AnotherJohn.Com

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 ...

  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...

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

  1 Timothy 5:17-24 Listen to today's devotional 1 Timothy 5 says that church leaders who serve well are worthy of double honor. And I think it's helpful to distinguish what that means versus what our culture often turns into celebrity. Just last week, a video went viral poking fun at some megachurch pastors. What was interesting to me wasn't the satire, but how quickly many rushed to defend what I'll call the antics of some, not all. In the rush to protect personalities, we often miss deeper questions. For example, are we honoring faithful leadership, or have we baptized celebrity culture? Honor was never meant to be hype. We should be cautious about creating an environment where pastors become brands and our sermons become content. Instead, honor says, "Thank you for faithful care." Celebrity says, "Make me feel inspired." Now, I'm far from a celebrity pastor, but my sense also is that honor helps sustain the ministry and work of the church. It...

  Deuteronomy 16:18-20 Listen to today's devotional How's this for clear and uncompromising: “Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue.” In Deuteronomy 16, Moses warns the people that corruption happens when we twist what is right. Partiality replaces fairness, and self-interest takes the place of faithfulness. In the Bible, injustice is never just a political failure. It is always a spiritual one. It's draining to keep track of the hypocrisy that comes along with our political rhetoric. It doesn't honor God to use the Bible as a shield for wrongdoing. For example, Christians often misuse passages like Romans 13 to defend whatever authority benefits them. “Be subject to governing authorities,” Paul says. But he never gives a blank check for injustice. Paul was imprisoned by unjust rulers. The early church resisted commands that contradicted God’s justice. This submission never meant silence in the face of oppression. Romans 13 describes God’s desire for authorities t...

  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...