LifeSync

Mark watched the World Cup and was struck by the devotion of soccer fans: standing for hours, buying jerseys, and following their favorite players. That leads to a question for all of us: are you a fan, and of whom? Mark notes that even our heroes are ordinary people who can let us down, and he invites listeners to know and imitate Jesus instead. He shares a recent conversation that opened the door to talk about faith and challenges listeners to have a simple, non-threatening way to engage others about Jesus. Because in the Great Commission, we make fans before we can make disciples.

Mark completes his two-part look at Psalm 23 by working through verses 2 through 6. He shows how David describes a God who gives rest and nourishment, renews us, guides us onto the right path, walks with us through life's darkest valleys, and prepares a table of blessing even in the presence of enemies. Mark shares his own experience of an overflowing cup and closes with the assurance that God's love never fails and continues into eternity. God is good, and He is more than good to us.

Mark begins a two-part look at Psalm 23 with an unexpected starting point: the German Shepherd. Why do they share a name with the men who tend sheep? Because they lead, protect, and provide for the flock. Mark follows that thread to David, who lived the shepherd's life before becoming king and writing Psalm 23, and to Jesus, who twice calls Himself the Good Shepherd in John 10. He encourages listeners to reread the psalm from the sheep's point of view and recall how their own Shepherd has cared for them.

Mark continues What Real Believers Look Like, covering commands 5 through 10 from the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6–7): prayer and the Lord's Prayer, trusting God through creation, priorities, worry, avoiding hypocritical judgment and living the Golden Rule, and staying on the narrow path while watching for false prophets. A practical close to this mini-series on daily obedience to Jesus.

Mark begins a new mini-series, What Real Believers Look Like, based on the Direct and General Commands of Jesus found in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7), drawn from Galen Currah's 300+ Commands of Jesus. In Part A, Mark covers being salt and light, prioritizing relationships and reconciliation, resisting retaliation, and the call to generosity, loving enemies, and pursuing perfection — commands that require radical obedience, made possible only through the Holy Spirit.

Physical growth is easy to spot — a grandchild who's suddenly taller, for instance. Spiritual growth is harder to measure, unless you're regularly in the Word. In this episode, Mark explores why Jesus shifted from direct teaching to parables in Matthew 13, then dives into the Parable of the Soils — the hard path, the rocky soil, the thorny ground, and the good soil. Three of the four soils said yes to the message, but only one truly persevered and bore fruit. Mark challenges listeners to ask honestly: what kind of soil am I right now?

Mark's been married to Marty for 57 years, and looking back, he's Amazed — amazed she said yes, and amazed at how good God has been to them. That reflection leads to a bigger question: are you still amazed by Jesus? Or has the routine of faith dulled your sense of wonder? In this episode, Mark digs into what it means to stay amazed by God's love, to keep repenting and turning toward Him daily, and to live out your Call — then share your own Amazing story with someone who needs to hear it.

We're natural sharers — a funny joke, a great sale, a helpful tip, we pass it along without a second thought. So why is sharing our faith so much harder? In this episode, Mark walks through Jesus's Parable of the Lamp from Matthew 5:15 and makes the case that believers aren't meant to hoard the Light they've received — they're meant to shine it. He identifies three common ways we hide our light, and challenges listeners to know their own Jesus story and be ready to share it, Good News and all, every chance they get.

As a child, maybe your parents marked your height on a doorpost each year — a simple, tangible way to track growth. But in this episode of Mondays with Mark, Mark turns the question inward: how do you measure spiritual growth? It's not church attendance, good works, or giving — those things matter, but they're secondary. Mark walks through three foundational theological concepts every believer should understand: Justification (being made free from guilt through Christ's sacrifice), Sanctification (the ongoing daily effort to become more like Jesus), and Glorification (the eternal reward awaiting every believer). From there he offers seven practical markers of spiritual growth — from Bible study and prayer to scripture memorization, Christian community, and the content we consume — grounding it all in Philippians 4:8. A thorough, practical, and encouraging episode for believers at every stage of the journey.

Do you have a passport? Is it up to date? In this episode of Mondays with Mark, Mark uses the familiar process of obtaining a passport as a creative and memorable lens for exploring what it takes to enter eternity. An earthly passport requires forms, fees, photos, proof of citizenship, and a minimum age. The Christian passport? Completely different — and infinitely better. Drawing on John 14:2–3, Philippians 3:20–21, John 3:3, and Romans 10:10, Mark walks through the three things every believer's heavenly passport contains: citizenship in heaven, being born again, and accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior. He also addresses the fee — because there is one, and it's already been paid in full. A clear, accessible, and evangelistic devotional that works as well for a longtime believer as it does for someone still asking the question.