Posts with the category “the-beautiful-upset”

The Victory We Couldn’t ImagineINTRODUCTIONThe following is a guide to help facilitate discussion between you and the person you’re studying with or with your Connect Group. Feel free to add, subtract, or change questions to fit the conversation, and pray for the Spirit to lead in all things.OPENING QUESTIONWhat is something you used to believe that has changed or you no longer believe? Think as f...  Read More

THE MESSAGE THAT REWRITES EVERYTHINGMark 16:6-8 (NLT) "The angel said, 'Don't be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He isn't here! He is risen from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body. Now go and tell his disciples, including Peter, that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you before he died.' The women fled f...  Read More

THE WOMEN WHO WOULDN'T STOPMark 16:1-5 (NLT) "Saturday evening, when the Sabbath ended, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome went out and purchased burial spices so they could anoint Jesus' body. Very early on Sunday morning, just at sunrise, they went to the tomb... As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a white robe sitting on the right side. The women were sho...  Read More

THE WOMEN WHO STAYEDMark 15:42-47 (NLT) "This all happened on Friday, the day of preparation, the day before the Sabbath. As evening approached, Joseph of Arimathea took a risk and went to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body... Meanwhile, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph were watching and saw where his body was laid."Here's something you might have missed in the chaos of the crucifixion: ...  Read More

THE BREATH THAT CHANGES HISTORYMark 15:37-39 (NLT) "Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. When the Roman officer who stood facing him saw how he had died, he exclaimed, 'This man truly was the Son of God!'"Death is usually quiet. The movies get this wrong, people don't die with dramatic speeche...  Read More

THE DARKNESS THAT COVERS EVERYTHINGMark 15:33-34 (NLT) "At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o'clock. Then at three o'clock Jesus called out with a loud voice, 'Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?' which means 'My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?'" Darkness at noon is wrong in a way that makes your skin crawl. The sun should be at its brightest, shadows should be short and sha...  Read More

The Weight We Cannot CarryINTRODUCTIONThe following is a guide to help facilitate discussion between you and the person you’re studying with or with your Connect Group. Feel free to add, subtract, or change questions to fit the conversation, and pray for the Spirit to lead in all things.OPENING QUESTIONHave you ever been in a place that you strongly felt the presence of God or a deep sense of holi...  Read More

THE LOVE THAT OUTLIVES OUR FAILUREMark 14:47–50 (NLT) “Then all his disciples deserted him and ran away.”There’s a moment in the Gospels that can feel almost too human to sit with: the disciples, every last one, run. Not just Judas with his kiss, not just Peter with his sword, but all of them. The whole community Jesus poured Himself into slinks away into the dark. If you’ve ever loved people who ...  Read More

THE KISS THAT BREAKS THE HEARTMark 14:43–46 (NLT) “As Jesus was speaking, Judas appeared… Judas had given them a prearranged signal: ‘You will know which one to arrest when I greet him with a kiss.’”A kiss is never just a kiss, not in Scripture, not in the ancient world, and honestly not in ours. In the first century, a kiss could communicate deep loyalty. Disciples kissed rabbis as a sign of resp...  Read More

THE FAILURE JESUS DOESN’T HOLD AGAINST YOUMark 14:37–42 (NLT) “Then he returned and found the disciples asleep. He said to Peter, ‘Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour?’”There’s something painfully honest about this moment in Gethsemane. Jesus doesn’t ask His disciples to cast out demons or preach a sermon or perform some heroic act. He asks them to stay awake and be present with Him, but they...  Read More

THE PRAYER WE KNOW BUT RESISTMark 14:35–36 (NLT) “‘Abba, Father,’ he cried out, ‘everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.’”This is the prayer most of us know by heart but struggle to pray with honesty: “Your will be done.” Sometimes praying can feel like gravel in the mouth, hard and uncomfortable. It’s easy to pray ...  Read More

THE WEIGHT OF SAYING YESMark 14:32–35 (NLT) “He took Peter, James, and John, and he became deeply troubled and distressed. He told them, ‘My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death.’”Before Jesus ever carries the cross, He carries the weight of choice. Gethsemane is where the real surrender happens, not on Golgotha, but here, in a quiet garden, late at night, when no one is watching.I thi...  Read More

The Entrance We Didn’t See ComingINTRODUCTIONThe following is a guide to help facilitate discussion between you and the person you’re studying with or with your Connect Group. Feel free to add, subtract, or change questions to fit the conversation, and pray for the Spirit to lead in all things.OPENING QUESTIONHave you ever met someone famous? A musician, an athlete, an actor, an author? What was i...  Read More

THE ROOT WORK OF PRAYERMark 11:20–25 (NLT)“The next morning as they passed by the fig tree he had cursed, the disciples noticed it had withered from the roots.”If you sit with this passage long enough, one phrase rises to the surface: from the roots. Mark could have said the tree died. He could have said it withered. But he adds that small detail, roots first. Underground first. The hidden place f...  Read More

THE TABLES THAT STILL NEED TURNINGMark 11:15–19 (NLT) “Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people buying and selling animals for sacrifices… ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.’”There’s a historic church on the East Coast with a front entrance that looks like something out of a postcard, broad marble steps, arc...  Read More

THE TREE WITH PROMISE BUT NO LIFEMark 11:12–14 (NLT) “He noticed a fig tree in full leaf a little way off… but there were only leaves because it was too early in the season for fruit. Then Jesus said to the tree, ‘May no one ever eat your fruit again!’”I remember the night we landed in Rome—9:37 p.m., jet-lagged, starving, wandering the streets looking for anything open. We found a family-run rest...  Read More

THE KING WHO DISAPPOINTS OUR EXPECTATIONSMark 11:7–11 (NLT)“Jesus came to Jerusalem and went into the Temple. After looking around carefully at everything, he left because it was late in the afternoon. Then he returned to Bethany with the twelve disciples.”At this point in the story the crowd has rolled out a red carpet of cloaks and palm branches. They’re shouting “Hosanna!” expecting Jesus to st...  Read More

THE DONKEY THAT CHANGES EVERYTHINGMark 11:1–6 (NLT) “Jesus sent two of them on ahead. ‘Go into the village over there,’ he told them… ‘The Lord needs it and will return it soon.’ The two disciples left and found the colt standing in the street, tied outside the front door.”There's a hotel in Monte Carlo where rooms cost more per night than most family vacations. When you arrive, your transportatio...  Read More

The Greatness We Can’t GraspINTRODUCTIONThe following is a guide to help facilitate discussion between you and the person you’re studying with or with your Connect Group. Feel free to add, subtract, or change questions to fit the conversation, and pray for the Spirit to lead in all things.OPENING QUESTIONShare with your group about a person in your life that showed you a picture of Jesus by how th...  Read More

THE TOWEL OVER THE CROWNMark 10:43–45 (NLT) “Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant… For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”’When Jesus redefines greatness for His disciples, He doesn’t condemn the desire to lead, He simply redirects it. He turns leadership inside out, making servanthood the measure of true ...  Read More

THE WAY OF THE WORLDMark 10:41–43 (NLT)“When the ten other disciples heard what James and John had asked, they were indignant. So Jesus called them together and said, ‘You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people… But among you it will be different.”A few years ago, I was sitting in a meeting with a group of leaders, VPs, directors, deans, the kind of room where titles arrive b...  Read More

CAN YOU DRINK THE CUP?Mark 10:38–40 (NLT) “But Jesus said to them, ‘You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink?’ ‘Oh yes,’ they replied, ‘we are able!’”When James and John ask for the seats of honor, Jesus doesn’t shame them—He simply tells them they don’t yet understand what greatness costs. They imagine glory; Jesus is talking a...  Read More

THE REQUESTMark 10:35–37 (NLT) “Then James and John… said, ‘Teacher, we want you to do us a favor… When you sit on your glorious throne, we want to sit in places of honor next to you.’”A friend once told me a story about one of those moments where a person says something perfectly reasonable at a spectacularly unreasonable time. His extended family had gathered at the hospital after their grandmot...  Read More

WALKING TOWARD DEATHMark 10:32–34 (NLT) “They were now on the way up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. The disciples were filled with awe, and the people following behind were overwhelmed with fear. Taking the twelve disciples aside, Jesus once more began to describe everything that was about to happen to him…”If you slow down long enough to picture this scene, one detail refuses ...  Read More

The Glory WE Can’t Hold OntoINTRODUCTIONThe following is a guide to help facilitate discussion between you and the person you’re studying with or with your Connect Group. Feel free to add, subtract, or change questions to fit the conversation, and pray for the Spirit to lead in all things.OPENING QUESTIONThink back to a spiritual experience you’ve had in your life that you would call a “mountain-t...  Read More

PRAYER AND POWERMark 9:25–29 (NLT) “Afterward, when Jesus was alone in the house with His disciples, they asked Him, ‘Why couldn’t we cast out that evil spirit?’ Jesus replied, ‘This kind can be cast out only by prayer.’”The week my daughter turned two, she became a tiny tornado. The terrible twos didn’t ease in, they slammed into our home like a storm front. I remember turning to my wife and sayi...  Read More

HELP MY UNBELIEF!Mark 9:20–24 (NLT) “The father instantly cried out, ‘I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!’”There may be no prayer more honest, or more relatable, in the entire Bible. The boy's father is exhausted. Years of watching his son suffer. Years of disappointment. Years of praying without answers. His faith isn't polished; it's patched together from hope and heartbreak. When Je...  Read More

THE VALLEY OF FAILUREMark 9:14–19 (NLT) “When they returned to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd… Some teachers of religious law were arguing… One man spoke up and said, ‘Teacher, I brought my son… but your disciples couldn’t cast out the evil spirit.’ Jesus said… ‘How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.’”The valley is where our faith feels thin...  Read More

THE MOUNTAIN OF GLORYMark 9:2–8 (NLT) “Six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up a high mountain to be alone. As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed, and his clothes became dazzling white… Then Elijah and Moses appeared and began talking with Jesus… a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my dearly loved Son. Listen to him.’ Sudde...  Read More

THE MOUNTAIN OF GLORYMark 9:2–8 (NLT) “Six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up a high mountain to be alone. As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed, and his clothes became dazzling white… Then Elijah and Moses appeared and began talking with Jesus… a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my dearly loved Son. Listen to him.’ Sudde...  Read More

The Confession We Don’t UnderstandINTRODUCTION The following is a guide to help facilitate discussion between you and the person you’re studying with or with your Connect Group. Feel free to add, subtract, or change questions to fit the conversation, and pray for the Spirit to lead in all things.OPENING QUESTION When did you first begin to believe that Jesus truly is your Lord? Was it at your bapt...  Read More

THE SILENCE THAT SPEAKSMark 8:30 (NLT) "Then Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him."This is one of the most puzzling verses in the Gospels. Peter just gave the right answer to the most important question ever asked, and Jesus tells him to keep quiet about it.Imagine you're in a classroom. You've been studying for weeks, flash cards, practice problems, late-night cramming. The teacher fina...  Read More

THE UNEXPECTED ANSWER Mark 8:27-29 (NLT) "Jesus and his disciples left Galilee and went up to the villages near Caesarea Philippi. As they were walking along, he asked them, 'Who do people say I am?' 'Well,' they replied, 'some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say you are one of the other prophets.' Then he asked them, 'But who do you say I am?' Peter replied, 'You are the Messiah...  Read More

THE COST OF FOLLOWINGMark 8:34-38 (NLT) "Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, 'If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole wor...  Read More

THE MESSIAH WE DIDN'T EXPECTMark 8:31-33 (NLT) "Then Jesus began to tell them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but three days later he would rise from the dead. As he talked about this openly, Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. But Jesus turned an...  Read More

THE QUESTION THAT CHANGES EVERYTHINGMark 8:27-30 (NLT) "Jesus and his disciples left Galilee and went up to the villages near Caesarea Philippi. As they were walking along, he asked them, 'Who do people say I am?' 'Well,' they replied, 'some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say you are one of the other prophets.' Then he asked them, 'But who do you say I am?' Peter replied, 'You a...  Read More

We're starting in the middle of Mark's Gospel, which, I admit, seems a little odd, but it is intentional. By the time we reach Mark 8, Jesus has been teaching, healing, and confusing people for months. The crowds have been following Him, the religious leaders have been questioning Him, and His disciples have been trying to figure out who He really is.It’s at this point that Jesus stops being evasi...  Read More