When God created Heaven & Earth, He planned for them to be connected through the Garden of Eden. But, when people chose to deviate from His plan, He didn't just scrap the idea - leaving Heaven and Earth completely separate for eternity. Again and again, He breaches that gap. Join us as we learn what that means for us.
Join us in Isaiah 53:1-4 as we wrestle with the stark contrast between the hope and joy this season brings and the reality of our suffering.
We often don't realize it, but we can be walking shoulder to shoulder with Jesus and still miss what He's saying. Join us in Mark 7:31-37 as we see Jesus open a man's ears, and ask Him to open ours as well.
Join us in Mark 7 as we see a woman - seemingly disqualified from God's Kingdom in many ways - approach Jesus boldly. Not only does He approve of her bold faith, He opens the doors to all gentiles from this point forward (including us!)
The Pharisees complain to Jesus in Mark 7:1-23 about how His disciples neglect following their strict religious rules and rituals. Join us as we see Jesus stand up for His people in the face of these accusations, and as we learn how He does the same thing today, for us.
Join us in Mark 6:45-53 as we see Jesus do some unexpected things that leave the disciples perplexed and frustrated.
The disciples are worn out in Mark 6:30-44, but they notice the hungry people around them and point the need out to Jesus. He asks for their limited resources, multiplying what they have to feed over 5000 people, with leftovers! Join us as we explore how Jesus might be doing the same thing today - asking us to surrender what little time, money, energy we feel we have so He can make the most of it.
What if grief is not a problem to be fixed, but a place where Jesus can meet us? Join us as we gather for All Saints Sunday.
Join us in Mark as we heed the warning that Jesus gave His followers.
Join us in Mark 6:1-13 as we see Jesus experiencing rejection by the people in His hometown because they thought He was too ordinary to be the Messiah. And then we see Him sending out 12 seemingly ordinary guys - His disciples - with authority to do the same things they had seen Him doing.
Join us in Mark 5:21-43 as Jesus heals 2 people that were unclean and unworthy of His touch. He blew through the social and cultural barriers to rescue them, and wants to do the same today for each of us.
In Mark 5, Jesus and His disciples are accosted by a man that is full of demons and living among the tombs because he is a danger to himself and others. Instead of rejecting him in his broken state, Jesus sets him free and sends him on mission. Join us as we embrace the challenge of surrendering our own brokenness to Jesus so that we to might be set free to walk in the identity and authority God has given us.
Join us in Mark 4:35-41 as we realize with the disciples that no matter how much faith we think we have, there is always more available to us.
We set goals, make plans, and put in the work. But if we don't see instant results, we get discouraged. Jesus shows us another way in Mark 4:26-34. Join us as we learn to plant seeds and rest as we watch the Father make them grow.
God is trying to get our attention, and it's important we don't ignore Him. Yet, listening to Him can feel as difficult now as it was when the book of Mark was being written - maybe even more so! Join us in Mark 4:21-25 as we learn how to listen to God more closely.
For your reference, here are the three questions we can ask every day:
- Father, what are we doing today?
- What do I need to be reminded of?
- Who do I need to pay attention to?
Jesus taught using parables for many reasons, and this first parable in Mark 4:1-20 explains why. Join us as we practice listening and letting His word change us.
In Mark 3:20-33, we read that Jesus' family thinks He's nuts and the religious leaders are accusing Him of serving Satan. Yet, Jesus continues to go against the grain - teaching about grace and re-defining 'family'.
Join us as we continue to encounter Jesus & follow Him more closely.
In Mark 3:6-19 Jesus is facing mounting pressure both from those that want to follow Him, and those that want him dead. Yet, He doesn't get distracted from His purpose - He is setting everything in the world right by building a spiritual family. This family's purpose is to help one another grow closer to the Father, care for one another, and to grow exponentially. This is the same spiritual family WE are invited to be part of today.
Jesus prioritizes compassion over custom and the religious leaders tried to call Him out in Mark 2:23-28. Join us as we examine the roles of legalism and grace in our own lives based on His example.
We are often tempted to make sacrifices for the sake of sacrifice alone (or to avoid making them at all). Join us in Mark 2:18-22 as we examine Jesus' response to the challenge that He and His followers weren't following the religious customs closely enough.