2 Minute Disciple
2 minutes of discovery leads to a lifetime of following Jesus!
Displaying Episode 11 - 20 of 36 in total of 2 Minute Disciple with the tag “spiritual formation”.
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Episode 171: Luke Chapter 3
Episode | June 2nd, 2022 | Season 2 | 7 mins 48 secs
audio bible, christianity, daily bible, daily devotional, discipleship, personal development, self-care, soul care, spiritual formation, spiritual journey, spirituality
In our reading today, we have a ton of names to read through and the temptation is to skip over them and get on with the good stuff. However, part of getting to know someone is to understand where the came from, who in the past shaped their life by what they passed down. I also love the fact that Luke traces Jesus’ lineage all the way to God and we will see that color the story that Luke tells. Don’t let your eyes glaze over when we read the names, but think of them as people who influenced who Jesus was.
What strikes me in this chapter is the role of the Holy Spirit in Jesus life and ministry. Jesus is going to ignite in us the kingdom life, fueled by the Holy Spirit that will change us from the inside out. That is a key thing for us to remember as we continue with Luke and later in Acts. Jesus is given the Holy Spirit at his baptism and God speaks this blessing over him, “You are my Son, chosen and marked by my love, pride of my life” Luke 3:22 (The Message). Jesus is set apart to usher in God’s Kingdom and he opens up access to God for all of us. There is a part of me that feels like this is a stretch, but when you realize that Jesus has made us children of God, this blessing can relate to us as well. We are God’s children and we are chosen by God, marked by his love and God is proud of us. -
Episode 170: Luke Chapter 2
Episode | June 1st, 2022 | Season 2 | 7 mins 51 secs
audio bible, christianity, daily bible, daily devotional, discipleship, personal development, self development, self-care, soul care, spiritual formation, spiritual journey, spirituality
We are on a journey through the Gospels and we find ourselves in a very familiar story from Jesus’ life. Every year, before we opened Christmas presents, my grandma would break out the bathrobes and towels so that we could act out the Christmas story from Luke 2. It is easy, then, to speed past this story, but I want us to listen with new ears and savor the details so that we can learn who Jesus is.
What I learned about Jesus in this chapter is that the temple is a magnet for Jesus, because his purpose is to be about the things of his Father. I was struck that the teachers in the temple were impressed with him, but his parents were NOT! However, Jesus lived obediently with them and grew up. Jesus knew who he was, but he also knew that he didn’t have to rush it either. He had other things to do and experience before he went back to the temple and focused on the things of his Father.
I was reminded of the fact that even if we know where we want to go, we have to go through the journey of life’s ups and downs to get there. We have to grow in wisdom and to have the blessing of being shaped by those who are further along in their journey. Jesus had to grow up before he could save the world and so do we. -
Episode 169: Luke Chapter 1
Episode | May 31st, 2022 | Season 2 | 10 mins 52 secs
audio bible, christianity, daily bible, daily devotional, discipleship, personal development, self-care, spiritual formation, spiritual journey, spirituality
We are now moving into the Gospel of Luke today. The four Gospels give us a grand mosaic of who Jesus is, what he did and said, and they show us how to live in his kingdom. We will be reading from Luke chapter 1 today along with the introduction from the Message.
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Episode 167: Mark Chapter 15
Episode | May 26th, 2022 | Season 2 | 8 mins 9 secs
audio bible, christianity, daily bible, daily devotional, discipleship, personal development, self-care, soul care, spiritual formation, spiritual journey, spirituality
We are making progress in our journey through the Gospels and we find ourselves at the end of the book of Mark. We have seen Jesus in action, from healing the sick, raising the dead, feeding thousands of people, and walking on water. We have also seen him get away from the crowds to pray and recharge and he has been teaching us about the kingdom life that he is ushering in. The one thing about Mark 15 is how much Jesus told his disciples that it was going to happen and it did. This was what Jesus came to do, to take the abuse of violent people to open up God’s kingdom to all of us.
At the moment that Jesus died, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The significance of this moment is that God is opening up access to himself to everyone. Now we can have direct access to God and not have to go to the temple and have someone else go into God’s presence for us. His sacrifice made that possible for us. The other thing that I am pondering is the fact that God had to watch his only son die at the hands of wicked violent people. God knows what it’s like. God stands with those who have lost children senselessly by wicked violent people and he weeps with them. He also points to the torn veil and says today your child is with me. -
Episode 166: Mark Chapter 14
Episode | May 25th, 2022 | Season 2 | 10 mins 37 secs
audio bible, christianity, daily bible, daily devotional, leadership, personal development, self-care, spiritual formation, spirituality
I was struck by the depth of pain that Jesus was in while he was praying in the garden. Jesus really felt the weight of what was going to happen to him, from the betrayal, abandonment, rejection, beating and crucification. He really wanted to skip all of this if he could, but in perfect obedience, he went through it. I’m glad that he went through all of this, because we have a God who knows exactly what we feel and has been through it and worse, quite frankly. When I am tempted to tell God that he doesn’t know what I’m going through, this is the gentle reminder that he does and he cares for me.
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Episode 165: Mark Chapter 13
Episode | May 24th, 2022 | Season 2 | 8 mins 15 secs
audio bible, christianity, daily bible, daily devotional, leadership development, personal development, self-care, spiritual formation, spiritual journey, spirituality
What jumped off the page and is rolling through my mind is this statement: “When the time comes, say what’s on your heart—the Holy Spirit will make his witness in and through you.” Times are tough for Christians right now, and part of it is our own fault for allowing the world to press us into it’s mold and for holding up a standard that we are not living to. We look way more like those who killed Jesus than we do Jesus. It’s also tough to be a Jesus follower, because the world hates him and those who shine light in the darkness.
However, we still have to speak to those around us and it is comforting to know that all we have to do is speak from our heart and the Holy Spirit makes his witness in and through us. God will use our words for his glory and witness for those around us. God is so good and his forgiveness is so thorough and his grace is enough, however we need to stop shooting ourselves in the foot and keep listening to Jesus and work his words into our lives. -
Episode 164: Mark Chapter 12
Episode | May 23rd, 2022 | Season 2 | 7 mins 19 secs
audio bible, christianity, daily bible, daily devotional, discipleship, spiritual formation, spiritual journey, spirituality
What stuck out for me in this chapter is that the people who are supposed to have it all together in their religious and financial lives are the ones arguing with Jesus and trying to trip him up. However, all of these people are set alongside a widow who is faithful to God and gives her everything without quibbling. Again we see the scriptures as a mirror to our souls, who are we most like if we are completely honest with ourselves? As we pray, ask God to help you to be more like the widow.
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Episode 162: Mark Chapter 11
Episode | May 20th, 2022 | Season 2 | 6 mins 1 sec
audio bible, christianity, daily bible, daily devotional, personal development, self-care, spiritual formation, spirituality
Jesus’ teaching on prayer in this chapter, jumped off the page and slapped me in the face. I know that the things he said are true and I want to live them out them in practice, but when it comes down to doing it, I freeze. God wants me to bring everything to him in prayer, but I hold back. I’m not sure exactly why, but it could be because I think it’s not big enough to bother God with. It could be because I think I can handle it or that he doesn’t care enough to do those little things for me. However, I know better and want to take everything to him, I want to walk into God’s everything, I want to take everything to God and ask big things, but why do I doubt and hold back, when I know that if I include everything in prayer, I get God’s everything.
There is a lot to work on here for me, bringing everything to God and letting go of my pride. -
Episode 160: Mark Chapter 9
Episode | May 18th, 2022 | Season 2 | 7 mins 56 secs
audio bible, daily bible, daily devotional, discipleship, personal development, self-care, spiritual formation, spirituality
Quick summary of this chapter: God’s kingdom on display on a mountain top…admiring excitement upon seeing Jesus…a demon that won’t leave until Jesus forces it to…an argument about who is the greatest settled with the embrace by Jesus of a child. I think what amazes me the most about this chapter is what really puzzles the disciples is Jesus’ foretelling of his death and resurrection. I see it from my perspective of 2022 Easters later and I’m like how do you not get it? However, when I put myself in their shoes, I can start to see how they can miss the point. It is a foreign concept to talk about rising from the dead and it’s hard to see beyond the moment we are in to grasp the future. Even with Jesus saying, this is going to happen multiple times, it just wouldn’t sink in. I am now getting a clear picture, there was so much going on, that they couldn’t see the forrest for the trees. So that makes me think, what are we missing?
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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.