Author Archives: Mark Cole

About Mark Cole

Jesus follower, Husband, Grandfather, Worship Leader, Writer, Pastor, Teacher, Founding Arranger for Praisecharts.com, pickleball player, blogger & outdoor enthusiast.. (biking, hiking, skiing). Twitter: @MarkMCole Facebook: mmcole

Water Baptism: Buried, Cleansed, Raised

Posted on February 26, 2026 by Mark Cole

Water baptism is one of the clearest, boldest acts of obedience in the Christian life. It is simple. It is public. And it is powerful. From the banks of the Jordan River to church baptistries today, baptism has marked the … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Church, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus | Tagged baptism, baptized, baptizing, believed, belong to Christ, belong to Him, belong to Jesus, burial, buried, Christian, cleansed, decision, disciples, faith, heard the gospel, line in the sand, new life, obedience, old life, public, raised, raised with Christ, repented, resurrection, righteous, Surrender, testimony, transformational, water baptism | Leave a comment

Jesus’ Blueprint for Discipleship

Posted on February 26, 2026 by Mark Cole

If you want to make disciples who last, you have to look carefully at how Jesus did it. Not how we imagine He did it.Not how we’ve modernized it.But how He actually discipled the Twelve in the Gospels. His model … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Church, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Leadership | Tagged ask questions, blueprint, calling, cast out demons, chose them, confront, correct, corrected, correction, disciples, discipleship, fail, Gospels, growth, heal, humility, intentional, invitation, life transfer, miracles, mission, model, obedience, pray, preach, pride, questions, relational, relationship, response, responsibility, responsible, rest, room for failure, servanthood, sleep in a storm, spiritual rebirth, Surrender, the twelve, transformational, walked with Jesus | Leave a comment

Faith Versus Fear

Posted on February 25, 2026 by Mark Cole

(Mark 5:21–43) In Gospel of Mark chapter 5, a desperate father named Jairus falls at Jesus’ feet. His little girl is dying. He begs Jesus to come. On the way, everything seems to unravel. A woman interrupts them. Time passes. … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, God, Healing, Health, Jesus | Tagged believe, closed door, dead, decision, diagnosis, divine power, don't be afraid, faith, faith is a choice, faith versus fear, faith whispers, fear, fear shouts, fear versus faith, God is faithful, impossible situations, Jairus, Jesus is never late, Just have faith, little girl, look at Jesus, pray, praying, problem, storm, trust God, trust Jesus, trusting God, walk with Jesus, worst case | Leave a comment

What Is Faith?

Posted on February 25, 2026 by Mark Cole

In the Gospel of Mark chapter 5, we meet a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered physically, financially, and socially. According to the law in Leviticus, her condition would have made her ceremonially unclean. She … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Healing, Jesus, Wisdom | Tagged bleeding, character of Jesus, determined, exhausted, faith, faith comes by hearing, faith hears, feed your faith, feeding your faith, healed, hem of His garment, His power, in faith, inward trust, isolated, Jesus' power, optimism, power, power of Jesus, relationship, religious, touch His clothes, touch His garment, trusting Jesus, wishful thinking | Leave a comment

Under the Shadow of the Almighty: Lessons from Psalm 91

Posted on February 24, 2026 by Mark Cole

There are some passages of Scripture you don’t just read — you live in them. Psalm 91 is one of those. It has strengthened martyrs, missionaries, soldiers, and saints. It has comforted anxious hearts and steadied trembling hands. But if … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, God, Healing, Health, Holy Spirit, Leadership, Wisdom | Tagged aging, Almighty, Angels, confess trust, criticism, daily dwell, danger, death, disease, God's presence, He is my refuge, His presence, illness, lifestyle, lions, love, Love God, love Him, Most High, my refuge, personal, place of safety, protection, Psalm 91, reject fear, rescue, secret place, serpents, shadow, shelter, stay close, terrors, Trust | Leave a comment

What Are The Side-Effects of Kindness?

Posted on February 24, 2026 by Mark Cole

Kindness looks simple. A smile. A listening ear. A generous act. A patient response when you could have snapped. But kindness is not small. According to Scripture, kindness is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). That means it is … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Family, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Leadership, Wisdom | Tagged act kindly, anger, be kind, compassionate, contagious, control, daily kindness, decision, deeply kind, effects, emotional safety, fruit of the Spirit, generous act, gentle answer, gentleness, God's kindness, humility, kindness, life-changing, listening ear, patience, powerful force, pride, reduces regret, reflect Christ, repentance, restored, side-effects, smile, softens hearts, spiritual power, spoke gently, strength, transformation, transforms character | Leave a comment

Everything Comes Into the Light

Posted on February 23, 2026 by Mark Cole

Jesus said, “For everything that is hidden will eventually be brought into the open, and every secret will be brought to light.” (Gospel of Mark 4:22) That is both comforting and terrifying. It depends on what you’re hiding. 1. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Church, God, Jesus, Leadership | Tagged accountability, align your life, approval, brought into the open, brought to light, bury sin, comes to light, confession, disguise motives, everything that is hidden, faithfulness, generosity, God sees, hidden faithfulness, hidden illness, hidden sin, hiding, hypocrisy, image, law of exposure, light exposes evil, light wins, motives, obedience, position, prayer life, private, public, repentance, reputation, secret patterns, shame, short accounts, sin, spiritual law, transparency, walk in the light | Leave a comment

How To Spend Time With Jesus

Posted on February 23, 2026 by Mark Cole

If you’ve followed Jesus for any length of time, you know this: it’s possible to work for Him and slowly drift from Him. You can preach, teach, lead worship, serve, give… and still neglect the most important relationship in your … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Leadership, Wisdom, Worship | Tagged ask for wisdom, be consistent, be still, daily, focus, gentle nudge, Gospel of John, Gospel of Mark, gratitude, His presence, His voice, honesty, important relationship, intimacy, listen, obedience, obey, open your Bible, praise, praise Him, pray, read the Bible, relationship, scripture, slow down, slowly drift, spend time, start small, stillness, thank Him, time with Jesus, transformation, walk with Him, worship Him | Leave a comment

Enthroned on Praise

Posted on February 22, 2026 by Mark Cole

(Psalm 22:3) “Yet You are holy,enthroned on the praises of Israel.” These words come from Book of Psalms 22, written by David. And here’s what makes them powerful: this verse sits in the middle of pain. Psalm 22 begins with … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, God, Jesus, Music, Worship | Tagged authority, declaration, enthroned, every nation, every tribe, faith, God reigns, God rules, He is holy, hearts, Holiness of God, holy, Holy One, magnify Him, mature faith, pain, praise, praises of Israel, realigns your soul, reorders, restores, shifts atmosphere, suffering, You are holy, your praise | Leave a comment

How God Describes Himself

Posted on February 21, 2026 by Mark Cole

There are moments in Scripture when God pulls back the curtain and tells us exactly who He is. This is one of them. In Book of Exodus 34, the Lord passes in front of Moses and declares His own name … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, God | Tagged anger, compassion, compassionate, faithful, faithfulness, forgive, forgiveness, Jesus, judges rightly, justice, love, merciful, mercy, Moses, patient, rebellion, sin, slow to anger, suffering, thousand generations, unfailing love, worshiped, Yahweh | Leave a comment