06
Oct '18
Color-blind
06
Oct '18
So he got up and went to his father.“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. Luke 15:20-24
Who came up with the concept of being ‘color-blind?’ Yes, there are people who are literally color-blind, but I have heard that phrase used often in conversation with people with respect to their view on race. “I don’t see color when talking to people,” is what some would say to me as if it were a badge of honor. “It does not matter what color you are. I see you as a brother in
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06
Oct '18
Teamwork
06
Oct '18
Life is all about teamwork. Our jobs, families, activities, school, church, just to name a few. Think about it, we are meant to do life together. Trying to do life alone has never been God’s plan for us. Our lives wouldn’t be able to function properly without teamwork. We literally have to rely and depend on others to get things done.
God created us to work together in teams.
Marriage is a team effort. It takes commitment on the part of both partners to make it work. When you decide to get married, you decide to form a partnership (team), to grow and learn together.
Building a family is teamwork. Each family member has a specific role designed by God to help the family function properly.
We all have jobs that require teamwork. For instance, I have worked in the retail industry for most of my life. A retail business has many departments. Each department depends on the other to help keep the store running efficiently. When something goes down or becomes dysfunctional, it can cause real chaos. Solving problems requires teams coming together to find a solution. As a team, we help each other and we figure out the best solution together.
Our churches rely on teamwork. It takes commitment to keep our churches running smoothly. Most people don’t think about what goes on behind the scenes. It ultimately comes together because of many people working with each other to accomplish the goal of serving one another and the body of the church successfully. God created us for fellowship. Fellowship and growing together is impossible without teamwork.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 NASB
Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe is the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.
Proverbs 27:17 NASB
Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.
1 Corinthians 3:9 NASB
For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.
Have a blessed day!!!
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06
Oct '18
Limitless Love
06
Oct '18
Although a known fact in my life, up until recently I didn’t often just ponder God’s love. Did amnesia set in and maybe I forgot about it? Or did I possibly grow to doubt it because of life’s struggles? Hmmm… I’m not even sure I fully understand it yet, but I do know that God’s love for me is so vast that I could never even fathom it. That’s hard to comprehend on my best day, and even more hard on my worst. Why would God choose to love me? With all my faults – me?
Of course, growing up in a small Baptist Church in a little rural town that had about 20 members, we’d sing in Sunday school “Yes Jesus loves me, yes Jesus loves me, yes Jesus loves me, the Bible tells me so.” So, yes, I always knew Jesus loved me, but
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29
Sep '18
Information for Good Decisions
29
Sep '18
As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed Him. Mark 1:16-18
My mother was an avid reader of Consumer Reports magazine. She would keep old copies of it so that when it came time to shop for something, she could pull up one of the old articles giving ratings on various brands, and then weigh cost and quality to what
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29
Sep '18
Outsiders
29
Sep '18
Have you ever felt like an outsider? I feel like I spent most of my life like an outsider. I’ve always had a family who loves me, but for some reason I just never felt a real outside connection with anyone. Feeling that way led me to some unhealthy choices in my earlier years.
Following Jesus has taught me that my identity isn’t found in other people, it’s found through Him. I don’t have to follow others and try to be something I’m not. Following Jesus I feel loved and I have peace. I definitely don’t feel like an outsider.
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29
Sep '18
The Angel Oak
29
Sep '18
Have you ever looked at an Oak tree and wondered how it got so big, so vast, so tall? Of course, getting as beautiful and grand as it may be, it surely didn’t start out like that. It takes decades to become that grand Oak.
There’s a tree in John’s Island, South Carolina that I’ve visited many times called “The Angel Oak”. If you’ve ever visited, you can most likely remember the amazement when looking at the tree for the first time. This tree is thought to be one of the oldest living organisms east of the Mississippi River. It is estimated to be 400-500 years old, stands 65 feet tall, its trunk is 28 feet in circumference, and an area of 17,000 square feet is shaded by its branches. It has survived a number of hurricanes, floods and
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22
Sep '18
Strike No More
22
Sep '18
Elisha told him, “Get a bow and some arrows.” And the king did as he was told. Elisha told him, “Put your hand on the bow,” and Elisha laid his own hands on the king’s hands.
Then he commanded, “Open that eastern window,” and he opened it. Then he said, “Shoot!” So he shot an arrow. Elisha proclaimed, “This is the Lord’s arrow, an arrow of victory over Aram, for you will completely conquer the Arameans at Aphek.”
Then he said, “Now pick up the other arrows and strike them against the ground.” So the king picked them up and
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22
Sep '18
New Beginnings
22
Sep '18
I love Fall. It’s my favorite time of year. I enjoy watching as the leaves begin to change color. It’s dark on my way to work in the mornings, but on my way home there are a lot of trees. When the leaves are all changing colors, it looks like the perfect postcard. Fall is my preferred season.
As the new season is getting ready to begin, I am looking forward to beginning a new Bible Study. Renewing current friendships and hopefully starting new ones is my goal as we study
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22
Sep '18
Second Step: Who is Love?
22
Sep '18
Dearest Reader,
Welcome back! A pleasure to once again share a moment with you.
I’d like to celebrate the glorious truths about who God is! He is a redeemer and a purifier! He takes the pain and struggle of this life and He washes us white as snow! He is faithful and unmoving. And most importantly, He loves us more than we’ve ever known, felt or considered.
Last week, the question was asked, what does love mean to you?
This week, I would like to discuss with you what love really is, or better yet, WHO love is.
1 John 4:7-9 says this: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this, the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him”
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22
Sep '18
Wrestling the “Why”
22
Sep '18
Have you ever just awoke one morning and had to ask and wrestle with the “why”??? “Why God? Why is this happening to me?” I’ve surely had to reign myself in at times in my life and remind myself that what I was going through was (and is) God’s plan for my life.
Asking “why” is human nature. When we’re toddlers and first start talking, “Why?” is one of the first questions that we ask about nearly everything. We’re curious, we want to learn.. WHY? In my situation, however, asking “why” is a response to the misconception and lies by the enemy that if I understand the reason behind my pain, then
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