Mark Marten
Searching for the Abundant Life

Searching for the Abundant Life

Jesus explicitly explained his purpose when He said “…I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly” (Jn 10:10). He said similar things many times, and these ideas are repeated, over and over again, by those who wrote the New Testament. Yet many people,...

Science and Christianity

Science and Christianity

In every culture there’s a set of ideas or beliefs that people don’t think much about, but many simply assume to be true. One of these ideas is that there is an intrinsic conflict between science and Christianity. Today we’ll talk about some of the apparent conflict,...

The Gifts of Memory

The Gifts of Memory

Time for us travels in only one direction, such that once a moment is past it’s gone forever. While this helps us deal with life’s challenges (“time heals all wounds”) we can also experience a strong sense of loss and even grief as we pass through the joyous times of...

Cross-Training

Cross-Training

We’re commanded, over and over again in the Bible, to meditate on God’s word. So it makes sense that when the “Reveal” study surveyed thousands of Christians the behavior found to be most important for growing in Christ was “reflection on scripture” or meditation. Yet...

Look Out & Look Up

Look Out & Look Up

As we survey our current surroundings, we find a wealth of perspectives on “how the world works.” Which of these ideas we embrace will determine how we act and behave. The same was true in Colossians when Paul warned against “fine-sounding arguments” or “hollow and...

Hearing God’s Voice

Hearing God’s Voice

If we said we had a personal relationship with another person, we’d all assume, at the very least, some degree of regular, back-and-forth conversation. So how does a “personal relationship with God” work? We talk to God through prayer, but how does God talk back to...

A Model Citizen

A Model Citizen

More than almost anything else, Jesus talked about the Kingdom of God and that it was now available to everyone. He explained that those who trust Him become citizens of that Kingdom. Jesus also compared the Kingdom to a great treasure that someone would sell all they...

New Habits

New Habits

Habits can have a profound impact on our lives in both good and bad ways. And often, we’re unaware of how much we do in our lives simply by force of habit. We’ll discuss how modern behavioral science is catching up to what the church has known for thousands of years...

Singing Off Key

Singing Off Key

There is a mountain of scientific evidence showing us that people do moderately well at evaluating others, but are often terrible at evaluating themselves.  As a result, many of us are not self-aware in regard to our relationships. Said another way, we don’t have a...

Ephesians Chapter 5

Ephesians Chapter 5

Study Guide Download Welcome to our Fall Bible Study of Paul’s Letter to the Ephesian Church! LifePoint’s mission is to influence people to find and follow Jesus with the goal of becoming Christ-like influencers. A Christ-like influencer engages with God daily. But...

Be Near

Be Near

God wants to be near us. He wants to spend time with us and to teach us how to become the people He wants us to be. But for many of us that’s not our routine experience. Today we’ll talk about how to experience God’s presence in an amazingly powerful way. We’ll talk a...

Altogether Generous

Altogether Generous

We’re told “God helps those who help themselves.” And we know that if we give things away, we’ll have less. In addition, many believe what we have is ours, to be used for our own pleasure. When these false narratives are combined, they form a powerful argument against...

Good News & Bad News

Good News & Bad News

When we have good news like a job promotion, the birth of a child, or even a new car, we usually want to tell others about it. But when it comes to telling others about the good news Jesus shared, what he’s done for us and what we receive from Him, it’s often...

Why Worry?

Why Worry?

Numerous medical studies make it clear: we’re in the midst of an anxiety epidemic. In other words, a lot of people worry—a lot. And it’s having a dramatic detrimental impact on our health and on our society. Yet it’s been suggested, “we can do nothing better with...

Promised Holy Spirit

Promised Holy Spirit

With departure can come anxiety on the part of those left behind. Jesus knew His disciples would experience a sense of loss and confusion after he left, so He helped them understand what they were supposed to do and how they would be able to accomplish it. These ideas...

God is Infinite

God is Infinite

Over and over again, the Bible tells us God is infinite. While it’s difficult to understand what this really means, we’ll do our best to try. And as our understanding of this truth grows deeper, it has the potential to change our lives for good.

God is Generous

God is Generous

When someone is generous they give more of something (like time or money) than is necessary or expected. Sometimes we're generous because we’ve been blessed with an abundance. We can also be generous with scarce resources, as we’re motivated by love or compassion....