Archives for February 2011

Jesus came to suffer! It sounds crazy - we know. The idea that the Son of God's mission here on earth was to suffer for us sounds anything but normal. The idea that God would send His Son to earth for the purpose of journeying towards and hanging on a cross doesn't seem like the plan of a good and loving God. But while it may not sound normal there is good explanation. ...

In our physical bodies the organs in the middle (e.g. our heart and lungs) are essential for life. In other words our central organs are central for physical life. Mark does something very similar in his gospel. Right in the very middle of Mark's gospel he includes some things that are essential to our spiritual and eternal life. Here we find both a question and an exp...

Have you ever tried to teach little kids to swim? Let's just say it's not the easiest thing in the world to do. There are a handful of unique challenges you face when you try to teach a young child who has no idea how to swim some of the basics. What's interesting in our passage this week is that some of the challenges Jesus faces with His disciples and with us are some...

Typically when we hear the word 'abundant' our minds are drawn to something that, in our own personal contexts, there is a lot of. Maybe we think that there is an abundance of sand at the beach or an abundance of water in the oceans. But there are still limitations involved with those things. As Mark lays out for his readers through three different narratives the abunda...