“Making and Maturing Disciples of Jesus Christ”
Last month, this page contained a devotional about Jesus sending out the Twelve Apostles as told in Mark 6:7-13. Now, we need to consider where God may be sending us to embody the love of Jesus for this world. Even before our mission trip was canceled, there had been conversations about focusing more on our local
Read MoreAt this time of the year, I am reminded that August might be the most in-aptly named month of the year. After all, august is an adjective that means: marked by majestic dignity or grandeur. The name implies that this would be the month to celebrate some grand event, movement, or individual, and yet this
Read MoreLast month, I compared last year’s journey with Jesus in the Upper Room in the Gospel of John with this year’s walk with Jesus from Palm Sunday to His Ascension in the Gospel of Matthew. Well, I’m going to do that again this month. Last year, in July’s newsletter, I included the fol- lowing graphic
Read More10 “But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. 11 For everyone who exalts himself will be hum- bled, and he who
Read MoreDo you love Jesus? I know it’s a foolish question. If you are reading this, you are probably a member of St. John’s Church. At the very least, you are a part of this congregation. Otherwise, why would you be reading this at all? And if you are a part of St. John’s ministry, then
Read MoreBE STILL. What a great command at this time of the year. I don’t know about you, but I enjoy being still after all the hustle and bustle of the season. Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy the Christmas Season. I love the get- togethers and the lights and the visiting of family and friends. I
Read MoreLast month, we spent our time in worship focusing on gratitude. I discovered there’s an unfortunate downside to doing this—the more one focuses on gratitude, the more one notices how ungrateful people generally are. This reality grieves my heart as the ingrates don’t all live outside of the church. During our time of great thanksgiving
Read MoreFor those who have been saved by grace, and therefore recognize that all that they are and all that they have is a gift from God above, grati- tude should be a defining attribute. Our hearts should sing psalms of thanksgiving as well as the lyrics of songs of thanksgiving like “Lord, I Just Want to
Read MoreOne of the things you may not know about me is that I love poetry, especially American poetry. Anne Bradstreet, the Puritan poetess, showed me how to combine faith with learning and insight to create beauty and art. Once I was hooked on good poetry, that new love took me outside of my comfort zone
Read MoreAs the children head back to school, I have to admit that I did not keep up with my summer reading assignment. In many years, I have read a book in the summertime that combined fiction and faith. I wanted to read something that delighted my soul as much as it illumined it. Just since
Read MoreI Am—Ego Eimi The way He lived and the way He died pointed to the reality of who Jesus was as the centurion proclaimed. Jesus spoke of who He was. In the Gospel of John, He used the phrase “I AM” or “Ego Eimi” in the Greek to reveal who He was. This summer, we
Read MoreI was asked to answer that question briefly, which will be a problem as Easter is at the core of my faith, and every Sunday we celebrate Easter. In fact, Easter is why Christians moved worship to Sunday while Jews still worship on Saturday, the Sabbath. Sunday was originally the day of rest, but it became
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