by Michael Sterns | Apr 2, 2020 | General
“And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem…” God is so unexpected, and God shows up in the unexpected. And these times are so unexpected. In the midst of this pandemic, I’ve had the chance and the space to connect with God more than I...
by Brad Blocksom | Mar 30, 2020 | Biblical Studies, New Testament
Mark 15:21-32 Jesus is Crucified Last time Jesus was mocked by the soldiers of Pilate’s battalion. And now they conscript Simon of Cyrene to carry the crossbeam for the severely weakened and exhausted Jesus (v. 21). His sons, Alexander and Rufus, are mentioned...
by Michael Sterns | Mar 25, 2020 | General
A psalm of David. 1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,he leads me beside quiet waters,3 he refreshes my soul.He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.4 Even though I walk through the darkest...
by Brad Blocksom | Mar 16, 2020 | Practical Theology
Dear friends, house church leaders, organic church practitioners, and adherents of the simple church model, I am one of you. I left the Institutional Church (IC) in 2016, and have been on the journey with you of exploring what it means to practice Christianity outside...
by Brad Blocksom | Jan 27, 2020 | Leadership, Missional, Practical Theology, Reviews, Theology
Full disclosure up front: I love Alan Hirsch! He is one of my favorite authors and missional thinkers/leaders. His book, The Forgotten Ways, literally changed my life. But enough about that. In 2017, I walked out of the Missio Alliance conference with an armful of...
by Brad Blocksom | Jan 22, 2020 | Biblical Studies, New Testament
Mark 15:16-20 Jesus is mocked Last time, in the Roman trial of Jesus, Pilate unjustly ordered Jesus to be scourged and crucified. Now Jesus has been handed over to the Pilate’s soldiers. It is interesting to note that the scourging is not described save 4 words...
by Brad Blocksom | Dec 27, 2019 | Biblical Studies, New Testament
Mark 15:1-15 Jesus Before Pilate Mark now shifts the action from Peter’s trial out in the courtyard back inside to the Sanhedrin and Jesus. It is now morning. They bind Jesus and send Him off to Pilate (v. 1), which seems like so much overkill given Jesus’...
by Brad Blocksom | Sep 18, 2019 | Biblical Studies, New Testament
Mark 14:66-72 Peter Denies Jesus Last time we saw Jesus maintain absolute faithfulness throughout His trial before the Sanhedrin inside Caiaphas’ house. Now the action shifts to Peter’s “trial” outside in the courtyard. The two events actually...
by Brad Blocksom | Sep 8, 2019 | Christian Living, Church & Pastoral, General, Healing, Missional, Practical Theology, Prayer, Reviews, Small Groups, The Vineyard Movement, Theology
Disclaimer: Mike Turrigiano is one of my favorite people in the Vineyard movement! Luke Geraty (his co-author) is a friend and kinda my boss here at Think Theology. What follows is my attempt to, none-the-less, provide an impartial, unbiased review of Pastor...
by Brad Blocksom | Aug 7, 2019 | Biblical Studies, New Testament
Mark 14:53-65 Jesus’ Trial before the Sanhedrin The crowd that arrested Jesus now delivers Him to the Sanhedrin (v. 53) from which they were sent on their mission of seizure (v. 43). The fact that the council were called together in the middle of the night for a...
by Robby McAlpine | Aug 5, 2019 | Cultural Engagement, Disciple Making, Discipleship, Evangelicalism, Missional, Practical Theology
We all know what George Orwell said in his famous dystopian novel 1984: “In times of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” The glistening irony of this quote is that Orwell neither said it nor wrote it. People tend to balk at hearing this. The...
by Robby McAlpine | Jul 27, 2019 | Church Life, Discipleship, Evangelism, Forgiveness, General, Healing, Messy Church, Practical Theology
“But one thing I do: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” ~ Philippians 3:13-14 Memory can be a tricky thing. Case in...
by Brad Blocksom | Jul 24, 2019 | Devotionals, Ethics, Practical Theology
Leviticus (p. 151) “If, however, they are poor and cannot afford these they must take one male lamb as a guilt offering to be waved to make atonement for them, together with a tenth of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with olive oil for a grain offering, a log...
by Brad Blocksom | Jul 17, 2019 | Devotionals, Discipleship, Practical Theology
Mark (p. 1782) Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.” (Books)The Books of the Bible, NIV Jesus heals the blind (p. 1782), casts out demons (p. 1781), miraculously multiplies bread to feed thousands, stills storms, and yet the disciples still don’t...
by Michael Sterns | Jul 17, 2019 | General
John 15:4-6 New Living Translation (NLT)Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and...
by Robby McAlpine | Jul 2, 2019 | Cultural Engagement, Messy Church, Missional, Practical Theology, Prayer, Revival
The crackling fire provided a calming soundtrack to their yearly gathering. A log shifted, and a swirl of sparks gusted heavenward, the sizzling sound accented by a choir of crickets in the darkness and the occasional blip of unseen fish breaking the surface of the...
by Brad Blocksom | Jun 20, 2019 | Devotionals, Practical Theology
Mark (p. 1786) “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. (Books*) Jesus took the twelve aside again to remind them of His coming suffering and death...
by Robby McAlpine | May 18, 2019 | Discipleship, Evangelicalism, Practical Theology, Revival
by Kenny Burchard | Apr 25, 2019 | Theological Studies
This post is the result of some reflection I have been doing on insights I have gained from Abbot Jeremy Driscoll in his podcast on Theology at the Eucharistic Table. What follows is a mixture of some of his words and ideas, and some of my own. Since the thoughts are...
by Brad Blocksom | Apr 23, 2019 | Biblical Studies, New Testament
Mark 14:51-52 A Young Man Flees Naked! Most English translations seem to treat these verses as part of the previous passage on the arrest of Jesus. I have chosen to follow the pericope/paragraph divisions of the ESV and treat it separately. For what it’s worth,...
by Brad Blocksom | Mar 30, 2019 | Devotionals, Discipleship, Practical Theology, Prayer
Mark (p. 1791) do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’ ” (Books) Jesus prophesies the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple. The disciples ask ‘when will this happen and what will be the sign?’ Jesus...
by Brad Blocksom | Mar 30, 2019 | Biblical Studies, New Testament
Mark 14:43-50 Jesus is arrested! Last time we saw the disciples fail Jesus during His time of sorrow in the Garden of Gethsemane. That episode ended with Jesus saying, ‘my betrayer is at hand!’ And we pick up here with “immediately, while he was...
by Brad Blocksom | Feb 27, 2019 | Biblical Studies, Biblical Theology, General, New Testament, Scripture
Mark 14:32-42 Failure in the Garden Last time Jesus predicted of the disciples “You will all fall away.” This time we see, at least the beginning, of that failure realized! They have now arrived at the Garden of Gethsemane. And Jesus instructs the...
by Kenny Burchard | Jan 21, 2019 | Hermeneutics
Being a Roman Catholic is, shall we say, a “package deal.” It is hard sometimes (even for life-long Catholics) to know what is optional and what’s mandatory in terms of both beliefs and practices. So, some Catholics, not knowing how to sort it all out, or simply not...
by Kenny Burchard | Jan 19, 2019 | Angels, Ecclesiology, Multiple Views, Theological Studies
In my previous post, I laid out nine ideas that were central to my understanding of Catholic Marian theology when I first began my journey of reconciliation with the Roman Catholic Church. Some of them are, indeed, what is taught by the Catholic Church, some of them...
