Praying in Community
Our small group always ended with prayer but our leader felt we needed to go deeper so she suggested that each person pray a sentence prayer…
Iron Sharpens Iron
To experience the full impact of commitment to doing life in community with a small group of Christians requires an equal commitment to vulnerability and a willingness to…
Sharing All Things
In our Today’s Treasure verse we see a practical application of the power of Christian community. In response to the teaching of the Word, early Christians committed…
Good and Pleasant Unity
David wrote Psalm 133, a song sung by the Israelites when they were on pilgrimage to Jerusalem. David knew the agony of division and conflict in…
Two Are Better Than One
When God said it was not good for Adam to be alone, He wasn’t just talking about the beauty of marriage between a man and woman. In those few words, God states that…
Loneliness Has Purpose
Aloneness created a need in Adam for another person. So God created Eve. Note that Adam’s loneliness was not an “oops moment” for God. Creating Eve was…
A Pilgrimage Fueled by Hope ~ Week 4
When Susan’s husband announced another promotion that required another move, her thoughts quickly jumped to grief over losing her circle of friends coupled with…
Praying in Desolate Places
How was your week? What does next week look like? Are people pressing in on you to meet their needs? Did your boss task you with…
Dependence That Feeds Me
Jesus models for us how to depend on God the way a child depends on his or her father. We see Him rising early to pray before choosing…
I Do Not Speak on My Own
A friend’s daughter told her she no longer believed in God. Her precious daughter wanted out of her marriage, saying her husband refused to love her…
I Can Do Nothing on My Own
About a year after our son Mark’s death I continued to wrestle with how to reconcile God’s love with His sovereignty. Though the words on the pages of…
Rising Early in the Morning
The first chapter of Mark in the Bible describes an incredible pouring out of emotional, physical and spiritual energy from the life of Jesus. He chose…
Praying All Night
Shortly after the death of our son, our five-year-old niece asked her mother why she should pray, because everyone she prayed for died. Wondering the…
A Pilgrimage Fueled by Hope ~ Week 3
Susan’s frantic phone call to my husband Chuck terrified us. She didn’t know what to do for her husband, John, who gasped for air in the…
A Mighty Ocean of Love
How does the love of Jesus drive your mission statement? The board and team that run MARKINC Ministries, a non-profit that we started after…
The Deep, Deep Love of Jesus
When our sons asked me what songs I wanted sung at Mark’s memorial service, I didn’t hesitate to ask for O, the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus. Though we wanted to…
Singing at Midnight
Paul and Silas died to self when they sang at midnight. They didn’t just sing, they sang loudly! They sang so loud that the other prisoners heard them. I often smile thinking about how…
Will You Sing at Midnight?
Throughout Scripture, we have stories of people faced with circumstances that crushed their plans and their dreams. Many were walking by faith, doing exactly what…
The Risk of a Mission Statement
Someone has said: I find it fascinating that most people plan their vacation with better care than they do their lives. Perhaps that is…
What Do You Do When You Don’t Know What to Do?
Last week we took a glimpse into the life of the Proverbs 31 “virtuous woman” and recognized that Lemuel’s mother used military terms to describe the…