Before we take a pause in our series about the gospel of Mark, we join Jesus for a direct dialogue about who he truly is. Finally, Peter offers his famous declaration, "You are the Messiah." Join us as we unpack this tremendous statement of faith while asking how we might also respond.

This morning we welcome a friend and scholar, Dr. Amy McLaughlin-Sheasby. Amy teaches at ACU and has a gift for preaching and teaching. This morning she will preach from our text in Mark and invite us into the imagined world of scripture... where we allow Jesus to touch us for the second time.

This morning we join Jesus in the boat for a conversation between him and the disciples. And there is a problem... they have no bread and still fail to understand the previous stories about bread. "Do we still not understand?" Listen in as we seek to enter into this dialogue while asking how we might learn and understand the problem with "bad bread."

Pharisees... they just don't let up do they? This morning we find these irritants arguing with Jesus only to be met with a deep sigh and a penetrating question. Join us as we overhear this conversation and learn how we might (again) listen to Jesus sigh and ask, "How might we follow Jesus differently from the Pharisees?"

This morning there are more crowds and more hungry mouths to feed. And instead of Jesus sending the disciples out to get food, Mark says that Jesus “has compassion for the crowds” while turning loaves and fish into a feast. Again we see the miraculous care of Jesus for those who are in need- are we willing to sit and join the feast Jesus provides?

We don’t typically think of Jesus using “spit” to heal someone of a disease or evil spirit but this morning we are reminded that his ways are not our ways. Join us as we follow Jesus to the Sea of Galilee and witness an unorthodox healing and results in a crowd exclaiming, “he has done everything well.”

It is without a doubt one of the strangest and most disturbing stories in all the gospel accounts. Jesus is approached, while in a home, by a foreigner who longs for her daughter to be healed. And yet his response seems cruel and unusual. Join us as we unpack what Jesus might possibly mean when he calls out a “gentile dog” and offers healing anyway.

Again we hear Jesus contrasting his message with the teaching of the Scribes and Pharisees. Jesus invites those to listen, again, to him above the heart and tradition of the religious rulers. Are we willing to examine our heart and truly hear the message Jesus longs to give?

Wherever Jesus went there were crowds longing to touch him and be healed. And this morning we see the desperation of the crowds longing to touch even “the fringe of his cloak.” Join us as we explore how we might be bold enough to come - even rush - toward Jesus to touch him and be healed.

All the gospel stories tell of Jesus feeding 5000 people (even though it was probably more!). But isn’t this story about more that simply feeding people who are hungry? Join us as we unpack this familiar story while tying it back to the Old Testament image of God feeding his people in the wilderness.