AnotherJohn.Com

  Acts 6:8-15 Listen to today’s devotional You can imagine the kind of things the Freedmen would post on their social media. We don't know who was in this group. They may have been enslaved people taken by the Romans, or descendants of enslaved people. What is certain is that they did not align with Stephen. He had a reputation of being "full of grace and power" and for doing "great wonders and signs among the people." And when the Freedmen argued with him, they couldn't match his wisdom. They couldn't out-argue him. So what did they do? They didn't dig deeper or refine their thinking. They certainly didn't change their minds. Instead, Acts 6 says they "secretly instigated" others against Stephen. You can see their pattern play out. It begins as a disagreement. Moves with some agitation. Then finishes with conspiracy. The Freedmen bear false witness against Stephen. They did not misunderstand what he was saying. Rather, they chose to ma...

  Matthew 20:20-28 Listen to today’s devotional "It's an honor just to be nominated" doesn't sound like what James and John would have said. They were literally looking for seats of honor. Being a part of Jesus' circle didn't seem to be enough. They wanted a different kind of greatness. Now, it's easy to criticize the request to be at either side of Jesus' throne. But their idea is more familiar to us than we might want to admit. After all, we want to matter, don't we? We want our lives to count. We want to be seen. I can imagine Jesus listening and then looking at them. He doesn't rebuke them. But he does redirect their thinking. Whereas they were imagining thrones, Jesus only saw sacrifice. They considered the recognition that comes with sitting next to the king. But the Lord brings them back to surrender. And there's part of the tension for us. We want purpose, but we often define it in terms of power, visibility, or success when Jesus s...

  Hebrews 13:20-21 Listen to today’s devotional The Hebrews sermon ends with an inspiring benediction that shows resurrection is God’s signature move. So, it’s not only a great reminder that Jesus was raised, but it also reveals how God works. When something looks finished or beyond repair, that’s often the very place where God begins again. With God, endings aren't always conclusions. The Lord often uses them as invitations. And the same power that brought Jesus out of the grave is still at work in the "too far gone" places of our lives. Resurrection, then, isn’t just a past event we celebrate. Through the resurrection of Jesus, we see a pattern of God that we continually experience. Now, here’s the tension many of us feel within that. If God is calling us into that kind of new life, do we have what it takes? Hebrews answers that directly by saying that God equips you with everything good to do God's will. Not some things. Not most things. Everything good to do God...

  Ezekiel 34:17-18 Listen to today’s devotional God's concern is not just whether the sheep are fed. It's whether there's anything left for the others as well. The sheep in Ezekiel 34 aren’t starving or fighting over scraps. In fact, they have enough. Plenty, even. But after they eat, they trample what's left. And after they drink, they muddy the waters they leave behind. The problem, then, for some of God's sheep, God's people, is not hunger, but carelessness or selfishness of others. Now, Ezekiel has already taken the religious leaders to task. But he doesn't stop there because sometimes, too, the problem in the flock is the flock. So, let's think about this careless and selfish faith. It's the kind of attitude and presence that consumes space, it dominates conversations, and leaves little room for anyone else. To be sure, it doesn’t always come across as overly loud or aggressive. It's just that it has a need to be heard that drowns out everyo...

 Y'all know I love my hometown. And I've always said my spirit animal is either a moose or a flamingo.  Next year, I need to make plans to attend the Flamingo Fest in Galveston . It looks like fun; this will be the 7th year the city has hosted it. Maybe I need to buy a golf cart, too. I don't know what it is about flamingos that I've always thought were cool. We used to have a mechanical flamingo we pulled out for Christmas every year. But the elements finally got to it.  And I've never seen a moose in real life. I was hopeful the times I went to Colorado, but no. One day! Do they have flamingos in Del Rio? Stay blessed...john

  Exodus 4:18-20 Listen to today’s devotional When Moses first heard God's command, he had reservations. It took a minute, but God convinced Moses to go back to Egypt. Now, he just had to get permission from his father-in-law, Jethro, to leave the clan. As Exodus 10 tells the story, Moses doesn't explain or share any details about his experience on holy ground. Even his request to leave sounds more personal than what God commanded. I assume that Jethro could have refused Moses' request. He could have leaned on his need for someone like Moses to keep watching his flocks. But Jethro offers Moses a blessing. And this blessing sets in motion the great exodus story of God's people. A 3-word blessing that afforded Moses the chance to fulfill God's purpose for the Israelites: Go in peace. Of course, we focus on Moses as the one called, the one sent, the one who stands before Pharaoh demanding, "Let my people go." But let's not forget Jethro. He is the one who...