Will you consider taking up the Hebrews 11:6 Challenge in 2023?

About the Book: 

The spark that ignited the writing of HE IS! is Hebrews 11:6: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (NKJV). Will you consider beginning the Hebrews 11:6 adventure? In his deepest trials of life, Mark embarks on a quest to know God more fully and intimately through prayerful meditation on the Scriptures. He confesses that he has been a part of three main groups in this world: those who deny that God exists, those who don’t know if there is a God, and those who believe in God. Each meditation includes reflection questions that ask readers to consider topics such as whether they find comfort in sometimes not understanding God, how they feel about awesome truths regarding God, and how knowing a particular attribute of God might change the way they think and act. Ignite your faith, learn more about who God is, and help spread the Word with this book of devotional meditation by inviting others to join you in a group study. 

Awards:

American Writing Awards 2022 Finalist in the Religion Category 

About the Author:

Mark R. Worden is a lifelong learner and a student of God’s Word. He received his undergraduate and graduate degrees in Bible and Teaching Bible. He has served as youth pastor, missionary, and teacher at a Bible institute in Manaus, Brazil, and pastored a local Montana church for six years. Along with being a licensed property manager, he is a self-employed handyman, and enjoys woodworking on the side.

Excerpts from 3 Editorial Reviews:

• Readers’ Favorite – 5 Stars by Edith Wairimu I loved the personal anecdotes included which help expand the work and show how knowing God applies in everyday life. The reflection questions included at the end of each meditation allowed me to pause and internalize the messages. I also found the scriptures included for further reading and meditation helpful in learning more about each attribute of God. Ultimately, the work guided me in developing a more intimate relationship with Him and reminded me about who God is. I loved that the work is backed by biblical passages that support its discussions. I also found the work uplifting as it shows God as personal, all-knowing, and merciful. He Is! Knowing God Through Fifty Scriptural Meditations by Mark R Worden is a powerful and hope-filled work that expands on who God is. Recommended to any reader who wants to grow in their knowledge and relationship with God. 

• Reader Views – 5 stars by Lily Andrews “He Is!: Knowing God Through Fifty Scriptural Meditations” by Mark R. Worden is a landmark volume and a one-stop believer’s guide, well-choreographed and presented to elucidate the character and personality of God, backed up with over eight hundred biblical scriptures and well-researched phrases. [It] is a precious read and is a stunning tool that leaves you meditating on God’s word. It is not a “feel good” devotional, rather it is blissful with substance and content challenging the followers to dig deeper into their relationship with the Creator. It is truly a resource that edifies and liberates your heart. 

• BookViral – 5 Stars by anonymous Mark Worden offers us his own personal spiritual reflections in ‘He Is’-Knowing God through 50 Meditations’. Taking phrases and passages from scripture and pondering on each ‘God is’ phrase, Worden encourages his readers to reflect deeply on the multi-faceting representation of God found in the Bible, how God is evident in nature and creation, and in how he interacts with humankind. Worden interweaves frank and self-sharing personal experience into his writing, demonstrating how belief in God and who he is can have a profound and last long effect on life and happiness, as well as presenting him as an all-encompassing being who can have a powerful influence in and on lives, and who works through others to support and provide. ‘He is’-Knowing God through 50 Meditations’ could be ideally studied in sections as a group Bible study guide, or alternatively as a personal journal from which to springboard to personal scriptural meditation and is highly recommended.

More information:  www.heisministries.net

A Testimony of God's Faithfulness

Has God been faithful to you? I would love to hear your stories of God’s faithfulness.  I encourage you to follow the Psalmist’s example and not conceal, but declare and sing of God’s faithfulness as the following verses challenge us:

Ps 40:10, “I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation.”

Ps 88:11, “Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? or thy faithfulness in destruction?”

Ps 89:1, “I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.”

I would like to tell you some of the highlights of God’s faithfulness to me:

1.      God was faithful to pursue me in grace when I tried to push Him out of my life from age 16 to 18 by putting my faith in an evolutionary explanation of the origin of life instead of recognizing Him as the Creator.

2.      God was faithful to grant me a heart of repentance when I yielded to His love expressed in the Gospel of Christ (Romans 1-11) and received Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior on the third Sunday of August, 1978.  

3.      God was faithful to make me a new creature in Christ; He began changing my desires from the moment I surrendered and truly believed and trusted in Him with my whole heart.

4.      God was faithful in leading me to Churches that taught and preached the Bible—where, although the pastors and congregations were not perfect, they for the most part had a heart for God and encouraged me to be faithful to our faithful God:

First Conservative Baptist Church, Roseburg, Oregon – Pastor Roy Campbell
Westside Baptist Church, Eugene, Oregon – Pastor Greg Kaminski
Emmanuel Baptist Church, Roseburg, Oregon – Pastor Dale Johnsen
Mount Calvary Baptist Church, Greenville, SC – Pastor Jessie Boyd & Mark Minnick
Temple Baptist Church, Richland, WA. – Pastor Michael Gilchrist
Jordan Valley Baptist Church, West Jordan, Utah – Pastor Harley Johnson
New Israel Baptist Church, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil – Pastor Sergio

5.      God was faithful to always give me direction as I waited upon Him in prayer for guidance and wisdom to make the big decisions of life: where he wanted me to go to college, who He wanted me to marry, where and how He wanted me to serve Him.

6.      God has been faithful to forgive me when I confess my sin (1 John 1:9-10).

7.      God was faithful to help me be a better dad when I was struggling.  His Word gave me wisdom beyond myself – Click hear to read the Bible study that changed my parenting.

8.      God was faithful to give me the perfect help meet in my wife, Tammie, who is submissive yet not a doormat, supportive yet not flattering of my sinful ego, and sharpening yet not critical.  God was faithful to restore my wife’s health when she became so ill while we served in Brazil.

9.      God has been faithful to provide for all of our needs in 25 years of marriage and ministry. When we were about out of food, He provided in miraculous ways.  When our mode of transportation broke down, He provided means and funds for it to be fixed.  When we needed wisdom for family and ministry relationships, He gave wisdom for the asking like He promised.  When we needed a place to rest our heads, He always put on the hearts of His people to take us in with loving assistance, which also gave us the opportunity to be a blessing in return.

10.  When the burdens of life and ministry were too hard to bear ourselves, God was faithful to give us sustaining grace.

11.  God was faithful to give me six challenging and good years as Pastor of First Baptist Church where it was a joy to see His word take root in the hearts of those who had ears to hear.

12.  God has always been faithful to slow me down when I need slowed down and to speed me up when I needed speeded up. 

As we wait on the Lord for future direction, we have no doubt that we can trust in our faithful God.  I am reminded of something I wrote to Tammie Rich before she became Tammie Worden:

We can praise God for His providential hand of leading in the past;
We can look forward in faith to what He will do in the future;
but we must concentrate on keeping His commandments consistently today!

What was true for our lives over 25 years ago is true for our lives today; however, I would add another thought: We can only do it by the faithful enabling grace of God.  The grace of God is what I preached on this past month while doing some pulpit supply at Grace Bible Church:  You can listen to the message by clicking on the sermon title: Grace at Grace.  Down load the message: Mp3
I praise God for His faithfulness!  Will you?    
With prayer, Mark R. Worden

The Call to True Discipleship

Are you following Christ or are you just playing church games? This past Lord's Day I preached from the same passage as last week ( Matthew 19:16-26) with a different focus and included the last few verses to close out the chapter (Matthew 19:27-30). The general outline to the message is as follows: The Call, the Response, and the Reward for Forsaking All and Following Christ. Click here to download the message for a listen.