From Questions, Two Applications
As the long day wrapped up with a long evening (which is the story of almost every day with a new born) I sat on the porch rocking Eden to sleep…well I was trying to. She was fussing and writhing. No matter how I held her there was no peace. She continued to cry and …
Continue reading "Lessons about God’s Kingdom from a Newborn"
Is your Christmas tree still up? Who wants to take it down...it adds a nice feel to the house...the tree took work to put up...AND it's going to take work to put it ALL away. There is simply no good reason to take down the tree. But of course there is more than the tree...there …
Jesus taught his disciples in Mark 9:35, "If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all." Before we look closer at that verse we need to realize a couple of things about its surroundings. This is the second explicit statement Jesus has made regarding discipleship. Earlier in 8:34 …
Continue reading "Servanthood: Submissive, Suffering, Sacrificing & Strengthened (Pt. 1)"
You might have guessed from the title that this post will be reminiscent of Christmas. With that said let me put forward a commonly asked question: Were the "Wise Men" at the stable the night Jesus was born or did they visit months later? Maybe you have heard this question. But is it the right …
This post being a continuation will not have an introduction (if you have not read part 1 please go read the first eight paragraphs). But in short we saw in the previous post how God has a variety of ways in which he explains his kingdom. The variations span across the canon of scripture. As …
Continue reading "The “Kingdom” according to Mark 4-5 (Pt. 2)"
What is your favorite candy? How about favorite place to go...or favorite music? (A. Moser Roth Dark Chocolate; B. Philips Ave. Sioux Falls; C. Hymns done in a Celtic style...one of my favorite music forms anyway) So what are yours? Now whatever it is I am sure of one thing regarding what you picked...if you …
Continue reading "The “Kingdom” according to Mark 4-5 (Pt. 1)"
Is the Kingdom of God overrated? Does it get too much attention by Christian authors and the pastors in the pulpit? What does it have to do with life and being a faithful follower of Jesus? Does a level of understanding with regard to the Kingdom of God help me in being a disciple? Question: …
Thanksgiving is coming up...followed by Christmas...and surrounded by many other occasions when we are faced with ridiculous amounts of food. As you go through the food line with a plate that might be 10" in diameter you ask the annual question: How am I going to fit all of this on my plate? Then you …
Continue reading "Context. Continuity. Consistency. Conclusion."
Today there are some big decisions for the kingdom of America. Millions of votes will continue to pour in. Some politicians will continue in the office which they currently hold while others are replaced. Policies will be created for good or for bad; results will follow which some of us will rejoice over and while …
How should we understand the kingdom of God? When does it appear in God's plan? Where will it be? What does "Kingdom of God" mean? And we could go on, and on, and on with such questions. I would argue that if you have been a regular part of or member of a church for …
The Reforming Raker 