Mark 4:1-41 Parables are confusing, right? In fact, they can even be a little bit frustrating. Why is that? Because, there is something in me, let's call the "Consumer," that expects truth to be handed to me in the most simple and palatable way possible. Now, I don't need a "silver platter," but I don't want to work for it. Parables cause us to work for it. Parables mak...
Keep ReadingMark 3:1-35 Isn't it interesting how we can completely miss the point? At the start of this chapter, Jesus entered thesynagogue on the Sabbath and encountered a man with a deformed arm. Nearby, a group of Pharisees were watching, looking for an excuse to condemn Him. Jesus picked up on their scheme, and asked them a question that exposed their intentions. When they d...
Keep ReadingMark 2:1-28 It has often been lamented that, "familiarity breeds contempt."But, I think more often, it simply breeds indifference. It's kind of like this. Every now and then I imagine how awesome it would be to live somewhere really beautiful (California, Colorado, Maine, Hawaii), where I could wake up ever day to stunning scenery that would take my breath away. But, I...
Keep ReadingMark 1:1-45 The Gospel of Mark hits the ground running. There's no introductory genealogy. There's not an elaborate backstory with a description of Jesus' miracle conception and birth. There's not even much of a theological explanation of what you are about to read. There is simply, "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God." What does this tell me a...
Keep Reading"Behold my Servant..." The opening words to this passage are what we will be spending the rest of the year (and all of eternity) doing. Isaiah probably seems like a strange place to begin a read-through of the New Testament. After all, Isaiah wrote these words around 700 years before the birth of Christ. Regardless, that is exactly WHO he was writing about, and this p...
Keep ReadingI read today that, "The most important skill for 2014 is deciding what you will pay attention to." In an age where we are absolutely overwhelmed with things vying for our attention, we each need to decide......
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