For centuries scholars have noted that the first nine plagues are presented in a pattern of three sets of three. This can be seen primarily in the way that each plague is initiated. The first plague of each set (plagues 1, 4, 7) is initiated after an early morning conversation between Moses and Pharaoh. The second plague of each set (2, 5, 8) is initiated after a direct warning from Moses to Phara...  Read More

We often use the word “career” to refer to a long season of life devoted to a wage-earning job. There is a point when we enter the workforce, and then a point when we leave it, often referred to as our “career.” A career, then, is something for those who are “old enough” and yet also not “too old.” Sometimes, if we’re not careful, we can view our life with God in the same way. For those who are yo...  Read More

Here at Grace, and in many other local congregations, these words are uttered often by those on stage. Who controls those mics? That’s where myself and a few others in our congregation come in. We are the AV Crew officially but I’d like to give you a look into what the “Sound Guys” do and what serving in this role has taught me.I started serving on the sound team in 2013 as a young 15-year-old boy...  Read More

In most modern translations of the Bible there is some sort of note after Mark 16:8 which explains that the verses coming after v.8 were not part of the earliest manuscripts used to preserve the God-inspired words of the original authors of the New Testament (a similar passage like this is also found in John 7:53-8:11). So, what is going on with these kinds of passages and should they be a concern...  Read More

I have always struggled with guilt in my life. Either with my parents as a kid, with friends I have possibly offended, or with my heavenly Father. The guilt would keep me from confronting the root of my sin and seeing the forgiveness I had with my Father through Christ.It became a “back and forth” relationship with Christ. I would avoid him until I finally became desperate enough to crawl back. Th...  Read More

If we wanted a nickname for Mark’s gospel, we might call it “The Hurried Gospel.” One of Mark’s favorite words, which he uses over 30 different times, is the word “immediately.” Throughout story after story, conversation after conversation, teaching after teaching, Jesus and everybody around him is always doing whatever the next thing is “immediately.” Clearly Mark has written his gospel this way,...  Read More