More Like Jesus with Len Wilson

“No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.” Mark 2:21–22 There’s a framed sketch hanging in our master bedroom that shows a y...

“But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast.” Mark 2:20 All fame, no fortune. That’s how I used to joke about my life. By 2011, I’d written books, spoken at conferences, and built a platform in the Christian influencer world. But we had four kids, and we were perpetually scraping and scrambling. Resources were always scarce. The move to Nashv...

“How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them.” Mark 2:19 Nothing dramatic happened. I woke up in Greg Engroff’s townhouse bedroom the morning of February 28, 2011, got ready for the day, and went to work at my new job at the United Methodist Publishing House. I knew the spiritual experience of the previous night had been real, bu...

Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, “How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?” Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them.” Mark 2:18-19 By the time I turned 40, I’d gone as far as I could go. I was very...

Mark 2:18 When I was a teenager, I’d walk the hospital wards with my dad. He was a chaplain at the VA hospital in Temple, Texas, and sometimes I’d go with him on rounds. Old men and women in white gowns, smoking bottom-end generic cigarettes with that stale smell, sitting around lobbies of white walls and fluorescent lights. At first it was kind of creepy. Over time, it became tragic. This may sou...

Mark 2:18-22 It is now the third time they have confronted Jesus, and their pestering seems increasingly less like curiosity and more like accusation. Their question has an edge: John’s disciples fast, they say. Our disciples fast. Why don’t yours? The Pharisees are asking a question about rules, which reminds me of my first car. Get full access to More Like Jesus by Len Wilson at lenwilson.substa...

The tension of living within the rules while also pushing boundaries defined my younger years. I grew up thinking of Christianity as a moral framework. But I also loved rock and roll. I drove too fast. I pushed against the edges. The moral code felt restrictive. For years, I thought the problem was me. If I could just be good enough, if I could just follow the rules better, then I’d experience the...

When the Pharisees questioned why Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners, Jesus responded with a now-famous line: “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” At first glance, this seems straightforward: sick people need doctors, healthy people don’t. Jesus came for the broken, not the put-together. But there’s something sharper happening here. Something ironic. Jesus isn’t saying t...

Levi has just left his tax booth to follow Jesus. But before he disappears into his new life, he throws a dinner party. Outside, watching through the windows, the Pharisees are scandalized. “Why does he eat with them ?” When I was younger, I often heard this story preached a certain way, which was essentially: “Jesus eats with tax collectors and sinners, so we should hang out with them too.” The m...

“Dad! We’re stuck!” We’d just walked out of the restaurant, and my son had climbed into the cab and started the truck to continue our road trip. But when he turned the engine over, he ran into a problem: the transmission wouldn’t shift out of park. Fortunately, my wife was about 20 minutes behind us in her minivan, so we weren’t stranded for long. I called our insurance company to arrange for a to...

Jesus knew how to draw a crowd. His ability to draw a crowd has never changed. Lots of people elbow their way through the “crowd” lane, curious about what Jesus will do next. Very few travel in the “disciple” lane, close enough to hear his private explanations and committed enough to leave everything behind. I’ve been in both groups at different times in my life. Get full access to More Like Jesus...

The gentle waves of the Sea of Galilee shimmer in the morning light. Fishermen clean their boats and mend their nets. Jesus walks along the shore, where the town’s economy hums. He passes a customs booth, one of many stationed along the roads and docks. A man named Levi sits inside. His job: collect fees from merchants, fishermen, and travelers. Whereas the fishermen farm the waters, Levi farms ta...

When you’re an outsider, you scan for signals. The way people dress. The cultural references they make. The things they say or don’t say to a newcomer. Whether anyone makes eye contact with you. The real question underneath it all is: Do I belong? When Jesus calls Levi, a tax collector, the first thing everyone notices is what he is, not who he is. Everyone knows what tax collectors are. Parasites...

Have you ever “hit the mat”? It’s an old boxing phrase for getting knocked down. But it doesn’t mean you’re defeated. I suppose no one likes getting punched in the mouth, but some of my most honest moments with God—times I felt most assured of who I am and where I’m going—have come when I’ve hit the mat. And yet, I’m still ducking at life, cautious of the next punch. Still focused on the fight. St...

Have you ever been accused of something and known that defending yourself would only make it worse? I remember a staff meeting once when I made a suggestion that was immediately shut down. The senior leader’s reaction was swift and dismissive: “That won’t work.” My emotional reaction was immediate. I could feel my face flush. I wanted to argue, to prove my point. But something stopped me. Maybe it...

My boss, a dynamic senior pastor about 45 years old, told me something that hurt, but changed my life. I was a young ministry professional around 25 years old, serving at a large church. He said, “Len, you have knowledge, but you need wisdom.”My first thought was, what's the difference? Get full access to More Like Jesus by Len Wilson at lenwilson.substack.com/subscribe

For the first time, we meet the teachers of the law. Anyone familiar with the gospel story knows the stereotype: a group of sniveling, pompous robe-clutchers who could never see the forest for their obsession with the trees. But not so fast. The scribes—the teachers of the law—are not cartoon villains. To understand the tension of this moment, we have to see them for what they were: earnest thinke...

Jesus says, “Your sins are forgiven.” In the corner, a group of men stand up to show their disapproval. It’s the teachers of the law, those who study, interpret, and teach God’s word. They don’t say anything, but their body language says it all: Who does this man think he is? Only God can forgive sins. This is blasphemy. Jesus turns to face them. “Why are you thinking these things?” The tension es...

The first hurt comes from friendly fire. The conflict that defines Jesus’ ministry doesn’t come from Rome or from obvious enemies. It came from colleagues—the teachers of the law, the very ones who should have been supporting Him. When Jesus says to the paralyzed man, “Your sins are forgiven,” the teachers in the room bristle. Who does this man think he is? Only God can forgive sins. This is blasp...

Each scene in the fist two seasons of the More Like Jesus series explores one of the lies we carry about God, life, and ourselves—using Scripture, reflection, and prayer to help you discover what it means to follow Jesus. You don’t need to bring expertise or have your questions figured out. You just need to show up. Here are a few recommendations for what to do. Get full access to More Like Jesus...

Many of us spend our lives trying to make incremental adjustment to things. We read self-help books, adopt new habits, and try to become better versions of ourselves. Some of us even try to use Jesus as a resource for our goals: inspiration for our Monday mornings, wisdom for our difficult relationships, comfort for our anxious nights. We get little verses sent to us on our phones. We share reels....

What if the biggest obstacle to faith isn’t doubt, but disappointment? Not necessarily disappointment with God, though this happens, but disappointment with God’s people. Maybe you’ve heard someone say something like this, or you’ve said it yourself: “Jesus, yes. Church, no.” Behind such a sentiment lives a story. The number one reason people reject faith is not anything about God or Jesus, but wh...

More Like Jesus is a verse-by-verse walk through the Gospel of Mark — not a Bible study in the usual sense, but what I call a Story Study. The idea is simple: the first disciples didn’t figure Jesus out and then follow him. They followed first. Understanding came later, in the walking. If your prayers have gotten shorter lately, or hope feels like a slow leak — you’re not as alone as it feels. Com...