AnotherJohn.Com

I'm convinced a lot of what keeps Christians from reading the Bible is their reading habits. So, maybe we can think of reading as a spiritual discipline.  Oh, wait. We don't like spiritual disciplines either 😬 Maybe we need an adult version of Reading Rainbow! This was our 122nd episode .    Stay blessed...john

  All the people Psalm 15 Love of God and love of neighbor go hand in hand. The two ideas are different, but in a very real sense the same. John called anyone a liar who says they love God while hating a brother (1 John 4:20). If you want to know how deep your love of God is, look beyond church attendance. You don't have to track your minutes prayed or how many times you've opened the Bible. Look to those around you. How have you loved them? Many of us wrongly assume this great focus on loving neighbor began with Jesus. The "God of the Old Testament" seems too violent to suggest such a thing. This commandment, though, didn't originate with Jesus. Remember, he called love of God and neighbor the greatest of God's commandments. So, the ethical treatment of other people has long been strongly tied to our faith and trust in God. Take Psalm 15 as one more example. The psalmists opens with an important question, asking God, "Who may abide in your tent" (Ps...

  Against the grain Exodus 32:1-6 My church's leadership group is reading a book together. It's called  8 Virtues of Rapidly Growing Churches . We've begun to reflect on the authors' observations, which stem from their experiences with several growing churches. The first observation is that rapidly growing churches "believe in miracles and act accordingly." Notice the two parts of that observation. First, many Christians would affirm the reality of miracles. We serve an all-powerful God. Why wouldn't we? But it's the second part that takes more courage. Growing churches, apparently, make tough decisions and try new things. This willingness to risk comes with a deep trust in the miraculous power of God. Now, many pastors, church leaders and committed church goers also talk a lot about trust. But that trust often doesn't equate to a real willingness to change. The authors offer this comment, particularly, about pastors. "They aren’t willing to m...

Our church has been studying the Psalms. So, coming across this video was perfect timing.  Unfortunately, I've never been part of a church that regularly sang the psalms. A lot of people have never considered the psalms were meant to be sung. We miss an opportunity to digest these worships words when we loose them from music.  And check out this resource: Sing the Psalms . You might find a tune that will help you better learn and appreciate your favorite psalms. Stay blessed...john

  Clean up 1 Kings 6:15-38 Confession: I take caring for the sanctuary and church grounds more seriously than I let on. It bothers me to see props from last year's Christmas pageant laying around. There's always a room (or three) full of junk no one dares throw away. Used tissues in the pews. A disorganized and messy narthex. And may God forgive us for our church refrigerators. Excellence isn't about what you have. It's about what you do with what you have. So, take care of your church facilities. It says something about what you think happens there. No, don't go overboard and prohibit ministry from happening--leave the youth group alone! But concern yourself with what message your level of care sends. Now, is this really a discipleship issue? Maybe. Maybe not. It's certainly an exercise in gratitude. And didn't Jesus say something about being trusted with the little things (Luke 16:10)? We have a different understanding of what the house of God means than, ...

It feels good to learn something new. I've known confirmation hasn't always been a unified practice. But I didn't realize it entailed so much keep up with the denominational Jones. Someone posted an observation about this in a public clergy group. Here is the response that schooled me: So, Wesley actually deleted the confirmation rites entirely from the Book of Common Prayer when he edited it for use by Methodists in America. Why? I would argue this falls under his rubric of "as at present serving no valuable end," which he applies specifically to a lot of the holy days, including the entire season of Lent. Why would it serve no valuable end? Because Methodism had other systems in place for accomplishing the same thing-- helping people come (and return continually) to an assurance of faith and then growing in holiness of heart and life from there. The ongoing class meeting, not the shorter-term confirmation class, was the instituted means of grace to assist both. ...

Gloria let me know my skin has been looking rough for a while. It had a particular effect on me. One of the Kelsey Kids saw me in worship every week. And everyone she had the same observation: He still looks old. This past Sunday was the first time she didn't repeat that to her family. So, after several months, I guess my skin's healing and I'm looking younger again. Stay blessed...john

  Showing up Ephesians 6:21-23 There's power in showing up. God's power. Show up to celebrate a birthday, a new beginning or to honor the passing of a loved one or friend. When you show up, you do more than participate in the arranged gathering. You demonstrate. You demonstrate the far-reaching love of God in a hospital waiting room. A retirement party, an awards assembly or a coffee-shop meet up. Living rooms are great places to show up. God showed up in swaddling clothes (Luke 2:12). Yes, the celebration of Christmas is a baby. No, it doesn't sound as festive to say the celebration is actually flesh. God came in the flesh. We didn't have to imagine or infer God's presence. We could see it. There were eyes who beheld heaven's gift. People touched God's presence in the world with their hands. They heard a voice they trusted was God's. Jesus' words, his emotions and his thoughts were all brought to us in his flesh. And Jesus' incarnational ministr...