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  Psalm 118:20-24 Listen to today’s devotional One man's trash is another man's salvation. That's not quite how that old saying goes. But it might as well be scripture. Psalm 118 says it like this: "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.' And once you start looking, you realize how often that pattern emerges. Not just in scripture, but in the world around us, too. Vincent van Gogh died with little recognition, calling himself a "nonentity." Thomas Edison was labeled slow and unteachable. Frida Kahlo was overshadowed and dismissed. But what was overlooked became undeniable. What was once rejected became a fascination. What we're not used to is realizing we would have done the same thing to Jesus. Not to compare him to artists or inventors, but to confess something about ourselves. We don't always recognize what God is doing, even when it's standing right in front of us. Jesus didn't fit the blueprint for so many pe...

I'm not good at keeping my desk clean. So, I take great pride in the notion that a messy desk is a sign of genius.   It's been a busy few months. Plenty of reading and writing. This year, I even wrote the narration for our church's Easter cantata. It was an idea my daughter and I had wayyy last year.  I read through several old cantatas we have at the church to look at the rhythm and style that most use. So, it sounded like one of those canned music pieces. But I was happy with it. It did what we wanted it to do.  Of course, all my daily text messages, daily devotionals, sermons, and papers have happened in this small space. Confession: There was once more than 3 Dr. Pepper cans there.  Where do you do your best work?  Stay blessed...john

  Colossians 3:12-17 Listen to today’s devotional I haven't bought clothes for myself in over ten years. Not because I'm trendy or minimalist. Mostly, because I'm too cheap and I hate shopping. Don't worry, though, my family has me covered. My kids will see something they think Dad will look good in and bring it to me. My wife finds codes for online sales, or sees the sad condition of my shoes and knows it's time to get something new. They know my style better than I do sometimes. But maybe I should do more of my own clothes shopping. I'm a big boy, after all. Colossians 3 kind of pushes me to. I call it the wardrobe chapter. Verse 12 says to "clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience." Now, we're not talking Levi's or hoodies anymore. This is the real outfit. The one people see and remember. Like a fresh pair of kicks or a new jacket catches the eye, your character catches attention, too. Compassion, kindnes...

  Exodus 14:10-14 Listen to today’s devotional The Hebrews weren’t crazy. When Exodus 14 tells the story, the people looked back and saw Pharaoh’s army bearing down on them. They said, “It would’ve been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die out here.” And… they weren’t exactly wrong. At least in Egypt, they knew how to survive. Oh, there were brutal moments, for sure. But at least it was familiar and predictable. They woke up every morning knowing just about what the day would throw at them. But in the wilderness, there's nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. Death feels more certain than some promise. And the reality is that we sometimes do that too. We look at the life God is calling us into and tremble at the unknown. There's a stretching of faith and trust that makes us uncomfortable or unsure. We might even start romanticizing the thing God promises to deliver us from. Not because it was so good… but because at least we knew what to expect. “Better that than this....

  Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9 Listen to today’s devotional There is loneliness that comes from being alone. Many of us know what that feels like. But there's also a loneliness that comes from being unknown. This is when you carry burdens or pressures no one else can feel. You don't have words or a voice for your prayers. There’s an ache of carrying something no one else can understand. The prayers that don’t make it past your lips. The weight of your suffering has no language to communicate and seems foreign to others. Thankfully, Hebrews tells us something almost too good to be true. That we are not unknown. We do not have a high priest who is distant or detached from pain. We have One who has  felt  it. And not just theoretically or symbolically. Jesus knows bodily, tearful pain that has to shout. Jesus has cried out. Hebrews says he offered “loud cries and tears.” That means there were moments when even the Son of God groaned his prayers. And here’s the tension we often neg...

  1 Corinthians 11:23-26 Listen to today’s devotional There's a strange habit in the church. On the biggest days like Christmas or Easter ,  when our sanctuaries are full, and the energy is high, somebody inevitably asks, “Should we skip communion…to save time?” The apostle Paul doesn’t give us that option in 1 Corinthians 11. Admittedly, he doesn't tell us how often to have the sacred meal. But he does say, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” That means we shouldn't lose sight of something that happens at Communion. We have to stop thinking of Communion as a filler. Scripture says it is its own proclamation. It’s the sermon you can taste and hold. It’s embodied theology because you don’t just hear it, you receive it. And if that’s true, then what are we saying when we skip it on the very days we celebrate incarnation and resurrection, especially just to get people out the door earlier? What are we proclaimin...