The John Project

I’m not now nor have I ever been an athlete, but I powerwalk from my home to the beach and back daily for exercise. My route takes about an hour and includes climbing several large hills. And every day, the final ascent requires me to decide all over again to push through my fatigue and embrace the challenge for the health benefit that results. People are inclined to avoid discomfort by nature. Ou...

Have you ever misplaced the TV remote because you laid it down somewhere without thinking, stored something away for safekeeping and later forgot where you put it, or inadvertently left your credit card at a restaurant? Sure, you have. We all know what it feels like to lose something. But there are some of us who also know the other side of that emotion. They know what it’s like to feel lost. And...

My wife and I recently vacationed in Honolulu, Hawaii, and I went for a walk one morning along the Ala Wai Canal. As I strolled under the canopy of the trees that line the pathway, I suddenly came upon two men wielding swords – real, metal swords – the kind that belong in a movie not the hands of strangers just ahead of you on the footpath. And I instantly experienced a shot of adrenaline along wi...

Confession alert! I’ve nursed a serious animosity toward the pastor of one of the mega-churches in the region where I live. He’s well-known and I’m obviously not, so we don’t run in the same circles. I only know him from news reports and his public statements. But I don’t like him. No, it’s more than that. I’m disgusted by him. And although I’m tempted to list all the reasons why, that would just...

While establishing a new church in Silicon Valley years ago, the Lord provided me a job with what was then the highest-valued technology company in the world. But I was not a computer scientist, engineer, or coder. I barely knew how to send an email. I was in way over my head. And one day in a meeting, I came VERY close to exposing my ignorance and losing my job. I was clueless about nearly all th...

Having already asked that they be preserved in their understanding of the fatherhood of God and that in their relationships with each other they would display the unity of his family, John 17:13-16 continues the record of the Lord’s petitions on behalf of his disciples. He prayed, “I come to you…that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.” And with those beautiful words, he invited his Fath...

Sue and I have three kids who are now in their forties with families of their own. But when they were young and under our roof, our primary goal was to lovingly watch over, care for, train, and guide their lives in ways that would one day reproduce the values of our family in theirs, especially regarding our faith. We prayed that it would become a family trait. And it’s a delight beyond expression...

Jesus entered the climax of his earthly ministry through the portal of prayer. Between the Upper Room and Gethsemane on the way from the Last Supper to the Betrayal, he paused to intercede for himself, his disciples, and all future believers. The account of this exquisite supplication of Son to Father fills the whole of John chapter 17. And in the middle section focused on the first followers, aft...

Sue and I will celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary this year, and I can hardly believe I just said that. It seems like only yesterday that we walked the aisle, stood before God with our friends and family as witnesses, and pledged our love to each other. But the reality is a lot of living has passed since that day. We’ve experienced all the highs and lows and twists and turns that a half-centur...

A week ago, after playing my acoustic guitar to help lead worship at church, a man approached me to comment on the beautiful sound of my instrument. I don’t know what he thought of my playing. He didn’t say. But he was right about my guitar. It sounds great. It’s a blond, jumbo Guild I’ve had for fifty years. And like all well-made wooden instruments, it’s grown old very gracefully. As the wood ha...

There’s a new coffee shop in my neighborhood, and I stop there most mornings to grab a cup on my way to spend a few minutes watching the surfers down at the pier. When it first opened, I would save time by ordering ahead using an app, step inside just long enough to pick up my drink, and then be on my way without having to interact with anyone. But a couple of months ago, during my morning prayer...

John chapter 17 provides the opportunity for us to eavesdrop on Jesus praying to the Heavenly Father. His betrayal and arrest in Gethsemane were imminent; he’d completed his ministry among the people of Galilee, Samaria, and Judea; and he’d just concluded the final preparation of his disciples for the disorienting events that would surround his crucifixion. But before stepping into the final phase...

My wife and I raised three kids of our own, have seven grandchildren, and during our four decades of pastoral ministry, cared for many families with little ones. So, we’ve engaged in our share of baby talk. That’s when an adult attempts to communicate with a youngster by simplifying what they want to say and the vocabulary they use so they can better match the child’s maturity level. It can also i...

One of my lifelong mentors is a widely known and well-regarded Christian leader. During a conversation I had with him several months ago, he urged me to introduce myself to one of the teaching pastors on staff at a large church near my home. He’d met the young man, was impressed by his sincere devotion to Jesus, and thought it would be good for me to become acquainted with him too. So, I messaged...

Last Christmas, instead of typical gifts, my wife and I gave our children and their families experiences we could enjoy with them. For instance, one of the families received a two-night stay at an indoor, waterpark resort near their home in the state of Oregon. But the trip wouldn’t take place for another six weeks. So, although our young grandkids were excited about the prospect of going there wi...

Having told the disciples his return to the Father would facilitate sending them the Holy Spirit, Jesus began to describe two aspects of the Spirit’s mission: convincing and communicating. John 16:8-11 contains the Lord’s description of the first of these. Most English New Testament versions translate the Greek verb used to quote his description of this world-facing part of the Spirit’s work by us...

Jesus had told his disciples he’d soon be leaving them and that his departure would expose them to persecution. These two things – anticipation of the loss of his physical presence along with the prospect of their personal suffering – had caused them to experience sorrow of heart according to Jesus in John 16:6. But the previous verse quotes him scolding them for not asking where he was going. Tha...

It’s hard to stumble over something you can see. It’s the unknown, unexpected, hidden, and unobserved things that trip us up. When I was a kid at summer camp, our cabin leaders used to take us on flashlight hikes at night. And I learned that even in the dark on an unfamiliar trail with uneven terrain and many obstacles, I could maintain my footing if I just kept my light pointed straight ahead and...

In my opinion, the word hate is the strongest in the English language for expressing negative emotion. There are others such as detest, abhor, and loathe, but these and similar terms are usually reserved to communicate an intensity a step or two below full-blown hatred. Once it reaches that level, the emotion dial has no more stops. And it can often erupt in extreme action. That’s what makes this...

Have you ever been part of a schoolyard pick? That’s the process where a group of people are divided into teams by those who’ve been designated as leaders. It can be either a traumatic experience or an exhilarating one depending on how early you’re chosen. Turns are taken and selections made based on assessments of potential value to the teams until one person is left to be assigned by default. An...

At one point years ago, I needed to support my family while planting a new church, and I got a job as an accountant for a large tech company. It was during one of the information economy’s boom cycles, and the pace was crazy. There was so much work to do it became difficult to keep track of it all including remembering to pick up documents I’d send to the printer down the hall. As soon as I’d hit...

My wife and I live near the Disneyland Resort in Southern California and have annual passes to its theme parks. We usually spend one full day a month there. And that might reasonably make you wonder why a retired couple would want to spend so much time at a place designed for families with young kids? Well, we genuinely enjoy going on the rides and love the scenery, the food, and being surrounded...

Lately, I’ve found myself less than enthused about seeing my doctor. Why? Because in this stage of my life, those visits almost always conclude with him telling me how much more I should exercise and how much less I should eat. And I tend to walk out of those appointments feeling like I’ve disappointed him. But the after-visit plan he prints out and hands to me when I leave his office is not desig...

Burnout. Jesus tried to warn me. One morning, nine years into my first pastorate, I woke with a strong sense from the Lord that something in my life needed urgent attention. And that alert was accompanied with the impression that he would restrain its consequences for one year to give me time to cooperate with him in addressing it. I’d already suffered a case of shingles and seen my doctor about a...