Responding to ISIS: Prayer, Care & Military Action

I had hardly returned home last week from southern Africa when I was greeted with texts and Facebook messages and emails and pleading eyes asking about my thoughts on ISIS and the slaughter of the Christians in Iraq. Where does one begin? Let me start with prayer. On Sunday we invited our church family, and READ MORE

The End of the Line

I just returned to Fargo and am still attempting to process my journey to Mozambique. Before I go much further, I have to commend Master’s Heart Ministries, which, I am convinced, is one of the most genuinely effective ministry partners I have ever worked with. If you wish to know more about Master’s Heart Ministries, READ MORE

The Sign

Tension filled the air. Jesus and his disciples were making their way through one of the lakeside villages along the Sea of Galilee, and as they were moving along representatives from the Pharisees and their ilk confronted Jesus with the goal of utterly ruining him before the crowds. Consider the account, as told by Mark READ MORE

Values for the Disciple

Mark 7:31-37 offers a striking moment in which to grapple with some important values for every disciple of Jesus. To begin with, consider the story, as told from Mark’s perspective: Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. And they READ MORE

The Gentile Puppies

We have to remember that Mark wrote his gospel to quell the deep and understandable anxiety of the Christians being persecuted by Nero in the slums of Rome. This mostly Gentile audience had to know that following Jesus was worthwhile, even in the face of the atrocities with which they were dealing. They had to READ MORE

“Out of the Heart”

Mark 7:1-23 serves as a powerful hinge between the captivating miracles embedded in Mark 6 and the outreach Jesus puts forward to the Gentiles in Mark 7:24 and following. With the miracles, one finds Jesus offering hope to people who are like sheep without shepherds. With the outreach, one finds Jesus embodying the missionary spirit READ MORE