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When the Bible Bothers You

Click here to listen to today’s devotional When the Bible Bothers You September 1, 2026 2 Samuel 12:7-15 I've read dozens of commentaries and articles based on 2 Samuel 12:15. None of them satisfy me. Not that the Bible has to prove anything to you or me. But it is our sacred text, and there are stories within it that I know trouble me. Most people remember that King David created for himself a web of adultery, murder, and cover-up. God responds by sending the prophet Nathan to confront David. David hears what the prophet says and repents. But, as a consequence of "utterly" scorning the Lord, the text says, "the Lord struck the child..." that Bathsheba had. Again, I've read many words that seek to resolve the tension we probably all feel when we read that. Some talk about that child being spared from living in David's family. Others assert that life and death are in God's hands. Does this passage connect to the practice of child sacrifice? Nothing ...

It's Not Rocket Science

Click here to listen to today’s devotional Revelation 3:1-6 I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to remind myself, “It’s not rocket science." Have you ever made a mountain out of a molehill? John Foxe used the “mountains out of molehills” language in 1570 when he warned about our tendency to make small things too big. Interestingly, he also warned that we can do the opposite: make big things too small. Apparently, we’ve been getting the size of our problems wrong for a while. And maybe that’s part of the problem in Revelation 3. Jesus sends a simple message to the church in Sardis: “Wake up, and strengthen what remains.” Then he says something even simpler: “obey it and repent.” Sardis had a reputation for being alive. Apparently, you could look at the church from the outside and think things were going great. But Jesus saw something different. “You are dead.” I wonder if they were surprised to hear that. Churches can get pretty good at looking alive. We can have programs, c...

Another Round of Memes August 2026

There's no rhyme or reason to how I create memes. When I'm paying attention and think of something, I make something quickly BEFORE I FORGET IT! So, don't look for order here. Just laughs. Stay blessed...john

Let them grow

This weekend, we traveled to Corpus Christi to celebrate our son's birthday. Well, that was the excuse to visit our newborn granddaughter. Knowing I would be spending the day with our kids and driving for 4+ hours later, I needed to make time to do some reading. So, I woke up early Saturday morning and went downstairs to the hotel lobby. There was only one other person downstairs. The crew was still getting breakfast ready. The only real noise was The Weather Channel going on in the background. I wasn't paying too much attention to the TV until I heard something that I thought I had just read. My reading was about church innovation. In particular, a theme of my reading was about nurturing saplings to grow. While I was reading these pages, an apple farmer was on The Weather Channel. He was talking about how some trees grow more fruit than others. Weather conditions can impact individual trees in different ways. Then he said something like, "That's why we plant more tha...

Maybe I Was Wrong

Click here to listen to today’s devotional Maybe I Was Wrong August 28, 2026 2 Thessalonians 2:7-12 I don’t look at every war, earthquake, election, or new technology and connect the dots to the end times. If it’s the end, it’s the end. Which is probably why I struggle with passages like 2 Thessalonians 2. There’s a “lawless one,” Satan, deception, signs and wonders, all the stuff that can send some of us to the Mystery Machine to start looking for clues. But there is one part of the imagery I love. Paul says Jesus will destroy the lawless one “with the breath of his mouth.” Isaiah 11 tells of a promised ruler who beats wickedness with the breath of his lips. In 2 Thessalonians, after a whole buildup of the rebellion to come, Jesus breathes. Evil tries to put on a show. Jesus barely has to exhale. Then there's the part that really steers me away from worrying about end times. The writer describes people who perish because they “refused to love the truth.” Not people who refused t...

Remember Your Way Back

Click here to listen to today’s devotional Psalm 105:1-6 I'm about two months into a new appointment, which means a new city, a new church, and a new home. The city and church have their things in order. And most things are in place at home, too. But there have been several times when I've had to actually seek something out. That's gotten me turned around in the city, taught me what I don't have at the church, and left me wondering how in the world I lost what I could always find at home. The thing is, when I find what I'm looking for, all I have to do next is not forget it or misplace it. But what about seeking God? Considering the glory of God's name, the psalmist in Psalm 105 tells us to "seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually." Well, is that something we find once and for all? Is it something we can lose? The rest of the psalm gives us a clue. Psalm 105 is basically a long memory. The psalmist starts telling stories: Abraha...