you asked for it: book slice

Anonymous (hey, it's you again - did you like my last post?) asked, "how about a slice from your book? never did pick it up and am dying to read a bit of it."

For those playing along at home, the books is called "Miracles Of Jesus" and can be purchased here via the nice folks at Sonlife. They're still keeping me working these days, too... just finished another I'm pretty stoked about.

Here's a pre-edited slice (meaning, it looks a lot nicer and reads better after I submitted it).

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"Baby Steps"

The Eternal:

When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there. As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went--into villages, towns or countryside--they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed. (Mark 6:53-56)

The Past:

Although Jesus had often asked others he’d healed to keep quiet about it, the word had spread that he could perform miracles. In this particular Scripture an endless number of people who’d heard the stories about the Lord brought their sick friends and family with the anticipation that he could change them.

Interestingly, Christ didn’t require the crowds to first listen to him give a message in order to receive care for such concerns. Rather, he honored their desperate faith and allowed even the corners of his cloak to impart the cures they craved.

Sometimes people who are far from God will only seek him out in a time of crisis, desiring him to fix the pain in their lives or the lives of those around them. It can become easy for us to judge or look down on them for trying to take advantage of what Jesus offers instead of receiving him for who he is. Nonetheless, this Bible passage illustrates how the Savior regularly welcomes such people without any strings attached and often honors the hope they place in him. Ironically, this openness to brokenness as well as a sense of expectancy in his power is often hard to find in Christians. If we are to walk in the footsteps of the Savior more we must welcome whomever comes to him irregardless of the reason, perhaps allowing their conviction to get closer to him to spur us on to do the same.

The Present:

What experience in your life or a friend’s life does this remind you of?

- My life:


- A friend’s life:

The Future:

Imagine that you were a journalist covering these events as they happened. What would your headline be? How would the first paragraph of your story read?

This passage records numerous people being healed all throughout a particular region. In what specific ways would that area look, feel, and sound different the next day? In other words, how might such a massive miracle affect the practical components of everyday living?

It’s easy to look at the different ways other people might be taking advantage of the Lord. Take the time, though, to quickly inventory any areas that you may be doing just that. Consider how the Lord has blessed you in the following areas and spend a moment to write out a praise of thanks for his provision:

• The place I live:


• The family around me:


• The friends I’ve made:


• The church I gather with:


• The education I’ve received:


• The God who loves me unconditionally: