Deep-End Discipleship

Peter said, “I really am learning that God doesn’t show partiality to one group of people over another. Rather, in every nation, whoever worships him and does what is right is acceptable to him.” - Acts 10:34-35 CEB – When my brother and I were kids, our parents had us on a routine for each day of the week. For instance, on Sundays we would go to Sunday School, attend service, go to lunch, come home, take a nap, and then have some kind of family game or activity. We all enjoyed this routine because we all love naps.   So we were shocked one day when we got home from Sunday lunch and our parents saw us going to our rooms and said, “What are you doing!? Get back in the car!” We were very perplexed children as we rode into the city and parked next to the Fabulous Fox Theater for a musical in Atlanta. We were shocked and thrilled. Peter received a shock from God in the book of Acts. Through dreams from God, Peter learned that the Gospel was not only for Jews, but for t...

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...