Journey Church - Chattanooga

Contemplative, listening, silent prayer has been a cornerstone of many serious followers of Jesus. Though seen as controversial by those who believe prayer should be a type of structured homily, opening yourself in a profound way to hear from God and be at peace with a quiet surrounding has been practiced by some of our greatest heroes in the Old and New Testaments. The Bible is our fence to ensure our thoughts don't run away with us but having unstructured silent time to remove all distractions without the expectation of reciting a prayer can have a profound effect on your prayer life. If you have never considered contemplative prayer, this is great introduction to something new (and very old) that may change you and the world around you.

The power of the practice of prayer has been documented for thousands of years to change the pray-er and the world around them. Science tells us that the brain literally changes when we have a regular practice of prayer and meditation. In fact all major religions of the world practice this in one way or another. Are they all crazy or have humans always known that our bodies are connected to God in a tangible way? When we understand how God has created us to commune with him, Paul's teaching about praying without ceasing makes much more practical sense. What would it look like for you to take tangible steps to start this practice in your own life?

When Jesus set out to teach his disciples how to pray, he wasn't just teaching them to words to say. He was reinforcing a repetitive and vocal practice that neuroscientists tell us actually reshapes the ways our minds work and how we interact with the world. In religious circles, we often think of prayer as telling God what we would like to see happen to better the world, or more often, to rescue us from bad things happening to us or people we care about. But what if this practice actually changes our minds more into his image where the words matter, but the practice matters more? Current science is fascinating in how meditation and prayer changes our thought patterns, brain waves, neurotransmitters, and even changing the parts of our brains that light up on an MRI. What if God not only breathed life into humanity as the writer of Genesis tells us? What if he also created an opportunity to have communion with him that is written within our very DNA and the practices that he teaches us and have been practiced

The Kingdom of God is, in many ways, an upside down kingdom. Jesus shows us over and over that following him is counter to most of the ways we think of living our own lives. In Mark Chapter 10, a wealthy young man asks a question we all want the answer to in religious circles...how do I inherit eternal life? Jesus's response was chilling. He said your wealth is keeping you from true wealth in the Kingdom. Not because money was evil, but because his money represented his identity, his status, and his idea of what a good life was. Instead, he told him to sell everything that he had and he could experience the kingdom fully. Maybe money isn't the thing for us, maybe it's something else. What is keeping you from eternal life?

Jesus was often reaching out to people that have been left behind by the prevalent culture of the day. He begins the chapter with a targeted teaching on marriage, divorce and treating women equally; a particularly subversive teaching in a time and place where women resembled property in a marriage instead of a help-mate. He then talks about some of the most vulnerable people in a community through the lens of children. The Kingdom of God is for such as these. "The Gospel of Mark: Like a Child" is now available!

In Mark 10, Jesus is asked about his belief about divorce in the backyard of Herod. If he agreed with John the Baptist, he could meet the same fate. If he didn't agree, he would be validating an oppressive view of marriage relationships between men and women. This passage is certainly about divorce, but its really more about love, marriage and a faithful and compassionate God. "The Gospel of Mark: Love and Marriage (and Divorce) is now available!

We often read the Bible and think that it was written to most simply and clearly explain what it means to know God and experience heaven. However, that’s not how the Bible is written. Jesus himself said that his teachings, especially in the parables, were meant to be mysteries to everyone except those who had ears to hear and eyes to see. In part 31 of The Gospel of Mark, we have an interesting conversation with Jesus and his disciples where he addresses sin and says that it is better to cut off a hand, a foot or pluck out an eye than allow them to cause us to sin. Pretty simple, right? Or maybe not. What is Jesus really getting at here? It’s a struggle we all have and it has more to do with how we see the world rather than removing body parts.

In the second half of the Gospel of Mark, Jesus begins describing the kind of King he will be and the kind of Kingdom he is bringing. The disciples continued to struggle to understand the self-giving and others-focused nature of the Kingdom of God. They even argued who would be the greatest among them. Jesus shows them that putting the needs of others above their own is where this is all going. The first will be last and the last will be first.

After the Transfiguration of Jesus, Jesus would return to the rest of his disciples with Peter, James and John to a discouraging scene…his disciples arguing with some Scribes. They couldn’t heal a boy. Jesus asked the father if he believed and in an honest and transparent and desperate moment, he said “Help my unbelief”. If we are honest, this is one of our struggles as well. Are you in a moment where belief is just hard? You are in good company.

The transfiguration of Jesus is a turning point for Peter, James and John to understand the divinity of Jesus more fully. However, Jesus wasn’t exactly the kind of Messiah they were hoping for. After an extraordinary experience with Moses and Elijah, Jesus would describe what was going to happen next. Accepting Jesus means we will likely struggle to wrap our heads and lives around his mission and how to follow him. This was a turning point and the disciples will have to choose whether to keep following or not. We must make the same decision, today.

The fist half of the Gospel of Mark is somewhat of a defense of the divinity of Jesus as the promised Messiah. It reaches a climax before starting part 2 by asking Peter, “Who do you say I am”. It’s a question that every person must answer for themselves. We don’t always get everything right, but we have to get this right. Who do you say Jesus is?

Jesus's second mass feeding was a group of 4000 gentiles in the Decapolis. It demonstrated his significant outreach to non-Jews with teachings about the Kingdom. After, the disciples struggled to believe they could be fed even after witnessing such a great miracle. The lesson, Jesus said, was to be careful we aren't distracted by the leaven of the Pharisees, or the distractions of a non-faithful world. What types of leaven are distracting us from experience the Kingdom ourselves?

Many Christians believe that Jesus only shared the gospel with Israel and Paul would take the gospel to the Gentiles. Instead we see Jesus going to the Gentiles time and again to minister, perform miracles, and share the Kingdom of God. He truly does all things well. "The Gospel of Mark: All Things Well" is now available!

Sabbath is meant to be a time each week that we stop, we rest, we delight in the world, in God and each other. It's also a time each week to draw close to God, bend towards him, recognize he is good and that he wants good for you. "Sabbath: Worship" is now available!

God intended for life to be very good but we often face a world that seems bent on making life difficult in addition to our own personal struggles. The Sabbath wasn't meant to be a test of obedience. It was meant to be a time to rest, enjoy life, realize that the world doesn't rest on our shoulders to keep spinning and that life is meant to be enjoyed with God. In addition to stopping and resting, we were meant to delight in life, each other and God. Have you considered incorporating a Sabbath into your weekly rhythm? "Sabbath: Delight" is now available!

We are not made to work non-stop. We were made to contribute to the needs of the community for part of our week, but we were also made to rest, enjoy life and realize the life is good, God is Good and we are good. The distractions of our lives often take this basic joy from us as we continue the never ending desire to have more. What if you have enough? "The Practice of Sabbath: Rest" is now available!

The idea of the Sabbath in the Christian tradition reaches all the way back to the beginning of the story in Genesis Chapter 2. As we trace it's impact on the life of Israel, we begin to see that the need to STOP and REST is not a time to prepare for more work. Instead the Sabbath was meant to be the point of living. We don't rest so that we can work more, we work so that we can Sabbath each week and remember that life is good, we are good, and God is good. First, though we must become comfortable with stopping at least 1 day per week. "The Practice of Sabbath: Stop" is now available!

The story of Jesus walking on water is not just a story about an amazing ability not to sink, it's pointing back to the stories of the Old Testament where God is revealing himself to us. We call this a Theophany. In what ways might God be revealing himself to you when you least expect it? "The Gospel of Mark: Theophany" is now available!

The story of Jesus feeding the 5000 is a fascinating story of Jesus's power and compassion, but is that the message that Jesus was trying to send? How exactly would a 1st Century Jew understand this message/event? Not likely how you and I would. "The Gospel of Mark: Heads Roll and People Fed...something" is now available!

Mark, Chapter 6 begins to take a turn in the apprenticeship of Jesus's disciples. Bringing freedom to captives, sight to the blind, food to the hungry and life to those who have been asleep is exciting and feels good. The disciples go out to practice what they learn, but one of their Rabbis, John the Baptist suffers. "The Gospel of Mark: The Kingdom Grows During the Good and the Bad" with special guest Becker Bullard from Impact Campus Ministries is now available.