Deep-End Discipleship

 “ Don’t go on and on, talking so proudly, spouting arrogance from your mouth, because the Lord is the God who knows, and he weighs every act.” - 1 Samuel 2:3 CEB - What comes from our mouth is so easy to let fly sometimes. The moment a thought comes, it instantly spits out from us. Whether a joke, a blunt truth or even just a raw emotion, the words we say without thinking tend to be the ones that hurt those around us the most. It is easy to rationalize that they are just words, but what we say counts as our actions to God just as much as doing the right thing. In fact, words create life in ourselves and others just as much as they can create death and destruction. We all have some kind of words or messages in our head that lean us towards negative self-thinking. Likewise, we all have moments when friends have spoken loving words to us that have raised our spirits. Each and every word we speak can be a blessing or a curse for those around us. ...

After John was arrested, Jesus came into Galille announcing God's good news, saying, "Now is the time! Here comes God's kingdom! Change your hearts and lives, and trust this good news!" - Mark 1:14-15 (CEB) - I love stories fantasy fiction stories. I love the adventure, the lessons learned, and the incredible creatures. My favorite mythical creature is the Phoenix. The Phoenix is a huge magnificent bird of red, orange, and yellow colors. At the end of their life, they burst into flames and disintegrate into ash. Soon after, the Phoenix is reborn from the ash and begins life again. Even though the Phoenix is mythical, I think it is a symbol that represents a great degree of truth in life. In Mark 1:14-15, we see the beginning of Jesus’ ministry and the end of John the Baptist’s. John prepared the way for Jesus and called people to repent and be baptized. John’s ministry ended by being arrested by Herod and later put to death. Even from this tragic end, t...