We are at the center of Mark’s gospel, heart of his message – the hub of the wheelIn chapter 8 Mark pulls everything together - Jesus Christ appeared in the world on a mission• he came to introduce people to the kingdom of God• but making them aware of God’s presence and kingdom proved to be extremely difficult◦ it is not easy for us to awaken to God’s Spirit- this chapter reveals the tension our worldly mind and spiritual mind more clearly than any other• I tried to describe this tension a few years ago in one of my meditations:“A theme that Mark has emphasized, is that the human mind is geared to physical reality. As a result, our