Biblical Shakers

  Click on Title for Video Introduction Monday, Mark Chapter 4 Mark 4 Verse 34 Jeanie Boldt  Verse 34:  He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when He was alone with his disciples, He explained everything. THOUGHT Gosh, I could have chosen almost every verse in this chapter. The Lord filled it with many parables about our faith, how it grows, how receptive we will be and what we will do with the information. He used many parables about seeds. I couldn’t help but think of Sierra who planted an apple seed with her Papa Rich and prays that it will grow into an apple tree each and every night when she goes to bed. She has faith that the Lord will hear that prayer and act.  I wonder what Tanya is thinking?  Our faith - Where are we as individual Christians? It was hard to choose one parable that stood out from another so I chose the verse that touched me closer than any other.  Parables are wonderful stories but I would have had to have Jes...

  Click on Title for Video Introduction Monday, Mark Intro Mark Intro Tanya Ruden Mark was written by John Mark. He was a Jew and was not one of the 12 disciples, but he did accompany Paul on his first missionary journey. The book was probably the first Gospel written. The other Gospels quote all but 31 verses of Mark. This book records more miracles than any other Gospel. Mark 10:45 states, “for even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” This is the message of Mark. It was written to encourage Roman Christians and to prove beyond a doubt that Jesus is the Messiah. Mark presents a rapid succession of vivid pictures of Jesus in action-his true identity revealed by what He does, not necessarily by what He says. It is Jesus on the move. Mark takes us directly into Jesus’ public ministry. We see Jesus confronting a demon, healing a leper, and forgiving and healing the paralytic lowered into Jesus’ presence by friends. The bo...

Click on Title for Video Intro Monday, Judges Chapter 19 Judges 19 Delores Little THOUGHT In this chapter we have a Levite who did not follow the laws of God, but did what he wanted. He took a concubine for a wife.  In Lev. 21:7 it says, “They must not marry women defiled by prostitution or divorced from their husbands, because priests are holy to their God.” In Judges 19:2 it says, “But she was unfaithful to him. She left him and went back to her father’s house in Bethlehem, Judah.”  Well this priest isn’t named but he went back and got her and after many days of drinking and partying they left and ended up in Gibeah. An old man took them in, and while they were enjoying themselves, wicked men came and wanted the priest to have sex with him.  Another law was broken.  In Lev 20:13 it says, “If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.”  Can you see...

  Click on title for Video Introduction Monday, Judges Chapter 15 Judges 15 Verse 11b Jeanie Boldt Verse 11b:  He answered, “I merely did to them what they did to me.” THOUGHT  When life is motivated by retaliation, the consequences are usually painful. Responding to Samson’s anger, his intended father-in-law retaliated by giving away Samson’s bride. Then Samson retaliated by burning the Philistines’ harvest, and the Philistines in turn burned the bride and her father. (Gosh, and I thought we lived in some pretty bad times.) Then Samson did terrible things with his strength. Then the men of Judah became frightened and tried to get Samson out of the way. Had Samson been a spiritual man, and not just a fighter, he could have led them forth to a victory, but he preferred to work alone and not as the leader of a crusade for his people. He wanted to again take all the credit. And can you imagine complaining to the Lord then because he had no water? Do you have anyone or anythi...

  Click on Title for Video Introduction Monday, Judges Chapter 10 Judges 10  Verses 1-5 Tanya Ruden Verses 1-5 THOUGHT In five verses we read about 2 men who judged Israel for a total of 45 years and yet all we know about them besides this point is they had 30 sons who rode 30 donkeys. I know we have talked about this several times before in these devotions about our legacy, etc., but I felt called to talk about it one more time.  Do you think nothing was written about them because there was nothing nice to say about them (you know the old saying - if you can’t say anything nice don’t say anything at all.)?  Or do you think they kept to themselves and did their job, but didn’t do anything spectacular at their job and failed to make a lasting impression on anyone so there was nothing to write? Or was it just in God’s plan they weren’t spoken about because God needed to teach the coming lesson?  I am not sure, but if it was one of the first two reasons, I pra...