More Than Bread

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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.

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Reading the gospel of Mark chapters 1-5 with a few comments along the way, concluding with a focus on what a follower of Jesus, a Jesus-apprentice looks like in real life. Hint, it may often require the use of the phrase, "If you say so, Jesus!"

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Matthew 25-28 finishes up the gospel of Matthew. The passion and resurrection stories are of course, powerful. The cross and the empty tomb show us the love of God and the power of God. Together they fill us with hope. But then there is this story of the love-burst of Mary, that is where I focus at the end.

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Matthew 19-24 includes a lot of difficult teachings but also some of my favorite, like "good leaders are great servants" and "my house will be a house of prayer" and "love your neighbor as you love yourself." For me to love my neighbor like I love myself I simply need to ask, "What would I love me if I were my neighbor!"

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Matthew 13-18 is filled with descriptions of how followers of Jesus live and look and love. Perhaps none of those descriptions is more powerful than Jesus' teaching on forgiveness. Jesus loves mercy. We have been forgiven much, so we can forgive others! 

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Matthew 8-12 is filled with miracles that arise from and inspire faith (believing) but we also see that believing must lead to trusting. When we trust we find ourselves called to follow a King who is worthy of our living and our dying!