Leprosy is and has always been a terrible disease. Today it can be treated with a series of antibiotics. We know the cause, we know the treatments, and we know that it is not nearly as contagious as was feared until somewhat recently. Unfortunately, there are still many people in the world who contract leprosy and are unable to gain access to the necessary treatments. And this is the result:

One of the main symptoms of leprosy is the loss of sensation in the hands and feet. Nerve endings in the skin become numb to all sensations – including pain. Thus, a scratch, prick, or burn can go unnoticed for quite some time – which leads to infection. If these infections go untreated, which is as likely in undeveloped nations today as it was in ancient Israel, then fingers, toes, and entire limbs may need to be amputated. The untreated disease will eventually cause the infected person a slow, miserable death as his organs gradually succumb to infection and shut down.

Under the Law of Moses, persons with such skin infections were commanded to be cut off from the rest of society. They were ceremonially unclean and were forced to live alone outside the city (Leviticus 13:45-46). There was no hope. There was nothing anyone could do.

Until Jesus of Nazareth came along, healing people and driving out demons.

In Mark 1:40, a man with leprosy came to Jesus. A leper was forbidden to approach those who were clean under penalty of death. In fact, they had to yell out, “Unclean!” so that people could keep their distance. This man approached Jesus unannounced – risking death.

We don’t know much about this man. But can you imagine? He might have had to leave his wife and children without ever getting to hug them and kiss them good-bye. He couldn’t work. He had no social life. He was cut off from the synagogue, so he couldn’t even worship God or go to the Temple to offer sacrifices. He might not have felt the touch of another human being in years! He was probably disfigured, unable to stand straight. Missing a few fingers and toes. Oozing, bleeding sores all over his body.

This really was his one last shot.

“If you are willing, you can make me clean.” What faith! He had never met Jesus. Up to this point Jesus had never healed anyone with leprosy. But this man knew without a doubt that Jesus was his one chance. He had full confidence that Jesus could heal him. The only question was – would He? Would Jesus dare get involved with this guy?

Jesus is willing. He says the words, “Be clean,” and the leprosy immediately left the man. That would be an awesome end to the story right there. Except we’re given this detail: Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man.

Jesus does the unthinkable. He touches a leper! That was considered a death sentence in His day. Anyone who touched something/someone unclean became themselves unclean. Why would he do that? There are other times when he heals lepers just by saying the word – no physical contact needed (Luke 17:11-14).

This is just the first time we see Jesus do this throughout Mark’s gospel. He meets peoples’ needs – not just their physical needs but their spiritual and emotional needs, too. Jesus could have just said the words and this man would have been healed. But this man needed more. He needed the loving contact of another human being. Jesus’ touch was a touch of compassion and love. There is power in human touch beyond that of Jesus’ physical healing. This was an emotional healing, too.

Jesus touched the untouchable. He took this man’s uncleanness upon Himself. He leveled the playing field and came down to that man’s level. That’s what this man needed. And it’s what you and I need on a daily basis.

The gospel of Mark is definitely in my top 4 books about Jesus. Get it?

But seriously, Mark is such an interesting take on Jesus’ life. From the very beginning we see Jesus going, doing, teaching, healing, driving out demons, and gathering a massive following. Mark loves the word “immediately.” It’s just one thing after another.

To the Roman reader, this would have been business as usual. Romans were pretty much workaholics. Sun up to sun down, seven days a week, except for certain holidays and festivals. Time off was rare. If you didn’t work, you didn’t eat. It was dog-eat-dog. So it makes sense why Mark would portray Jesus as a man of action. Always on the go. Always with things to do, places to go, and people to see. A fully booked schedule.

And it’s right in the middle of it all that we see Jesus doing something out of the ordinary. He took time to REST. Not just sleeping in on a Saturday or lounging on the couch watching football all afternoon kind of rest. But this was a truly rejuvenating rest. It was a chance for him to escape the crowds and focus on the one relationship that really matters – his relationship with God.

Mark tells us that Jesus went out early in the morning even before the sun came up. He found a solitary place and prayed. He disconnected. He unplugged. He logged off. He silenced all the distractions around him and focused.

How many of us need that today? Across the board, Americans are the most overworked people of all the developed nations. We work the longest days with the least time off. Add to that the constant beeping, buzzing, and dinging of our devices trying to pull our already stretched attention in just one more direction. We have to drop everything we’re doing and respond to that text, that email, that phone call. Because if we don’t, others will think they aren’t important to you! We feel guilty for ignoring someone who isn’t even taking the time to talk with you in person.

With all our busy-ness, our relationships are suffering. Family and friends are placed second to work, and God is LUCKY if he gets a whole hour out of an entire week!

Things haven’t changed much since Jesus’ day. This is evident in the words of Jesus’ disciples when they finally track him down (How did they ever survive without cell phones?). When they find him, they are upset that he has been ignoring them and everyone else: “Everyone is looking for you!”

It’s so easy for us to feel guilty for wanting to take some time to ourselves. But if Jesus needed that time, then how much more do we?!

Take a deep breath, and then press the power button. Close your “Windows,” log off, sign out, and unplug. But not just for yourself. Do this so that you can connect to God, be plugged in to His Spirit, and zoom in on His Word.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32545640

Welcome to the beautiful Judean Wilderness! It stretches for many miles out from the Dead Sea. There is little to no vegetation – a few small plants are all you see in this picture. And this desert is not covered in sand – it’s covered in rocks. Not boulders, but not exactly pebbles. The ground is littered with rocks about the size of a loaf of bread. Just big enough to twist your ankle if you are not careful.

This desolate wasteland is where David fled on multiple occasions. On one such getaway, David and his army are on the run from David’s own son, Absalom, whose name ironically means “Father of Peace.” Absalom had politicked his way to the top, going behind his father’s back to gain a following in Israel. After four years, Absalom amassed an army, marched into Jerusalem, and usurped his father’s throne. David and his armies escaped just in time, and fled to the Judean wilderness, along the Jordan River just north of the Dead Sea.

And it’s here in this wasteland, on the run, in hiding from his own son, fearing for his life, and suffering from dehydration, he pens the words of Psalm 63:

O God, how awesome it is to call you
My God!
Though I have you, I want more
Though you are mine already, I will pursue you
Even to the ends of the earth
My soul is parched
My body aches
As I wander through this spiritual wasteland
And only you can satisfy
I have a disease and the only cure is not more cowbell
It’s more you.

I have witnessed your presence in my worship
I have seen your power and glory at work around me
And I long to see it again
Nothing but praise will pour from my lips
Because your amazing, unfailing, all-consuming love
Is better than life itself!
You’ve got me for life
To you alone will I give praise
To you alone will I lift my hands
Because you are all I need
You satisfy my soul more than a Thanksgiving turkey or a Christmas ham
I will sing to you at the top of my lungs
And I don’t care who hears

I lay awake at night and can’t shut my brain off
Because you are all I think about
You alone are my helper, my guide, and my protector
Even under the shadow of your wings I will keep on singing
My soul clings to you like a child to his mother
On the first day of kindergarten
And I feel safe with you like a child in his father’s arms
In a room full of strangers

There are those who want to see me fail
Those who have set themselves against me
Just because of what I believe
But I know their end already
We’ll see who has the last laugh

As for me, I will praise God regardless
Everyone who claims the name of God will shout Hallelujah!
But skeptics and liars will be silenced

I’ve been reading through the story of David. His life is an amazing testament of what kind of great feats men can accomplish under God’s power. And as a man, it got me thinking about what it really means to be a Man of God.

I first heard this song on a CD by the group Turning Point. You can hear their version here. But this is the original song with a touching music video. I hope it impacts you as much as it has me.

Anyway, by Brad Reynolds

In Ephesians 4, Paul writes:

Instead, we will speak the truth in love growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of the body, the church. (Ephesians 4:15)

Christians are to speak truth in love. And by doing so we become more like Christ. So…don’t tell lies. Okay! Simple enough.

Or is it that simple?

It’s a common experience to internet users that it is much easier to say some things through the digital media (email, blogs, Facebook, texting, etc.) than it is to say them face to face. Sometimes these are good things that we get too nervous to say in front of another human, like expressing our undying love to the one on whom we’ve had a crush for the last 3 years.

More often than not, however, these things we say online but not in person are more likely to be hurtful, offensive, controversial, and utterly tactless. Someone makes us mad so we post about it. We disagree with what someone wrote so we leave an anonymous comment. If we don’t censor ourselves we can end up saying some pretty messed up stuff that we will certainly regret.

Speaking truth in love. We’ve got that covered. We aren’t being ugly or rude to anyone face to face.

But let’s broaden this exhortation a bit. If we understand this verse to mean “communicate the truth in love,” well that just causes all sorts of problems. Now we have to be conscious of the statuses we post, the blogs we write, the comments we leave, and the Tweets we send.

Text the truth in love.

Blog the truth in love.

Tweet the truth in love.

How do you communicate? Well, make sure that you are communicating truth and doing it in love.

Jesus says:

But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile him. (Matthew 15:18)

Again, let’s generalize that statement a bit more. The things that come off a person’s keyboard come from the heart. Or the things that come from a person’s cell phone come from the heart.

That nasty email you sent? That comes from the heart. That anonymous comment you left? That comes from the heart. That picture you posted? That link you shared? That status update? Those all come from the heart. And these are the things that defile a person.

What you communicate shows the world what kind of heart you have. Christians, let’s all do better about speaking/texting/blogging the truth in love.

Everybody loves a good love story. Come on, guys, admit it. You don’t REALLY mind it when your girl drags you to a chick flick. There’s just something about seeing love blossom out of unexpected places.

We watched Tangled last night. Disney movies are especially good at telling unexpected love stories. The hostage princess falls in love with the fugitive thief. The beautiful peasant girl falls in love with the hideous beast. The Arabian princess falls in love with the “street rat.”

We love to hear a good love story.

Let’s think about this in relation to evangelism. To “evangelize” literally means “to tell the good news.” Yet so often we think we have to have all these intricate doctrinal issues all ironed out before we can even mention the name of Jesus. We don’t know enough about who God is, how Jesus is still living, or what the Holy Spirit does. We don’t know the plan of salvation or all the arguments for or against predestination. We feel overwhelmed because we don’t know enough.

But what really is the “good news?”

“For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (HCSB)

God loves me. He gave his only son to die in my place. And since I believe in him, I can now live with him for the rest of eternity.

One of Paul’s most effective tools in winning converts and making disciples was his own story. Time and time again he shares his own story with people.

¹² I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do his work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve him, ¹³ even though I used to blaspheme the name of Christ. In my insolence, I persecuted his people. But God had mercy on me because I did it in ignorance and unbelief.¹⁴ Oh, how generous and gracious our Lord was! He filled me with the faith and love that come from Christ Jesus.

 ¹⁵ This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. ¹⁶ But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life. ¹⁷ All honor and glory to God forever and ever! He is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God. Amen. 1 Timothy 1:12-17 (NLT)

Paul knew that his own story was more effective at showing God’s love and mercy than any sort of systematic theology could come close to capturing. Christ came to save sinners of whom he was the worst. He used his story to show that if God could have mercy on a guy like him, if God could completely transform a sinner like him, then God could save anybody.

One of my favorite stories from the life of Jesus is in John 9. Jesus heals a blind beggar by making mud, rubbing it on his eyes, and telling the man to go wash the mud away. And all this was done on the Sabbath. The Pharisees flipped out because “work” was done on the day of rest. They bring the guy in for questioning, and he tells them straight up everything that happened. The Pharisees wanted to turn it into a technical debate with the man saying that Jesus could not have been from God because he violated the Sabbath.

This blind beggar was way out of his league theologically and intellectually, but his testimony is one of the most powerful in all of Scripture.

 ²⁵ “I don’t know whether he is a sinner,” the man replied. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!” John 9:25 (NLT)

Evangelism is not about having all the answers. Sometimes it may seem that there are more questions than can be answered. We don’t have to know everything. But one thing we do have to know is our own story.

Evangelism is sharing the good news. What’s the good news of your story?

Yep, it’s back. [And there was much rejoicing. “Yay…”]


With the Harry Potter movie series closing its final chapters this weekend, this list is all about movie franchises.

Top 5 Movie Franchises

The newest Owl City single, Galaxies, is one of my favorites on the radio right now. The chorus is gripping, expressing both despair and hope, darkness and light, doubt and faith.

How many of us have been to that place before where “the galaxies crossed and the sun went dark”? How many of us have experienced the world closing in around us with no light to guide our way?

Like a sailor lost at sea, we’ve got to find that North Star and follow it, trusting that it will lead us where we need to go.

When was the last time you truly took a leap of faith? When was the last time you took a step out into the unknown because that’s where God was leading you?

God is that only North Star that I would follow as far as I have already, and I will continue to follow him to the ends of the galaxies.