Nehemiah 9:32 – “Now, therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love…” Throughout this prayer in Nehemiah 9, considered to be the longest prayer in the Old Testament, God’s character remains in constant sharp focus, quoting God’s self-explanation in Exodus 34:5-7. These verses are referenced more … Read more
Genesis 25:7-8 – These are the days of the years of Abraham’s life, 175 years. Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people. In our day of blended families, we can easily forget that, in the Old Testament, the family dynamics … Read more
Genesis 21:19 – Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. At the behest of his wife, Sarah, Abraham sends his son, Ishmael, and his mistress, Hagar, out into the wilderness once the promised son, Isaac, … Read more
Genesis 21:13 – “And I will make a nation of the son of the slave woman also, because he is your offspring.” Near the turn of the 20th century, a new prize was first awarded called the Nobel Prizes in the area of physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, and peace, as requested by Alfred … Read more
Genesis 20:17 – Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, and also healed his wife and female slaves so that they bore children. In the last devo, we saw in Genesis 20 how Abraham made the same foolish mistake as earlier in the book by, once again, trying to give his wife Sarah away. … Read more
We were made by God to mirror Him. When we do not mirror him, we mirror someone else. This simple fact explains much of our fascination with celebrities, social media, and an increasingly unhealthy, unhappy, and unholy world. Dr. Drew Pinsky is a regular television expert on human addiction, behavior, and culture. Some years ago, … Read more
Genesis 8:20-21a – Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And when the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, the Lord said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, … Read more
Christus Victor From video games to blockbuster movies and bigger than life sporting events, people never grow weary of heroes who rise up to lead their team to victory. Something in us wants to see someone step onto the field of battle to defeat a foe so that everyone on their side of the fight … Read more
In this Real Men talk based in Genesis 1:1-25, Pastor Mark preaches on the idea of God’s blessings woven throughout the book of Genesis, helping us to focus on our own blessings and how we can, in turn, bless others.
Genesis 1:1 – “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” If you stacked up all the books written in the history of the world as a mountain and had to pick a handful to rest as the summit, you’d have to include the book of Genesis. In its pages we encounter God … Read more
James 5:5 – You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. Exactly 160 years ago to the date I preached the sermon this past weekend, Nov. 13, 1861, a man named Rev. M.R. Watkinson wrote a letter that changed history. During the Civil War, … Read more
James 4:4-5 – You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to … Read more