One More Thing

Hi Five Oakers, The weekend is coming and there are a few things I want to share with you:

The Weekend Sermon

Confronting evil, denying the Devil, exorcising a particularly tough demon...just another day in the ministry Jesus in Mark 9, our passage for this weekend.

FYI

Ed Welch on "God’s House"

 God’s response evokes permanence, rock-solid love, and a very active divine hand in the future of his people. Jesus later clarifies that this house—our house—is permanent because it is his house. “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?” (John 14:2).

Joshua Reich on "10 Ways to Know if You’re Putting Your Kids Before Your Spouse"

No one gets married thinking they will put their kids before their marriage, but over time without being intentional, it happens. It’s easy to do. Kids need our attention, they scream for it (literally). We also rationalize that it’s easier and the right thing to do. Or, we rationalize that we will have time for our spouse later in life, but later in life rarely comes.

One More Thing

Another Wendell Berry quote from Jaber Crow that I hope I can slip into this weekend's sermon:

“If the devil doesn't exist... how do you explain that some people are a lot worse than they're smart enough to be?”

10 Tweets

Here is last weekend's sermon in 10 Tweets, "Who Do You Day That I Am?" (Healing the Blind Man), Mark 8:16-37, Series: Marvels & Wonders: A Study of the Miracles of Jesus

1/ When listening to advice the brain is "napping" acc to brain scans. It lights up with engaging questions.

2/ Jesus asks 15 questions in Mark 8. All leading to the conclusion of "lesson 1" for the disciples regarding who Jesus is.

3/ "Do you not yet understand?" He's the provider. He can make bread. Yes, but why can he do this? Who is he?

4/ "Do you see anything?" is directed at the blind man AND the disciples.

5/ "Who do people say that I am?" They don't quite get it. The people see Jesus as the blind man saw men as trees, walking.

6/ "But who do you say that I am?" You can almost see the new circuits light up as Peter gets it for the first time. "You are the Christ."

7/ Jesus is the Savior Messiah, but that's only part one of the story. So many people are missing the rest of the story.

8 Jesus drops the bombshell for the first time: I must suffer and die and rise. Peter rebukes him. What does that look like?

9/ Jared Wilson: "When you seek to have Christ w/out taking his cross, you are not aligning with Christ but with the Devil."

10/ Don't be surprised by suffering. Don't be satisfied with suffering. Din't lose sight of your true hope in suffering.