seventy times seven
• Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind
• Love your neighbor as yourself
• Be a servant — the greatest must be the slave of all
• Watch and be ready — you don’t know the hour

Final & Lasting Commands:
• Abide in Me
• Love one another as I have loved you
• Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you (The Great Commission)

These aren’t suggestions — they’re the words of our Lord and Savior. Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commands” (John 14:15).
Which of these challenges you the most right now? Which one are you asking God to help you live out this week?
Drop a comment, share this post, and let’s encourage each other to walk in obedience to Christ. 🙏