Message: Today I couldn’t help but notice the irony of opposites in Mark 14. We have the woman with the alabaster jar of expensive oil pouring out her very best over the feet of Jesus. Her very expensive offering and... Continue reading →

Message: Today I saw a parallel between Genesis 41 and Mark 13. Both are warnings from God about the times to come ahead. In Genesis there were warnings that there would be abundance and then famine. In Mark Jesus is... Continue reading →

Message: Some little observations I picked up today were these: We know Joseph was unfairly thrown into the prison dungeon, and we know that even while in the dungeon God gave him favor with the warden so he had authority... Continue reading →

Message: This morning I noticed a parallel between two stories in Mark 11.  The first is when he is hungry as he is walking along and he discovers a fig tree with no fruit so he curses it and later... Continue reading →

Message: In Mark 10, we read once again the paradoxical statements of Jesus as he tells them all how difficult it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. He had just had the encounter with the... Continue reading →

Message: Reading though Mark 9 I could really see the struggle in disciples’ understanding of what Jesus was trying to prepare them for. He revealed his glory  privately to Peter, James and John in a powerful transfiguration with guest appearances... Continue reading →

Message: When I read Mark 8 all I could think of is “groundhog day!”! Haven’t we seen this before? The first time Jesus fed 5000+ people it was the disciples who seemingly instigated things by trying to convince Jesus to... Continue reading →

Message: The scribes and Pharisees were at it again and wanted to know why some of the disciples of Jesus did not follow the Jewish traditions of the hand washing ritual. Jesus pointed out an example of another manmade rule... Continue reading →

Message: Mark 6 tells us that after Jesus miraculously fed the 5,000+ people with 5 loaves and 2 fish, he sent his disciples off into the boat while he went off into the mountains to pray. Night time came and... Continue reading →

Message: One of my favorite NT stories is the man delivered from the “legion” of demons and although I understand that the town lost 2000 pigs that day which probably destroyed their lively hood, I am always surprised at how... Continue reading →

Message: As I was reading Genesis 32 I couldn’t help but notice some of the similarities and some of the stark contrasts in how Jacob handled Laban vs how he handled Esau. With Laban, Jacob was fearful that he would... Continue reading →

Message: Jacob made built an altar and made a commitment to God before he met his uncle Laban. He honored his commitment even when he was cheated, abused and taken for granted and because of this, God honored that commitment... Continue reading →

Message: In Mark 2 some men brought their paralytic friend to Jesus on a mat lowered through the roof where Jesus was teaching. In response to their faith, Jesus told them “son, your sins are forgiven.” The scribes who were... Continue reading →

Message: John the Baptist was the voice preparing people ahead for the ministry of Jesus. We are the parallel of John the Baptist preparing people for the coming of Jesus. Our message is the same “repent and be baptized.” Jesus... Continue reading →

Message: At what point are you so convinced of the truth that you intentionally lie and cover up to deny it? The scribes and Pharisees knew enough truth to want to discredit Jesus during his ministry. They were crafty about... Continue reading →

Message: Today I saw Genesis 27 and Matthew 27 parallel each other. In Genesis, Rebekah manipulated her son Jacob to deceive her husband and cheat her son out of his blessing. It worked and she got what she wanted out... Continue reading →

Message: Despite our best intentions and our most passionate devotion, we can’t comprehend the ways of God with our small minded thinking, and our flesh is weak and is prone to crumble under the weight of the pressure. Over the... Continue reading →

Message: Our appetites can be so strong in the moment, but we have to keep them in check. An unchecked appetite can take on such a powerful influence that we give it an improper priority in our lives.  This can... Continue reading →

Message: There will be signs that we will recognize when the end is close and the coming of the Lord is near. These signs will include lawlessness, wars and rumors of wars among many  others. We should recognize the signs... Continue reading →

Message: Obey the authorities but don’t follow their hypocritic example. Do what is right because it is right, not as a PR show. Jesus was telling the people that because the scribes and Pharisees were occupying the “seat of Moses”... Continue reading →