[From the original version of the book]

It is time to clean house. All the previous efforts of Jesus to avoid his enemies are no longer. The hour of our deliverance is at hand. Jesus turns the Temple upside down. He breaks centuries of abuse and bondage. The Lord wants the people free. God does not tolerate religion that controls and manipulates people.

The boldness of the Lord is held up as a model for faith, as he challenges us to have belief that moves mountains. Believe when you pray. Claim what it is that you are praying for in the Name of Jesus, even when you don’t see the answer in the natural realm. If Jesus turns your heart upside down, it is so that you will fully believe in God’s power.

Mark 11:15–33

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Fridays are dedicated to the Gospels. This year, we generally read
from the Gospel of Mark, this season, chapters 10 to 16.

For all the Firestarters I recommend the ebook.  You will have the entire program of well over a thousand of these introductions with you on your phone or tablet. Check the menu options at the site for more information.

[This is from the original version.]

Sexual impurity and idolatry—the two go together in the Bible. Paul understood purity as that holiness needed to worship and serve the Lord alone. Impurity places self at the center. This violates the First Commandment, as well as the commandment against adultery.

“Mind your own business”; the saying is from the Bible. We need purity of heart and simplicity in order to see God, as Matthew 5:8 expresses in the Sixth Beatitude. Verse 17 is the central text in the Bible about the Rapture. Here is the essence of pure love: being swept away by the love of the other. Lust pushes; love lets go. Let your spirit be caught up now in the Lord who longs to take you into the Holy of Holies in the heart of the risen life.

1 Thessalonians 4

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Thursdays are dedicated to the letters of Paul, other letters,
the Book of Acts, and the Book of Revelation.
In season of Kingdomtide this year,
we read 1 and 2 Thessalonians; Revelation 4—11.

For all the Firestarters I recommend the ebook.  You will have the entire program of well over a thousand of these introductions with you on your phone or tablet. Check the menu options at the site for more information.

Tap Here for a video meditation on Psalm 85.

[From the version for families with children]

Verb tenses mix in an interesting way in this prayer.  It begins with the past tense.  Notice how many times the past tense is used in the first three verses.  There’s a look at the future tense in three questions about God’s anger with the hope that God will revive His people again.

Then, beginning with verse 6, there is mixture of past and present tenses as the psalmist gets in touch with how active God is in saving us.  There is a beautiful image of union as the writer pictures righteousness and peace kissing each other.  Just as a kiss is a spiritual blending of two persons, so do these two virtues come together into a new and powerful unity.  There is no real peace without righteousness—meaning justice—and there is no justice without peace.

    Catch the spiritual warmth in this psalm that seeks to become one with your own inner feelings.  Let in all this love and grace from God.  Jot down a few notes of what you are feeling and thinking in the course of your time of prayer.

Psalm 85

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We follow a reading of the Psalms in numerical order.

For all the Firestarters I recommend the ebook.  You will have the entire program of well over a thousand of these introductions with you on your phone or tablet. Check the menu options at the site for more information