TwelveTwelve: The Leader Blog of North Wake Church

By Tony Reinke.  https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-infallible-pilot Read:  Mark 4:35-5:20 In the fall of 1782, a 57-year-old man walked the docks of Deptford, a South London port on the Thames river. Thirty miles inland from the sea, the port was the home of the Royal Navy Dockyards, and the man looked out over the war ships and merchant vessels as he reflected on his own seafaring past. It’s not possible to know all the memories passing through his mind, but he was likely reminded of his time spent aboard a Navy ship, a few merchant ships, and even African slave trading ships. His mind

Adapted from Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline. Read:  Mark 4:1-34 Superficiality is the curse of our age. The doctrine of instant satisfaction is primarily a spiritual problem. The desperate need today is not for a great number of intelligent people or gifted people, but for deep people. The classical Disciplines of the spiritual life (Meditation, Prayer, Fasting, Biblical Study, etc.) call us to move beyond the surface living into the depths. They invite us to explore the inner caverns of the spiritual realm. They urge us to be the answer to a hollow world. We must not be led to believe

Meditation for Preparation - Sunday, May 17th Written by R.C.Sproul.   https://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/house-divided/ Read:  Mark 3:7-35 Jesus’ initial ministry was concentrated in Galilee, which encompasses the northern portion of the Promised Land. Yet that does not mean the actions of Christ went unnoticed in the south. Today’s passage makes that clear as it narrates our Lord’s encounter with “the scribes who came down from Jerusalem.” Commentators agree that this is most likely a reference to an official entourage of some sort. The Jewish leaders had heard of Jesus’ work, and they wanted to see what it was all about. When they examined Christ’s

Meditation for Preparation for Sunday, May 10, 2020 Written by David Murray.  https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/grace-paced-living-in-a-burnout-culture Read:  Mark 2:18-3:6 “I’m tired and I’m broken and I just need some rest.” These were pastor Pete Wilson’s words when he announced his surprise resignation from Cross Point, a megachurch in Nashville. He went on: Leaders who lead on empty don’t lead well, and for some time now I’ve been leading on empty. And so I believe the best thing I can do is to step aside from Cross Point. . . . More than ever I need your prayers, I need your support. We’ve said that this is

Written by Scotty Smith. https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/scotty-smith/a-prayer-for-our-paralyzed-friends/ Read:  Mark 2:1-17 Merciful Jesus, all of us have friends who suffer from various expressions and degrees of paralysis. We lift them up to your throne of grace today, thankful we don’t have to fight crowds or remove any roof tiles to get to you. We bring you our friends still paralyzed by sin and death—friends and family members who do not know you yet. You healed the paralytic to demonstrate your authority on earth to forgive sins (Mark 2:5–12). There’s no greater or more necessary healing than to be raised from spiritual death. So, Jesus, for

Written by Mark Jones.  https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/when-a-loved-one-goes-home-to-jesus Read:  Mark 1:14-45 We must all reckon with death. Someday we will all confront our own end, but along the way, we will also witness beloved friends and family pass from this life into the next. Death is a real enemy — a frightening enemy. “The last enemy to be destroyed is death” (1 Corinthians 15:26). I have watched people die in front of me. I have lost friends, young and old. Death is always ugly. Death always brings sorrow. And there is nothing wrong with grief in the face of death. Jesus himself wept over