Message:  This chapter was all about repentance without excuse. John the Baptist was preaching a message of preparation for the coming Messiah. He told them that they couldn’t use Abraham as their father to excuse their sin and stressed the... Continue reading →

Message:  Jesus was born in the least dignified place and hidden from those who would have been considered important. His birth was revealed and announced to those who were least worthy. Even though there were generations of prophesies about the... Continue reading →

Message:  In Luke 1 Elizabeth & Zechariah receive their gift of conception just before Mary received her gift of conception. Zechariah asked “how will I know” and Mary asked “How will it happen”. Because of this, Zechariah was silenced for... Continue reading →

Message:  In this chapter Jesus was resurrected and appeared before men before giving the great commission and ascending to heaven. It occurred to me that Jesus probably didn’t come back looking the same in physical appearance. Those closest to him... Continue reading →

Message:  Sometimes it’s what you don’t say rather than what you do say that makes the biggest impact. In Mark 15 Jesus was standing before Pilate and Pilate knew that there was something wrong with the motives and accusations coming... Continue reading →

Message:  When I stumble and fail, I usually struggle with feeling adequate with God for a bit. I sit in my self-loathing and ease my way back in with a limp- almost like I’m testing the waters to see if... Continue reading →

Message:  Be alert, stay focused, attentive, and busy fulfilling the responsibilities we have been given. There is trouble to come but that is just the beginning. These signs are not meant to call us away into hiding or distract us... Continue reading →

Message:  In Mark 12 I found myself frustrated with the questions being asked of Jesus. Not because they were bad questions but because the intent behind their questions was not genuine. They were testing Jesus in the hopes of finding... Continue reading →

Message:  For me, Mark 10 was a challenge to examine my desires and motives to see what is really driving my heart. Just because I’m not struggling in one area of surrender doesn’t mean there aren’t other areas lurking. The... Continue reading →

Message:  In Mark 8 there is a whole lot going on. Jesus fed another large crowd by multiplying the bread and fish that were available and once again there was bread left over. In fact, there was more bread left... Continue reading →

Message:  In Genesis 32 Jacob was leaving his Uncle Laban and heading back to his homeland. He had lived his life as a deceiver and a cheat and this is what caused him to live on the run in the... Continue reading →

Message:  In Mark 2 we read that Jesus was at home in Capernaum when word got out and crowds began showing up. There were so many people that a group of men who had brought their paralyzed friend removed the... Continue reading →

Message:  In Proverbs 12 there is a lot of compare and contrast bits of truth between the wise and the foolish, the diligent and the lazy, telling lies and speaking truth, righteous and wicked, life and death. The very first... Continue reading →

Message:  In Matthew 28 we land on what we know as Resurrection Sunday. We established in yesterday’s reading that Jesus’s death had not been business as usual. There was fear among the soldiers for what they had witnessed, and they... Continue reading →

Message:  Matthew chapter 27 is the story of the trial and the crucifixion. Reading this I couldn’t ignore the fact that as cruel as the Roman government was, they were organized, they had a proper system for trying criminals and... Continue reading →

Message:  In Matthew 26 there was so much betrayal and political manipulation going on many levels as Jesus prepared himself to fulfill the mission he came for. His sacrificial death. While reading the details as they unfolded, I couldn’t help... Continue reading →

Message:  In Matthew 23 Jesus was speaking to the crowds about the Scribes and Pharisees. He called them hypocrites but something very important came out. He told the crowd that they needed to listen to what they say because they... Continue reading →

Message:  In Matthew 22 the Sadducees were taking their turn to challenge Jesus as the Pharisees watched. Sadducees didn’t believe in the resurrection of the dead and this had been an ongoing debate with the Pharisees so they used the... Continue reading →

Message:  In Matthew 21 the people of the town had begun to accept the idea that Jesus was the Messiah so they began to celebrate and honor him throughout the city. As I read about this I started thinking about... Continue reading →

Message:  In Matthew 20 we see a few stories that speak to our understanding of social justice and even the area of privilege. Only in this case, there is no race attached to it because the assumption is that everyone... Continue reading →