My Thoughts - My Journey

Perhaps you have experienced God putting a word or message on your heart, but you weren't sure how to convey it to others in the clearest, most concise manner. Well, this morning while I was getting ready for the day I went to YouTube and was prompted to look up Francis Chan's new 2017 videos. I scanned a couple and almost immediately this one stood out to me as if to say...."This is the message for you this morning." The more I listened, the more convicted I became. This mes sage encapsulated so many thoughts, questions, and issues that I have been tossing around lately.....and even through conversations that I have recently shared.  As a believer and follower of Jesus, I know this message from Francis Chan is on point and is one that needs to be heard and shared over and over. It is a message that will leave you questioning where you are in your walk and where do I go from here. Please, take the 50 minutes to listen to this message and allow it to penetrate and mo...

"Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.’" Luke 11:1 Not in every home, but in most.....here in America, we bow our heads and say grace and ask God to ‘give us this day our daily bread.  And then? We hop in our cars, run down to the grocery store and buy a loaf or two. We ask Him to keep us safe and warm. Then parents buy their kids the best car seats available, and we crank up the furnace whenever we feel chilly. It is so easy in our culture to provide the answer to our own prayers. But in the mission field, when people will pray for God to give them their daily bread, not knowing if they will have enough food to feed their families that night. Their prayers are bold. They ask God for things they can’t always provide for themselves. I have recently been thinking of this and how so many times I feel I am asking God for what I already can and do take care of myse...

Many times, hopefully, in our conversations with God, we will ask for Him to guide our footsteps. Are we just mouthing words that "sound" like a good idea in theory OR do we actually mean what we are asking for? Are we REALLY willing to release the tight reins we hold on our lives.....can we even do that? Yes, we CAN do it, but it takes immense REAL faith and trust in God and we must really believe that He will not let us down. No matter if we put our faith in Jesus or not, w e don't really have any control over our lives; therefore worry and stress only hurts and complicates our time here....it offers zero in how things will turn out. Releasing the reins, giving up what we consider as "our control" opens up the door for a deeper, loving relationship with Jesus. Allow the Holy Spirit living within to truly take over your life and feel the overwhelming peace from within. Either we believe or we don't...."And we know that God causes EVERYTHING to work to...

Sometimes I believe we have become "too big for our britches" as my grandmother would say.  We read God's Word, pull out (or look up) several different translations - gather a variety of commentaries and lexicons so we can explore the "original" language in which it was written. We have many now getting Bible degrees...Not to be ministers, Bible teachers, or missionaries....but just so they can "better" understand God's inspired Words.  I'm not saying education and checking-out all the available study materials isn't a good thing...Believe me, I am all for high education - BUT....As my daddy used to tell me, "We have too many people going to these Preaching Schools - they are going to educate themselves right out of the Bible." Well, I think my daddy could have been on to something. For those of us hungry for knowledge, understanding, and Truth - It might pay us to spend more quite time ONLY reading God's Word...p...

"Whatever you did for one of the least of these … you did for me." Matthew 25:40b Some of us might be called to minister to the homeless, others to adopt, others to fight for the unborn, others to help orphans, others to encourage the persecuted.....and countless other possibilities. Cultivating a sacrificial lifestyle often starts with one simple step, such as ministering to someone in our community. We must be willing to let God stretch us beyond what is comfortable and eas y. He will open our eyes to the ways in which He desires us to become His hands and feet to those in need.  Throughout history, the Christians who’ve made the most impact for God’s kingdom rarely lived comfortable or convenient lives. Their mighty acts for God required enormous personal sacrifice and a willingness to venture far beyond the realm of the easy and convenient. If today’s Christians are too busy, who will take up the torch of Gospel-centered rescue work in this generation?  We MUST...

What a difference a day makes! The gray is gone and is now filled with the most beautiful bluest of blue skies. The snow from yesterday is slowly melting away and the snow from the trees falling to the ground as it disappears.  And such is life… Some days it feels like the weight of what just landed on top of us is going to break us apart, but through prayer, faith, and God‘s everlasting love and healing in our lives… our today has sun shining in it and little by little the burden, at least for now, drifts away.  And because of His everlasting faithfulness to us, we can see His glory and His beauty in both the gray skies and the blue.

What a blessing and honor it is to serve a Father Who loves each of us so much.  What a treasured blessing to have our Savior walk along-side us in this journey we call life.  What a joy it is to know and feel the Holy Spirit as He lives within and gives guidance to all who are open to His leading.  What a peaceful joy to know that He is in control.  What a comfort to be assured that He has our back and that He will cover us with His protection.  What an amazing reality it is to k now that He will take away all of our pain, sorrow, and tears because as believers we know that all will come out good....no matter the trials that we are currently walking through. In the end, oh yeah....for us, their will be no end!  As our short vapor of time spent on Earth fades, we will become a eternal.  Eternal in Their presence and eternal with all believers who have gone before us and will travel after.  Isn't it amazing...Spread the word!   Amen! †...

No matter what is going on in the world around us....what is our first action/reaction as believers supposed to be? Cast judgment? Point out their wrong? Turn our back? Speak negative words to them? Talk negatively to others about them? We are to love....simple as that....LOVE!  Our image before the lost of this world is supposed to reflect the Light of our Savior Jesus the Christ. Show His love, His passion, His sorrow for the hurting and lost of the world. The lost do not need someone standing on their "high and mighty" pedestal looking down with contempt. That is not the way of Jesus and will never bring the lost to Him.  Love.....Just Love! All else will fall into place.....Amen! †

WOW WOW WOW!!!  I continue to be amazed and completely blown away by our Holy Creator! Only 5:44 long. For those of you who have friends and/or family who are non-believers.....share this brief video with them. The forethought that God put into our created beings is unreal....He left out nothing and connected us to the cross long before Jesus would hang on it. Please take a few minutes and receive the blessing of this video message.  Amen and Amen! † " He is the image of  the invisible God,  the firstborn of all creation.   For by him all things were created,  in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether  thrones or  dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created  through him and for him.   And  he is before all things, and in him all things  hold together ." COPY AND PASTE THE LINK BELOW INTO YOUR URL.....WATCH AND BE AMAZED! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSR8z_0uW5E&feature=youtu.be

There is greatness in us, but we limit ourselves. God has greatness for us, but we limit Him. We are all full of potential as God has placed it on the inside, but do we allow the lies of fear stop us from reaching what He has for us? We were created to shine and each of us need to light up what’s on the inside. Some, however, want to put shade….limitation over our light that God wants to illuminate. Others attach labels to us and shame wants us to wear them. They dim our ligh t and hinder our shine. We must take control and give it to God as He will deliver us. He will pull us into His presence…..into His never-ending light. We were created to shine! “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father....

Jesus came to earth to do the Father’s will, but He also came to represent God so that we would know what it is like to have God with us. In Colossians, we read....“He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God ….” Colossians 1:15 In Hebrews: “And He (Jesus) is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature ….” Hebrews 1:3 And in John....“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God …. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us …. No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.” John 1:1, 14, 18 Jesus Christ is the very representation and likeness of God. He was sent to show us the beauty and majesty of the King. He did not make His debut in Bethlehem because He existed before creation “in the beginning.” In fact, it was “through Him” that “all things were made.” (John 1:3) Even when we look back to the book of Genesis, we read that God said, “Let us make man...

“And the very hairs on your head are all numbered.” – Matthew 10:30 I believe sometimes we read this text and gloss over how deeply it shows God’s active presence in our lives. There are some who believe that God gave us the Old and New Covenants for all guidance and He is back in Heaven with no “hands-on” interaction in our daily lives. That thought process actually counters Jesus’ very own words to us. God knows us perfectly. God governs our lives and the world minute-by-minute. God cares for us with Fatherly concern. How do we know this? Because Jesus tells us that every hair in our head is numbered. Ever thought…..that is NOT a one-time deal? The number of the hairs on our head changes daily. Either we lose a few or we gain new baby hairs. He knows the number of hairs on our head…..minute-by-minute! He can’t get closer to us and our lives than that! He is active and moving intricately. To say He has no power in our lives….no interaction in our lives is to deny who He ...

Sometimes we need a good breakdown to get a good breakthrough.The walls we build get so thick and tough, we hinder our feelings, emotions, and not only the love we have to share, but the love that is waiting for us to receive. Through letting go and by giving Him control, we can start to chisel away what is holding us back from living in joy and freedom. Reach out for all that is meant to be yours and do not allow others to hinder your journey. Amen!

It’s never too late to turn to God….and the reason is because He still loves us, no matter who we are or what we’ve done. And because He still loves us, He wants to welcome us home….and He will, if we’ll only repent of our sins and turn to Him for the forgiveness and new life we need. The Bible says, “He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).  God stands ready to receive us, even at the last moment; however, if we delay, our hearts can grow harder and more resistant toward God, until we no longer hear His voice calling us. The Bible warns, “A man (or woman) who remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed — without remedy” (Proverbs 29:1). It is we who might turn from God. In Galatians 5:4, we read, “ For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God's grace. ” It is not God who removes His grace from u...

Depression and Anxiety “But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high.” Psalm 3:3 Depression and anxiety are two different disorders; however, one can cause the other or can cause the disorder to heighten in intensity. There are no verses that will point to quick and/or easy solutions to either of these disorders. Philippians 4:6-7 reads, "Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." Sounds so simple and easy, but those words are difficult to live up to. It takes a deep faith and a re-telling to ourselves daily of this Scripture. Hopefully, in time, a releasing of what causes the anxiety will come and it will be followed by peace. For some.....it truly is a day-by-day walk and burden that continues to plague. ...

Love Is the Greatest - 1 Corinthians 13 "If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I  didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing. Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! N...

God promises believers "I will be a Father to you and you shall be sons and daughters to Me." (2 Corinthians 5:18) And because of the "great love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God." (1 John 3:1) Romans 8:15 reads, “So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God's Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, ‘Abba, Father’."  Abba, Father denotes a very personal, intimate rel ationship with our Holy Creator….He is our Daddy, our Papa. It is through the work of Christ that God invites us to call Him "Abba, Father." It is through Christ that grace and peace have resulted and we have become God's children.  Some may not feel comfortable or might even feel that calling God by such names as Daddy or Papa as belittling or that they show a lack of respect. For me, they express my deep, abiding love and devotion for Him; however, His love for me ...

HAPPY PENTECOST! The Christian Pentecost refers to the occasion of the descent of the Holy Spirit as described in the Acts of the Apostles 2:1–31. According to Luke 22, the Descent of the Holy Spirit took place while the Apostles were celebrating the Jewish day of Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks….a prominent feast in the calendar of ancient Israel celebrating the giving of the Law to Moses at Sinai. Subsequently, the term Pentecost can refer to the Pentecost of the New Testament  and Shavuot of the Old Testament. The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost - Acts 2:1-4 "When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit enabled them." Amen! †

It is shameful that we have people in America who are hungry. There are over 9 1/2 million families that will go to bed tonight not knowing how they will feed their families tomorrow. How can there be so many hungry people in a country that has so much? They feel embarrassed, ashamed, and are often treated as outcast. We should never make needing help shameful! The shame and embarrassment should be on those who are not doing their part to make this situation better.  Jesus tells us in Matthew 25:35-40 that if we take care of the needs of those who are hungry, thirsty, those in need of shelter, those who need clothing etc.… It will be is if we have done it for Him. Don't just pray for them, don't just feel sorry for them….Make a difference for them. We are, after all, His hands and His feet on this Earth. Amen!  ✝️

“Church”….what is it? The word is used to describe an institutionalized setting, a building where religious groups meet, etc. However, we, the church, are a special people, His people…disciples, followers of the Christ. He is the firm foundation upon which all of our faith, hope, and trust relies. His Truth does not shift with the moving of time. There is so much being taught today….and has always been….that just cannot be found in t he Bible. In Act 17:11 we are told that the Berean Jews were more noble. Why? Because they studied the Scriptures to see if what Paul was teaching was actually Truth. If the great apostle Paul was being double-checked….how much more are we to check those teaching from pulpits and classrooms today?  Often, the more noted the speaker, the greater the following…..comes assumptions that they are speaking Truth. Sometimes we just allow small infractions to slide…..so what if 95 percent of the lesson was Truth, but the last 5 percent wasn’t? Is it ok to co...

God's faithfulness has never depended on the faithfulness of His children. He is faithful even when we aren't. When we lack courage, He doesn't. He has made a history out of using people in spite of people. God is greater than our weakness. In fact, it is our weakness that reveals how great God is. Amen! † "He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.'" - 2 Corinthians 12:9

Part of our message today dealt with baptism...is it salvational, necessary, etc.; therefore, I thought I would share a few of my thoughts. We should not allow baptism to be something it is not. Apart from the cross it has no significance. If you are trusting a dunk in the water to save you, you have missed the message of grace. We must beware of dogmatism. No one this side of heaven can fully understand the majesty of baptism. Watch out for the one who claims to have a corne r on the issue, especially if that person is in your mirror.  Don’t prevent baptism from being what God intended. This is no optional command! This is no trivial issue! It is a willing plunge into the power and promise of Christ. Baptism is the first step of a believer. If it was important enough for Jesus to command, isn’t it important enough for you and me to obey? And if it was important enough for Jesus to do, isn’t it important enough for you and me to follow? In baptism God signs and seals our conversi...

God didn't create any of us to be average. He didn't make us to barely get by. We were created to excel, to rise above and soar. We must remove those negative in our life and know that they are not from our Creator. Our Father God only gives His children positive words, positive direction, and a love like no other. If negativity is holding you back, it is of satan and you must release his hold. Put Jesus in every aspect of your life and walk in Freedom! Amen! †

God's answer for the hurting heart is not a promise of the absence of pain, but a promise of His presence to be with us to offset the struggles. He has guaranteed that He will walk with us every step of our life. Open yourself up to a supernatural touch....and let Him love you. Amen! †

Do the voices of accusations and condemnations ever stop? You're not good enough, you're not strong enough, you don't give enough, serve enough, you're not faithful enough. These voices that whisper... and even sometime shout...in our head of the lack of our worth. Who owns this voice? Does these voices of accusations ever shut-up? No, they don't because they come from the devil. There is an evil, malevolent force who is on a limited time table and on a short leash, but he ha s one goal....he wants to suck the joy out of God's people. He can't take our salvation, but he tries to steal our joy, our happiness, our fruit, our faith, our hope, our security....he tries to take whatever he can. Often times he recruits a lot of people to help him ....he uses friends, family to drudge up our past, and even ministers who preach all guilt and no grace.  So many have been reared to only hear criticism and accusations that it makes it very difficult to feel and to kn...

There's no shame when any other organs in the body fails, so why do so many feel shame if their brain is broken? Mental illness continues to be seen as a spiritual deficiency or character flaw by many Christians. It has been reported that nearly half of evangelical, fundamentalist, or born-again Christians (48%) believe that people with serious mental illness can overcome their condition through prayer and Bible study alone. Mental illness, on any level, is one of the saddest , most dreaded diseases faced and very difficult to overcome or be healed from. I know many, including my sweet sister-in-law, who fought a strong battle against the demons of this disease. She was a loving, compassionate follower of Jesus who prayed and read her Bible.....went to church; however, it still took her life.  Those who are walking this journey are on my mind and in my prayers today. My heart and prayers go out to all the families and support groups because I know first hand the helplessness they...

Often times we accept statements as truisms that are actually quite absurd.  We even do that in “church.” We come up with phrases that would make great bumper stickers or perhaps on refrigerator magnets and coffee mugs. They sound right, but they aren’t actually in the Bible. Example: “God helps those who helps themselves.” What book of the Bible would you find that? It doesn’t exist. “Everything happens for a reason.” Yes, but that can’t be found in a Bible verse and shouldn’t be used as a blanket statement appointing credit to God when bad things  happen. We use many of these phrases with the best of intentions because we want to give comfort to those hurting and going through a tough season. That phrase has echoed in my mind for years, but one occasion especially back in December, 1995. My mom lost her mom and seventeen hours later, lost my dad. Both deaths were quite sudden and not expected. My mom’s words have forever resonated with me, “God will not put more on me th...

God is able! No matter what is going on in our lives, He stands with us. No matter what answers we receive, He will remain our God. He is our strength, our comfort in times of trouble. He covers us with His amazing love. Life is unpredictable, but He remains steady. Our God is everlasting to everlasting. Amen! † A readers response: Your comments are, as usual, "Right On". and I appreciate the encouragement you send through these messages. I would appreciate hearing what you, and others that read and comment have to say about the doubters and skeptics that respond in a negative w ay for a lot of different reasons and are reluctant to put their trust in God's word. They read and many times respond therefore have not totally shut God out of their lives. God is good!! My response to the reader: Thank you, R_____ . You are always so kind and I pray that you and your beautiful bride, L_____ , are doing well. I rarely get negative responses. I would imagine that those w...

"I cry out to the LORD; I pray to the LORD for mercy. " Psalm 142:1 You can talk to God because God listens. Your voice matters in heaven. He takes you very seriously. When we enter His presence, the attendants turn to hear your voice. No need to fear that you will be ignored. Even if you stammer or stumble, even if what you have to say impresses no one, it impresses God—and he listens.  He listens to the painful plea of the elderly in the rest home. He listens to the gruff confession of the death-row inmate. When the alcoholic begs for mercy, when the spouse seeks guidance, when the businessman steps off the street into the chapel, God listens. Intently. Carefully. The prayers are honored as precious jewels. Purified and empowered, the words rise in a delightful fragrance to our Lord. “The smoke from the incense went up from the angel’s hand to God.” Incredible. Your words do not stop until they reach the very throne of God. Then, the angel “filled the inc...

The glory He gives us is His own presence in our hearts. Our Lord was one with the Father because of the glory that God gave Him, John 17:22 indicates. We in turn enjoy oneness by the glory that Jesus gives us, which is the glory the Father gave Him. So as God filled Jesus with His own presence, Jesus in turn fills us with His own presence. This is  what makes unity possible.  The context makes it evident that Jesus is referring to the indwelling Holy Spirit when He promises us His glory.  It is by way of the Spirit that the Christ dwells in the believer. “I will not leave you desolate; I will come to you,” He promises the apostles in John 14:18, which is hardly a reference to His second coming. It points rather to the coming Spirit, who was to be both with and in them, and through whom Jesus would Himself be present.  In John 14, the reason the disciples were not to let their hearts be troubled was that in each of th...

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline." 2 Timothy :7 FEAR…..Fear influences many of our decisions. Fear amplifies our imagination in a bad way. We become “the worst-case scenario” queen/king. Fear even tries to prevent us from moving forward in obedience to what we sense God calling us to do . We can do what any wise believer would do….pray. Pray against fear. Pray that God will take away our fear. That fear will leave us alone. That fear will vanish. That fear will be far from us. However, we must realize that those prayers would probably require us to live in a bubble, limit our interactions with people, and never attempt anything that could be considered risky and quite possibly never leave our house. But the truth is, until Christ’s return, fear will always exist on this earth. We live in a scary world where bad things happen. One look at the news headlines makes that clear.   John 10:10 tells us tha...

And the LORD said to satan, “Behold, all that (Job) has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So satan went out from the presence of the LORD. ~ Job 1:12 "I (God) form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things." ~ Isaiah 45:7 Satan afflicts believers, but how much power does he really have? In 2 Corinthians 12:7 Paul said a messenger of Satan was given him to afflict him. Satan was behind Jobs’ suffering. The enemy can afflict us physically. He tempts us to sin. But his greatest weapons are his fiery darts – his lies about God that he launches against our faith. We are in a serious conflict with the powers of darkness. Sometimes I hear Christians talk as if satan were all-powerful.....The devil has really been having a field day in my life lately.....or.....satan’s really been kicking me around this week. In reality, we find in the Scriptures that satan's powers are actually ve...