<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Disciple Makers]]></title><description><![CDATA[Blog and Forum for Discipleship and Christian growth into Christlikeness. ]]></description><link>https://disciplemakerstlc.wixsite.com/disciplemakers/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Tue, 03 Nov 2026 13:11:15 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://disciplemakerstlc.wixsite.com/disciplemakers/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Good Friday: The Servant Who Bore Our Sorrow]]></title><description><![CDATA[Isaiah 53:1–12 "But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our peace fell...]]></description><link>https://disciplemakerstlc.wixsite.com/disciplemakers/post/good-friday-the-servant-who-bore-our-sorrow</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68af47e95af02259b124c668</guid><category><![CDATA[Theology]]></category><category><![CDATA[Christian Thought]]></category><category><![CDATA[Discipleship]]></category><category><![CDATA[Church Life]]></category><category><![CDATA[Easter]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 03 Apr 2026 17:00:12 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_37c75a53402b478c8e95d1f0e4301bc3~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>JCGR</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Head on a Platter]]></title><description><![CDATA[Mark 6:17–29 There are passages in Scripture that unsettle us—not because they are unclear, but because they are painfully clear. Mark 6:17–29 is one such passage. It confronts us with the cost of faithfulness, the danger of unchecked sin, and the sobering reality that truth spoken boldly will often be met with hostility. Yet woven through this dark narrative is a quiet confidence: God’s purposes are never thwarted, even when His servants suffer. The account of John the Baptist’s death is not...]]></description><link>https://disciplemakerstlc.wixsite.com/disciplemakers/post/a-head-on-a-platter</link><guid isPermaLink="false">696d5df4482610fa2897ef8d</guid><category><![CDATA[Theology]]></category><category><![CDATA[Christian Thought]]></category><category><![CDATA[Discipleship]]></category><category><![CDATA[Church Life]]></category><category><![CDATA[Mark]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 27 Feb 2026 18:00:33 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/085cf2_b76cc484f9a845f5bdf9b84eb7936f53~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_243,h_207,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>JCGR</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[John, Whom I Beheaded]]></title><description><![CDATA[Mark 6:14–16 There are moments in Scripture when only a few words are needed to expose the deepest realities of the human heart. Mark 6:14–16 is one of those moments. In just three verses, the Gospel writer draws back the curtain on a troubled conscience, a fearful ruler, and the inescapable power of truth. These verses remind us that no one encounters God’s revelation without being changed—either toward repentance and life, or toward fear and hardness of heart. As the ministry of Jesus...]]></description><link>https://disciplemakerstlc.wixsite.com/disciplemakers/post/john-whom-i-beheaded</link><guid isPermaLink="false">696d5b1f3d420427946dc64a</guid><category><![CDATA[Theology]]></category><category><![CDATA[Christian Thought]]></category><category><![CDATA[Discipleship]]></category><category><![CDATA[Church Life]]></category><category><![CDATA[Mark]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 23 Feb 2026 18:00:30 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_09eb28f1d838491ca80c1bedd5c4302d~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>JCGR</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Sent Out by Pairs]]></title><description><![CDATA[Mark 6:7–13 There is a moment in the Gospel of Mark when discipleship begins to look unmistakably like mission. Up to this point, the Twelve have watched Jesus teach with authority, heal the sick, cast out demons, and confront unbelief. They have followed Him closely, learning not only His words but His ways. Now, in Mark 6, Jesus does something decisive: He summons them, names them apostles, and sends them out. This moment marks a turning point—not only for the Twelve, but for the life of...]]></description><link>https://disciplemakerstlc.wixsite.com/disciplemakers/post/sent-out-by-pairs</link><guid isPermaLink="false">696d587c322ac077fef92b9d</guid><category><![CDATA[Theology]]></category><category><![CDATA[Christian Thought]]></category><category><![CDATA[Discipleship]]></category><category><![CDATA[Church Life]]></category><category><![CDATA[Mark]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 20 Feb 2026 18:00:18 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_6cddb3bb75cb4145b1c4d3f57baa3ccd~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>JCGR</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Disciple’s Call]]></title><description><![CDATA[Matthew 28:16–20 Few passages of Scripture confront the Church as directly and personally as the closing words of Matthew’s Gospel. These are not abstract teachings or distant promises. They are the risen Christ’s final commission to His people—a call that defines the Church’s identity, mission, and hope until the end of the age. At the heart of this passage lies a question that every believer must eventually face, not once but continually: Do I understand my life as a calling to serve the...]]></description><link>https://disciplemakerstlc.wixsite.com/disciplemakers/post/the-disciple-s-call</link><guid isPermaLink="false">696d567a3d420427946dbcfc</guid><category><![CDATA[Theology]]></category><category><![CDATA[Family & Faith]]></category><category><![CDATA[Christian Thought]]></category><category><![CDATA[Discipleship]]></category><category><![CDATA[Church Life]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 16 Feb 2026 18:00:15 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_e23f41e66af048508d930c7bf40a7270~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>JCGR</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[All-Powerful Love]]></title><description><![CDATA[An Advent Meditation on the Love of God There are few words in human language as frequently used—and as deeply misunderstood—as the word love . In our world, love is often defined by emotion, preference, or personal fulfillment. It rises and falls with circumstances. It changes when it is wounded. It fades when it is no longer convenient. Scripture speaks of a very different kind of love. The love revealed in the Word of God is not fragile. It is not reactive. It is not dependent upon human...]]></description><link>https://disciplemakerstlc.wixsite.com/disciplemakers/post/all-powerful-love</link><guid isPermaLink="false">696d52933e23fce29379eecb</guid><category><![CDATA[Theology]]></category><category><![CDATA[Family & Faith]]></category><category><![CDATA[Christian Thought]]></category><category><![CDATA[Discipleship]]></category><category><![CDATA[Advent]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 13 Feb 2026 18:00:39 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_7753425146574637376c49~mv2_d_3456_5184_s_4_2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>JCGR</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Perfect Peace]]></title><description><![CDATA[The longing for peace is woven deeply into the fabric of the human soul. Every generation, in one way or another, has pursued it—through laws and treaties, through education and reform, through strength and diplomacy. We speak of peace as if it were fragile glass, easily shattered and difficult to restore. And history confirms our anxiety: wars multiply, violence endures, and even our most stable seasons remain shadowed by fear and uncertainty. Yet Scripture confronts us with a deeper truth....]]></description><link>https://disciplemakerstlc.wixsite.com/disciplemakers/post/perfect-peace</link><guid isPermaLink="false">696d4fee482610fa2897d3b6</guid><category><![CDATA[Theology]]></category><category><![CDATA[Family & Faith]]></category><category><![CDATA[Christian Thought]]></category><category><![CDATA[Discipleship]]></category><category><![CDATA[Advent]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 09 Feb 2026 18:00:26 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_5152553069354171454a41~mv2_d_3840_2160_s_2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>JCGR</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Really, the Son of Mary?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Mark 6:1–6 There are moments when the nearness of God is not received as good news, but as an offense. Mark 6 brings us into one of those moments—a quiet tragedy unfolding not among pagans or persecutors, but among those who believed they knew Jesus best. Jesus returns to His hometown of Nazareth. He does not come as a stranger, nor as a distant religious figure. He comes as the One who grew up among them, who worked with His hands, who shared their streets, their synagogue, their Sabbath...]]></description><link>https://disciplemakerstlc.wixsite.com/disciplemakers/post/really-the-son-of-mary</link><guid isPermaLink="false">696d4ce3482610fa2897cd67</guid><category><![CDATA[Discipleship]]></category><category><![CDATA[Church Life]]></category><category><![CDATA[Theology]]></category><category><![CDATA[Family & Faith]]></category><category><![CDATA[Apologetics]]></category><category><![CDATA[Christian Thought]]></category><category><![CDATA[Mark]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 06 Feb 2026 18:00:25 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_7b5e8aada7be4cb88c1c77df0251f98b~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>JCGR</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Only Believe]]></title><description><![CDATA[Mark 5:35–43 There are scenes in Scripture that move with such tenderness and power that they seem to slow time itself. Mark 5 brings us into one of those sacred moments. Jesus is still speaking when the crushing news arrives — the kind of news that stops a heart and drains the world of its color. A messenger from Jairus’s home comes with blunt finality: “Your daughter has died; why trouble the Teacher anymore?” The words fall like stones. Death has spoken. The story, it seems, is over. But...]]></description><link>https://disciplemakerstlc.wixsite.com/disciplemakers/post/only-believe</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6920f5879e2226b1d41eacfc</guid><category><![CDATA[Christian Thought]]></category><category><![CDATA[Theology]]></category><category><![CDATA[Family & Faith]]></category><category><![CDATA[Discipleship]]></category><category><![CDATA[Church Life]]></category><category><![CDATA[Mark]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 02 Feb 2026 18:00:40 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_326759735a556d6f636b77~mv2_d_6000_4000_s_4_2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>JCGR</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Ruler and the King]]></title><description><![CDATA[Mark 5:21–24 There are moments in the Gospels when the human heart stands utterly exposed before Christ — stripped of its defenses, its pride, and its illusions of strength. Mark 5 gives us one such moment. A synagogue ruler, Jairus, a man respected and esteemed, finds himself brought low by grief and fear. His daughter’s life is slipping away. His resources, influence, and status — all the things that once made him strong — can no longer help him. It is here, in the deep valley of a father’s...]]></description><link>https://disciplemakerstlc.wixsite.com/disciplemakers/post/the-ruler-and-the-king</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6920f4862ba86798346cb704</guid><category><![CDATA[Christian Thought]]></category><category><![CDATA[Theology]]></category><category><![CDATA[Family & Faith]]></category><category><![CDATA[Discipleship]]></category><category><![CDATA[Church Life]]></category><category><![CDATA[Mark]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 30 Jan 2026 18:00:33 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_eeeac5190d0a4675aa8ed948879e8bfd~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>JCGR</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[God’s Mighty Love]]></title><description><![CDATA[John 17:25–26 There are moments in Scripture when we are permitted to overhear the very heartbeat of heaven. John 17 is one such moment — the High Priestly Prayer in which the Son speaks to the Father with tenderness, authority, and eternal love. And in the closing words of this sacred prayer, Jesus opens a window for us into the inner life of the Trinity. He reveals a love so mighty, so ancient, so holy, that it has become the very foundation of our salvation. “O righteous Father, although...]]></description><link>https://disciplemakerstlc.wixsite.com/disciplemakers/post/god-s-mighty-love</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6920f2e70acaec313277bfbf</guid><category><![CDATA[Christian Thought]]></category><category><![CDATA[Theology]]></category><category><![CDATA[Family & Faith]]></category><category><![CDATA[Discipleship]]></category><category><![CDATA[Church Life]]></category><category><![CDATA[Mark]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 26 Jan 2026 18:00:51 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_356c76676b705f78697838~mv2_d_5472_3648_s_4_2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>JCGR</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Life-Giving Gospel]]></title><description><![CDATA[When Jesus sets a person free, it is never for silence—it is always for proclamation. In Mark 5:14–20, we find the stunning conclusion to the account of the man possessed by a legion of demons. The story that began in darkness now ends in light; what began with bondage now culminates in mission. “And their herdsmen ran away and reported it in the city and in the countryside. And the people came to see what it was that had happened. And they came to Jesus and observed the demon-possessed man...]]></description><link>https://disciplemakerstlc.wixsite.com/disciplemakers/post/a-life-giving-gospel</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69065f9fbb9a5281a8ab8c30</guid><category><![CDATA[Christian Thought]]></category><category><![CDATA[Theology]]></category><category><![CDATA[Family & Faith]]></category><category><![CDATA[Discipleship]]></category><category><![CDATA[Church Life]]></category><category><![CDATA[Mark]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 23 Jan 2026 18:00:11 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_aaf76ef0696c4a258bf518316ab26736~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>JCGR</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Son of the Most High God]]></title><description><![CDATA[The scene on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee is one of confrontation. Jesus has just calmed the storm—a violent tempest that terrified His disciples and yielded to His command. But as the boat reaches land, another storm awaits Him—one raging not in the sky, but within a man. Mark 5:6–13 captures one of the most dramatic moments in the Gospel: the confrontation between the incarnate Son of God and a host of unclean spirits. “Seeing Jesus from a distance, he ran up and bowed down...]]></description><link>https://disciplemakerstlc.wixsite.com/disciplemakers/post/the-son-of-the-most-high-god</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69065e4df7b9187937f020bf</guid><category><![CDATA[Theology]]></category><category><![CDATA[Family & Faith]]></category><category><![CDATA[Discipleship]]></category><category><![CDATA[Church Life]]></category><category><![CDATA[Mark]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 19 Jan 2026 18:00:22 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_b845588a9f2941509a2c2e20c95a8987~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>JCGR</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Man Among the Tombs]]></title><description><![CDATA[“There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils,” wrote C. S. Lewis. “One is to disbelieve in their existence, the other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them.” Both errors still ensnare humanity today. Some deny the reality of evil altogether, dismissing the notion of spiritual forces as primitive superstition. Others obsess over it, finding darkness more fascinating than light. The truth, as Scripture reveals, lies...]]></description><link>https://disciplemakerstlc.wixsite.com/disciplemakers/post/the-man-among-the-tombs</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69065c9b07f57e48208a69e4</guid><category><![CDATA[Discipleship]]></category><category><![CDATA[Christian Thought]]></category><category><![CDATA[Theology]]></category><category><![CDATA[Church Life]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 16 Jan 2026 18:00:16 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_6674756a736f5f7079656b~mv2_d_4809_3144_s_4_2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>JCGR</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Peace in the Storm]]></title><description><![CDATA[“He who commands the sea can calm the soul.” Life has a way of catching us in storms we never saw coming. Sometimes they crash in suddenly—a diagnosis, a loss, a betrayal, a fear that rises like a wave and threatens to undo us. Other times, they creep up slowly until we realize we are adrift, exhausted, and uncertain of how to reach shore. In Mark 4:35–41, the disciples find themselves in just such a moment—a literal storm, fierce and unexpected. Yet within their panic, we discover a picture...]]></description><link>https://disciplemakerstlc.wixsite.com/disciplemakers/post/peace-in-the-storm</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68f110383a7f7edc150c0df2</guid><category><![CDATA[Discipleship]]></category><category><![CDATA[Church Life]]></category><category><![CDATA[Christian Thought]]></category><category><![CDATA[Family & Faith]]></category><category><![CDATA[Theology]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 12 Jan 2026 18:00:17 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_da7c6b6068aa4d15aa2efc918063c02f~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>JCGR</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Message to Transform the World]]></title><description><![CDATA[“The key to the history of the world is the kingdom of God.” —David Martyn Lloyd-Jones In Mark 4:30–34, Jesus offers one of His most vivid yet understated parables. It is a story about something small—so small that most would overlook it. Yet within that smallness lies the secret of heaven’s unstoppable expansion. “And He was saying, ‘How shall we compare the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller...]]></description><link>https://disciplemakerstlc.wixsite.com/disciplemakers/post/a-message-to-transform-the-world</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68f10e31afa9ed50220a9499</guid><category><![CDATA[Discipleship]]></category><category><![CDATA[Church Life]]></category><category><![CDATA[Christian Thought]]></category><category><![CDATA[Family & Faith]]></category><category><![CDATA[Theology]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 09 Jan 2026 18:00:23 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_4c72504b4c376a4f6c6449~mv2_d_5152_2896_s_4_2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>JCGR</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[God’s Unassuming Glory]]></title><description><![CDATA[“The only kingdom that will prevail in this world is the kingdom that is not of this world.” —Anonymous Jesus often revealed divine truths in the most ordinary settings. In Mark 4:26–29, He turns again to the imagery of seed and soil to describe the kingdom of God. It is one of His shortest parables, yet it carries immense weight: “The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; and he sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows—how, he himself does not know....]]></description><link>https://disciplemakerstlc.wixsite.com/disciplemakers/post/god-s-unassuming-glory</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68f10cd250873aaf5daf9978</guid><category><![CDATA[Discipleship]]></category><category><![CDATA[Church Life]]></category><category><![CDATA[Christian Thought]]></category><category><![CDATA[Family & Faith]]></category><category><![CDATA[Theology]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 05 Jan 2026 18:00:26 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_3665754854574f7a41514d~mv2_d_3691_2791_s_4_2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>JCGR</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Greatness of God]]></title><description><![CDATA[As the new year dawns, people often find themselves asking: How should I look at what lies ahead?  Some take the path of the optimist,...]]></description><link>https://disciplemakerstlc.wixsite.com/disciplemakers/post/the-greatness-of-god</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68a91a801ef02eaf6d12dcf8</guid><category><![CDATA[Theology]]></category><category><![CDATA[Family & Faith]]></category><category><![CDATA[Christian Thought]]></category><category><![CDATA[Discipleship]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 01 Jan 2026 18:00:14 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_33060fb29ed64b848474e1d46b6aee81~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>JCGR</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Rejoicing in God’s Gift of Love]]></title><description><![CDATA[At the heart of the Christmas season stands one unshakable truth: the love of God is the key to understanding the gospel.  The birth of...]]></description><link>https://disciplemakerstlc.wixsite.com/disciplemakers/post/rejoicing-in-god-s-gift-of-love</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68a66d8f0937a192ff95bc41</guid><category><![CDATA[Theology]]></category><category><![CDATA[Family & Faith]]></category><category><![CDATA[Christian Thought]]></category><category><![CDATA[Discipleship]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 28 Nov 2025 18:00:16 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_3075524a59307353744d30~mv2_d_5184_3456_s_4_2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>JCGR</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Church God’s Love Built]]></title><description><![CDATA[Picture a lighthouse standing tall against stormy seas, its beacon cutting through the night to guide weary ships to safety. That is the...]]></description><link>https://disciplemakerstlc.wixsite.com/disciplemakers/post/the-church-god-s-love-built</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68bdec97cb0467d4eabd6729</guid><category><![CDATA[Christian Thought]]></category><category><![CDATA[Family & Faith]]></category><category><![CDATA[Theology]]></category><category><![CDATA[Discipleship]]></category><category><![CDATA[Church Life]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 17 Nov 2025 18:00:31 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_2054e975ad6f4250b2558a7795bc3226~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>JCGR</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>