Proverbs Daily

Proverbs 30:5“Every promise from the faithful God is pure and proves to be true. He is a wraparound shield of protection for all his lovers who run to hide in him.”Er’body knows about Hide and Seek! If you from my hood, you might remember playin’ “Hide and Go Get It.” But I digress. Back to the PG version of the game: somebody counted while everybody else ran to hide. The point wasn’t to stay miss...

Proverbs 29:14“The best insurance for a leader’s longevity is to demonstrate justice for the poor.”Twenty-one years ago today, August 29th, 2005 Hurricane Katrina made landfall in Louisiana. More than 80% of New Orleans flooded. Over 1,800 people died. Families were displaced, neighborhoods were devastated and institutional failures were exposed in real time. Four days later, Kanye West stood besi...

Proverbs 28:5“Evil people don’t understand justice, but those who follow the LORD understand completely.”On this date in 1963, roughly 250,000 people gathered in Washington, D.C., for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. History remembers the speeches, songs, signs and sea of people surrounding the Lincoln Memorial. But before it became history, it was somebody’s decision:Go take a stand...

Proverbs 27:18“Tend an orchard and you’ll have fruit to eat. Serve the Master’s interests and you’ll receive honor that’s sweet.”Last Thursday morning, I woke up with a phrase in my spirit:CULTIVATE HEALTHY OBSESSIONS.Whew! That’ll preach! Because every one of us is already cultivating something. To see what you’re cultivating, look at the fruit—or “the outcomes” that keep showing up in your life....

Proverbs 26:17“You grab a mad dog by the ears when you butt into a quarrel that’s none of your business.”Happy National Dog Day for all of my dog lovers out there! Celebrate responsibly. Pet a dog. Give one a treat. Adopt one if you’re ready. But please don’t celebrate by practicing the first half of Proverbs 26:17.Because The Message version says:“You grab a mad dog by the ears when you butt into...

Proverbs 25:3“Like the horizons for breadth and the ocean for depth, the understanding of a good leader is broad and deep.”Years ago, I was speaking at some schools near South Dakota and had one whole day off between engagements. Just enough time to drive up into the Black Hills and finally see Mount Rushmore. I was geeked! Everybody’s always asking, “Who’s on your Mount Rushmore?”—rappers, athlet...

Proverbs 24:16“The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again. But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked.”One of my best friends is Jonathan Johnson—aka Chef J, aka King Solomon Jay—my brother and fellow member of the legendary P.I.D. And yes, dramatic music plays in my head every time I say that (the legendary P.I.D.)My man Jay writes like Ice Cube. Straight to the point. Me?...

Proverbs 23:7“He’ll be as stingy with you as he is with himself; he’ll say, ‘Eat! Drink!’ but won’t mean a word of it.” (MSG)Have you ever eaten at somebody’s house and realized halfway through the plate…they don’t really want you eating up their food? They said, “Make yourself at home,” but their face said, “Some of that chicken better still be here when you leave.”Every bite secretly watched. Ev...

Proverbs 15:5“A fool rejects his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds reproof shows good sense.” (NET)Nobody celebrates touching a hot stove. There’s no cake. No trophy. No standing ovation. Just pain—and a sharp signal in the brain saying, “Don’t do that again!”But maybe we should celebrate what happens next. Proverbs 15:5 says:“A fool rejects his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds reproof...

Proverbs 15:5“A fool rejects his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds reproof shows good sense.” (NET)Nobody celebrates touching a hot stove. There’s no cake. No trophy. No standing ovation. Just pain—and a sharp signal in the brain saying, “Don’t do that again!”But maybe we should celebrate what happens next. Proverbs 15:5 says:“A fool rejects his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds reproof...

Proverbs 15:5“A fool rejects his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds reproof shows good sense.” (NET)Nobody celebrates touching a hot stove. There’s no cake. No trophy. No standing ovation. Just pain—and a sharp signal in the brain saying, “Don’t do that again!”But maybe we should celebrate what happens next. Proverbs 15:5 says:“A fool rejects his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds reproof...

Proverbs 15:5“A fool rejects his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds reproof shows good sense.” (NET)Nobody celebrates touching a hot stove. There’s no cake. No trophy. No standing ovation. Just pain—and a sharp signal in the brain saying, “Don’t do that again!”But maybe we should celebrate what happens next. Proverbs 15:5 says:“A fool rejects his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds reproof...

Proverbs 15:5“A fool rejects his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds reproof shows good sense.” (NET)Nobody celebrates touching a hot stove. There’s no cake. No trophy. No standing ovation. Just pain—and a sharp signal in the brain saying, “Don’t do that again!”But maybe we should celebrate what happens next. Proverbs 15:5 says:“A fool rejects his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds reproof...

Proverbs 15:5“A fool rejects his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds reproof shows good sense.” (NET)Nobody celebrates touching a hot stove. There’s no cake. No trophy. No standing ovation. Just pain—and a sharp signal in the brain saying, “Don’t do that again!”But maybe we should celebrate what happens next. Proverbs 15:5 says:“A fool rejects his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds reproof...

Proverbs 15:5“A fool rejects his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds reproof shows good sense.” (NET)Nobody celebrates touching a hot stove. There’s no cake. No trophy. No standing ovation. Just pain—and a sharp signal in the brain saying, “Don’t do that again!”But maybe we should celebrate what happens next. Proverbs 15:5 says:“A fool rejects his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds reproof...

Proverbs 15:5“A fool rejects his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds reproof shows good sense.” (NET)Nobody celebrates touching a hot stove. There’s no cake. No trophy. No standing ovation. Just pain—and a sharp signal in the brain saying, “Don’t do that again!”But maybe we should celebrate what happens next. Proverbs 15:5 says:“A fool rejects his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds reproof...

Proverbs 14:15“A gullible person will believe anything, but a sensible person will watch each step.” (GOD’S WORD)In 1979, the Doobie Brothers took a song called “What a Fool Believes” all the way to number one. The song’s about a man who believes in a romantic past that never really existed. He remembers what he wants to remember and mistakes desire for reality. That’s Proverbs 14:15 set to a silk...

Proverbs 13:3“The one who guards his words guards his life, but whoever is talkative will come to ruin.” (NET)Hip-hop made the human voice its first instrument. Before the sampler, before the 808, before the beat dropped—the word had to be spoken. And our greatest instrument can become our most dangerous weapon. Proverbs 13:3 says:“The one who guards his words guards his life, but whoever is talka...

Proverbs 12:9“Better to be an ordinary person with a servant than to be self-important but have no food.” (NLT)What if one of the greatest benefits of artificial intelligence is that it can help us become more ordinary? Not more impressive. Not more artificial. Not even more important. More ordinary. Proverbs 12:9 says:“It’s better to be an ordinary person with some help than to look important whi...

Proverbs 11:6“The godliness of good people rescues them; the ambition of treacherous people traps them.” (NLT)Have you ever escaped something and wondered, “How did I make it out?”You found the words. Recognized an exit. Refused the bait. Walked away before it closed. It almost felt like magic. Proverbs 11:6 says:“The godliness of good people rescues them; the ambition of treacherous people traps...

Proverbs 10:7“The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the reputation of the wicked will rot.” (NET)Go back to the last time you smelled something rotten. Maybe it was food forgotten in the refrigerator, something dead along the roadside or garbage sitting too long in summer heat. Before your mind identified it, your body responded:Something here has gone bad. Rot assaults the senses. We wri...

Proverbs 9:10“The beginning of wisdom is to fear the LORD, and acknowledging the Holy One is understanding.” (NET)Today’s the day I begin my residency at Children’s Medical in Dallas, Texas. For three months, people have asked how I feel about beginning my residency at a children’s hospital. My answer’s stayed the same:I’m both excited—and terrified. Within twenty-four hours of this episode airing...

Proverbs 8:3 “At the place where pathways merge, at the entrance of every portal, there she stands, ready to impart understanding, shouting aloud to all who enter, preaching her sermon to those who will listen.”On August 8, 1969, four fellas stepped onto a London crosswalk—and turned an ordinary street into Abbey Road. Big shout-out to the Beatles! Back in the 1970’s, I may have been the only youn...

Proverbs 7:9“In the twilight, in the evening, at the time of night and darkness.”Look at this young man. He has no apparent destination, no business to handle and nobody asked him to come outside. But here he goes—walking near the wrong corner at precisely the wrong hour. Young man…young blood…baby boy…WHAT ARE YOU DOING?He’s outside! And looking for a little novelty, a little excitement, maybe ju...

Proverbs 6:27“For how can a man light his pants on fire and not be burned?”On August 6, 1945, an atomic bomb fell on Hiroshima. By the end of that year, approximately 140,000 people were dead—many of them children. The most dangerous fire of that generation had been created by some of its most brilliant minds. So here is the question for our generation:Could we misuse artificial intelligence the w...