Genesis 12:2 - "And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you [with abundant increase of favors] and make your name famous {and} distinguished, and you will be a blessing [dispensing good to others]." If you haven't already, you have got to hear this story about Nate Boyer. He describes himself in his earlier years as very average, non-descript, "rudderless", without direction. Then, as a young man just out of high school, while sitting on his couch in his living room, he saw a program on TV about...
Read MoreThe Perfect Resort
Psalm 71:3 (Amplified Bible) "Be to me a rock of refuge in which to dwell, {and} a sheltering stronghold to which I may continually resort, which You have appointed to save me, for You are my Rock and my Fortress." Whether you made your summer vacation plans many months ago or several days ago, the anticipation of getting away is like no other. The countdown starts…
Read MoreJust Be-Cause
1 Samuel 17:29 – “And David said, what have I now done? Is there not a cause?” I have an important question for you today. What is you “cause”? The word cause means, a principle, an aim, or a movement that, because of a deep commitment, one is prepared to defend or advocate. Some synonyms of cause are: belief, conviction, object, end, objective, purpose, mission. Matthew Barnett, of the Los Angeles Dream Center, wrote a tremendous book entitled, The Cause Within You, about his journey from serving under his father, Tommy Barnett at Phoenix First Assembly to finding the “cause” within him while on the streets of LA. When he first arrived in California many years ago, he...
Read MoreWhat a View - by Natalie Fortunato
Psalm 61:2 (New King James Version) “From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” Several summers ago our family celebrated my sister’s wedding in Ouray, Colorado, professed to be (by its residents) as the “Switzerland of America”. A perfectly fitting name for this picturesque little town...
Read MoreThe Honeymoon is Never Over
Romans 5:8-9: “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” For those of you who are married, remember how wonderful your honeymoon was? I hope so! You and your spouse...
Read MoreError Message
Romans 2:4 – “…the goodness of God leads you to repentance”. For so long, Satan has trapped people into a sin consciousness, always thinking about what’s “wrong”, a performance based system of measuring our worth, accusing us of every little thing. That’s a lousy way to live, but so clever on his part. Why? He knows if he can...
Read MoreSuperman
2 Corinthians 5:17 “So then if any man is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new.” Did you know that the comic book character Superman was born on the planet “Krypton”, then rocketed to earth by his scientist father as an infant, just moments before Krypton’s destruction? The story goes on to say...
Read MoreAdding Fuel to the Fire
1 Corinthians 15:56 – “The strength of sin is the law”. Recently in the news was a story of a man that accidentally set fire to three cars while trying to get rid of bed bugs! The New Yorker was hospitalized after dousing the interior of his rental car with...
Read MoreI Don't Own a White Flag
Hebrews 12:3 - "Consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest you be wearied and faint in your minds". Did you know that the state of New Jersey has established what is called a "safe surrender" program offering persons wanted by the police for non-violent crimes to turn themselves in...
Read MoreBed, Bath, Beyond
John 5:8 – “Rise, take up thy bed and walk”. Many of you are familiar with the retail store called Bed, Bath and Beyond, great name, right? Great truth too…from John’s gospel, a bed, bath and beyond experience like no other!...
Read MoreSweatless Grace
Ezekiel 44:17-18 – “And it shall be, when they enter in at the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with bleached linen clothing. And no wool shall come on them while they serve in the gates of the inner court, and inside. Turbans of bleached linen shall be on their heads, and shall have bleached linen undergarments on their loins. They shall not clothe themselves with anything that causes sweat.” Did you ever buy a deodorant that didn’t…do what it was supposed to do, stop the sweat? I have...
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Who's Your Daddy?
John 17:25-26 – “O righteous Father, indeed the world has not known You; but I have known You, and these have known that You have sent me. And I made known to them Your name, and will make it known, so that the love with which You have loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” In the movie Taken, Liam Neeson plays a character named Bryan, the father of a young adult girl abducted in Paris by a human trafficking ring. The outlook is not good as the daughter...
Read MoreSix Powerful Words
Acts 13:43 “When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.” If you are ever asked to share your faith with a group of people and you are stuck for ideas...
Read MoreOnce Shaved, Always Shaved
1 Corinthians 1:8-9 – “Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.” I know that beards are making quite the comeback these days, but every day, no matter what, like most men, I shave...
Read MoreRing in the New Gear
Philippians 3:13-14 – “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do , forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” To see God do something great in your life, quit can never be an option...
Read MoreDynamic Soaring in 2015
Isaiah 40:31 “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” When I was in the window and siding business many years ago, there was a saying among the sales people, “Are you working hard, or working smart?”, meaning...
Read MoreStickability
Ephesians 6:18 - “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;” Stickability. Stick with it. Persevere. Press through until the end. Keep praying until you pray through. So many times, if something doesn’t happen as quickly as we think...
Read More"Thanks-given"
2 Peter 1:3 "According as his divine power has "given" unto us all things..." My favorite holiday to celebrate has always been Thanksgiving. As a child, I have great memories of our family going to the big rivalry football game on Thanksgiving morning and then...
Read MoreThe 24-Hour Rule
Philippians 3:13 - “But this one thing I do, forgetting...” After a touch and go, back and forth, high drama battle against a top 10 college team, Hugh Freeze, coach of the Ole Miss Rebels football team, finally came out on top. It was the first time in decades that the University of Mississippi was on the radar for an important game. Amidst the celebration and student stampede to take down the goal post, ESPN interviewed Coach Freeze right on the field. They asked, “You just won one of the biggest games in Ole Miss history, what are you gonna do next week for an encore?” His answer...
Read MoreThe "Mess-terpiece"
Ephesians 2:10 (New Living Translation) “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago”. If you haven’t seen it already, I highly recommend the movie Moms Night Out for you and your family. It’s a wonderful celebration of the “mess” that sometimes comes with parenting. In the movie, when the moms go out for a much needed night out with the girls...
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