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The power of self-giving love
45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45, NIV) Self-giving love is the key. This is the power set loose on the world. This is the heart of the revolution launched on Good Friday. (NT Wright, “The Day the Revolution Began”)
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The refreshing conversations in our lives
There are those moments in time where we may wonder, “Does God see us? Is he paying attention?” Maybe it’s more like, “What in the world is he doing?”
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The hard road of the cross is still beautiful
Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” (Mark 8:34) I can remember a professor New Testament in seminary saying these beautiful words: “When Jesus calls us to take up our cross, we don’t need to go looking…
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We only see what we want to see
Our perpetual struggle is blindness. Not physical blindness. Mental or spiritual blindness. From claims of conspiracy theories to fake news, we don’t like hearing what is counter to what we hold dear. And here is some news that isn’t fake: it is like this all the time. Everywhere.
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Why do we have to keep asking for miracles?
Reading and praying through the Gospel of Mark, I am interested in 2 stories: the feeding of the 5,000 then the feeding of the 4,000. Two miracles where each time the disciples are baffled as to what to do. Why can’t they remember what Jesus did the last time?
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The peace in the storm
35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on…
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The Kingdom of God isn’t about huge beginnings
Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in…
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Increasing our spiritual capacity
Growth in the Kingdom of God is possible, and it is beyond our imagination most of the time. The Spirit is longing to increase our capacity for living out Kingdom power in this world. “Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. Whoever has will be given more;…
