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One of the most heart-gripping moments in the days before Jesus' death on the cross is when He takes on the role of a servant and washes His disciples' feet.  One translation describes that as the moment where Jesus showed them the "full extent of his love." Wow! This was a defining moment in Jesus' life and His example defines our lives as well!

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In this episode, we pause on one of Jesus' I-am statements.  "I am the bread of life." This podcast springs from the value that we put on the Word of God. We need more than bread for life. We need every Word that comes from the mouth of God. Now in John 6-9, we find that not only is Jesus the Word, but He is also the Bread of life that comes down from Heaven. Christ satisfies the deepest hunger of our heart! 

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In this episode, we begin the Gospel of John. John’s gospel stands alone. It's not like the other three! His gospel is more spiritual, more symbolic than the others. You might say that it is more theological. In fact, some of the richest theological conversations and teachings take place in John’s gospel. He focuses on a series of miracles or signs and a series of statements that Jesus made called, “The I-am statements.” The signs and statements point to Jesus divinity, mission and role in coming to earth as the Messiah.  Today we will pause on John's opening description that Jesus is the Word of God!

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So many amazing scriptures which could give us pause after today’s reading; but the one I personally needed was the story of hope in Luke 24. The story takes place after the resurrection, but before Jesus' friends truly believe in the resurrection. It's a moment when two men took a walk with Jesus on their way to the little community of Emmaus.  And it’s a deep story of hope, especially the hope we can find in scripture as we walk together.  Because we need hope right? We desperately need hope.

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While there are so many places we could touch down for a few moments in Luke 13-19, I want to pause today on a story that Jesus shared about prayer.  In Luke 18,  Jesus starts with the why of the story.  The why (the parable) of the story is so important that Jesus tells it upfront.  "Don't miss this," he is saying, "I'm going to tell you a story and I want the story to always remind you of the fact that we should always pray and never give up. Never forget this. Always pray. Never give up." In other words, don't lose heart. When the race seems long and the cheers seem faint, don't lose heart. 

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Luke 9-12 is filled with so much good stuff! The principles in chapter 12 on generosity and how to deal with anxiety are gold. If you lean into them, they could change your life. But for this reading, we will pause on Luke 10 where Jesus tells three stories; about going on a mission for Jesus, loving like Jesus and being with Jesus. Being precedes doing!

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The primary purpose of our reading through the New Testament in 40 days is to spend some time pondering Jesus, diving into the glory of the treasure of Christ. It's obvious in the gospels, but it's not only there in fact everything in the New Testament is saturated with Christ. Jesus is the "why" of the church. The heart of everything written. So as we pause in Luke 5-8, I'll share a few thoughts on the Jesus who amazes us!

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As we dive into the gospel of Luke, we quickly discover how much Luke appreciates the role of the Spirit of God. Listen, you will hear the Spirit of God in the conversation over and over again. I love that! But in this episode's reading, we will pause for a moment at Mary's subversive song of hope, the Magnificant! 

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As we come to the end of Mark's gospel, some of these stories and teachings are sounding familiar. Let them soak and resoak into your heart, mind and soul. I have had the opportunity to visit Israel twice. They call it the fifth gospel. There is simply something about being there. One of the places that gripped me most was the spot marking Peter's betrayal. Hard to imagine how he felt, which makes his return all the more gripping!

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As we read and listen to Mark 6-11, there are so many places where we could pause for a moment or two. We see Jesus walking on water, feeding crowds, healing and teaching. We have one of my most gut-wrenching stories, where the Rich Young Ruler walked away from Jesus because his stuff was too important. But for a few moments we'll pause and talk about the dangers of growing up with Jesus.