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<DIV><FONT size=4>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT size=4>As Georgia Gov. Sonny Purdue commented
recently, "Children are a minority of our population but 100 percent of our
future." When we push for the immediate such as James and John, we are in danger
of losing the eternal. Jesus is calling for a whole new way of prioritizing, of
seeing ourselves.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT size=4><A
href="http://day1.org/494-finding_the_way_to_joy">http://day1.org/494-finding_the_way_to_joy</A></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us>B. Wiley Stephens, 2003 </SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us>- - - - -</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT size=4>In his book A Life on the Road, Charles
Kuralt reminds us that Ambrose Bierce in his "Devil's Dictionary" defines the
noun road as "a strip of land that leads from a place where we do not wish to be
to a place which it is futile to go." Kuralt said, "He was probably right, at
least about the latter part, but what he fails to see is the joy of the
journey."</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT size=4><A
href="http://day1.org/659-the_journey">http://day1.org/659-the_journey</A></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT size=4>Thomas Lane Butts,
2000 </FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT size=4>I think power, wealth, and pleasure are good,
but the issue is: what are you going to use this good thing for? For example,
wealth. Are you going to use it to isolate yourself, to live this life of
pretense, or are you going to use your wealth for the common good and the glory
of God while also taking care of yourself and talking care of your loved ones?
Steven Covey is writing and speaking a great deal these days about how Americans
have made the mistake of thinking that maturity is independence. I will be
mature when I am wealthy enough to be isolated. And what Covey is trying to
teach in his seminars is that maturity is interdependence.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT size=4><A
href="http://www.csec.org/csec/sermon/brennan_4113.htm">http://www.csec.org/csec/sermon/brennan_4113.htm</A></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT size=4>Patrick Brennan, 1998</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT size=4>The image of a servant and master is used to
portray the relationship between God and persons. To be a servant of the Lord
was high praise. The word for servant in both the Hebrew scriptures and
the New Testament is the word for "slave." To be a servant or slave of the
Lord in biblical terms is to enjoy the closest relationship with God.
</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT size=4><A
href="http://www.lectionarysermons.com/octr22-00.htm">http://www.lectionarysermons.com/octr22-00.htm</A></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT size=4>John Jewell,<SPAN lang=en-us>
2000</SPAN></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT size=4><SPAN lang=en-us>- - - -
-</SPAN></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT size=4><SPAN
lang=en-us></SPAN></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT size=4>When it is said that the
Son-of-Man came to minister, this form of statement makes the purpose of
ministering cover his entire earthly life. Our Lord's incarnate life not merely
had this purpose among others, it had this purpose exclusively. It consisted in
this—was exhausted by this. There never was in human history such an absolute
concentration of life upon the single specific task as our Lord here and
elsewhere ascribes to himself. </FONT></SPAN></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT
size=4></FONT></SPAN></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT size=4><A
href="http://www.kerux.com/documents/KeruxV6N1A1.asp">http://www.kerux.com/documents/KeruxV6N1A1.asp</A></FONT></SPAN></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT
size=4></FONT></SPAN></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT size=4>Geerhardus Vos,
1913</FONT></SPAN></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT size=4>- - - -
-</FONT></SPAN></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us><SPAN lang=en-us></SPAN></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT size=4>What kind of jobs would they
have in the new nobility of this new kingdom? They had made a lot of sacrifices
for Jesus, what were they going to have in return. In the immortal words of city
politics, they asked, "Where's ours?" Jesus told them what it would be, but they
still didn't understand.</FONT></SPAN></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT
size=4></FONT></SPAN></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT size=4><A
href="http://www.agreeley.com/homilies00/oct22.htm">http://www.agreeley.com/homilies00/oct22.htm</A></FONT></SPAN></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT
size=4></FONT></SPAN></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT size=4>Andrew M. Greeley,
2000</FONT></SPAN></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT size=4>- - - -
-</FONT></SPAN></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us><SPAN lang=en-us></SPAN></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us><SPAN lang=en-us>...some members of Mark's community
thought the price was too high, and their response to the word (Jesus/gospel)
was to endure for a while, but when tribulation or persecution arose on account
of the word, to fall away (4:17), perhaps even denying him (8:38) out of fear.
Other persons may have even betrayed members of the community to the authorities
in the hope of averting torture and trial themselves (13:9). Such experiences
created a spirit of fear and uncertainty, which began to take its toll on this
fledgling group. Mark responds to this situation by re-presenting the Jesus
story, narrating it in such a way as to force his friends to notice things they
already know but prefer not to see, like the presence of the cross (8:34)
</SPAN></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us><SPAN lang=en-us><></SPAN></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us><SPAN lang=en-us>...although, we have no record of what
happened to members of Mark's community, we do know that many courageous early
Christians died for their belief in Jesus and for the
gospel.</SPAN></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us><SPAN lang=en-us></SPAN></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us><SPAN lang=en-us><A
href="http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0LAL/is_4_31/ai_94332362/">http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0LAL/is_4_31/ai_94332362/</A></SPAN></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us><SPAN lang=en-us></SPAN></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us><SPAN lang=en-us>Marie Noel Keller,
2001</SPAN></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us><SPAN lang=en-us>- - - - -</SPAN></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN lang=en-us><SPAN
lang=en-us> </SPAN></SPAN></DIV></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>