If it hasn't been obvious in my last two posts, I love the story Mark's telling in the second chapter of his Gospel! As you read it, you can't take your eyes off of Jesus. He takes center stage. Sure, there are momentary “distractions” as the plot unfolds. The religious leaders are offended at Jesus's offer of forgiveness and

Last week we looked at the determined faith of the paralytic and his four friends. It's quite a story Mark tells in the second chapter of his Gospel, one that really gets us thinking about who God is and how God acts, especially when faith enters the picture. Some of the concepts and principles that emerge in Mark 2 are worth shining a

When you read the Bible, it's hard to miss the supernatural events that occur in the lives of ordinary people who are willing to exercise their faith. Miracles happen, God shows up, and faith is right there in the middle of it. It happens over and over again. It's one of the Bible's recurring themes. And it's worth paying attention to, not only

Think about all the elaborate strategies we use to conceal what's really going on inside of us. We've even come up with a phrase that describes one of those strategies. It's called “putting your best foot forward.” Sound familiar? Just this week I was in a conversation with someone, and I wanted so badly to hit the eject button. I

I remember landing in Kathmandu, Nepal, a couple years ago and being very excited about seeing the Himalayan range for the first time. The tallest mountains in the world are in the Himalayas — more than 100 peaks above 23,600 feet. To put that in perspective, the highest peak in the Rocky Mountains is Mount Elbert, which comes in at

In Matthew 1:18-25, we find the most extraordinary birth narrative in all of Scripture. Nothing else even comes close. As we'll see in just a moment, whenever God gets involved, things get a lot more interesting; stuff starts happening that otherwise wouldn't; people's destinies are altered; their plans are changed; their hopes and dreams become

Remember the first time you had a broken heart — the first time something or someone hurt you so badly that it felt like your world was falling apart? Maybe it was a breakup that left you heartbroken for the first time. My first middle school breakup was brutal. I thought my life was over. I was wrecked. I remember my mom saying,

I've been around the biblical story my whole life. I feel fortunate to say that, blessed and thankful to have grown up in a home where the Bible was treasured and taught. My parents had me quoting Scripture before I could even read — I was singing “Jesus Loves Me” before I knew if I loved Him back. And that early exposure to

Our faith doesn't have to be perfect (without defect) in order for God to miraculously intervene in our lives. In fact, just the hint of faith, the smallest indication of trust, is enough to get God's attention. According to Jesus, colossal faith is not a prerequisite to move mountains; a tiny kernel of faith is sufficient — faith as small