I’ve been spending a good bit of my writing time lately working on Big Buts.
Yes. Big Buts.
If you’re new around here, that probably deserves an explanation.
Big Buts of the Bible began years ago as a book project built around a simple observation: some of the most important turns in Scripture happen around one very small word—but.
Things are going badly… but God. Someone has failed… but grace. The situation looks hopeless… but Jesus.
One little word can turn a sentence around. Sometimes, it turns an entire story around.
These days, I’m revisiting that original book, rewriting and expanding it as Big Buts of the Bible: Where Broken Stories Meet God’s Grace. But I’m also building something around the book at BigButsOfTheBible.com—a daily rhythm of short readings designed to help us spend a few minutes each day looking for God.
And I mean a few minutes.
A Few Minutes That Can Follow You All Day
I believe there is something important about beginning—or ending—our day by intentionally turning our thoughts toward spiritual things.
It doesn’t always have to be an hour-long Bible study. It doesn’t require a seminary degree, three commentaries spread across the kitchen table, or enough coffee to get through Leviticus before breakfast.
Sometimes five or seven minutes is enough to redirect the mind.
Read a passage. Notice something you hadn’t noticed before. Ask a question. Consider where grace might be hiding in the story. Think about what it means for the story you happen to be living today. Then carry it with you.
That’s really what I’ve been trying to create at Big Buts: not simply a collection of posts, but a daily rhythm.
Each day approaches Scripture from a slightly different angle:
Sunday — Wonder
Lift your eyes.
See God again.
Monday — Observation
Learn to notice.
Ask better questions.
Become an attentive reader.
Tuesday — Hope Hidden in Plain Sight
Dig beneath the surface.
Discover grace you almost missed.
Wednesday — The Pivot
See where everything changes.
Recognize God’s turning points.
Thursday — Wisdom
Learn how to live.
Friday — Grace
Watch broken stories meet God’s grace.
Saturday — Journey
Walk chapter by chapter through the Gospel of Matthew with excerpts from the forthcoming book.
Put them together and something interesting happens. That’s not merely a content calendar.
It’s a discipleship rhythm.
Good to Carry. And Good to Go.
There’s another reason I’ve deliberately kept most of these pieces short.
They travel well.
Maybe something you read gives you a thought to carry into your workday. Maybe a Proverbial But makes you reconsider a decision you’re facing. Maybe Dr. Buttersworth gives you a chuckle while teaching you to notice something in Scripture you’ve skipped over a hundred times.
Or maybe you read something and immediately think of someone else.
She needs this today.
This sounds exactly like what he’s going through.
We were just talking about this.
That’s when these little pieces become especially useful. Point. Click. Like. Share. Follow.
Send one to a friend. Text it to your son or daughter. Share it with someone who could use a little hope. Forward it to somebody who hasn’t opened a Bible in years but might be willing to spend five minutes considering one unexpected sentence from it.
Sometimes people don’t need a sermon. Sometimes they just need a nudge.
And Then There’s the Name…
Following Big Buts has another unexpected evangelistic benefit. It’s a terrific conversation starter.
“What’s this I see? You follow a site called BIG BUTS?”
“I do. Let me tell you about it. Better yet, let me show you a few beautiful Big Buts.”
And suddenly you’re having a conversation about grace.
That’s part of the fun behind the name. It makes people look twice. It raises an eyebrow. It invites a question. And beneath the wordplay is something I believe deeply: some of the most beautiful moments in Scripture happen when everything before the “but” says the story is over—and everything after it says God isn’t finished.
Those are the Big Buts I’m looking for. And they’re everywhere.
Come Spend a Few Minutes With Me
So if you visit me here because you’re interested in my writing, Storysmithing, books, occasional curmudgeonly observations, or whatever else happens to wander out of my writing laboratory, I’d love for you to wander over to Big Buts as well.
Give it five minutes.
You don’t have to read everything. You don’t have to start at the beginning. Just drop in on a Sunday and wonder. Come Monday and meet Dr. Buttersworth. Find a Pivot on Wednesday. Pick up some wisdom on Thursday. Sit with a broken story on Friday.
Find one thought worth carrying with you. And if it helps you, share it with somebody else.
That’s what I’m hoping Big Buts becomes—not simply another website asking for another few minutes of our already overcrowded attention, but a place that helps us redirect that attention toward God.
A few minutes at a time. One little word at a time. One beautiful Big But at a time.
DARIN MICHAEL SHAW 