AnotherJohn.Com

  Psalm 1:1-3 Listen to today’s devotional The desert monks knew something about rocks. They lived among them. Prayed beside them. If they were anything like me, they tripped over them. And they knew how hard stone is. But they also knew something else. That, given enough time, water changes everything. Abba Poemen once said that water is soft and stone is hard, yet a steady drip of water can wear away the rock. That was not just a lesson on nature, but also the nature of reading and reflecting on the Word of God. Our hearts can be pretty stubborn and resistant to the Spirit's nudge. Even more, we carry wounds, assumptions, fears, and habits that just seem to be who we are. And if we do want a change of heart, we want God to change us in a flash. But, most of the time, God chooses a drip. Think of this drip as a verse you read in the morning. Maybe you pray a psalm before bed. You might think listening to that gospel story for the hundredth time doesn't mean anything because no...

  Romans 8:26-27 Listen to today’s devotional The Desert Father Abba Agathon once said, "Prayer is warfare to the last breath." Wow! At first, that sounds a bit dramatic. We hear "warfare" and imagine demons lurking behind every pew. But Agathon's point was related to something much simpler and much closer to home. He said that about prayer because he was asked, "Which virtue requires the greatest effort?" Well, have you ever noticed how easy it is to do almost anything except pray? You sit down, ready to pray. Suddenly, that's your mind's chance to bring up an email, a conversation from three years ago, the grocery list, or that strange noise the car made yesterday. The moment you turn toward God, a thousand other things fight for your attention. So, how in the world do we do what the apostle Paul tells us when he says to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17)? Truth be told, I can understand Jesus’ disciples falling asleep af...

  2 Timothy 1:12-14 Listen to today’s devotional The apostle Paul writes to his young pastor friend, Timothy, from a prison cell. Paul is literally suffering for the gospel. But notice what kind of suffering it is. Paul is not suffering because he was arrogant, cruel, or self-righteous. He is not suffering because he hurt people and got called out for it. He is suffering because he chose the way of Jesus. And the way of Jesus is humility, compassion, mercy, and love. I'm convinced that too many Christians today confuse criticism with persecution. Sometimes we say, “The world hates me because I follow Jesus,” when really people are reacting to bitterness, pride, dishonesty, or a lack of grace. That is not the suffering Paul talks about. Pardon me for saying it, but Jesus never promised a blessing for being a jerk. He said blessed are the merciful, the peacemakers, the humble. Jesus suffered because he healed on the Sabbath, he welcomed outsiders, forgave sinners, touched lepers, cha...

I loved someone’s comment that I read today: “We’ve lost our whimsy.” And I just want to say, "Get it back, y’all!" Climb the tree. Paint the picture. Dance in the kitchen. Tell the dumb joke (you know I will). Dream again. Wonder again. Laugh again. And let me say that you don’t “become” creative. You already are creative. You were made by a Creator, after all. Now, maybe life and everything that comes with it buried that part of you. Maybe someone convinced you there isn't time for beauty, curiosity, or play. But there is, and we need it. Creativity isn’t just for artists, musicians, or writers. Creativity is how we love, solve problems, tell stories, cook meals, encourage people, build community, preach sermons, raise kids, and imagine a better world. Somewhere along the way, too many of us traded wonder for cynicism and whimsy for productivity. Get your whimsy back. Go frolic somewhere. Stay blessed...john

  Job 38:1-11 Listen to today’s devotional Job spends chapter after chapter asking God and his friends, “Why?” Why the suffering? Why the silence? Why would God allow someone faithful to lose everything? And when God finally speaks in Job 38, God does not give Job the explanation he wanted. We don't get the explanation we want either. There is no detailed answer. Instead, I like to say when God finally speaks, all we find out is that God is a tree hugger! What the Lord does give Job is something better than answers: awe. God speaks of stars being born, the seas being restrained, and morning breaking through. In this moment, Job’s pain and questions are placed inside something larger and more mysterious than he imagined. Yes, his suffering is real, but now God wants Job to see that the world is held by a wisdom beyond his understanding. Will Job have enough humility to see it? Will we? Honestly, that's a little frustrating. We want answers because answers give us a sense of cont...

  Numbers 11:24-30 Listen to today’s devotional In Numbers 11, Moses is exhausted. The people are complaining, and God doesn't seem all that patient. The burden is too heavy for Moses, and he realizes he cannot carry it alone. So, God tells him to gather seventy elders to help. The Lord then takes some of the Spirit resting on Moses and places it on them. Suddenly, they begin to prophesy. Then something happens. Or it doesn't. Some translations say they “did not do so again.” Others say they “did not cease.” You can tell what a difference that is. Apparently, the Hebrew phrase is ambiguous, and interpreters continue to debate it. Did the prophetic moment happen once as a sign of God’s calling? Or did the Spirit continue moving through them afterward? That's the same question we wrestle with regarding the signs and wonders that accompanied the early days of the church. What if, though, the uncertainty is part of the gift? Discerning the movement of the Spirit is rarely neat ...