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The Right Suffering

  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...
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Get your whimsy back

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
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The Job Reminder

  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...
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Tents and Camps

  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 ...
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The Jackals

  Ezekiel 39:25-29 Listen to today’s devotional The Jackals are a group of superfans at Spurs games. If you get a chance to meet them, they hand you a paper before the game starts. It has chants, responses, traditions, and moments when everyone stands together. It teaches you to participate in the game's experience instead of just watching it. I thought about that when I read from Ezekiel this morning. God says through the prophet, "I will no longer hide my face from them, when I pour out my Spirit upon the house of Israel." Notice what God promises. Yes, the people will have renewal and forgiveness. But they'll also have communion with God. The Spirit of God is drawing people back into a shared life with God. Too many of us treat faith as sitting quietly in the stands while heaven performs on the court, so to speak. But the Spirit does something deeper. The Spirit teaches us the rhythms of communion with God. The Spirit shows us when and how to stand in courage, to c...
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More Water!

With babies, it's easy to pour more water over their heads. Oh, you can tell they don't like it. If they're asleep, they're not anymore. If they're already awake, their eyes get laser-focused on this man who just poured cold water on them. I'm a more-water baptizer. I'm not convinced the method is as important as some tell us it is. God can work through sprinkling.  That said, the more water the merrier for me! This weekend, I got to baptize an adult. Of course, I used as much water as I could. You can see it on his shirt. Sorry, James! 😇 And I often tell the church that baptism is one of the most joyful and important things we get to do together. Amen y amen. Stay blessed...john
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Beyond Normal

  Joel 2:28-29 Listen to today’s devotional Walter Brueggemann was a prophetic voice to the modern church. His idea of the "royal consciousness" helps us understand how every empire, every system, and every culture trains people to accept the world as it is. Royal consciousness says, "The pain, the disappointment, even the injustice, it's all normal. Nothing will ever change." And that is the world the ancient prophet Joel speaks into. God's people had experienced devastation. Besides losing the tangible aspect of life, their joy and hope were taken as well. But God promises a restoration that comes when the people return to God with all their heart (Joel 2:12). Much would be restored to the people, and they would also experience the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The first sign of the Spirit is imagination. Listen again to what Joel says, "Your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions....
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