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  Psalm 114 Listen to today’s devotional Psalm 114 remembers and celebrates God's deliverance. Through the psalm, Israel looks back on the Exodus. That was a moment when the slaves of Egypt became God's people. Notice how creation is caught up in the storytelling. The sea runs away. The Jordan turns back. Mountains skip like animals. And in the middle of it all comes an almost playful, taunting question:  “Why is it, O sea, that you flee?” I wonder if the psalmist wants us to laugh as we're asking it. What made the sea move like that? Now, the answer is there, but barely. In Hebrew, verse 2 doesn’t name God directly. It uses the pronoun  He.  It's almost as if God’s presence and power are so obvious it doesn’t need explanation. The sea didn’t flee because of wind patterns or some weather event. It fled because  He  was there. But that raises a question for us. When we look back on our own lives, how do we know what was  Him ? Because not every moment i...

  1 Corinthians 15:1-11 Listen to today’s devotional Jesus once asked his disciples if they wanted to quit following him. One of them spoke up, saying, "Where would we go?" That's a question we have a lot more answers to today. In a world shaped by competing loyalties and distractions that often pull us away from faithfulness, the question of commitment remains central to our Christian life. The nineteenth-century hymn “ O Jesus, I Have Promised ” captures this tension. It was written by John Ernest Bode for his children's confirmation and expresses a lifelong vow of discipleship as an intentional decision to follow Christ despite the pressures of the world, internal struggles, and external opposition. The hymn frames discipleship not as passive belief but as active, persevering commitment even in the midst of challenge. Paul, writing to the Corinthians, brought that same hope of commitment. He reminds them of what he “received” and what he “passed on.” Specifically, ...

  Psalm 16 Listen to today’s devotional The Bible doesn't pretend there aren't other "gods." Those ancient writers knew better. Instead of ignoring them, scripture sometimes names them. And it's good for us to learn to do the same. Psalm 16 starts with a pretty bold statement. "You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing." That sounds like an affirmation of faith. In some ways, it is. But it's also a statement of direction. God's Spirit knows how easily our hearts attach themselves to other things that promise life. Security, success, control, or approval rank high on our lists. They may not be real in the way we sense that the Lord is real, but they are real in the way they shape us. "They who chose another god multiply their sorrows," the psalmist says. If there are no other gods, discipleship isn’t that important. Those sorrows the psalmist speaks of come because those other gods cannot fulfill what they promise. Every god c...

  Psalm 118:20-24 Listen to today’s devotional One man's trash is another man's salvation. That's not quite how that old saying goes. But it might as well be scripture. Psalm 118 says it like this: "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.' And once you start looking, you realize how often that pattern emerges. Not just in scripture, but in the world around us, too. Vincent van Gogh died with little recognition, calling himself a "nonentity." Thomas Edison was labeled slow and unteachable. Frida Kahlo was overshadowed and dismissed. But what was overlooked became undeniable. What was once rejected became a fascination. What we're not used to is realizing we would have done the same thing to Jesus. Not to compare him to artists or inventors, but to confess something about ourselves. We don't always recognize what God is doing, even when it's standing right in front of us. Jesus didn't fit the blueprint for so many pe...

I'm not good at keeping my desk clean. So, I take great pride in the notion that a messy desk is a sign of genius.   It's been a busy few months. Plenty of reading and writing. This year, I even wrote the narration for our church's Easter cantata. It was an idea my daughter and I had wayyy last year.  I read through several old cantatas we have at the church to look at the rhythm and style that most use. So, it sounded like one of those canned music pieces. But I was happy with it. It did what we wanted it to do.  Of course, all my daily text messages, daily devotionals, sermons, and papers have happened in this small space. Confession: There was once more than 3 Dr. Pepper cans there.  Where do you do your best work?  Stay blessed...john

  Colossians 3:12-17 Listen to today’s devotional I haven't bought clothes for myself in over ten years. Not because I'm trendy or minimalist. Mostly, because I'm too cheap and I hate shopping. Don't worry, though, my family has me covered. My kids will see something they think Dad will look good in and bring it to me. My wife finds codes for online sales, or sees the sad condition of my shoes and knows it's time to get something new. They know my style better than I do sometimes. But maybe I should do more of my own clothes shopping. I'm a big boy, after all. Colossians 3 kind of pushes me to. I call it the wardrobe chapter. Verse 12 says to "clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience." Now, we're not talking Levi's or hoodies anymore. This is the real outfit. The one people see and remember. Like a fresh pair of kicks or a new jacket catches the eye, your character catches attention, too. Compassion, kindnes...