Author: Norm

THE STORY OF JESUS: Proverbs 19 “If you help the poor, you are lending to the Lord — and he will repay you!” (Proverbs 19:17) The people around me are a reflection of God, His image-bearers (James 3:9-10). How we treat people is how we treat the Lord, by extension. “Whatever you did for one of the least…

THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 8:31-33 “He rebuked Peter. ‘Get behind me, Satan!’” (Mark 8:33) God has a purpose for my life and gives me what I need to fulfill that purpose. Satan will use whatever – even people close to you – to hinder God’s purpose. Peter was not intentionally speaking for Satan. But he was…

THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 8:27-30 “‘Who do you say I am?’ Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah.’” (Mark 8:29) God had promised for centuries that a Messiah (Lord , Saviour) would come. I can say that for myself, Jesus is my Lord and Saviour. He is my constant Friend, Guide, Leader, Helper, in very real, very…

THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 8:22-26 “Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes.” (Mark 8:25) Curious, why did this healing need to be a two stage process? We can only guess; my guess is that there was a reason unique to this man. We also know that similar things happen today. Some people are…

THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 8:14-21 “Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear?” (Mark 8:18) Once again, stated in several ways, Jesus is challenging them to think. He warned them about the ‘yeast’ of the Pharisees and Herod. They thought He meant physical bread, which they forgot to bring. We…

THE STORY OF JESUS: Psalm 129 “May all who hate Zion be turned back in shame.” (Psalm 129:5) For the Jews, the hill called Zion symbolized all God’s promises. Not only their capitol, it was the city of David their king. And the location of their temple, where God lived with them. To hate Zion is to…

THE STORY OF JESUS: Proverbs 18 “The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint.” (Proverbs 17:27) Do we realize how penetrating words can be, how they can heal or hurt? As one who uses words for a living, I sometimes forget this. How many people have been blessed by my words without my knowing it? But…

THE STORY OF JESUS: Proverbs 16 “All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord.” (Proverbs 16:2) Just because I think I’m right (short for ‘righteous’), doesn’t mean I am. Paul thought he was faultless (Philippians 3:4-6), until he met Jesus. Then he realized thinking he was right didn’t make him innocent…

THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 8:1-10 “The people ate and were satisfied. About four thousand were present.” (Mark 8:8-9) Is this just another version of the one time Jesus fed the crowds? Or did Jesus feed large groups on several occasions. If He did it more than once, why would they be surprised the second time? Good…

THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 7:31-37 “Jesus put his fingers in the man’s ears, spit and touched the man’s tongue.” (Mark 7:33) I don’t know: this what I say when asked, ‘why finger in ear and spit in mouth?’ Aside from being weird and gross, it was also effective, it worked. Maybe Jesus had a reason for…