Finding peace

It is a difficult thing to find peace in a world that worships strife. While I understand that fear and strife sells, and why media outlets and advertisers on media outlets love stories that appeal to the most base side of humanity, I still fail to see why we (as a people) are so devoted to giving airtime and headspace to things and people that rob us of joy and contribute to the chaos of life rather than affording much needed moments of peace to each of us.

Oftentimes we tend to direct our focus to the things that distract us rather than the desires of our hearts. 
When trail riding, you don't focus on the trees, rocks, or obstacles - you focus on the trail. When motorcycle riding the winding roads of the Ozarks, you don't watch the ditches or shoulder drops - you keep your focus on your lane of the road ahead of you. 
Fear keeps our focus on what can go wrong. Peace and confidence (and often success) come from focusing on the task at hand.

Today's meditative verses come from Paul's letter to the Philippians. In his closing he reminds them to keep their thoughts on gratitude, God, and good, honorable things. 
He writes:

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your minds and your hearts in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me -- practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

May your thoughts bring you peace on this day.
Guard your thoughts. Focus on what is good and honorable and worthy of your time.
And rejoice!

John

Writing

I ran into an old friend yesterday. Well, she is not really an old friend, she's a young friend that I just hadn't seen in some time. While we were catching up, she told me she is writing a book, a novel. I think that is great. 
Although there have been different people along my journey that have suggested that I write a book, I see a couple of problems with that:
To write a novel you have to be creative -- and I'm not.
To write non-fiction you have to be willing to do a little research and mental organization -- and I'm not.
To do either takes some discipline of writing daily and sticking to a writing schedule -- and well, ...I don't know about that, either.

But I think writing a book would be cool. 
So, I was thinking -- what about a daily meditation/devotional kind of book? 
Although I could work ahead, what if I just journaled my morning meditations into a collection of thoughts, and then after a year I'd have a book of 365 inspirational quotes, verses from the bible or other texts, and the accompanying thoughts that I had for that particular day?
I could design each day to take no more than fifteen minutes or so and even throw in a few tips for meditation, focus, or grounding. 

I'm going to give myself some time to consider this. In fact, I'm going to give myself one month. Call it a birthday challenge. On June 13th, I complete my 63rd trip around the sun and begin number 64. Maybe I can use it as a 365 day journey that would make any day a perfect starting point. I won't be dated to begin on January 1st, but could begin on your birthday making it an acceptable anytime gift and a perfect birthday gift.
I suppose that has its drawbacks. Following the calendar allows for seasonal meditations that a non-calendar schedule won't. I don't know. Something to consider. 
I'll probably just do them daily and then figure out numbering/ordering them later.

Hmmm...
Thoughts?

John

According to John, Chapter 11

John 11

There is a lot in this story of Lazarus. I know I should write more, but I'm just not feeling it this morning.
If you've been following along (either one if you), feel free to share your thoughts on this chapter.
My minuscule contribution is pointing out more of John's confusing writing.
I know the writing attributes these words to Jesus, but they are so confusing that I think maybe John didn't get it quite right (so much for that inerrant, infallible belief).

From vss 25 & 26
Jesus said to her (Martha), "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?"

So Martha says yes. She believes him.
I'm saying, "Wait. What? That doesn't make sense."
What is he saying? He first says -- If you believe in me and die, you'll live. But then he says if you believe in me you won't die.
I'm all for trusting God and following Jesus, but I'm not going lie to you -- this confuses me.
It is probably stuff like this that makes people want a Bible study so that somebody can explain exactly what Jesus means.
NEWS FLASH! Nobody really knows. They just make up shit about what they think he means and expect us to accept it. My thought is that it's been maybe 50 years between when this happened and John is writing about it, so maybe he didn't get it quite right. After all, he would have been 70 or 80 years old at the time and we know how memory fades, right?

I'm not meaning to sound sacrilegious here; it's just that sometimes I scratch my head and ask, "What?!"
It is difficult to read through the Bible without the baggage of what you've been previously taught. Sometimes I try to read it as if it was my first time through. It helps me to see the things that make me ask questions and probe a little deeper.

I should probably reaffirm that I do believe that Jesus is the resurrection and the life. I do believe in eternal life as he teaches it. I do believe that Jesus is the Son of God and is God in the flesh. 
But I don't have all the answers. In fact, I have very few answers. Mostly, I have questions -- lots of them!

So--
Not a very devotional kind of daily reading today. I'll try to do better tomorrow.
Or maybe I need a day off from posting.
Maybe...

John

According to John, Chapter 10

John 10 

I ain't no sheep herder!
This is one of those places where it is obvious that Jesus is speaking to the people of that time and culture.
Seriously, what do I know about caring for sheep? 
Even many of the people that heard Jesus didn't understand what he was talking about.

So what is in this story for someone that isn't a first century Jew that cares for sheep?
Good question.

Here are my thoughts:
1) We can find out about sheep and shepherding. 

Typically we find someone else that has found out what it's like to shepherd and listen to their explanation. If you are like me, that means you've listened to preachers and teachers that have learned from preachers and teachers about lessons that have been handed down from one person to another. I really don't think I've heard much in the way of first or even second person teaching on the lessons regarding sheep and shepherds. That doesn't mean what you've heard is wrong, but it does give me some concerns about the typical agenda manipulation that takes place in religions throughout the world.

2) We can see if any of what Jesus says about sheep applies to us.

Here's what I think.
Jesus says that his sheep know him and they know his voice. Listen for his voice. 
You will hear it in nature. You will hear it in other people. Your will hear it in the stillness of your own heart and being.

I'm not talking about the god-spoke-to-me-now-I'm-going-to-do-whatever-I-feel-like bullshit that batshit crazy evangelicals and fanatics use. I'm talking about God/Jesus speaking to our spirits in ways other than through the words of the Bible.
Jesus says, in this very passage, that there are other sheep from other flocks and he plans to bring us all together. What if it is God who speaks to the Native Americans through The Great Spirit?
What if it is God who speaks to Asians through the Buddha? What if it is God that speaks to the Arabs through Islam? What if many of the world's religions are God's voice being filtered and distorted by man?

Listen.
You know him and you know his voice.
If it is not speaking love, it is not him.
If it is self-centered or self-serving in any way, it is not him.
If it harms another person, another creature, or even the world around us -- that's not him.
Listen,
and follow the voice of love.

John

According to John, Chapter 9

John 9 

What has Jesus done for you?

In the ninth chapter of John, Jesus encounters an adult man that has been blind form birth. The Jews thought his blindness was the result of someone's sin -- if not his since he was born that way, then perhaps his parent's or someone else's. It may seem weird that they would think that way, but people still think that all manner of things are punishments from God. Even severe weather events have been attributed to God's wrath. Remember hurricane Katrina was said to be God's judgement on the sin of New Orleans. I guess God doesn't really care about collateral damage or maybe it's okay since we are all sinners.

While the giving of sight to the blind man is a noteworthy miracle, what happens afterwards is where the real story takes place. The Jews seemed to be less concerned about the miracle of a blind man seeing and more concerned about people recognizing God in Jesus who healed him. The religious rule by fear is evident when the man's parents are afraid to speak on his behalf for fear of what the religious leaders would do to or say about them.

The man's testimony was simple -- "I don't know anything about the guy. All I know is I used to be blind, but now I see." (Pardon the paraphrase)
Our own testimony or witness about God's influence in our life is similar. People can argue about whether or not it was Providential influence, fate, or coincidence, but no one will ever convince us that God's actual intervention in our life didn't happen.

I believe that our encounters with Jesus should affect us the same way that the encounter with the blind man affected him. I believe the change should be noticeable. Everyone that knew the blind man knew that something was different and that difference was plain to see. They didn't know how he could see; they simply knew that he used to be blind, but now he could see.
When they asked how it happened, his response was simple -- "The man called Jesus healed me."  That's pretty hard to argue with.

Jesus was a pretty famous guy back in the day. He still is.
And there are still people that name drop to gain status or influence.
The thing is -- the real one-on-one, personal encounters with Jesus are evident by the change that happens in our lives. If there is no real change, then I wonder if there was ever a real encounter.

Has your encounter with Jesus changed how you think?
...how you act?
Has anyone ever noticed the difference or asked why you think or act the way you do?
Have you ever responded with something similar to -- "I know, I used to be a jerk, but then I met Jesus?"

Vision isn't the only way that people are blind. Mud made from dirt and spit isn't the only way that Jesus helps us to see.
What are your thoughts about about this story?

John

According to John, Chapter 8

John 8

If you've never really read through John's gospel before, you are probably beginning to understand why it took me so long to really appreciate it. 
It is difficult to understand. It is so much more than a record of miracles, events, and sayings of Jesus. 

I feel like a modern day Jesus would have to have a lecture series on confirmation bias. In today's reading, Jesus is pretty much saying, "You don't believe what I'm teaching, because you don't want to believe it."
Accepting that what we believe might be wrong is a very difficult thing, especially when we've pretty much built our life's work around it. (Again, ask me how I know.)

I want to be a learner. Learners are continually seeking new information and new perspectives on old information. Often we discover things that contradict what we've previously thought or believed. In the decades that took place between the actual events of John's gospel and the writing of it, many Jews shifted their beliefs about God, heaven, hell, eternity, etc., based on the teachings of Jesus and his followers. I can imagine that these shifts towards Jesus as the promised Messiah created some great difficulties for them. They were probably ridiculed and eventually shunned by people they loved like family and friends. Even though they found themselves closer to God, they were very much alone. If you have watched somebody else go through that, it makes it even more difficult for others to follow.

Things haven't changed much in two thousand years. Confirmation bias tends to keep people right where they are -- This is the truth and you can't teach me anything different!
That is the attitude that led to Jesus being crucified by the very people he lived with and loved.

Contrary to popular convention, I think it's healthy to examine our beliefs from the perspective of -- What if I'm wrong?
Today's John (me, not the gospel guy) would have to look at my past self and realize that I taught some things that I'm no longer sure of. I am sorry about that.
I am also much more careful about what I teach or share now. While I am more than willing to share my perspectives and my current way of thinking, I am also careful to do it in a way that generates thought and discussion rather than conversion. 

Do I still want you to know and follow Jesus?
Absolutely!

Do I still want you to believe in God?
Jesus says that eternal life is in knowing God, so yes, absolutely!

Do I still think that your knowing God and following Jesus is my responsibility?
Not so much.

Yesterday a friend of mine introduced me to a friend of hers. She seemed to find great pleasure in introducing two people that she liked to each other. That's kind of how I feel about you getting to know Jesus. I don't know if you are going to be friends with Jesus. That's pretty much up to the two of you. But I would like for you to get to know one another. That's why I'm doing this daily devotion kind of posting.

Although it really started out to help a single friend get back on track to knowing Jesus, it has also put me in a position of re-examining my own relationship with God/Jesus and it reminds me that I should share this feeling of peace and love with others. I really don't believe this is the best forum for sharing God's love, but it is what I have available to me short of going out and actually being around people.
Also, this is a pretty limited forum with a very limited following. 

If you think it would be helpful in your introducing others to Jesus, feel free to share it. It might serve as a conversation starter if nothing else.

To sum up today's reading, I'd simply say don't be so sure of your position that you are unable to look at it from a different perspective. Don't be afraid to learn something new.
To borrow a line from chapter 4's woman at the well, "Come and see a man, ... Could this be the Christ?"

John

According to John, Chapter 7

 John 7

Cancel Culture in the 1st Century CE

It's a little bit odd that while as a religious book, the Bible is already restricted in schools, it's now the conservative, Bible wielding Christians that seem to censor the teachings of Jesus. 
If the teachings of Jesus were written in a modern day book and removed from the name of Jesus, conservative pastors, lay leaders, and politicians would certainly push to have such a book banned and such teachings prohibited as quickly as any CRT or LGBTQ+ affirming books and lessons.

Just as the Jewish leaders of Jesus' day used The Law and fear to control the people, today's conservative Christian leaders use the Bible and fear to control the masses, as well. 
Fear of God
Fear of judgement
Fear of hell

Fear is the tool of those that wish to control and oppress.
And fear needs to silence truth.
The leaders of the Jewish people needed to silence Jesus. They tried to say he didn't fit the prophesies about the coming Christ. In other writings they tried to convince people he was possessed by demons. They refused to acknowledge that his works were from God and good, wholesome, miraculous events.
But even among those that refuse to see truth, truth has a way of making itself known.

The guards that were sent to arrest him came back without him. When they were questioned as to why they didn't arrest him they said that no one has ever talked like he did. They found his teaching to be so compelling and so full of goodness and truth that they disobeyed their orders and refused to take him!

Truth still has its enemies today and those enemies still use fear to control people. But just as the soldiers that confronted Jesus learned they had nothing to fear from him, those that are willing to confront Jesus today will find there is nothing to fear from him.
Where fear seeks to control; Love trusts.
Love gives us the freedom to do the right thing, the good thing, the beautiful thing.
Love also gives us the freedom to be selfish, but trusts us to eventually get it right.

It is weird that I've spent most of my life being afraid of God. Today I believe that the fear of God was placed on me by religions, churches, and men that wanted to keep control of me and others like me. If you want to experience today's conservative cancel culture just speak up against a religious injustice and see how quickly you are silenced. (Ask me how I know.)

In Christ, we have the love and freedom to ask questions. 
We have the freedom to make mistakes.
We have the freedom to not be afraid.
In Christ, we are loved.
And in the love of Christ, we are compelled to love others.

John

According to John, Chapter 6

John 6

Sometimes I have weird thoughts when I'm reading the Bible. Maybe they aren't so weird. Maybe they are just thoughts that nobody is ever going to preach about or teach about.
For example:

When reading the story of the feeding of the 5,000 or the feeding of the multitude, I wonder how many of the people being fed knew what was going on. It's not like there was a huge sound system and electronic jumbotron video screen set up so that everyone could witness the bag lunch being turned into food for thousands. I think that most people just sat down when they were told that they were going to be fed.

If you were one of the poor, hungry people in the crowd that day, you would have taken your seat and accepted your meal when it was passed out. You may have even asked. "Where did all this food come from?"
But would you have believed that this was a kid's sack lunch?
And did you ever wonder why only one kid's mom thought to send along lunch for the day?
Sometimes I think that the event itself was more for the apostles and close followers of Jesus than it was for the crowd of hungry people. The people got fed. The followers that knew the story behind the meal got much more.

When the Apostle John wrote this account to be shared and preserved 50-60 years later, those reading about it (including you and me) don't get any of the food; we get the much more. We get to see the miracle from the apostle's viewpoint. We know about the kid and his lunch of bread and fish. We know that everyone was full and there were baskets of leftovers. 
I'm not sure that most of the people that day got more than a day of listening to Jesus teach and a full belly. The story of the kid's lunch and the miraculous feeding probably spread like a rumor over the next few days. It may have been accepted as truth or it may have been blown off like an ancient conspiracy theory.

I write these things because I think it is important to remember the message of the Bible. There is something different to be learned based on perspective. What John witnessed that day is different than what the last person to be fed witnessed. What someone reading about it decades or even centuries later is also different. 
They got food.
We get food for thought.
So, what do you think?

There is much more to John 6 than this, so be sure to read the whole chapter.
Maybe you have comments or questions on something. Please feel free to add them either by commenting on the blog or whatever social media platform you are reading.

Right now I'm wondering what the bread in Israel tasted like 2000 years ago.
John

According to John, Chapter 5

Oh boy!
Another chapter filled with some deep theology.
And I am no theologian! 

In the first part of the chapter Jesus addresses how the Jews had taken the Law so severely that they used (or abused) it to the point of making it more important than taking care of each other. The saying "...too heavenly minded to be of any earthly good," comes to mind. 
When our laws, rules, practices, or traditions get in the way of us caring for one another, it's time to re-evaluate what we are really doing and what we are truly believing. 

The second part of the chapter is the deep stuff.
You really need to read this for yourself. 
Jesus talks about his authority and purpose and where they come from. Even though he designates the Father and the Son as separate persons, he really indicates that they are of the same mind and share the same purpose.
Jesus teaches that Moses (The Law) is our accuser. Paul writes about that in Romans.
I suppose it comes in pretty handy to have Jesus both as our judge and as our advocate.

I'm really not up to taking the hours of prep time that I would take to prepare a sermon or to teach a lesson on this stuff. I'm just reading along with the rest of you and trying to figure things out as I go. I'm interested in hearing your thoughts and questions on what John is writing about and on what Jesus is teaching. I can't promise any answers to your questions, but might be willing to share some ideas or at least share my own thoughts. 

It occurs to me that I should probably include a link to the passage or chapter I'm writing about.
Here is John 5.
I'll try to remember to put this at the beginning for future posts.

I really don't know if very many are reading along. Post hits are about the same. No comments (or few comments) is also about the same. One or twos chapters per day is pretty easy for devotional Bible reading and a good way to get in the habit of daily reading and thinking about how we (as Christians) might become more like the Christ we claim to follow.
I do encourage your thoughts or questions. Maybe someone else is thinking the same thing or has an answer to share.

John

According to John, Chapter 4

If you know me well or if you've ever heard me preach, you probably already know what I think of John's fourth chapter, at least as far as the story of the woman at the well. It is one of my favorite stories to tell and really vibes well with the evangelist in me. I think it is best summarized by the comments of the villagers toward the end of the passage:

"It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world."

This is why I think it is important to read the gospels and to find a way to experience God personally. I don't want for you to be compelled to worship my God. I want for you to know and experience the presence of the one and only true God.

The second half of the chapter is about a man that comes to Jesus so that Jesus can heal his son. Jesus does, but he offers the comment that people only believe if they see signs and miracles. 
We might still be a lot like that today.

If our prayers aren't answered the way we think they should be, then there must not be a God.
Or maybe we just don't think that God is a just and loving being -- I mean what kind of loving God would allow Russia to invade Ukraine and kill innocent people? -- and so we don't want to believe in or worship that kind of a god.

I'm not a big believer in miracles, at least not in the way that most people believe in miracles. I do believe that God interacts with us and even intervenes on our behalf, but I think of miracles as events that happen that absolutely cannot be explained as anything other than supernatural. 
I might have been that type of skeptic back in the day. I mean -- I'm pretty much that way still. 

It's hard to explain experiencing God to someone that hasn't. Maybe that's why I like the story of the woman at the well so much. After experiencing Jesus in a personal encounter, her simple invitation to everyone else was, "Come and see a man ... Can this be the Christ?"
I really believe that in reading about Jesus and learning what he taught we can get to know God. And we learned from yesterday's post that knowing God is the beginning of eternal life.

John

According to John, Chapter 3

I decided to just write about chapter 3 in today's According to John post. I also thought that I should change the title to John, According to John, but decided against that. 

There is much more theology and such packed into the third chapter of John's gospel than I'm prepared to unpack in this format. That's pretty much going to be the case throughout this endeavor. My main goal is just to read and reflect and share some thoughts, not to break it down into a Bible study of any kind.

In the beginning of chapter 3 we see the difference I was writing about yesterday. Nicodemus, a leader among the Jews, sees Jesus as having come from God, but does not recognize him as being God.  Part of the exchange between Jesus and this teacher of Israel is probably the most quoted scripture of all time - John 3:16.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
It's too bad that many have not read (or at least taken to heart) the next verse. 
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

We do tend to spend a lot of time and thought about who is going to hell, don't we? 
We seem to be more interested in sharing the message of condemnation than loving people.
It's weird that even though Jesus didn't come to condemn, the church people I've known are pretty big on the whole condemnation thing. We seem to know a lot about who God hates and condemns. 
If you drink, you're going to hell.
If you're gay, you're going to hell.
If you're pro-choice, you're going to hell.
If you're Catholic, you're going to hell.
If you're not Catholic, you're going to hell.

I can't help but think that Christians must have a pretty powerless god if he came to save the world and yet so many people are going to hell. Could it be that our idea of eternal life is different that what Jesus is talking about?
I think it's pretty fair to say that our idea of eternal life is that we live forever with God when we die. Our souls, our spirits live forever, either in heaven or in hell. We may separate that into eternal life = heaven, and eternal death = hell, but we believe our souls exist for eternity in one state or the other.

But is that what Jesus meant by eternal life?
If we jump ahead to the 17th chapter and look at the priestly prayer of Jesus, Jesus says this (to God the Father):
And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

Wait!
What?
Is Jesus saying that eternal life is a present day experience that comes from knowing God and knowing Jesus as the Christ, the co-eternal 2nd part of the Trinity?
Can we experience eternal life (according to Jesus) right now in this very moment?

If I was preaching this message instead of writing it, I would invite you to close your eyes and be still. I would tell you to breathe in deeply and exhale slowly. And I would instruct you to talk to God; to get to know God; to experience God.
And this is eternal life, that they may know you

Welcome to eternity.

Hmmm...?
Just things I think about as I read this stuff.
What do you think?

Chapter 4 next.

John

According to John

I'm starting to read through the gospels (again). It's a pretty good idea for a follower of Jesus to read about the life and teachings of Jesus every now and then. Although I've read through The Gospel According to John and posted daily thoughts in the past, I will not be referring to those thoughts or posts this time around. I hope that my perspectives have evolved a bit over the years, and certainly my life today is a little different from what is was at that time. 

I've chosen to begin with John's gospel instead of one of the other three for a reason. John's perspective is that Jesus is God. The emphasis on the divinity of Jesus is almost absent in the other three stories of the life of Jesus, but John addresses it from the very beginning. While Matthew, Mark, and Luke write that Jesus comes from God, John writes that Jesus is God.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.
ESV

I used to not care for John's writing much. I said he was a women's writer. All of that poetic crap was too much for my younger macho self. But life's experiences, a little bit of age, and some hard earned wisdom have changed my perspective on his style of writing. I still have a difficult time trying to figure out what he's saying, but I am more appreciative of the perspective that this Jesus is God.
Christianity is weird in the way it claims that there is only One God, but refers to three persons as the Trinity and this Trinity as a single God. Clearly John is referring to more than one person when he writes that the Word (or the Christ/Jesus) was both with God and is God. And then towards the end of chapter 1, the Spirit of God (or Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity) shows up and descends upon Jesus and remains with him. 

I don't pretend to understand all that John is saying, and I certainly don't pretend to understand God. Sometimes I think that God is so big that we simply can't understand nor imagine how big or how grand God is. Looking at the God above us (God the Father), the God among us (Jesus, God in the flesh), and the God within us (the Holy Spirit) might be the only way we can begin to understand that God completely envelops all of creation.

John (the gospel writer) talks about another John (the baptizer) and his encounter with Jesus. John's (the writer) account of the calling of the first disciples is a little different than the other gospel writers' accounts. I don't have a problem with that. We all remember events a little differently as we all have our own perspectives. 

In chapter 2 John writes about the first public miracle of turning water into wine (or grape juice for my well meaning but ignorant evangelical friends) at the wedding in Cana.
John also writes about Jesus clearing the temple of the profiteers and admonishing them for turning the temple into a market place where they cheat those that are coming to sacrifice and worship. Jesus also makes his first prophesy about his death and resurrection -- "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up."

I can't come up with anything definitive about heaven and hell, or salvation vs eternal condemnation from these first two chapters. Part of that is that I'm just not very smart. Another part is that I don't think that John meant for us to understand those things just yet. I think he wants us to know that Jesus is not only from God, but is God. That is the perspective we need to have for the rest of his story to make sense.

Chapters 3 & 4 tomorrow.

John

Daily Devotions

I'm curious.
How many of you have a daily (or at least regular) type of devotional reading that you use?
It doesn't have to be a religious reading. It can also be inspirational, motivational, or educational.
I have an intellectual devotional that covers seven different fields of knowledge in rotating fashion for 365 days. (I'd be a lot smarter if I actually read it daily.)

I've never been disciplined enough to stay with a daily devotion for very long. Or maybe I've never had a daily program that was interesting or inspiring enough to keep my attention.
What do you (or would you) look for in a daily devotion?
Something for meditation and contemplation?
Something for inspiration?
Something enlightening and informative?
Something else?

Seriously, leave a comment.
I'm interested in what keeps people coming back day after day.

John

Advent 2019: Christmas Eve, Day 24

Luke 24

The tomb is empty. Jesus is risen.
Jesus appears to the disciples, opens their eyes to the scriptures, and ascends into heaven.

At the beginning of Luke's gospel, he wrote that he had been following the events surrounding Jesus for some time. He had spoken with the eyewitnesses and checked out their stories. He wrote these things down and sent them to Theophilus so that he could know that the things he'd been hearing about Jesus were true and the things that he had been taught about the Messiah had been fulfilled in Jesus.

Mathematician Peter Stoner and some of his students worked to calculate the odds of one person being able to fulfill just eight of the messianic prophesies.You can read their results here.

I began this Advent series through the 24 chapters of Luke's gospel so that we could better get to know Jesus and decide for ourselves -- Is Jesus the Son of God? and Is Jesus worth following?
It is possible to answer the first question "I still don't know," and yet answer the second question with a "Yes!"
I truly believe that the more you follow him, the better you will come to know the character and love of God.

From the statistics provided by Google, I know that not many readers have followed along with this daily journey. My guess would be that the few that have are already believers. Whatever the case may be and however you choose to celebrate Christmas, I wish you peace, joy, and love.

Merry Christmas

John <><

Advent 2019: Dec 23, Day 23

Luke 23

Summary

Even though the Jewish council was able to execute their own laws and carry out their own discipline, under Roman rule they did not have the authority to sentence someone to death. To secure a death sentence, Jesus was taken before the Roman governor, Pilate.
Pilate found nothing to warrant conviction and sent Jesus to the Jewish king, Herod.
Herod mocked Jesus as king and ended up returning him to Pilate. Pilate gives in to the pressure and threats of the Jewish council and sentences Jesus to death by crucifixion.

At the crucifixion
One criminal asks to be remembered
One Centurion proclaims Jesus' innocence
One member of the Jewish council cares for the body.

My take away

Growing up in the Roman Catholic church I always believed that Jesus died for this sins of the world. I just never really connected that to Jesus dying for me! As an evangelical the emphasis was always on personal salvation and somehow I forgot that Jesus' atonement was for everyone. Just as the ancient Israelites added to make the Law more restricting and burdensome, modern day evangelicals (Catholics, too) have added rules to make salvation more difficult and burdensome.

What if Jesus truly is God and his death truly atones for the sins of all mankind?
What if his "Father, forgive them..." was for all of us?
What if there is nothing that we can do to add to or take away from God's grace and mercy?
What if God loves the people that I don't love as much as he loves me?
What if the God of the universe is bigger and better than the god of my belief?
What if I don't need to have all of the answers to love God and to love others?
What if I just start loving and see what questions get answered along the way?

John <><

Advent 2019: Dec 22, Day 22

Luke 22

What is going on in the dark of this Holy Night?
It is Passover, a Sabbath Day, a day to remember when the Angel of Death passed over the children of Israel as they were captive in Egypt. The marking of lamb's blood on the door post would save the household.
On this holy night of remembrance, Jesus was arrested, tried and beaten. It was done in secret because the religious leaders feared the crowds. They spent so much time criticizing Jesus for his good works on the Sabbath; now they were secretly conducting a trial to find Jesus guilty and have him crucified.

The plot to kill Jesus and the process they used to bring it about was dark and full of deception. If Jesus had done anything deserving of arrest and execution, they would have done it in the open. They didn't. This is important because his innocence is important.

The Passover worked for the religious rulers to do their deed while the public was in their homes and unaware of what was taking place.
It also worked for God as he showed his Son as the sacrificial lamb that would give life to save us all.

John <><

Advent 2019: Dec 21, Day 21

Luke 21

Summary

Jesus begins with a quick reminder that the true value of a gift is based on what the giver has to give. Maybe something to keep in mind this season.

But then he gets into some pretty serious warnings. He predicts the destruction of the temple -- turns out it was about the future destruction of the glorious building as well as the soon to be destruction of his body (yeah, that temple). Jesus warns of coming wars and persecution and the destruction of Jerusalem (when the temple was destroyed).

He talks about the coming of the Son (second coming?) and gives a cryptic picture of a fig tree and the passing of a generation. He also warns his followers to be ready.

My take away

Some of the things Jesus talked about have happened. He was killed. The temple was destroyed. Jerusalem was overthrown, and there have been wars -- one after another for centuries.
Some bible scholars say that the fig tree represents Israel. When Israel was re-established as a nation in 1948, they believe it set the time clock for the beginning of the end. That's been 71 years -- about the time of a generation.
Personally, I've been taught so much crap by bible scholars that I pretty much think they make up stuff that sounds good and lets them hang a nice diploma on their wall and collect a decent paycheck.
Do I think end time stuff is important? Not as much as you might think.
I think being prepared for the end time is important because that can come for each one of us at any moment. I do believe that Jesus came to live with us to teach us about God and God's great love for us as much as he came to die for us. While eternal life in heaven may be the end goal, I believe there is great joy in looking forward to heaven because of your love for God rather than looking at heaven as an alternative to hell, which is a place that you fear.
I believe that living a life of loving God and loving others (all others) is a joy in itself. I believe it is a foreshadowing of the joy we will experience when we are free of these earthly bodies and better able to see life as the eternal souls that we truly are.

As I have gotten older, I enjoy the Christmas season less each passing year. Don't get me wrong -- I love exchanging gifts and getting together with family and friends. But I tire of the charade that this is about the birth of a savior. There is nothing that the lights, the greenery, the shopping, the parties, the ugly sweaters, or even the gifts have to do with the birth of Jesus. I think we should celebrate the season with love and gifts because we love one another and we love celebrating that love.

I also think we should celebrate God's love for us. It is a truly amazing thing to think that Our Creator loves us so much that he would become like us so that we can know him, know that he loves us, and know that we can love him, too. That is a celebration that needs to go far beyond a single day. It should be celebrated in the way we live every day.

Sorry if I'm a bit of a Scrooge. I often feel the part of a bah-humbug type of character.

We are still a few days away from Dec 25. However you celebrate the day, I wish you joy.
And for today, I hope that you will celebrate that God loves you, that Jesus lived so that you can know that, and that he died so that we can have eternal life with him.

More tomorrow.

John <><

Advent 2019: Dec 20, Day 20

Luke 20

Summary

Jesus has had enough of the constant opposition of the religious establishment. They try to trap him with a simple question, but Jesus knows they will use any answer against him. Rather than answering their question, he asks them a question they are afraid to answer. Since they won't answer his question, he doesn't answer theirs.
But them Jesus tells a parable about God, Israel, how they treated the prophets, and how they will treat his son. The Pharisees know he is talking about them, but they are too afraid of the people to say anything. Instead, they try to trap him into saying something against Caesar. When that fails, the other religious sect, the Sadducees, have their go at him.
The Sadducees don't even believe in the resurrection but try to trap him with an unlikely event. Jesus basically says they don't know what they're talking about.
Then Jesus warns the people about religious leaders that are full of donkey dung. (Still a fair warning today.)

My take away

My biggest take away is Jesus teaching that we have focused on the physical aspect of our lives and know nothing of the spirit world. Maybe we need to think about our eternal being more and worry less about the physical being. We have a preoccupation with our sexuality and the sexuality of others and Jesus says that our souls are genderless. Maybe we should focus more on just loving each other.

John <><

Advent 2019: Dec 19, Day 19

Luke 19

Summary

Jesus again reminds us that even the people we think are beyond redemption are not too far from God's love and are able to be saved.

This next parable has often troubled me. The harsh landowner doesn't fit the merciful, loving father that Jesus talks about. So what gives?
The thing that I wonder about is the first part where it says that he told the parable because they thought the kingdom was going to appear immediately. Was the parable to say if it was the way you think it is, it might play out like this? Or is God really going to slaughter all who don't recognize him?
I don't know.
Yep, that's my answer. I don't know.

Jesus enters the city for the final time, weeps over Jerusalem, and cleanses the Temple.

My take away

This is it.
Jesus enters Jerusalem and will teach in public a few more times before the end comes.
Is he the one? Does Jesus fulfill the prophecies about the coming Messiah? Is he the Savior of the world?
Let's continue tomorrow and see.

John <><

Advent 2019: Dec 18, Day 18

Luke 18

Summary

Today's summary is in single sentences for each part of the chapter.

Be persistent and consistent in your prayers.
Be humble or be humbled.
The kingdom of God belongs to those with no social standing.
Eternal life is easier than you think, but the most difficult thing to do.
Jesus has to die.
When someone's eyes are opened, we need to rejoice and praise God.

My take away

As we get closer to the time of Jesus' death, the lessons seems to have more urgency. He teaches to pray and keep praying. So often we think God knows what I need. Jesus says pray anyway. He reminds us to be humble before God and people.
Children had no standing in that culture. They were worth less than a good working donkey or ox. But Jesus says that the kingdom of God belongs to them. Be humble. The kingdom belongs to the lowly.
Following Jesus isn't hard. It's giving up the stuff that gets in our way that is difficult.
Open your eyes and see.

This Advent exercise is to help us recognize who Jesus is and if following him is a good idea.
It certainly appears that his teachings are pretty good, but some might argue that we need to get what we can when we can. The teaching of Jesus assumes an afterlife and I realize that not everybody believes that.
But is Jesus God? 
Is it necessary to acknowledge that?
Is having our eyes opened as easy as asking Jesus to restore our sight?

John <><