Personal – Page 6 – John Markum

The CRAZIEST 48 Hours of my Life!

Posted on August 1, 2011 by johnmarkum

The only thing crazier in fact might have been 2 season with Jack Bauer. Regardless, my weekend began with my sister, Jennifer, coming with me to church on Saturday morning to prepare for the surprise baby shower for my wife Tiffany. My first mistake was telling her, “If I can just get through the next 12 hours…!” Little did I realize at the time what all would happen in that small period of time, and how much more I had to do afterwards.

The baby shower went from noon to 2pm, after which, Tiffany (9 months pregnant) began complaining about a pain in her side. At 2:30 she called her doctor who told her to go into the hospital to be safe. Jenn takes her in so that I can perform the wedding which began at 3pm. I go to the hospital immediately afterward. The doctors fear that she may have a bad appendix or gall bladder in addition to her early contractions.

They decide to do a sonogram at 7 – 7:30, which gives me just enough time to get through the Saturday night service that I lead at Edgewood and Tiff feels safe letting me go to do it. I get through our live Q&A just in time to get back as the doctor tells her: “SO we’ll take you in about 30 minutes for your C-section!” Wow, what have I missed!

At 8:19pm, July 30th, Elijah Jesse Markum was born via C-section at Trinity 7th Street; 7 lbs. 4 oz. 19 in. Mom and baby boy are both healthy and suppose to come home tomorrow.

I took our other 3 to church on Sunday morning, did another Live Q&A with our Youth Pastor in the Youth Service, checked on Tiff and the baby, performed a second wedding for the weekend, helped my sister and brother-in-law get my older kids fed and into be, dropped in on the reception as the party winded down, and finally crashed on the couch in my wife’s hospital room, with a brand new baby who “kept us company” all night.

I’ve managed to recuperate some today! Luckily, I have a few days off this week. But I had to share with all my blog viewers how our weekend went. And no, the rumors of my blog getting repossessed are not true. Thanks for asking, though. And thanks to everyone who prayed for me and my family this weekend! Tiffany and I are in your debt.

Blessings,

John

My Personal Devotions: Mark 6

Posted on July 19, 2011 by johnmarkum

Mark 6:1-13

Jesus left that part of the country and returned with his disciples to Nazareth, his hometown. ² The next Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. They asked, “Where did he get all this wisdom and the power to perform such miracles?” ³ Then they scoffed, “He’s just a carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us.” They were deeply offended and refused to believe in him.

⁴ Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.” ⁵ And because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. ⁶ And he was amazed at their unbelief.

Then Jesus went from village to village, teaching the people. ⁷ And he called his twelve disciples together and began sending them out two by two, giving them authority to cast out evil spirits. ⁸ He told them to take nothing for their journey except a walking stick—no food, no traveler’s bag, no money. ⁹He allowed them to wear sandals but not to take a change of clothes.

¹⁰ “Wherever you go,” he said, “stay in the same house until you leave town. ¹¹ But if any place refuses to welcome you or listen to you, shake its dust from your feet as you leave to show that you have abandoned those people to their fate.”

¹² So the disciples went out, telling everyone they met to repent of their sins and turn to God. ¹³ And they cast out many demons and healed many sick people, anointing them with olive oil.

My Thoughts:

People underestimated Jesus, some will underestimate me as well (v. 1-2)
Proximity to life change does not equal personal life change (v. 4).
My faithlessness limits God’s willingness to work through me (v. 5).
Jesus was consistent with what he taught (compare v. 8-9 to Luke 12:22-31).
Don’t be discouraged by the people who won’t listen to me (v. 11).
God will make my successful in everything He has called me to (v. 12-13).

Blessings,

John

From my personal devotions: Psalm 112

Posted on July 12, 2011 by johnmarkum

I started this blog to give people in my church, family, and friends in ministry a means to better connect with me, and hopefully (more importantly) with God. Along those lines, about a week ago, I thought that it might be a good idea to start sharing some of my thoughts straight out of my personal time in God’s Word with my blog viewers. There’s nothing particularly special about what I think, of course. But I hope that as I try out this newer idea that it could serve as an encouragement to many of you, and perhaps for some viewers who may be unsure of where to start in the Bible for your quiet time with God, this can be something that you do with me.

Psalm 112 –

Praise the Lord! How joyful are those who fear the Lord and delight in obeying his commands. Their children will be successful everywhere; an entire generation of godly people will be blessed. They themselves will be wealthy, and their good deeds will last forever. Light shines in the darkness for the godly. They are generous, compassionate, and righteous. Good comes to those who lend money generously and conduct their business fairly. Such people will not be overcome by evil. Those who are righteous will be long remembered. They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them. They are confident and fearless and can face their foes triumphantly. They share freely and give generously to those in need. Their good deeds will be remembered forever. They will have influence and honor. The wicked will see this and be infuriated. They will grind their teeth in anger; they will slink away, their hopes thwarted.

My Observations:

Joy, fear of God, and obedience all go together. (v. 1)
My children’s generation will be affected by my obedience to God. (v. 2)
When I walk with God, I have light even in dark places. (v. 4)
3 Words describing those who walk with God: generous, compassionate, righteous. (v. 4)
Bad stuff still happens to righteous people (v. 7), and
by the grace of God, they inevitably win anyway. (v. 8 )
God deals with my adversaries for me. (v. 10)