Mark 1:35-45 (ESV) 35 And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. 36 And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, 37 and they found him and said to him, “Everyone is looking for you.” 38 And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.” 39 And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons. 40 And a ...

Isaiah 9:2 “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” I remember years ago driving up into the Smoky Mountains with my daughter Mary, Jim Cook, and another friend. We were trying to meet some West Loop families at a remote campground. By the time we got deep into the mountains, it was pitch dark. The trees covered the sky, we lost our GPS signal, and we were just winding through road after road, not totally sure where we were. I kept driving and half-joking, ...

Key Verse: John 15:8 "...that you bear much fruit." Are you remaining in Jesus? Bearing fruit? What are the fruit that God was us to bear? How do we Christians bear fruit? Consider this: Christian life is not activity without dependency, nor is it inactivity with dependency. Rather, it is activity with dependency simultaneously. John chaps. 13-17 is known as Jesus' Upper Room discourse, where Jesus shares his most intimate thoughts with those he loves. The cross was only one day away. Within hours, Jesus would be betrayed, arrested, falsely tried, beaten, tortured and hanging on the cross abandoned. In less ...