AnotherJohn.Com

  Listen to today’s devotional Acts 2:1-4 I’ve had some pretty good conversations with people who weren’t there. Don't worry. I'm talking about the thing we all probably do. I’m driving or doing something around the house, practicing what I want to say. In my mind, I know I’ve made my point beautifully. It'll be something everyone understands and will be better for. Then I see the person or get to the meeting and don't get past the small talk. It’s one thing to know what you want to say. It’s another thing to say it when someone is standing in front of you. Especially when you care about them and aren’t sure how the conversation will go. In Acts 2, the disciples are together when the Holy Spirit comes. There’s a sound like a violent wind, something like tongues of fire, and people speaking in languages they hadn’t learned. The Spirit enables them to speak, and people from different places hear about God’s deeds of power in their own languages. It's that last part th...

  Listen to today’s devotional John 14:12-14 I appreciate it when someone says, “You can do this!" Still, there have been times when I was sure they had confused me with someone else. Some people seem better suited to do certain things. Confidence and experience come into play for people. But then we hear Jesus tell his disciples that those who believe in him will do his works, and even greater works, because he is going to the Father. Greater? If I were there, I imagine I would look around the room to see who Jesus was talking about. These are ordinary people around Jesus?. They misunderstand him. They argue. Their courage comes and goes. Still, Jesus entrusts them with continuing his work. Now, I wonder if we confuse the word “greater” with something impressive. In other words, bigger crowds or bigger platforms. But Jesus connects this promise to his going to the Father. So, their future depends on his continuing work, and their prayers serve the Father’s glory. Jesus isn't ...

  Listen to today’s devotional October 12, 2026 John 14:8-11 I can't shame Philip too much because I'm one of those people who have looked for my phone while holding it. And while I wish I could say that's happened only once, sometimes, I’m so busy looking for something that I miss what is already right in front of me. Philip asks Jesus, “Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” If you're just tuning in, that might sound like a reasonable request. Give us something unmistakable, Jesus. Something we can point to when faith gets hard. We all could use that! But Jesus answers by asking how Philip could have spent so much time with him and still not recognize him. Whoever has seen Jesus has seen the Father. Philip wants a clearer picture of God, but Jesus asks him to look again at the person standing before him. Look at all the ways Jesus has revealed God’s character. Still, I understand Philip. Sometimes, I tell God I need things to be clearer while overl...

  Listen to today’s devotional A Growing Friendship October 9, 2026 James 4:4-10 I’ve been thinking a lot about friendship. Around Del Rio, we have a whole lake reminding us of it. Lake Amistad. Friendship. That’s a good word to live near. An even better word to live into. Then James comes along and makes friendship sound dangerous: “Friendship with the world is enmity with God.” Well, there goes being friendly. But before we start making a list of people to avoid, James wants us to look at our hearts. He calls us “double-minded.” That is, we say we want to draw near to God, but we also want to hold on to whatever gets us our way. Do you know the feeling? I want God to shape my life. I just have a few things I want God to leave alone. But friendship means something. The people closest to us have a way of influencing us. We begin to notice what matters to them. Their concerns become our concerns. Shouldn’t friendship with God do something like that? If I’m drawing near to God, would...

  Listen to today’s devotional Care Without Control October 8, 2026 1 Peter 5:1-5 I don’t mind giving advice, mostly. It’s when people don’t take it that I get a little frustrated. Especially when I’m sure I’m right, I can't help but wonder why you even asked me to begin with. All I'm trying to do is help. At least, that’s what I tell myself. I can't help but wonder, though, that maybe I really just want to get my way. First Peter tells church leaders to care for God’s flock without lording authority over people. Did you catch the important part there? It's God's flock. The people leaders care for do not belong to them. That’s worth reflecting on even if you’ve never led a church. We all have some influence in someone’s life. Our children. Our friends. Someone at work. People who trust us enough to ask what we think. Yes, that trust means something, but it doesn’t make their decisions ours. The hard part in all this is offering advice and wisdom without deciding eve...

  Listen to today’s devotional John 11:45-53 Sometimes, I wonder if knowing what to say about God makes it easier to avoid actually listening to God. In other words, I can find a Bible verse and know the church lingo to make something sound faithful. But sounding faithful and being faithful can be two different things. Two very different things. Just listen again to Caiaphas. After Jesus raised Lazarus, the religious leaders recognized that people were believing in him. They worry because they fear Rome’s response. In their discussion, Caiaphas offers what sounds like practical advice to them. He says that one man should die so the nation can live. That pretty much sums up our faith, but he means Jesus needs to go for good. More is happening in those words than Caiaphas understands. Jesus will die for the people. His death will gather God’s scattered children together. Caiaphas says the right thing. But imagine asking him what he actually means. I know I've prayed something like, “...

  Listen to today’s devotional Psalm 119:49-56 My Sunday School class recently read and reflected on Psalm 1. In some way, I think about that psalm almost every day. Since my first email account back in the late 1900s, I’ve signed off my messages with “Stay blessed.” The blessing I have in mind comes from that psalm, and it is a life rooted in God’s wisdom. Psalm 119 gives us another glimpse of that life. The psalmist finds hope in God’s promise and comfort in distress. God’s word gives him life. That made me think of John 6, where the disciples tell Jesus, "Only you have the words of life.” Then that brought an old hymn to mind: “Wonderful Words of Life.” My attention honed in on one line of that song: “offer pardon and peace to all.” As I read the hymn, God's word offers pardon and peace to all. But I also wonder, as we learn God's wisdom of life, doesn't that mean we offer pardon and peace to all as well? Wouldn’t learning God’s ways mean learning to offer forgivene...