Happy New Year! Heavenly Father, As we enter into a new year, let us not dwell on the challenging moments of 2023. Instead, let us stop and give thanks for what You have brought us through. Let us stop and give thanks for waking up this morning with breath in our lungs, and the ability … Continue reading Prayer for the New Year 2024 →

The people who walked in darknesshave seen a great light;those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,on them has light shone.You have multiplied the nation;you have increased its joy;they rejoice before youas with joy at the harvest,as they are glad when they divide the spoil.For the yoke of his burden,and the staff for his … Continue reading The Joy of Advent →

1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.2     Worship the Lord with gladness;    come before him with joyful songs.3 Know that the Lord is God.    It is he who made us, and we are his[a];    we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.4. Enter his gates with Thanksgiving    and his courts with … Continue reading Pause and Praise →

There is not one of us who has not gone through situations that weren’t messy and hurtful. We have wondered why the Lord has allowed this to happen to us. Somewhere we believed that bad things don't happen to good people. This borders on the premise that once you accept Christ and become a good … Continue reading Make Your Mess Your Message →

Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love    and his wonderful deeds for mankind,for he satisfies the thirsty    and fills the hungry with good things. Psalm 107: 8-9 During the month of November, we often think about Compassion Month at church. This is where we do a global outreach to other nations to ensure that children and families will … Continue reading A Grateful Heart of Compassion →

Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death and of faith in God. Galatians 6:1 Every once in a while you are reminded of how much you’ve grown. You remember what your reaction would … Continue reading Bearing Witness and Giving Praise →

For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how disciplined you are and how firm your faith in Christ is. Colossians 2:5. This morning, I awoke around 4:30. My immediate thought went to my friend, Debra, who has found her place in the … Continue reading Hidden Beauty in the Art →

 But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient,  in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may … Continue reading To Have Decorum, Be Still →

Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. -----1 Peter 5:2-3 At the close … Continue reading Releasing of My Flock →

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth gives way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.” Psalm 46:1-3 6th What’s in your testimony? Is it a life … Continue reading What’s In Your Testimony? →

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6 Have you ever recognized a time in your life when a relationship, season, or job had run its course? Did you leave or separate … Continue reading The Long and Never-Ending Road →

We are at our very best, and we are happiest when we are fully engaged in work we enjoy on the journey toward the goal we've established for ourselves. It gives meaning to our time off and comfort to our sleep. It makes everything else in life so wonderful, so worthwhile. - Earl Nightingale How … Continue reading Where the Journey Leads →

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Le t each of you look not only to his own interests but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:3-4 As the new school year begins, we have the last chance to look at the empty hallways and … Continue reading When They Return →

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. – Matthew 11:28-30 It has been a while since I have written or … Continue reading The Beauty in Rest →

(The Beginning of Holy Week Pt. 5) "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. John 11:25-26. Good morning, Happy Sunday, Happy Easter, and Happy Resurrection Day! “Christ is Risen!” “He is risen indeed!” … Continue reading He Is Risen →

(The Beginning of Holy Week Pt. 4) For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Matthew 12:40 As we reflect on Holy Week and its implications, we learn … Continue reading Darkness →

(The Beginning of Holy Week Pt. 3) Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?” “Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back … Continue reading Weight of Guilt & Shame: Good Friday →

(The Beginning of Holy Week Pt. 2) “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.” John 13:13-14 During our spring break, we witnessed the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem … Continue reading Character Check: Wash My Feet →

(The Beginning of Holy Week Pt. 1) Now the Festival of Unleavened Bread called the Passover, was approaching, 2 and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some way to get rid of Jesus, for they were afraid of the people. Luke 22:1-2. As the coldness of winter begins to die, and the buds … Continue reading Underlying Meaning of Spring Break →

“Our choices determine our direction in , but if we do not own this fact, we don’t know where we are going, and we resent where we end up as if it were someone else’s fault.--Dr. Henry Cloud In a recent conversation, how history repeats itself became the major topic. Laughter erupted because we see … Continue reading Passing the Buck →