2 Minute Disciple
2 minutes of discovery leads to a lifetime of following Jesus!
Displaying Episode 21 - 30 of 45 in total of 2 Minute Disciple with the tag “daily devotional”.
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Episode 159: Mark Chapter 8
Episode | May 17th, 2022 | Season 2 | 6 mins 23 secs
audio bible, christianity, daily bible, daily devotional, discipleship, personal development, self-care, spiritual formation, spiritual journey, spirituality
It’s allergy season right now and my eyes are red and watery. Sometimes, things are a bit blurry which is no fun when I’m taking pictures. I found some eye drops that help but I’ve struggled with this all of my life with some years better than others. I can relate to the blind man who said he saw people who looked like blurry trees. This chapter makes me smile, because I love the play between physical blindness and spiritual blindness, we can see the disciples see in one moment and then not see in the next. They are making their way out of spiritual blindness, things are a bit blurry, but they are starting to see. What about us, where are we in our spiritual blindness? Are things just a bit out of focus or are they coming in to focus? We need Jesus to “spit” on us and touch our eyes so that we can see clearly.
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Episode 157: Mark Chapter 6
Episode | May 13th, 2022 | Season 2 | 8 mins 28 secs
audio bible, christianity, daily bible, daily devotional, discipleship, jesus christ, personal development, self-care, spiritual journey, spirituality
There is a lot going on in this chapter, but there was one insightful piece of information in verse 52, Mark 6:52 (The Message): They didn’t understand what he had done at the supper. None of this had yet penetrated their hearts. These guys had seen so much, healing, casting out demons, feeding the hungry and walking on the water, but it hadn’t sunk in yet. I get it now, in the big moments like they were going through with Jesus, it takes a little bit for it to sink in and penetrate our hearts. There are so many things that we face in life that don’t sink in right away. What is God doing in you that hasn’t yet penetrated your heart?
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Episode 156: Mark Chapter 5
Episode | May 12th, 2022 | Season 2 | 9 mins 10 secs
audio bible, daily bible, daily devotional, discipleship, personal development, self-care, spiritual growth, spiritual journey, spirituality
I can feel the desperation of Jairus and the woman who reaches out to touch the edge of Jesus’ robe. I can sense their anxiety and determination to do get the healing that they needed. Then to be caught by Jesus, I can feel her face get flush with embarrassment and then the relief with Jesus’ compassion toward her. I appreciate this story more now because I have been desperate to get what I need from Jesus, if I could just stretch out and just touch a little piece, then…I know it is cringy to come across as desperate, but over and over in scripture, we see that desperation before God is rewarded. He wants us to come to him when we are desperate and he will provide. The most important thing that we see with the demon possessed man is that once we get what we need from him, we need to make it known to those around us.
What are you desperate for God to do for you? For me it is getting a new job to be able to support my family with. Each rejection hurts and threatens to take me under, but God provides the encouragement I need to keep believing and trusting at just the right time.
Thank you all for your support and prayers, let’s pray. -
Episode 155: Mark Chapter 4
Episode | May 11th, 2022 | Season 2 | 9 mins 42 secs
audio bible, christianity, daily bible, daily devotional, discipleship, personal growth, self-care, spiritual growth, spiritual journey, spirituality
We have a special guest reader today, Adam Tomlinson. Adam is the Lead Minister at Westwood Christian Church, in Madison, Wisconsin. Adam grew up in Illinois and Wisconsin before going to Milligan College where he met his wife, Lauren. He has been in ministry since 2014 and they have 3 children: Nathanael (7), Caleb (4), and Junia (1). I used to play church softball with his dad and I remember Adam in the stroller at the softball games.
At the end of this episode, Adam and I will talk about the chapter, which is Mark chapter 4, so let’s dive in. -
Episode 154: Mark Chapter 3
Episode | May 10th, 2022 | Season 2 | 7 mins 33 secs
audio bible, christianity, daily bible, daily devotional, discipleship, personal development, self-care, spiritual journey, spirituality
Lions and tigers and large crowds, oh my! The large crowd has become to many of us overwhelming and something to be feared. It’s getting a little less fearful to gather in large crowds, but the large crowds pushing to get to Jesus, the few chosen on the mountain and Jesus’ family on the outside of the crowded house jumped off the page at me. Now that we live in a post pandemic world, the idea of large crowds really got my attention in this chapter. I am intrigued by the thought of all of these sweaty stinky people crowed together just to get to Jesus for what they needed, healing of body and spirit. Jesus had to get in a boat so that he wouldn’t get trampled and chose a handful to set apart to spread the message of the kingdom and kick out demons. When he got home, another crowd wanted to be healed by Jesus. I can totally relate to the skepticism of the religious leaders, this can’t be real. I tend to want to beat up on those religious leaders, but when it comes down to it, I can relate more than I care to admit. Would I brave the crowd to get healed or would I be on the outside talking it down?
The real question that stirs in my heart is, am I willing to brave ___________________ to get what I need from Jesus? The second question then is, am I open to what Jesus is doing or have I closed my mind and heart to him? -
Episode 153: Mark Chapter 2
Episode | May 9th, 2022 | Season 2 | 6 mins 34 secs
audio bible, daily bible, daily devotional, personal development, personal growth, self-care, spiritual journey, spirituality
The thing that stuck out to me is the fact that Jesus and his disciples are keeping company with the so called riffraff and as unlikely as it seems, more than a few of them had become believers. Then Jesus famously says that he has come for the sin-sick, not the spiritually fit.
I notice that Jesus is not hanging around with the likely people, the ones who ‘have it all together’ spiritually, but those who don’t. He hangs out with people who are a little shady and have a past. They probably cuss a lot and break most of the rules. I admire Jesus for going to the people that you wouldn’t expect him to go to and the fact that some of them believe and follow Jesus.
I feel great comfort with the fact that Jesus hung out with the ‘riffraff’ and I love his emphasis on looking out for the down and out and the forgotten, because that’s how I’m feeling right now and each time I go to church, I hear my inner critic chastise me and tell me how I’m not good enough to be a pastor and that I haven’t amounted to any thing and I never will. To see Jesus hanging out with the down and outs, I am comforted and I am able to shut up that critic by saying, “see, Jesus wants to hang out with me.” What sticks out to you. -
Episode 152: Mark Chapter 1
Episode | May 7th, 2022 | Season 2 | 8 mins 30 secs
audio bible, daily bible, daily devotional, personal development, prayer, self care, solitude and silence, spiritual journey, spirituality
In this chapter, the action comes fast and furious, it’s kind of like how I like to read on audible when I’m reading along, cranked up to 3x speed. You can just feel how fast things are happening and then while it was still dark, Jesus got away from everyone to pray and we catch our breath. That moment just speaks to my heart and reminds me of how important it is to get away from the speed of life and the crush of people to just be with God on 1x speed or slower. The other thing that jumped off of the page to me was that Jesus touched a leper. You never touched a leper, because it would transfer over to you and you would be unclean too. But Jesus touched him and transferred his wholeness to the man. That is so cool, God is here and he has come to make us whole.
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Episode 151: Matthew Chapter 28
Episode | May 6th, 2022 | Season 2 | 5 mins 26 secs
audio bible, daily bible, daily devotional, discipleship, personal development, self care, spiritual journey, spirituality
There are two things that stick out to me in this chapter. First of all, worship, the women who first saw Jesus alive fell down in worship and the disciples when they saw him on the mountain worshipped him. Second was that out of worship came a charge to go. I find it fascinating that worship came in response to the miracle of the resurrection, but Jesus didn’t want them to stay in worship, rather he charges them to go and tell. I find the connection between worship and being sent out fascinating. This is another of those right side up ways of living, we worship God for who He is and what He has done for the purpose of going out to spread the message of the kingdom and teaching people how to live right side up.
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Episode 150: Matthew Chapter 27
Episode | May 5th, 2022 | Season 2 | 17 mins 9 secs
audio bible, daily bible, daily devotional, jesus christ, personal development, self care, spiritual journey, spirituality
We are continuing in the story of Jesus’s agony on the cross. What I am struck by is how this story drives home the point that Jesus is showing us how to live right side up through his humiliation on the cross and his exaltation in rising from the dead. In our upside down way of seeing things, we want the exaltation without the humiliation. We want the glory without the suffering, but the right side up way is to humble yourself before God and he will exalt you. That is what Jesus says and does.
I chose to follow Jesus about 40 years ago, and I didn’t take the time to get to know him by hanging out in the Gospels for the first 25 years or so. However, the more that I get to know him and the more that we dive into his life and teaching, the more I am convinced that Jesus’ way is the best way. I am glad that you are on this journey with me, so that you can discover who Jesus is and decide for yourself if you agree with me. If not, no pressure, just keep searching and hanging out with Him. -
Episode 149: Matthew Chapter 26
Episode | May 4th, 2022 | Season 2 | 15 mins 14 secs
audio bible, daily bible, daily devotional, discipleship, personal development, self care, spiritual formation, spiritual journey, spirituality
We are now turning the corner to face the climax of Jesus story, his death. This chapter leads us squarely into Jesus’ last day and we can see his focus narrow and in his teaching, we see him trying to get his disciples to understand what was about to happen, but they really didn’t get it. Jesus did everything he could to prepare them but when he needed them the most, they all cut and ran. However, Jesus faced it with great poise in spite of being all alone. He knew that the cross was coming, and yet he did not waver and he fulfilled God’s plan. He hoped in the resurrection that would take place on the third day.
As we read today, try to put yourself in the shoes of the Jesus and feel the anxiety and fear balanced by the peace of mind that comes from knowing that you are doing exactly what God had planned. Savor the bread and wine and remember that his suffering brought us peace and that his stripes healed us. Experience this story through the eyes of the Jesus.