Read Part One Here. Why do we have such a hard time listening? Why do we have such a difficult time really hearing what Jesus came to do? Why do we want to keep Jesus from going to, or try to “rescue” Jesus from the cross? A second reason is that it simply sounds TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE.  Recently a gentleman stopped me after the second worship service to tell me there’s got to be more to it. He... Read more
“A cloud appeared, overshadowing them, and a voice came from the cloud: ‘This is my beloved Son; listen to him!'” (Mark 9:7)  Moses. Elijah. A transfigured Jesus. A mountain. A cloud. James. John. A terrified, talking Peter (Mark 9:2-6).  A voice with a command: Listen to Jesus.  Earlier in the week, Peter rebuked Jesus to quickly be rebuked stronger by Jesus (Mark 8:32-33). Peter didn’t want to listen. Peter couldn’t imagine a Messiah being arrested, beaten, crucified,... Read more
“Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone.” Mark 7:36a Notice Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. Not him. Them, not him. That’s important. Jesus just healed a deaf and mute man. When the healing occurred, not only could he hear . . . but he could also speak (Mark 7:35). Think about that. He had never heard a word or a sentence or a paragraph in his life. Immediately, he was able to understand conversations and contribute, with understanding, conversations happening around... Read more
“He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, ‘Ephphatha!’ (which means ‘Be opened!’). Mark 7:34 Jesus does everything well (Mark 7:37). He pulls a deaf man aside, in private, and uses signs to demonstrate His understanding of the problem (Mark 7:33). Then He gives the deaf man the Gospel. Jesus looks up to heaven. The deaf man would have naturally looked up with Him. Jesus indicates that something divine is going on. Something outside the... Read more
This week, the following happened: a. My oldest child got his braces removed. b. My wife and I attended a “welcome to high school” event with our oldest child. c. My oldest child received a retainer to wear post-braces. e. An entire decade was added to my life. All. In. One. Week. Honestly, after attending the “welcome to high school” deal, I have never had a stronger desire to home school. Just kidding. . . Sort of. Couple of thoughts... Read more
“They came to the leader’s house, and he saw a commotion—people weeping and wailing loudly. He went in and said to them, ‘Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but asleep.’ They laughed at him, but he put them all outside. He took the child’s father,mother, and those who were with him, and entered the place where the child was.” Mark 5:38-40 One of my favorite things to do is laugh. I love to laugh. I love to make... Read more
When God gets ready to act, all He has to do is say the word. My soul often feels like the mission control room in Houston, TX during a space exploration. My prayers resemble communicating “down here” with God to make sure He hears and knows what is going on so He can act accordingly. Recently I had the opportunity to watch the movie First Man. As you probably guessed, it is a film about the first man who stepped on... Read more
I love being a pastor because I get to see a four year old boy strain hard to hold the sanctuary door open for his single mom who is doing all she can to teach her child chivalry without a dad. I love being a pastor because I get to spend an hour with a 71 year old man who set up a meeting with me to, in his words, “cheer me on;” talk theology; and express his longing to... Read more
He had a look of terror in his eyes. A look that said, “uh oh.†Without saying a word, he said loud and clear, “Oh. Shoot.†He quickly excused himself to go take a shower before bed. You see, his mother made a simple statement the night before the calendar turned to February. She said, “Tomorrow is the first day of Valentines Day Month!†Four of the five Pearson’s expressed their own version of delight. The other Pearson was suddenly... Read more
There’s something I can’t quite shake. Something happened Sunday morning that makes me want to cry, makes me hopeful, and terrifies me all at the same time. It happened fast, though it took a while to develop. It was a brief encounter, but had been building for years. Decades really. When the second service is over, I usually force myself to smile and be nice (it’s what a pastor does, right?) so I can get to my car and exhale.... Read more
Churched
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