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  Ephesians 1:15-23 Listen to today’s devotional I love the book of Ephesians. It is an entire invitation to a new way of life. In the first chapter, Paul prays that the eyes of our hearts would be enlightened so that we might know "the hope to which he has called" us. Paul doesn't want us just to understand this hope or admire it. He wants us to know it, live it, and become it! When I first learned about John Wesley's understanding of Christian perfection, I wondered why I had never heard much about it before. I think, too often, the phrase scares people before they ever hear what it means. Wesley was not describing a flawless or sinless life performance. He certainly would not expect anyone to carry a spiritual arrogance. He was talking about a heart so filled with the love of God that love becomes the ruling desire of our lives. A life being made whole in grace. Do we not hear more about Christian perfection because we don't believe God can truly transform a hu...

  Genesis 33:1-10 Listen to today’s devotional After deceiving his father and stealing Esau’s blessing, Jacob lived twenty years with the assumption that his brother’s anger would eventually catch up to him. So when he hears Esau is approaching with four hundred men, Jacob immediately prepares for disaster. He divides his family into groups for protection. He sends gifts ahead to soften Esau’s heart. Before the brothers ever see one another face-to-face, Jacob has already imagined Esau as an enemy. Of course, the brothers had a history. But fear still has a way of doing that to us. It shapes how we see people and narrows our imagination, convincing us that resentment, division, and hostility are inevitable. The longer distance grows between people, the easier it becomes to believe distorted stories about one another. But the night before Jacob meets Esau, he wrestles with God in the darkness. He leaves the encounter wounded, humbled, and maybe changed. Then the moment finally comes...

  1 Peter 3:8-12 Listen to today’s devotional Many of us recognize that much of life today is shaped by suspicion and hostility. Of course, division is not new, but social media and constant online connection have made it impossible to ignore. Political disagreements, once seen as a normal part of life together, now often turn into contempt. Families avoid hard conversations just to keep the peace. Churches divide over politics and culture. News and social media fill our days with outrage, fear, and conflict. We are constantly pushed to see other people not as neighbors but as enemies to be defeated, mocked, or feared. Over time, this changes the way we see one another, as division becomes a habit of the heart rather than just disagreement. We stop listening. We stop showing compassion. We forget the humanity of the people around us. And much of our world encourages this way of living. Outrage keeps people watching. Fear keeps people angry. Social media algorithms feed us more of w...

  Genesis 9:8-17 Listen to today’s devotional Recently, someone shared a video series with me about two sisters who defected from North Korea. The video I watched chronicles their visit to a small town in Texas, a town where I used to live. As they drove around, they noticed a lot that any of us would. At one point, though, one of the sisters said something I would not have thought much about. They could not help but notice how different all the houses looked. Back home, they were used to uniformity. Narrating their new experience, one of the sisters quietly explained the difference by saying, "Difference was just scenery." The rainbow in Genesis 9 is more than a beautiful image in the sky. The Genesis story says it serves as a reminder of God's covenant. I'll take that, and I'll also take it as a sign that God delights in a world full of color, variety, and life. After the flood, God did not build creation as a gray and identical place. God makes the covenant wit...

We shared a meaningful time of worship this past weekend. It was Communion Sunday and we received two people into church membership. There were several moments I felt the Spirit's presence in a comforting and affirming way.  One of them was when Ashlei sang this song. It's a wonderful song by itself. But it also went so well with the day's message.  He's Always Been Faithful I've been spoiled having someone in the family I can work closely with to put together music for worship. She and I are often on the same page.  Stay blessed...john P.S. Yes, I was in tears, too. This was one of our few remaining Sundays at Kelsey. 

  1 Timothy 4:6-10 Listen to today’s devotional Do your best not to reduce spiritual practices to checklists. Pray. Read the Bible. Go to church. Serve others. These activities, what we would also call means of grace, matter deeply to our growing in grace and faith. But they are not just religious tasks to complete. They are habits that shape your heart. Think of it like this: What you repeatedly do forms what you love, and what you love ultimately shapes who you become. J. Robert Douglass writes that a spiritual habit “perfects what we love.” That helps change the way we think about spiritual practices. In that way, prayer is not only about saying the right words to God. Worship is not only about attending a service. Reflection is not only about quiet moments of thought. These practices slowly train our desires. And, over time, they begin to align our hearts with God's heart. Lately, I've been reflecting on this in relation to church ministry and leadership. In ministry, it is...