About the curriculum (from The Pilgrim Press): "God's word is alive, with something new to say to all of us. That's why the "Listen Up! Bible Study" series does not simply teach information about the Bible. It listens to God speak.
In these Bible studies, we were encouraged to listen: listen to the Bible, listen to our own questions and responses, and listen to the honest sharing among participants in the study group. In that mix of biblical text, personal engagement, and honest speaking and listening, God's word was heard, speaking challenge and comfort.
Mark's Gospel -- the shortest of the four Gospels -- gets right to the point. Mark didn't have the time to deal with anything that didn't draw a straight line from Jesus' baptism to his empty tomb, and so the Gospel moves at a speedy pace! Mark seeks to strengthen readers -- urgently -- in their faith, even before the ink dries on the papyrus. From the very first verse, the Gospel has one purpose: to show that Jesus is the One: the One worth listening to, the One worth following, the One worth committing your life to. This is the One we meet in the pages of Mark's raw, bare-bones Gospel."