2 Minute Disciple

Have you ever wanted to learn how to pray better? Jesus' disciples wanted to know how to pray Jesus' style and he taught them how to pray and his way of prayer can take us way past our feeble attempts at prayer. Luke 11:1–10 (CEB): Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” 2 Jesus told them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, uphold the holiness of your name. Bring in your kingdom. 3 Give us the bread we need for today. 4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who has wronged us. And don't lead us into temptation.' 5 He also said to them, “Imagine that one of you has a friend and you go to that friend in the middle of the night. Imagine saying, ‘Friend, loan me three loaves of bread 6 because a friend of mine on a journey has arrived and I have nothing to set before him.' 7 Imagine further that he answers from within the house, ‘Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can't get up to give you anything.' 8 I assure you, even if he wouldn't get up and help because of his friendship, he will get up and give his friend whatever he needs because of his friend's brashness. 9 And I tell you: Ask and you will receive. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 Everyone who asks, receives. Whoever seeks, finds. To everyone who knocks, the door is opened.

I hate unsolicited advice from others. If I wanted to know what you thought, I would have asked. However, I can jump right in and point out your faults before I look at my own log. This is the part of Jesus' sermon where he is starting to meddle. If I'm honest with myself, I need his meddling and he is teaching me to check my heart before I dole out advice. Man, this learning from Jesus is a process and I'm a slow learner sometimes.

I have to admit that I like to do stuff for God more than doing what he says, but I'm slowly learning to do what he says rather than just doing something for him. This podcast was an act of obedience to God. I was praying and asking God to help me find what was next in my career and he nudged me to lean into my podcast, so I was obedient. My why for 2 Minute Disciple, is to get to know Jesus and his words so that we can put them into practice.

When we are anxious and panicked about our situation, we want someone else to be as anxious as we are. Jesus was calm, so calm that he was asleep and when he wakes up, he calmly tells the wind to stop. His words in that moment to the disciples are what speaks to me the most, “Why are you afraid, where is your faith?” I know, there is no need to fear, my God is in control. Easier said than done, but I'm learning.

The longer that I live, the more I realize that life is painful and death is part of life. It's not easy to loose someone close to you and grief can be overwhelming. It hurts so much that we can't bear it and the if only game starts to play on repeat in our heads and sometimes comes out of our mouths. Jesus is teaching me that resurrection and life are also a part of our lives, when we believe in him we never die. We also know that our God cries with us, we are not alone in our pain, God is with us.

Jesus' way of life is upside down from the way of the people around me. Who likes to say no to yourself? The life that we gain in Jesus is our BEST life. When we trust Jesus and lay down our lives for his sake, we gain so much more than we can imagine.

This is interesting, if I want God to answer my prayers and if I want to receive things from God, then I need to offer forgiveness to receive forgiveness. I like holding things over people's heads, I'm that Cardinal fan who still holds on to the angst of the bad call in the ‘85 World Series. I'm that Bears fan who can't get past the double doink and I'm that crazy Illini fan that can't get over Bruce Pearl ratting on our program and their recruiting practices. Some of you have no idea what I'm talking about, but that's what unforgiveness is, hanging on to hurts that no one cares about anymore and you can't change the outcome by holding on to them. Jesus is teaching me to let go of those hurts so that God can answer my prayers and give me true life. Sometimes, I don't even realize that I'm hanging on to unforgiveness until something makes me remember and I have to let it go and ask for forgiveness as I am forgiving.

Life is busy! Each day has a list of things that need to be accomplished for work and around the house as well as to keep up family relationships. We have enough things to keep ourselves busy 24/7. I can relate to the frenetic pace of Jesus' ministry here in Mark's gospel, however, Jesus shows us that our relationship with God needs time too. I am learning that I have to carve out time to be with God, it doesn't just happen naturally, I have to intentionally carve out time to be alone with God. I meet with Him in the shower and and I listen to his word while I iron clothes. This is what works for me and what I've learned from Jesus is that if he could carve out time to be with the father, then so can I.

I want to be great in God's kingdom! I want to be known for preaching great sermons that lead thousands of people to Jesus. I want to be a household name and have numerous best selling books. I want people to like me and be an influencer like none other. I want to be famous for Jesus and the name people think of when they hear the word Christian. I want to heal people with the touch on my hand. I want to be the greatest Christian ever…however, those things are not what makes a person great in God's kingdom. Greatness in God's kingdom has more to do with humility and becoming like a child. That is hard to do, to check the ego at the door and be willing to be the lowest on the totem pole for God's glory. My ego wants to fight back, but I'm learning to be humble a little at a time.

Jesus is teaching me to listen to people and to speak the Gospel into their lives in the midst of a simple conversation. It's not about beating people over the head with a Bible or being obnoxious by shouting through a bullhorn the four spiritual laws. It's about being present and having compassion on the people in your path. When we do that, we are looking a lot like Jesus and making a dent on the harvest. The little things we do every day to show compassion like Jesus are just as important as the big things we do for Jesus.

Jesus saw people, had concern for them and changed their story regardless of what was going on around him. The religious leaders, on the other hand were more concerned with keeping the rules than seeing the needs of people. If there is one thing that we can learn from Jesus here is that he has a genuine concern for people and their needs over the rules for the day.

We all wear some sort of mask that makes us look like what we think the people we are around at the time want us to look. However, Jesus challenges us to be real and take off our masks and be who we say we are.

We don't talk a lot about spiritual warfare, because if we can't see it our touch it , we can't understand it and if we can't understand it, we dismiss it as not real. However, the more we hang out with Jesus, we realize that spiritual warfare is real and we need to be on guard against the spiritual forces that want to torment us. Jesus said that this is war and we need to choose our side and guard his word with our lives.

What do you get worked up over? So many times, it's the little stuff of life and we miss out on what Jesus wants us to focus on. I was reminded that before Jesus sent the disciples out to bring in the harvest, Jesus tells them to pray for harvest hands to get the message out about the Gospel. Before we get all worked up, we need to get on our knees and pray.

Who is in the driver's seat of your life? If we are going to follow Jesus, we have to get out of the driver's seat and let him drive without being a backseat driver. That means that we let him take us where he wants and to enjoy the scenery. This is way easier said than done, but it is what Jesus is asking of us, so will we let him drive?

What stuck me in the chapter is that obedience is thicker than blood and how trust and obedience go hand in hand. Trust leads to obedience and we see some examples of what trust looks like and doesn't look like. Trust looks like some women who fund his ministry and a man who is relieved of demon possession and obeys Jesus by going home and proclaiming what Jesus had done for him. But, the disciples who had seen everything that Jesus had done didn't trust him in the storm and began to panic. Trust and obey is the only way to live our lives for Jesus,

We continue reading through the Gospels and we find ourselves in Luke chapter 7.

There is so much teaching in this chapter and there are some great things that will make you think and what Jesus finishes the chapter with is what struck me. We need to work the words of Jesus into our lives and it will give us a firm foundation that will stand in the storms of life. If we don't work Jesus' words into our lives, we will fall flat in the storms of life. The words that I want to work into my life are from Luke 6:27–28 (The Message): “To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer for that person. Instead of getting mad and fighting back, we can respond by praying for that person, it will do much more for them than my anger.

In the story of the miraculous catch of fish it never quite dawned on me exactly how many fish that was and what that meant for those fishing families. To have two boats filled with fish, that was enough money that they would be set for life. They were able to walk away from their lively hood because their families were taken care of. They answered the call of Jesus to fish for people because of this miracle, they had been eking it out to that point but now God provided more than enough. I think ahead a little to the catch that Peter had at Pentecost of 3000 people saved that day. This story reminds me that when God calls you, he will provide for you.

What stuck out to me in this chapter is the Holy Spirit's role in Jesus' ministry. It is the Spirit who led him to the wilderness and powered his ministry and teaching. I find it interesting that Luke picks up on how the Holy Spirit was involved in Jesus' ministry as a template for us who are given the Holy Spirit as a gift when we believe in Jesus. We see the Spirit in the driver's seat steering Jesus where he should go and also powering the engine of his ministry. How many of us who follow Jesus allow the Spirit to steer and power our lives? I do not yield control of my life to the Holy Spirit very well and unfortunately, I lack the power and direction that he wants to offer me. I want to follow Jesus' example and allow the Holy Spirit access to steering wheel and to power my ministry engine. This is something worth praying about and pondering as we look for clues while reading through Luke.

In our reading today, we have a ton of names to read through and the temptation is to skip over them and get on with the good stuff. However, part of getting to know someone is to understand where the came from, who in the past shaped their life by what they passed down. I also love the fact that Luke traces Jesus' lineage all the way to God and we will see that color the story that Luke tells. Don't let your eyes glaze over when we read the names, but think of them as people who influenced who Jesus was. What strikes me in this chapter is the role of the Holy Spirit in Jesus life and ministry. Jesus is going to ignite in us the kingdom life, fueled by the Holy Spirit that will change us from the inside out. That is a key thing for us to remember as we continue with Luke and later in Acts. Jesus is given the Holy Spirit at his baptism and God speaks this blessing over him, “You are my Son, chosen and marked by my love, pride of my life” Luke 3:22 (The Message). Jesus is set apart to usher in God's Kingdom and he opens up access to God for all of us. There is a part of me that feels like this is a stretch, but when you realize that Jesus has made us children of God, this blessing can relate to us as well. We are God's children and we are chosen by God, marked by his love and God is proud of us.

We are on a journey through the Gospels and we find ourselves in a very familiar story from Jesus' life. Every year, before we opened Christmas presents, my grandma would break out the bathrobes and towels so that we could act out the Christmas story from Luke 2. It is easy, then, to speed past this story, but I want us to listen with new ears and savor the details so that we can learn who Jesus is. What I learned about Jesus in this chapter is that the temple is a magnet for Jesus, because his purpose is to be about the things of his Father. I was struck that the teachers in the temple were impressed with him, but his parents were NOT! However, Jesus lived obediently with them and grew up. Jesus knew who he was, but he also knew that he didn't have to rush it either. He had other things to do and experience before he went back to the temple and focused on the things of his Father. I was reminded of the fact that even if we know where we want to go, we have to go through the journey of life's ups and downs to get there. We have to grow in wisdom and to have the blessing of being shaped by those who are further along in their journey. Jesus had to grow up before he could save the world and so do we.

We are now moving into the Gospel of Luke today. The four Gospels give us a grand mosaic of who Jesus is, what he did and said, and they show us how to live in his kingdom. We will be reading from Luke chapter 1 today along with the introduction from the Message.

What strikes me most in this chapter is the importance of women to the ministry of Jesus. They are the first to see him alive and Jesus entrusts them with the important message of his resurrection. I love that God sees us all as vital to his kingdom, no matter your sex, race, ethnicity or financial status, we are all a part of God's kingdom.

We are making progress in our journey through the Gospels and we find ourselves at the end of the book of Mark. We have seen Jesus in action, from healing the sick, raising the dead, feeding thousands of people, and walking on water. We have also seen him get away from the crowds to pray and recharge and he has been teaching us about the kingdom life that he is ushering in. The one thing about Mark 15 is how much Jesus told his disciples that it was going to happen and it did. This was what Jesus came to do, to take the abuse of violent people to open up God's kingdom to all of us. So, let's dive in to Mark Chapter 15. At the moment that Jesus died, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The significance of this moment is that God is opening up access to himself to everyone. Now we can have direct access to God and not have to go to the temple and have someone else go into God's presence for us. His sacrifice made that possible for us. The other thing that I am pondering is the fact that God had to watch his only son die at the hands of wicked violent people. God knows what it's like. God stands with those who have lost children senselessly by wicked violent people and he weeps with them. He also points to the torn veil and says today your child is with me.

I was struck by the depth of pain that Jesus was in while he was praying in the garden. Jesus really felt the weight of what was going to happen to him, from the betrayal, abandonment, rejection, beating and crucification. He really wanted to skip all of this if he could, but in perfect obedience, he went through it. I'm glad that he went through all of this, because we have a God who knows exactly what we feel and has been through it and worse, quite frankly. When I am tempted to tell God that he doesn't know what I'm going through, this is the gentle reminder that he does and he cares for me.

What jumped off the page and is rolling through my mind is this statement: “When the time comes, say what's on your heart—the Holy Spirit will make his witness in and through you.” Times are tough for Christians right now, and part of it is our own fault for allowing the world to press us into it's mold and for holding up a standard that we are not living to. We look way more like those who killed Jesus than we do Jesus. It's also tough to be a Jesus follower, because the world hates him and those who shine light in the darkness. However, we still have to speak to those around us and it is comforting to know that all we have to do is speak from our heart and the Holy Spirit makes his witness in and through us. God will use our words for his glory and witness for those around us. God is so good and his forgiveness is so thorough and his grace is enough, however we need to stop shooting ourselves in the foot and keep listening to Jesus and work his words into our lives.

What stuck out for me in this chapter is that the people who are supposed to have it all together in their religious and financial lives are the ones arguing with Jesus and trying to trip him up. However, all of these people are set alongside a widow who is faithful to God and gives her everything without quibbling. Again we see the scriptures as a mirror to our souls, who are we most like if we are completely honest with ourselves? As we pray, ask God to help you to be more like the widow.

We have a special guest with us, Adam Tomlinson. Adam is the Lead Minister at Westwood Christian Church, in Madison, Wisconsin. He grew up in Illinois and Wisconsin before going to Milligan College where he met his wife, Lauren. He has been in ministry since 2014 and they have 3 children: Nathanael (7), Caleb (4), and Junia (1). I have known Adam's family most of my life, his mom babysat me and my sister while my mom was in Bible Study. I used to play church softball with his dad and I remember Adam in the stroller at the softball games. In this special episode, Adam and I have a conversation about what he is learning from God in this season of life, enjoy the conversation… Special Guest: Adam Tomlinson.

Jesus' teaching on prayer in this chapter, jumped off the page and slapped me in the face. I know that the things he said are true and I want to live them out them in practice, but when it comes down to doing it, I freeze. God wants me to bring everything to him in prayer, but I hprold back. I'm not sure exactly why, but it could be because I think it's not big enough to bother God with. It could be because I think I can handle it or that he doesn't care enough to do those little things for me. However, I know better and want to take everything to him, I want to walk into God's everything, I want to take everything to God and ask big things, but why do I doubt and hold back, when I know that if I include everything in prayer, I get God's everything. There is a lot to work on here for me, bringing everything to God and letting go of my pride.

In our upside down way of looking at things, we want to earn our keep. It is common sense that if you work hard, you can achieve whatever you want. However, Jesus teaches that it is not that way with entering God's Kingdom. No amount of work, charm, merit or money can gain you entrance into God's Kingdom. Then how do we get in? We let God do the work and trust in Him. It's that simple, but also that complex because it's not that easy to trust Him when it's wired in our brains to pull ourselves up. We have to forget about striving for our gain and embrace giving ourselves away and we will get everything back and more in God's Kingdom. How hard is this concept to wrap your brain around?

Quick summary of this chapter: God's kingdom on display on a mountain top…admiring excitement upon seeing Jesus…a demon that won't leave until Jesus forces it to…an argument about who is the greatest settled with the embrace by Jesus of a child. I think what amazes me the most about this chapter is what really puzzles the disciples is Jesus' foretelling of his death and resurrection. I see it from my perspective of 2022 Easters later and I'm like how do you not get it? However, when I put myself in their shoes, I can start to see how they can miss the point. It is a foreign concept to talk about rising from the dead and it's hard to see beyond the moment we are in to grasp the future. Even with Jesus saying, this is going to happen multiple times, it just wouldn't sink in. I am now getting a clear picture, there was so much going on, that they couldn't see the forrest for the trees. So that makes me think, what are we missing?

It's allergy season right now and my eyes are red and watery. Sometimes, things are a bit blurry which is no fun when I'm taking pictures. I found some eye drops that help but I've struggled with this all of my life with some years better than others. I can relate to the blind man who said he saw people who looked like blurry trees. This chapter makes me smile, because I love the play between physical blindness and spiritual blindness, we can see the disciples see in one moment and then not see in the next. They are making their way out of spiritual blindness, things are a bit blurry, but they are starting to see. What about us, where are we in our spiritual blindness? Are things just a bit out of focus or are they coming in to focus? We need Jesus to “spit” on us and touch our eyes so that we can see clearly.

We get so focused as people on outward appearances. If everything looks good on the outside and we have it all put together, people see us as good people, but if we are a bit cringy on the outside, then that's what people think of us. That causes us to work hard to curate a good online presence so that people think good of us. However, it is what we put on our souls that really matters, because that is were our attitudes and behaviors originate. Good things come out when we clothe our souls in good things and bad things come out when we clothe our souls with bad things. What are you clothing your soul in?

There is a lot going on in this chapter, but there was one insightful piece of information in verse 52, Mark 6:52 (The Message): They didn't understand what he had done at the supper. None of this had yet penetrated their hearts. These guys had seen so much, healing, casting out demons, feeding the hungry and walking on the water, but it hadn't sunk in yet. I get it now, in the big moments like they were going through with Jesus, it takes a little bit for it to sink in and penetrate our hearts. There are so many things that we face in life that don't sink in right away. What is God doing in you that hasn't yet penetrated your heart?

I can feel the desperation of Jairus and the woman who reaches out to touch the edge of Jesus' robe. I can sense their anxiety and determination to do get the healing that they needed. Then to be caught by Jesus, I can feel her face get flush with embarrassment and then the relief with Jesus' compassion toward her. I appreciate this story more now because I have been desperate to get what I need from Jesus, if I could just stretch out and just touch a little piece, then…I know it is cringy to come across as desperate, but over and over in scripture, we see that desperation before God is rewarded. He wants us to come to him when we are desperate and he will provide. The most important thing that we see with the demon possessed man is that once we get what we need from him, we need to make it known to those around us. What are you desperate for God to do for you? For me it is getting a new job to be able to support my family with. Each rejection hurts and threatens to take me under, but God provides the encouragement I need to keep believing and trusting at just the right time. Thank you all for your support and prayers, let's pray.

We have a special guest reader today, Adam Tomlinson. Adam is the Lead Minister at Westwood Christian Church, in Madison, Wisconsin. Adam grew up in Illinois and Wisconsin before going to Milligan College where he met his wife, Lauren. He has been in ministry since 2014 and they have 3 children: Nathanael (7), Caleb (4), and Junia (1). I used to play church softball with his dad and I remember Adam in the stroller at the softball games. At the end of this episode, Adam and I will talk about the chapter, which is Mark chapter 4, so let's dive in. Special Guest: Adam Tomlinson.

Lions and tigers and large crowds, oh my! The large crowd has become to many of us overwhelming and something to be feared. It's getting a little less fearful to gather in large crowds, but the large crowds pushing to get to Jesus, the few chosen on the mountain and Jesus' family on the outside of the crowded house jumped off the page at me. Now that we live in a post pandemic world, the idea of large crowds really got my attention in this chapter. I am intrigued by the thought of all of these sweaty stinky people crowed together just to get to Jesus for what they needed, healing of body and spirit. Jesus had to get in a boat so that he wouldn't get trampled and chose a handful to set apart to spread the message of the kingdom and kick out demons. When he got home, another crowd wanted to be healed by Jesus. I can totally relate to the skepticism of the religious leaders, this can't be real. I tend to want to beat up on those religious leaders, but when it comes down to it, I can relate more than I care to admit. Would I brave the crowd to get healed or would I be on the outside talking it down? The real question that stirs in my heart is, am I willing to brave ___________________ to get what I need from Jesus? The second question then is, am I open to what Jesus is doing or have I closed my mind and heart to him?

The thing that stuck out to me is the fact that Jesus and his disciples are keeping company with the so called riffraff and as unlikely as it seems, more than a few of them had become believers. Then Jesus famously says that he has come for the sin-sick, not the spiritually fit. I notice that Jesus is not hanging around with the likely people, the ones who ‘have it all together' spiritually, but those who don't. He hangs out with people who are a little shady and have a past. They probably cuss a lot and break most of the rules. I admire Jesus for going to the people that you wouldn't expect him to go to and the fact that some of them believe and follow Jesus. I feel great comfort with the fact that Jesus hung out with the ‘riffraff' and I love his emphasis on looking out for the down and out and the forgotten, because that's how I'm feeling right now and each time I go to church, I hear my inner critic chastise me and tell me how I'm not good enough to be a pastor and that I haven't amounted to any thing and I never will. To see Jesus hanging out with the down and outs, I am comforted and I am able to shut up that critic by saying, “see, Jesus wants to hang out with me.” What sticks out to you.

In this chapter, the action comes fast and furious, it's kind of like how I like to read on audible when I'm reading along, cranked up to 3x speed. You can just feel how fast things are happening and then while it was still dark, Jesus got away from everyone to pray and we catch our breath. That moment just speaks to my heart and reminds me of how important it is to get away from the speed of life and the crush of people to just be with God on 1x speed or slower. The other thing that jumped off of the page to me was that Jesus touched a leper. You never touched a leper, because it would transfer over to you and you would be unclean too. But Jesus touched him and transferred his wholeness to the man. That is so cool, God is here and he has come to make us whole.

There are two things that stick out to me in this chapter. First of all, worship, the women who first saw Jesus alive fell down in worship and the disciples when they saw him on the mountain worshipped him. Second was that out of worship came a charge to go. I find it fascinating that worship came in response to the miracle of the resurrection, but Jesus didn't want them to stay in worship, rather he charges them to go and tell. I find the connection between worship and being sent out fascinating. This is another of those right side up ways of living, we worship God for who He is and what He has done for the purpose of going out to spread the message of the kingdom and teaching people how to live right side up.

We are continuing in the story of Jesus's agony on the cross. What I am struck by is how this story drives home the point that Jesus is showing us how to live right side up through his humiliation on the cross and his exaltation in rising from the dead. In our upside down way of seeing things, we want the exaltation without the humiliation. We want the glory without the suffering, but the right side up way is to humble yourself before God and he will exalt you. That is what Jesus says and does. I chose to follow Jesus about 40 years ago, and I didn't take the time to get to know him by hanging out in the Gospels for the first 25 years or so. However, the more that I get to know him and the more that we dive into his life and teaching, the more I am convinced that Jesus' way is the best way. I am glad that you are on this journey with me, so that you can discover who Jesus is and decide for yourself if you agree with me. If not, no pressure, just keep searching and hanging out with Him.

We are now turning the corner to face the climax of Jesus story, his death and resurrection. This chapter leads us squarely into Jesus' last day and we can see his focus narrow and in his teaching, we see him trying to get his disciples to understand what was about to happen, but they really didn't get it. Jesus did everything he could to prepare them but when he needed them the most, they all cut and ran. However, Jesus faced it with great poise in spite of being all alone. He knew that the cross was coming, and yet he did not waver and he fulfilled God's plan. He hoped in the resurrection that would take place on the third day. As we read today, try to put yourself in the shoes of the Jesus and feel the anxiety and fear balanced by the peace of mind that comes from knowing that you are doing exactly what God had planned. Savor the bread and wine and remember that his suffering brought us peace and that his stripes healed us. Experience this story through the eyes of the Jesus.

Don't you love guilt trips.I can't tell you how many things that I have done because I was guilted into it. Most of the time it worked out ok, but a few of those things were a little adventurous to say the least. Whenever I would read Matthew 25, I would read it through the guilt lens, don't be one of those foolish girls, be a better planner and be organized. Be a good money manager unlike that last guy, you don't want to be that guy, so use your money wisely with a “budget” approved by Dave. The last one was an ice cream Sunday with 3 giant scoops of guilt, don't be a slacker, do more and achieve more for God or your a goat and you are BAD! So, I would try harder to be a “good” Christian, fail, try even harder and on and on the cycle would go. But I think that it misses the point, it's not about beating yourself up for not measuring up, but being ready by living for Jesus each day. It's about looking for opportunities to grow in your skills for God's glory and to not be afraid of being stretched. It's about taking those skills and serving others not out of guilt or fear of not measuring up, but living each day for Jesus as his witness to God's new government. That new perspective is so freeing! I am so motivated to serve and love because I want to be more like Jesus each day. This subtle shift fits in with what we have learned about Jesus in the Gospels and I wish that I would have figured this truth out earlier in life, but that's what this journey is for, discovering who Jesus is and how we can follow him. We can take these daily discoveries and change our trajectory and that's success.

That is the theme of this chapter. However, the conspiracy theorist in me wants to figure out the details of the end of time, who, what where, and especially WHEN? But Jesus just gives us a you'll know it when you see it answer and tells us to keep going and keep spreading the kingdom message. Keep going even when you just don't feel like it. It's that locker room pep talk when you're down by 50 at half time, keep chipping away and we will win in the end, it's going to be ugly, but stick with it. It's the kind of speech that we all need even though we want to figure out if there is a rapture, who's in and who's out, and who is the big baddy antichrist, but Jesus tells us to keep going and keep looking and I'll take care of the rest. So, we keep going and keep spreading the message of God's kingdom until the end.

What I love about this journey of discovery that we are on, is that it forces us to look into our hearts and see that what Jesus is talking about is not just for THOSE people, but for ME! Many times when I have read this chapter, I want to cheer Jesus on, YES! Get those mean Pharisees! But when I look at what he is saying, “They talk a good line, but they don't live it. They don't take it into their hearts and live it out in their behavior. It's all spit-and-polish veneer.” All that I can say is OUCH! I try not to live like that, I do try to take his words into my heart, but if I'm honest with myself, I do this less than I care to admit. It's like a default setting in my brain, the ‘look good on the outside no matter how ugly the inside is' setting. Taking time to let Jesus' words sink in begins that process of rewiring my brain so that my default is the let ‘Jesus change my heart and behavior' setting. It is a daily process and that is exactly why I created this podcast, so that we can take Jesus seriously and allow his words to change our hearts. We are spending time with Jesus so that he can rub off on us and we can be different. No matter where you are on your journey with Jesus, a little tweak each day will add up to a major life change later. We are all in this together, so what spoke to you?

This chapter reminded me of a tennis match between an all-time great and a lesser opponent who is trying to stick with them. The religious leaders are giving Jesus their best shots but continue to have Jesus send it screaming past them. He is a master at debate and is excellent at staying out of a verbal trap. What I am learning here is that following Jesus takes everything that you've got, your heart, soul, mind and strength. Jesus used it all to live his life to the glory of God and we can too. Let's pray… What are you learning from Jesus? Make sure you share in the comments.

There are two things in the first part of this chapter that I have totally missed over the years of reading and studying this passage. First of all, Jesus kicked out the money changers and the those selling animals in order to make room for what should really happen in the temple, healing and worship. I never caught the fact that his actions freed up space for the lame and blind to come in and get healed by Jesus. I have always gotten caught up in the audacity of Jesus to go in and turn over tables and his red faced anger that I missed the point of it, healing and worship. I also never caught the fact that the children who were shouting Hosanna in the streets followed him in worship into the temple. They were running (and we all no that you can't run in church) and praising God. I'm sure that the lame that had just been healed were also running around. This just blows me away and it says something to me, we put up roadblocks to healing and worship unintentionally. We need Jesus to come in and break them down in order to make room for true healing and worship. What are the roadblocks in your life that Jesus needs to knock over?

I want my eyes open and I want to see. As my eyes open, I see this great reversal, the first are last, and real power comes from being a servant. Jesus' cup is a cup of suffering service on the cross and I can see it all more clearly. Jesus touched my eyes and now I can see clearly that in order to live the resurrection life, I have to die to myself. I'm hard to kill, but I know that I'm better off dead to myself so that I can live fully to him. This is a hard truth to come to, but now that my eyes are open, I can see it clearly. What are you seeing from Jesus? Join the conversation in the comment section of the website.

Jesus shows us again what living right side up looks like, the ones who we think are the top of the heap are really at the bottom. The rich are not automatically in God's kingdom because they are rich and children are to be seen and heard. Nice guys don't always finish last in God's kingdom. When we give up things now, we will get even more than that in God's kingdom. These words of Jesus today give me a boost, they are words that I need to hear and to realize that in God's kingdom I have a place and I belong. I can breathe easier and hold my head up a little higher knowing that I belong in God's kingdom. What are you learning from Jesus today? Leave a comment below and join the conversation.

I saw this tweet from Bob Goff today and I thought it fit with today's reading. “Next to grace, I bet God thinks making us need each other was one of His best ideas.” That is exactly what this chapter is about, relational health. God made us for community and Jesus gives us the road map to having healthy and thriving relationships. Everyone can benefit from the lessons that Jesus teaches here. This is where I want you to join the conversation and tell me what you learned from Jesus in this chapter. Either go to the show notes page and scroll to the bottom and type your response or if you are using a podcast platform, click on the podcast episode website link and you will see it at the bottom of the page. Please join me in conversation.