Day 30 – You Can’t Give What You Don’t Have

April 30, 2026 — Thursday

Today had one theme running through it all:

Growth requires input.

The Reality I’m Stepping Into

Ministry isn’t just about serving people.

It’s about equipping yourself to serve them well.

And that means learning.
Constantly.

Books.
Podcasts.
Scripture.
Voices ahead of you.

The Tension

Because I’ll be honest…

The books are piling up.

One after another.

And I’m sitting there thinking:

When am I supposed to read all of this?

But Here’s the Truth I’m Facing

You can’t lead people
with knowledge you don’t have.

You can’t pour into others
from an empty well.

And That Hit Something Deeper

Because growing up…

I believed a lie.

That I couldn’t read.

Where That Came From

Somewhere along the way:

• school struggles

• labels

• other people’s words

became my identity.

So I avoided it.

I didn’t practice.
I didn’t grow in it.

I just accepted it.

Until Life Proved It Wrong

Years later…

I stepped into acting and the movie business.

And suddenly…

My job was reading scripts.
Memorizing lines.
Understanding characters.

And That’s When It Hit Me

I can do this.

The problem was never ability.

It was belief.

The Shift

Now I’m in ministry.

And the demand is even greater.

Not just to read…

But to understand, apply, and teach.

Because This Is the Principle

You can’t give people something you don’t have.

If you’re not growing…

You eventually stop leading.

And Then the Day Took a Turn

Later that night…

I got home.

My wife and daughter were at the table.

The Moment That Hit Me

My daughter grabbed a book.

A small children’s Bible.

And asked me to read.

So I Slowed Down

I traced each word with my finger.

Read it out loud.

Word by word.

Intentionally.

And Then Something Happened

She grabbed another book.

Pointed at the words.

And started “reading”...

Gibberish…

She is only two,

But trying.

And It Stopped Me

Because I realized:

She’s learning by watching me.

And That Took Me Back

To my childhood.

Where that wasn’t modeled.

Where reading wasn’t encouraged.

Where the narrative was:

“I don’t read.”

And I adopted it.

But Now… It Changes Here

Because what wasn’t given to me…

I can give to her.

That’s the Responsibility

As a father.
As a leader.

The Deeper Truth

If I don’t feed myself…

I can’t feed anyone else.

Not my team.
Not my ministry.
Not my family.

The Order Matters

Input → Growth → Output

Not the other way around.

And That Applies to Everything

• Knowledge

• Faith

• Leadership

• Wisdom

The Anchor

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…” Hosea 4:6

Closing Thought

Yesterday reminded me:

Growth isn’t optional in leadership…
it’s responsibility.

Because one day…

Someone is going to sit across from you…

And need something from you.

Wisdom.
Guidance.
Truth.

And in that moment…

You won’t rise to the occasion…
you’ll fall to your preparation.