I often have to both teach my kids and remember for myself this simple life rule: I can’t dictate, change, or control the behaviors of others, only of myself. I cannot blame someone else for my mistakes, nor can I base my behavior on their actions or worldviews. This comes up in today’s text as […]
This world has decided that every disagreement between people has to escalate and end with division. We’ve lost the art of conversation, overpowering it with the art of debate. We yell our opinions, take sides, and fight over everything. While social media by no means began this behavior, it has certainly exacerbated it until the […]
It is an interesting thing that even today we are dealing with the fact that existent manuscripts of the gospels are different. Not in important or faith-destroying ways, but different nonetheless. Today, we find that the earliest manuscripts of Mark end with women leaving the tomb terrified. No Jesus, no Doubting Thomas, no road to […]
Mark names for us three women standing vigil as Jesus died, from a distance watching over the cross. These were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and Salome. We know that Jesus’ mother was there from other gospel accounts as well and Mark mentions many other women who had come up with […]
The blessings pronounced from Mt. Gerizim and the curses pronounced from Mt. Ebal would make a pretty impressive impetus for obedience. A few chapters ago we hear Moses command the people to divide in half, with 6 tribes standing on the lush and fruitful Mt. Gerizim and pronounce the blessings God has promised for those […]