Gratitude Episodes

Jesus warns a crowd about covetousness. Then He tells a story where nothing is coveted. Read it again. No neighbor’s field. No brother’s portion. Nothing stolen. Nothing envied. The rich man deals entirely in what is lawfully his — my fruits, my barns, my goods. If covetousness means wanting what belongs to another man, this parable misses its own point. It doesn’t. You’ve been carrying the wrong definition. A man interrupts Jesus mid-sermon: Master, speak to my brother, that he divide ...

We begin a new series today in Season Five. We are going to walk with God through the bible. It’s a huge endeavor, but the goal is simple. To understand what God wants for mankind and how He actually accomplishes it. We’re not presenting systems or charts. We’re not inventing theology and secret returns to fit a narrative. We are listening and interpreting with the only thing we need, God’s word. You may recognize this as our Berean strategy. Welcome to season 5. It starts right where God start...

I have to admit; this study was a little convicting for me. When Jesus said to the Pharisees you tithe mint and dill and cumin, it blew right past me. I never gave it a second thought. I had this picture in my head of them counting out 10 percent of the leaves of their mint and dill and thought, that's almost comical... Then we notice the widow giving all she had, only 2 small copper coins into the treasury. And that made me think about how I give. I usually wait until the end of the month to s...

Did you miss it? How many times have you wandered through the gospels and noticed all the healings and through about Jesus saving all these people. It is worth going back and reviewing those healings. You'll see the distinction. Healing is not saving. Recall the times when Jesus says to a person "Your faith has saved you". Remember the paralytic where Jesus forgave his sins? He then healed him. Two quite different things. On this day, going back to Jerusalem, Jesus encounters 10 lepers. They al...