This is part 3 of a multi-part series on the book of Mark. Today, we’re in Mark 4:26-29. Now the Kingdom of God is compared to a man scattering seeds on the ground (4:26). The man is clearly not God in this parable because he sleeps and rises and lives out his...
This is part 2 of a multi-part series on the book of Mark. Background Matthew 4:13 says Jesus left Nazareth and settled (or lived) in Capernaum in Galilee. 2:1-12 In this passage Jesus is at home in Capernaum (Mark 2:1), and people are coming to him from all villages...
This is part 1 of a multi-part series on the book of Mark. 1:1 The word gospel was used in the ancient world often for military victories, but the apostles and writers of the Scriptures co-opted it for language of being saved from the enemy’s kingdom into the Kingdom...
This is part 2 of a many-part blog series on the book of Ecclesiastes. Qoheleth (the Collector or Assembler – Solomon) begins chapter 1 with a hypothesis: everything in this life is ultimately hebel (the Hebrew word that is often translated vanity, meaningless,...
This is part 1 in a many-part series on the book of Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes is widely believed to be the most difficult to interpret of all of the Bible, even more so than Revelation. Perhaps the central reason for this difficulty is that the main message of the...
The leaders of OPEN have been discussing building a culture of prayer throughout the network. So, what is a “Culture of Prayer”? I would define culture as a community that embraces the same values and practices. What does that look like? Some see a...
There are few closed doors to doing business. The opportunities are as wide as a man's ingenuity, as deep as his character, and as high as his faith in God.
