Fingers in his ears, spitting and touching his tongue, looking to heaven and sighing, and commanding ears “Be opened!” Jesus just exorcised a demon from a distance without a word. So why all the drama with a deaf-mute man of Decapolis? Join us as we examine Mark 7:31-37 and consider Jesus clearly offered to broken, isolated men as the only sufficient Savior.   

Man’s best friend! Yet dog-proverbs, ‘dog-eat-dog, gone to the dogs, sick as a dog,’ always dwell on unsavory traits. To be called a ‘dog’ is never a compliment. So, Jesus’ words to a Gentile woman’s plea for her demon-possessed daughter shock us.  Join us as we examine Mark 7:24-30 and consider hallmarks of a dogged, tenacious, persevering saving faith.

“Organized religion is full of hypocrites!” Is the spiritual-but-not-religious crowd more right than we admit? Is our religion a mask? A role? Do we honor God with our lips while our hearts are elsewhere? Do we show the expulsive power of a new affection? Join us as we examine Mark 7:1-23 and consider what Jesus says about what does and does not make us unclean and clean. 

We want to prepare, do our part, get our ducks in a row, clean up our act, get our house in order first. Dust ourselves off and clean ourselves up to prime the pump of God’s grace. But what God actually demands is quite unexpected. Join us as we examine Mark 6:53-56 and consider what it means to reach out to Jesus with the empty hand of faith.

Boats break. Floaties leak. Unlike Water Striders we are not buoyant. Our devices offer no guarantees to keep us afloat. In scripture ‘sinking’ often pictures an insufficient faith in our works or experience. Only the faith Jesus gives can hold us fast. Join us as we examine Mark 6:45-52 and consider how Jesus guards and grows the faith of his struggling disciples as he comes to them by walking on the water.

If you don’t come apart, you’ll come apart. But how do we find rest when “many are coming and going and we have no leisure to even eat” or rest or recharge? What does it mean to come apart with Jesus?  What is the rest Jesus offers in unrestful seasons? Join us as we examine Mark 6:30-44 and consider the invitation of Jesus to find a rest that heals bruised reeds and fans smoldering wicks.

Wild mushrooms are tasty, but are they toxic? Mistaken identification is at best sickening, at worst fatal. But more deadly than Jack-O’-Lanterns in your soup is mistakenly identifying Jesus.   This mistake has consequences that last forever.  Join us as we examine Mark 6:14-29 to consider the tragic consequences of unbelief regarding who Jesus is and why he has come. 

The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. Discipleship involves disciplines. But the essence of discipleship is not in honing disciplines, but fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith. What is your focus? Join us as we examine Mark 6:7-13, and Mark 6:30 to consider what Jesus does, gives, commands, and expects when he calls us to follow him.