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A formed life

  Psalm 112:1-9 Listen to today's devotional Passages like Psalm 112 confuse me. Not because they're hard to understand, but because they seem to describe a reality that doesn’t always match what we experience. For example, the psalm says those who fear the Lord will have “wealth and riches,” that “it is well” with them, that they will never be shaken or afraid. And yet, I’ve known faithful people who never had much money and other believers who experienced seasons that were anything but well. So, maybe the issue isn’t the psalm but how we’re reading it. Perhaps we need to rethink what “wealth,” “riches,” blessing, and stability mean. Our definitions might be shaped more by culture than by Scripture. It's also possible the psalmist had something deeper in mind than comfort or financial success. But what if Psalm 112 isn’t making guarantees about outcomes at all? Like much of wisdom literature, it’s not a contract God signs with us. It’s a picture of a path God invites us to...
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The ChatGPT me

I got on the social media trend this week and asked ChatGPT to create an image of me based on everything it knew about me. My Eagles affiliation didn't come through! Maybe ChatGPT roots for another NFC East team? Now, I've written hundreds of sermons, over 1,500 daily devotionals, and thousands more text messages. If I had created my own picture, I don't know I would have made justice an important part of it. In this picture, it appears twice. There's the "Justice and Jesus" nameplate that might become a new t-shirt and the scales of justice in the background. That got me wondering about what we pay attention to in other people. How do we view others and how much is what we see different from what they see?  And vice versa.  And then an old high school friend gave me the idea to make these. Stay blessed...john
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The kids

  Psalm 37:7-17 Listen to today's devotional Somehow we keep allowing injustice to be called “politics.” I wonder if that's so we don’t have to call it sin. But sin doesn’t hide behind political jargon or even ballot boxes. Our overly personalized view of sin numbs us to the reality of how it impacts real lives. Epstein files. Broken and biased systems. Greed at the top. Children left behind. God help us not forget that when we shrug and say, “That’s just politics,” someone else is paying the price. A cartoon brought tears to my eyes this week. The cartoon has a group of children holding signs that say, “Pleez Stop herting us!” and “Violence against children not nice.” The children have bandages over their heads, arms and legs. One child doesn't have legs. There looks to be an explosion behind them and a group of adults beside them. The adults have this to say: "Poor kids just don't understand politics." How we would like to think that is only a cartoon. Our c...
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Missing miracles

  Ruth 2:1-7 Listen to today's devotional I have to wonder how many times I've prayed for God to move, and then miss it when God shows up. I was looking for some grand, heavenly appearance. A voice from the clouds, perhaps. But God was really trying to get my attention through someone else's kindness. In Ruth's story, she and her mother-in-law, Naomi, return to Bethlehem to figure out how to survive. As it happened, it was the beginning of the barley season. After they arrive, Ruth thinks she should go to the field and glean. She steps into the field in great need. At this point, hers is a survival plan. Just before this, we learn of Boaz. He is a kinsman to Naomi's late husband. And before Boaz ever speaks, grace is already at work through him. His field is a place where a vulnerable person like Ruth can go. Sometimes, we want a miracle in the sky. But how many times does God answer with a person on the ground? A farmer who leaves extra behind. A good boss who work...
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My future in youth ministry

Something dawned on me while I was preaching yesterday. It was the final week of our worship series based on the General Rules for Methodists. We reflected on "Stay in love with God." It felt like an appropriate time to share how I came to faith. I share that story every so often. This week, I told the church I do it so they know that faith in Jesus is something I have experienced--that was an important theme of the message. When I was telling the story, I mentioned having a lot of anger and pain as a teenager as I wrestled with a heavy question: Why was I still around in the world? As I said those words, a thought came to me.  This AI stuff is wild :) Maybe that's a reason I've always been drawn to youth ministry. I remember that struggle and horrible feeling like you didn't need to be around. That's something I don't want anyone to worry about.  And haven't we seen that more and more over the last decade or so? More young people battle with suicidal ...
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We look alike

  Hebrews 2:14-18 Listen to today's devotional My wife loves watching this TV show where people who were adopted are reunited with their biological families. I'm pretty sure that every episode, without fail, when siblings or parents finally meet face-to-face, she smiles and says, “Awww, they look like each other.” And every time I tease her. “Why are you surprised? They’re related!” After watching an entire episode, what she’s seeing isn’t just matching noses or familiar mannerisms. She sees their shared humanity, family story, and blood. A connection that, for most people, time and distance couldn’t erase. Hebrews 2 tells us something just as beautiful about Jesus. “Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things.” God did not redeem us from a distance. God put on skin. The Message Bible says that Jesus "became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood." He didn’t shout salvation from heaven. He walked it out on...
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Trust each other

I had breakfast with the men's group this morning. It was a great reflection and conversation on servanthood. The tacos were great, too, as always! Before we ended, I asked if anyone wanted to stay behind to hear me talk about something I will do to try to touch base with our younger men. Several of them stayed behind. When we lived in Bandera, I remember there was a local bar that invited people to a bring-your-own-meat kind of dinner night. They cooked whatever meat you brought. People loved it. I've always wanted to apply that concept to a ministry. That's what I asked the men's group about. They said they would help. They even said they'd pay for everyone's first dinner. Free steaks? It's going to be a prime time! I appreciate it when people trust each other to try new things. Who knows if this will last? But we'll give it a shot and see what happens. It shouldn't be rare to trust each other. Stay blessed...john
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