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We live in panic
We continually live our lives in panic and frustration and anxiety, letting the storms of life dictate the condition to us, all the while forgetting the GOD of those storms resides in the boat with us (Mark 4:35-41)
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Look to what SETS FREE
Jesus constantly challenged the bound up authority of religious rulers because he was there to demonstrate the rule of the KING. The inmates were trying to run the asylum, and that just never goes well. We too often default to pretend spiritual formation, which drifts to legalism, because we can’t measure the heart. We don’t trust the Spirit to do…
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The Anticipation of the Season
32 “But nobody knows when that day or hour will come, not the angels in heaven and not the Son. Only the Father knows. 33 Watch out! Stay alert! You don’t know when the time is coming. 34 It is as if someone took a trip, left the household behind, and put the servants in charge, giving each one a job to do, and told…
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The frivolous and the fundamental
I am taking up regular Advent reading (HERE), but I am also continuing my regular reading pattern I began just before Advent. That reading has me in Mark 12 today (for my Gospel reading). Also, don’t forget you can follow Advent through some good devotional resources HERE. As Jesus’ time on earth is drawing to a close, the intensity of…
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I had not planned on raising the dead today
What level of obedience ARE we willing to go to with Jesus? 7 He called for the Twelve and sent them out in pairs. He gave them authority over unclean spirits. 8 He instructed them to take nothing for the journey except a walking stick—no bread, no bags, and no money in their belts. 9 He told them to wear sandals but not to put…
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The Gospel of Mark and the Power of the Kingdom
As we read the Gospel of Mark for this week, I have worked on a theory: Everything Mark does in his gospel flows from Mark 1:15. I have no idea if this is actual or not… and I’ve not had enough time, resources, millions of volumes of others who think about this stuff, etc., to truly “analyze” it. It’s just…
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Why Could We Not Cast It Out?
Mark 9:14-29. The disciples couldn’t cast out the demon from the boy. The father easily confessed his belief and lack of belief and asked for more. Yet… the disciples are baffled. Mark, in his gospel, leaves the disciples baffled more than the other gospel writers. One of the heart-searching things about the Gospel of Mark is how I find myself…
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The Oppressed and Spree Killers
The shootings in Aurora, CO, shock us once again. It is absolutely horrifying that someone plans that much detail just to kill as many people as possible. We will keep asking “Why” and the “why” may never come. We will have conversations about gun control and violence and so many more things. Well, we won’t actually have any real conversations on those…
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The Offer They Couldn’t Refuse
We are in the Gospel of Mark this week. Pay attention to the significant differences between Luke, Matthew, and Mark. Mark starts off like a starter’s pistol in a sprint. He doesn’t seem to slow down for anything in the first few chapters. But I want him to slow it up. I want him to explain to me how Jesus…
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Short Attention Span Theater
30 The apostles returned to Jesus and told him everything they had done and taught. 31 Many people were coming and going, so there was no time to eat. He said to the apostles, “Come by yourselves to a secluded place and rest for a while.” 32 They departed in a boat by themselves for a deserted place. 33 Many…
Tag: Gospel of Mark
