Listen to Pastor Nick read the “Firestarter” and Mark 10:46-52.

[This Firestarter us from the version for young people.]

Way back in the time of Jesus, blind persons wore a special coat that told others that they could not see. This meant that when they begged for money and food, they really deserved the help because of their blindness.

You can just image what it must have been like for the blind beggar Bartimaeus, to learn that Jesus was passing by.  He became so excited, saying to himself:  “Here’s my chance to be healed!  Here comes Jesus, the one I’ve heard so much about, but whom I never had a chance to meet and beg for more than money or food.  Now I can beg for my eyesight!”  He really got Jesus’s attention by yelling and screaming.  People from the crowd tried to quiet him down, but he shouted all the louder.

What do you really want from Jesus–wanting it so much that you are willing to think of nothing else and are praying very hard for it?  You don’t need to yell–you already have Jesus’s attention!  Actually, Jesus knows your need even more than you do.  So just go to Jesus and ask him about what you need.  He’ll want to bring you clearer sight in the soul-parts of your life.  The more you see things the way God sees them, the wiser and happier you will be.

Clothed Only with Jesus  [from the original version]

That Jesus could predict his passion and not protect himself from it, means he is in charge of what is coming. He goes to Jerusalem to be offered as the Paschal Lamb. He came to earth for this. The forces are mounting against the Lord.

Just before the entry in triumph into Jerusalem, there is one last miracle. The man’s name is Bartimaeus. He is blind. In those days, the blind wore a special garment as an indicator to passersby that the person could not see, thus needing alms. As a sign of his total surrender to the Lord, Bartimaeus throws away the protective cloak.

Jesus is everything to him.

Throw off what you often use for your own self-defense and put on Jesus alone.

Mark  10:23-52

Create your own Bible Breaths Learn More…
Example: Throwing off all defenses v. 50

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 in the original version 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.

Listen to Pastor Nick read the “Firestarter” and 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12.

[This Firestarter is from the original version.]

The Bible we read every day is not a human word, but the very Word of God. The Lord speaks to your heart with the same tenderness and family affection with which Paul addresses the new Christians whom he loves so much.

Read slowly and prayerfully, entering into the sacred space that the inspired Paul creates for you. The freshness of the message speaks to your heart, awakening you by its power to a new way of seeing your own world. The Word of God is a sacred canopy over your life. Believe in the active presence of the Lord, bringing that power to you of which Paul speaks. What plans God has for you today!

1 Thessalonians 2

Find out all about Bible Breaths Learn More…
Example: Pleasing God who tests our hearts v. 4

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.

Listen to Pastor Nick read the “Firestarter” and the Psalm.

TAP HERE for a video meditation on Psalm 83.

[This Firestarter is from the version for families with children.]

Asaph is pretty angry at God’s enemies.  Images run through the whole psalm of God getting back at them.  Asaph wants enemies to stop being so proud and hateful.  He longs that they come to repentance and shame in coming to realize that they are fighting against the God of the whole universe.  The last verse comes as a final wake-up call for them…and for us.

     When you have people coming against you in some way, just pray for them and turn then over to God who wants them to come around to God’s ways and love, just as we are all supposed to do.  Linger with the last verse until you and all those sharing this passage with you find that all the noise of the enemies in your life are brought to silence.  Sometime we can hear these enemies talking inside our own head! Wait quietly until the silence itself speaks of God’s tender loving presence to you.

[Here is the Firestarter from the original version.]

We long for God to intervene in the presence of enemies; so does the psalmist. He uses images of victory and conquest to stir belief that the Lord indeed has power over all enemies.

Those who call themselves your enemy need not be named so by you. Jesus commanded us to love our enemies. Intercede for them with love—much more powerful than all the hatred that might rise before your face. Pray with love so that the kind of shame and confusion described in verse 17 will move your enemies beyond all intrigues, to surrender their lives into God’s great love.

Remember what happened when God’s people ignored divine power when it was needed.

Psalm 83

What are Bible Breaths? Learn More
Example: O God: your peace and stillness v. 1

We follow a reading of the Psalms in numerical order.

For all the Firestarters in the original version 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