AnotherJohn.Com

  Listen to today’s devotional Matthew 18:1-5 Psalm 78 calls God’s people to tell the next generation “the glorious deeds of the Lord.” We have a responsibility to hand down the faith, to teach children the stories and ways of God. But in Matthew 18, Jesus turns the classroom around. The disciples ask, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Instead of giving them a ranking, Jesus calls a child to the center. Then he says, “Unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” We often say children are the future of the church. Jesus places a child in the middle of the church and says, “Pay attention. Your future depends on what this child can teach you.” In the ancient world, children had little status. So Jesus is not romanticizing childhood. He’s confronting the disciples’ hunger for importance. They want to climb the kingdom ladder, but Jesus points to someone who can’t climb it at all. “Become humble like this child.” I'm trying to fo...

  Deuteronomy 6:5-7 Listen to today’s devotional This year, my mother-in-law's birthday fell on a Sunday. So, we set up a table of cupcakes for everyone to enjoy after worship. The plan was for our children to serve anyone who wanted a treat. When I finally made it outside, I didn't see my kids serving. Instead, I saw four younger children standing behind the table, with gloves on, carefully handing them out. I thought that was a cute idea to ask them to help. But they weren't asked to help. They asked if they could help. Sure, I bet the proximity to the sweets might have influenced their request. But that didn't take away from how they served. They smiled so much, were fully engaged and attentive to their job. I smiled when I heard them ask several people waiting off to the side if they wanted a cupcake. They wanted to make sure no one was missed. Someone snapped a picture of them in action. Someone else said they looked like the adults who often do the same thing in o...

  Luke 1:67-79 Listen to today's devotional Long before he became the guy we remember as the one who ate locusts and honey, John the Baptizer's father prophesied what would become of this newborn. Since he recognized God's work about to unfold, his father spoke an identity over him. "And you, child, will become the prophet of the Most High..." Nothing in Zechariah's word says anything about being successful, respected, or making good money. To be sure, there are other places in the Bible that pray for those things. They have their place in life. But Zechariah's prophecy would teach John that he belongs to God's story. And our churches should be where our children learn the same thing. It's important to teach our children the skills to make a living, make a difference, and enjoy the life God gave them. But the Bible also shows us the deeper work of giving them a spiritual identity. There'll be times to teach them how to compete or how to build r...

Our Kelsey Kids came to the front so we could pray with them. That's what we do right before they go to a children's time designed for them. I asked Pam what they were learning today. She said they would hear about God's love. Then she said something about making a gingerbread house. Well, they did. And they made it for Gloria and me! It was a nice gift. I joked about eating it one the way home. But I took the advice of the adults who witnessed how it was made. Let's just say too many hands and winter germs went into the gingerbread construction. By the time the kids read this and find out I didn't eat it, they'll understand. Stay blessed...john

  1 Samuel 2:18-21 "Focus on the children." That's something an older colleague ingrained in my mind. It was his advice on how to nurture and grow a congregation. Of course, he was repeating something important within our Wesleyan heritage. John Wesley emphasized the church's need to prioritize ministry with children. If we don't, he said, "the present revival will be  res unius aetatis ; it will last only the age of a man." Wesley instructed his Methodist preachers to hold a 5-point plan for this ministry. If a preacher didn't feel called to this ministry, it didn't matter. A preacher might say, "I have no gift for this." Wesley's response was, "Gift or no gift, you are to do it; else you are not called to be a Methodist Preacher." So, childhood education, spiritual and otherwise, was a high priority for early Methodists. And just so you don't think this is about quaint, cutesy lessons or programs, consider something ...

  A way to remember Deuteronomy 4:9-14 There were times I forgot what my children didn't know. Sometimes it was something related to our family. Other times I'd have to wonder what someone their age would know about certain topics. When that would happen, I did better off asking them. What did they remember? What had I shared with them already? There's an entire world of lessons to teach our young people. So many experiences we want to share with them. But that happens over time, and no one is following a schedule. So, we need to be mindful about how we share and what we share. Make no mistake, our children are learning from us and other people they know. But are we intentionally passing on to them all that is important to us? Before the Israelites entered the promised land, Moses instructed them in God's way. He showed them the way to live obedient to God. From reading the Bible, I've learned obedience is both personal and communal. For example, Moses told the peop...