Mark Stafford

  • markdstafford
  • Seattle, WA
  • Do people sometimes embody God's voice?

    Joshua's ordainment starts with "the LORD spoke..." and the command "Be strong and courageous" is echoed three times. Now we see the leaders of the Israelites using the same words. This seems unlikely…

    Created 9 months ago

    Joshua 1:18 (NLT)

  • Claim me as Your own special possession

    'And he said, "O Lord, if it is true that I have found favor with you, then please travel with us. Yes, this is a stubborn and rebellious people, but please forgive our iniquity and our sins. Claim us…

    Created 9 months ago

    Exodus 34:9 (NLT)

  • Is capital punishment still applicable?

    I wonder if this punishment for killing is still relevant - it certainly seems contradictory to the ethnic cleansing God commanded when the Israelites were claiming Canaan.

    Created 10 months ago

    Genesis 9:5 (NLT), Genesis 9:6 (NLT)

  • Earned a Badge — Completed 3 Reading Plans

    2011-08-03

  • Earned a Badge — Completed First Reading Plan

    2011-08-01

  • Is Hell simply exile from the New Jerusalem?

    This verse and other verses in proximity (21:27) certainly seem to indicate that the world will still contain unbelievers - but other verses (20:15, 21:8) seem to indicate that they will go to the "second…

    Created 10 months ago

    Revelation 22:15 (NLT)

  • We can't even fool others, let alone God

    I've never read this verse this way before - I always picked up that we can't fool God about our sin, but there's another message - we can't even fool other people. What a waste of effort to claim that…

    Created 10 months ago

    1 John 1:8 (NLT)

  • How much of what we see is a shadow?

    This verse makes me wonder how much of what I am attached to in this world is only a shadow, with the original yet to come.

    Created 10 months ago

    Hebrews 8:5 (NLT)

  • Earned a Badge — Created 10 [Public] Notes

    2011-07-28

  • Hope is an anchor for our souls

    What a great word picture - hope can bring steadiness to our souls, no matter what the storms of life are.

    Created 10 months ago

    Hebrews 6:19 (NLT)

  • TODAY when you hear his voice...

    I love how this passage is written to be always current.  This is a constant reminder not to harden our hearts even if we did yesterday, the day before yesterday and the day before that.The other aspect…

    Created 10 months ago

    Hebrews 3:7 (NLT), Hebrews 3:8 (NLT)

  • Mosaic law expiration date

    The NLT has an interesting translation of Gal. 3:19 - was the Mosaic law really only designed to last until the coming of Christ? If so, what implications does that have on our daily life and how we apply…

    Created 10 months ago

    Galatians 3:19 (NLT)

  • Believer accountability

    Many people believe that Christians will not be held to account for the things they do contrary to God's law (these same people contest that we are forgiven and interpret that to mean we have no further…

    Created 11 months ago

    Romans 14:12 (NLT)

  • Children of the promise

    I love this representation of what it means to be a child of God.

    Created 11 months ago

    Romans 9:8 (NLT)

  • Romans 7:7

    Romans 7:7 (NLT)
    Well then, am I suggesting that the law of God is sinful? Of course not! In fact, it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, “You must not covet.”

    Created 11 months ago

  • Romans 4:20

    Romans 4:20 (NLT)
    Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God.

    Created 11 months ago

  • Fickle believers

    I think this is the type of person Jesus was referring to with the illustration of the seeds on rocky soil - they initially show some promise in wanting to believe and then they have an almost visceral…

    Created 11 months ago

    Acts 14:18 (NLT), Acts 14:19 (NLT)

  • John 18:1

    John 18:1 (NLT)
    After saying these things, Jesus crossed the Kidron Valley with his disciples and entered a grove of olive trees.

    Created 11 months ago

  • When God speaks it thunders

    It's kind of a neat thought to think that any time it thunders, God is speaking. It's not logically consistent with this passage and is quite unlikely to be true theologically speaking, but it's a fun…

    Created 11 months ago

    John 12:29 (NLT)

  • Kill Lazarus too

    I guess I never really realized this was in here - at least, it's never been the focus of any sermons I've heard. It reads rather like a B-movie script.

    Created 11 months ago

    John 12:10 (NLT), John 12:11 (NLT)

  • Condemnation with Scripture

    It seems we need to be careful when Bible bashing others and saying "the BIBLE says..."; maybe we should be doing our best to point them to Jesus instead.

    Created 11 months ago

    John 5:39 (NLT)

  • Earned a Badge — Created First [Public] Note

    2011-07-15

  • Peter's calling is different here

    Interesting that Peter's calling in John is different than in any of the other gospels.

    Created 11 months ago

    John 1:35 (NLT), John 1:36 (NLT), John 1:37 (NLT), John 1:38 (NLT), John 1:39 (NLT), John 1:40 (NLT), John 1:41 (NLT), John 1:42 (NLT)

  • Earned a Badge — Shared a Bible Reference

    2011-07-03

  • Earned a Badge — Created Your First Bookmark

    2011-07-03

  • Matthew 24:31

    Matthew 24:31 (NLT)
    And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.

    Created 11 months ago

  • Earned a Badge — Subscribed to First Reading Plan

    2011-07-01