talk to the animals =^..^=

The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.

– Proverbs 12:10

Anyone that knows me knows that I love cats.  

I love all of God’s creatures (except spiders and snakes, but that is another day), but cats are my passion.

Since September 2014 I have worked closely with an animal rescue group fostering cats and I have seen some of the most horrific examples of humanity that are out there.

God created us to care for His kingdom, and that includes His animals.

That means, food, water, shelter and love.

Granted, we are not living in the days when people relied on animals for their living, plowing fields, transporting goods, turning mills, but we still need to care for animals.

All animals.

And it is not just a matter of being kind on the outside – God knows your heart.

To all my single friends out there – when you are looking for a potential mate, watch how they treat animals.

Like the verse says, the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.

And if someone is going to mistreat a cat or a dog or a horse, how are they really going to treat you?

Have a blessed day.

is this offensive to you?

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

- 1 Corinthians 1:18

My pastor read this verse a week ago and to paraphrase what he said, this verse is basically that the Gospel is offensive and tasteless to some.

I can understand that.

As I study every day, I can find a lot of verses in the Bible that are harsh.

I mean seriously – the Bible points out that we are ALL sinners.

WHAT??

We might not want to admit it but yes, I am a sinner, you are a sinner, everyone is a sinner. (sorry for channeling my inner Oprah).

But wait, there is more!

The beauty of the Gospel is that we are FORGIVEN.

That is right, forgiven.

There is nothing that you can do that God won’t forgive, but the caveat is that you have to come to Him.

And the only way to come to Him is through Jesus.

I am saved by the power of His blood, and oh wow, that is such a comfort to me.

Come, be saved with me, I’ll tell you all about the mercy of our Lord.

Have a blessed day!

are you equal?

Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 

-  2 Corinthians 6:14

This one is going to be a difficult topic and I am fairly confident that I will get some negative feedback.

I know of several couples that are already established, where one is a believer and the other is not.

A husband and a wife are supposed to be a single unit, how can they be if one follows Jesus and the other mocks Him?

This is not the first mention of equally yoked in the Bible, and it seems to me that the important lessons are repeated several times over.

What do you do when your loved ones are non-believers?

You can’t just cut them out of your life, you have to pray for them.

I pray for my friends (and family!) that are non-believers, I want to think that they will come to Christ with (sometimes not so gentle) nudging.

If you are in a relationship where you are not equally yoked, I pray for you.

Hopefully your family (and mine) will stop mocking God and see Him for the Light that He is.

Have a blessed day! 

Courage in crazy times

David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the LORD is finished.”
- 1 Chronicles 28:20

Be strong and be courageous.

The Bible says these words (or a variation thereof) 11 times.

Song reference!

We were made to be courageous
We were made to lead the way
We could be the generation
That finally breaks the chains
We were made to be courageous
We were made to be courageous

We were warriors on the front lines
Standing, unafraid
But now we're watchers on the sidelines
While our families slip away

Where are you, men of courage?
You were made for so much more
Let the pounding of our hearts cry
We will serve the Lord

We were made to be courageous
And we're taking back the fight
We were made to be courageous
And it starts with us tonight

This week, my church family and I laid to rest a beautiful woman, who fought an 11 year battle with cancer. 

That woman was the epitome of courageous.

Even through all her pain, she always smiled, she never complained and she always served.

I did not realize to what level she went to ensure that others were comfortable and more importantly, others found God.

If she can bring people to the Lord in the midst of her suffering, what is stopping us from doing the same?

What is going on in your world, that you need to be strong and be courageous?

Stand up and make a difference.

You can do it, I know you can.

Have a blessed day! 

hear me

let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you.

– Nehemiah 1:6

I don’t normally share political views with anyone outside my immediate family because I have seen friendships destroyed by these arguments in recent years.

But the chaos that this country is facing right now, the breakdown of morals and values and general common sense, holy catfish, we need prayer now.

Right now.

Obviously we can’t change the world, but we can pray that our leaders make intelligent decisions that will make a positive difference.

And we can pray that the sins that we as a nation are committing against Him stop.

Pray without ceasing, people!

Have a blessed day!

Desperado

When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’

– Luke 15:17-19

OK, I admit that the first thing that came to my mind when I read the first 5 words was the Eagles song “Desperado”.

Yeah, I think I just admitted my age there.

The second thing I thought of was the Veggie Tales episode The Ballad of Little Joe.

Yeah, I am a little weird.  

That is the only reason I am looking forward to grandchildren by the way – so I can watch Veggie Tales again.

Seriously, how many of us need to come to our senses and run back to the loving arms our Father?

I find it comforting to know that all I have to do is go to Him and be forgiven.

I am pretty sure that I can relate to the prodigal son.

Can you?

Have a blessed day.

free!

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

- John 8:36

“Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, I am free at last!”

Most of you will recognize this from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s “I have a dream” speech that he gave on August 28, 1963 on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

Did you know that those words were actually song lyrics?

What started out as a spiritual sung by slaves in the south, made its way to one of the most recognized speeches in history and has been the basis for many additional songs ever since.

The words mean different thing to different people, I can only tell you what they mean to me.

It means that I don’t have to be afraid of eternal damnation, Jesus died for me so I could be set free from my sin.

It means that I can share the Word without fear of persecution.

It means that I am so loved, so very loved, that God would send His only Son.

Maybe I should have saved this verse for July 4th.

But I am free to choose to send it today.

Have a blessed day!

i do not see

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

- Hebrews 11:1

When I choose a verse to post each day, I look back at previous posts to make sure I have not recently used it. 

When I looked back for this one, I found that I posted it in January 2017, January 2016, January 2015 and August 2014.

HMMMM.

I guess that means that this verse has meaning and needs to be shared often!

I mentioned previously that I have been asked how I can have faith in something that I cannot see.

I could come up with a long winded answer, talk about how we have faith in things that we cannot see all the time, every day!

I can remind you how impatient I am.

I can go back and paste exactly what I said the last 4 times I used this verse in my “daily bread”.

I can ever refer to any number of songs, both Christian and secular.

Bottom line is this: without faith, we have nothing, no hope for the future, no control over our anxiety, no promise of a better tomorrow.

Refresh your perspective, you will be amazed at how far a little faith will get you.

Have a blessed day! 

sadness transformed

But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

- Philippians 3:20-21

This is a sad weekend for me.

You see, 33 years ago today, my daddy died.

I was 15 years old.

Growing up without my daddy was so hard, I did not have a relationship with God at the time.

I was so lost.

Now I know that my daddy is in Heaven with the Father and he has been made glorious through Jesus.

Not only is he not sick anymore, but I get to see him again.

So my sadness, like my spirit, is transformed in the love and light that is Jesus Christ our Lord.

I miss my daddy, I wish he would have been here to see me grow.

But I know that I will see him again, but for now, he is fishing in the lakes of Heaven with Jesus!   

Have a blessed day! 

singing messages

Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

- Colossians 3:16

Hey, I can do this!

I guess, in a way, when I am sharing the Gospel every day and adding my own thoughts, that I am kind of teaching.

And when I point out my own faults and ask you to examine yours, I am kind of admonishing.

And I enjoy the heck out of psalms, hymns and songs, so you bet I’m going to sing!

Oh – oh – oh – you guessed it, song reference!

We will sing, sing, sing

And make music with the heavens

We will sing, sing, sing

Grateful that You hear us

When we shout your praise

Lift high the name of Jesus

What's not to love about You?

Heaven and earth adore You

Kings and kingdoms bow down

Son of God, You are the One

You are the One we're living for

You are the love that frees us

You are the light that leads us

Like a fire burning

Son of God, You are the one

You are the one we're living for

You know you get points if you actually sing the songs that I reference J

Seriously – have “an attitude of gratitude” in everything you do – people see that!

Have a blessed day!

do you need to cry?

In my anguish I cried to the Lord, and He answered by setting me free. The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?

—Psalm 118:5-6

We are 17 days in to 2018 and it has already been tough on some of my friends and family.

There has already been illness and loss, irreparable damage to relationships and things that are just flat out bad.

Cry out to the Lord – oh! Song reference!

Weak and wounded sinner
Lost and left to die
O, raise your head, for love is passing by
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus and live!

Now your burden's lifted
And carried far away
And precious blood has washed away the stain, so
Sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus and live!

And like a newborn baby
Don't be afraid to crawl
And remember when you walk
Sometimes we fall, so
Fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus and live!

Sometimes the way is lonely
And steep and filled with pain
So if your sky is dark and pours the rain, then
Cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus and live!

O, and when the love spills over
And music fills the night
And when you can't contain your joy inside, then
Dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus and live!

And with your final heartbeat
Kiss the world goodbye
Then go in peace, and laugh on Glory's side, and
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus and live!

Oh wow.

All we have to do is turn to Him in our sorrow, He will be there.

We are never alone.

Have a blessed day.

what are you seeking?

Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts.

—Amos 5:14-15

Well, this is interesting.

I had a conversation with someone the other day and they told me that bad things always find them.

But what if – what if these things aren’t finding us by chance, but instead we are seeking them?

“NO way!” we say . . . but bear with me a moment  - I am not saying we deliberately seek out evil, but what if we are doing it subconsciously?

What if what we think and say are making us seek out the bad?

I am terrible about road rage . . and I can tell you the things that run through my mind (and come out of my mouth) when I am driving are certainly not in character with what I profess to be, a believer that God is always with me.

Just so you know, God understands this.

We are not perfect, and He loves us anyway, but He still wants us to try.

You want God’s grace?

Put your character on the line, examine it and make changes.

I see some things that I need to focus on  . . .  

Have a blessed day!

We don’t have to like everyone

You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

- Matthew 5:43-48

Today is Martin Luther King Jr Day, a U.S. holiday dedicated to the memory of the massively influential civil rights activist. 

Today is actually his birthday, too! (January 15, 1929)

Did you know that he was also a Baptist minister? 

He was the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Junior.

He believed that civil rights could be achieved without violence, based on his Christian beliefs.

Today’s verse is from his 1957 sermon “Loving Your Enemies”.

Here is an excerpt:

…it’s significant that he does not say, “Like your enemy.” Like is a sentimental something, an affectionate something. There are a lot of people that I find it difficult to like. I don’t like what they do to me. I don’t like what they say about me and other people. I don’t like their attitudes. I don’t like some of the things they’re doing. I don’t like them. But Jesus says love them. And love is greater than like. Love is understanding, redemptive goodwill for all men, so that you love everybody, because God loves them. You refuse to do anything that will defeat an individual, because you have agape in your soul. And here you come to the point that you love the individual who does the evil deed, while hating the deed that the person does. This is what Jesus means when he says, “Love your enemy.” This is the way to do it. When the opportunity presents itself when you can defeat your enemy, you must not do it.

Think about this . . .

We don’t have to like everyone.

But we do have to love them.

And that is hard sometimes . . . boy, oh boy, oh boy, is it hard sometimes.

I want to do what God asks of me though, so I will do my best.

What enemy can you love today?

Have a blessed day! 

are you willing?

Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow. “Come now, let us settle the matter,”  says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.  If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land;  but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.” For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

—Isaiah 1:16-20

This seemed to be a theme this week. J

Song reference!

Father to the fatherless Defender of the weak
Freedom for the prisoner we sing

This is God in His holy place
This is God clothed in love and strength

Sing out lift your voice and cry out
Awesome is our strong God mighty is our God

You're with us in the wilderness faithful to provide
Ev'ry breath and ev'ry step we see

Sing out lift your voice and cry out
Awesome is our strong God mighty is our God
Sing out raise your hands and shout out
Awesome is our strong God mighty is our God

There is no higher no
There is no greater no
There is none stronger than our God

God wants us to listen to Him, to care for others like He cares for us (oh goodness, I could do another song reference here, but I will spare you).

We can do so much good in this world, we just have to want to do good.

And once we have determined that we want to do good, we just have to ask God to help us.

He will, you know, He will help us. 

There is none stronger, and with Him working through us, we can do anything.

What changes can you make in the world today?

Have a blessed day! 

how is your confidence?

By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.

- Hebrews 11:17-19

I have often wondered what was going through Abraham’s mind as he made the trek up the mountain, knowing he was about to sacrifice his son.

Abraham did what God told him to do, without question, without hesitation.

Can we honestly say that we do the same thing?

I know that I can’t.

In my studies, I read that “works are deeds done in self-reliance to earn God’s favor by showing oneself meritorious.  Abraham offered his only son on an altar to God not to earn God’s favor, but because he was confident in God’s promise to give him posterity through Isaac.”

How much less stress would I have, if I just had that confidence?

How many times have we heard “let go and let God”?

Maybe it is time that we follow the examples given to us.

Have a blessed day!

follow the rules

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.

- Ezekiel 36:26-27

“Because I said so, that is why”

As a child, how many times did you ask mom and dad “why” on a specific rule and get that answer?

As a parent, how many times have you given that answer?

As a child, how hard was it to follow some rules?

Heck, as an adult there are some rules that are apparently quite difficult to follow!

But God gives us a way to make it easy, He will give us everything we need to follow His rules.

All we have to do is be willing to let Him work in us and through us.

I am willing, how about you?

Have a blessed day.

a very great reward

After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”

- Genesis 15:1

Oh my goodness - God is our reward – what a HUGE statement!

Song reference!!!

You are my supply
My breath of life
And still more awesome than I know
You are my reward
worth living for
And still more awesome than I know

All of you is more than enough for all of me
For every thirst and every need
You satisfy me with Your love
And all I have in You is more than enough

How can we even ask for more, when everything we need is right there in the One that made us?

Most parents will do everything they can to protect their children, how fortunate are we to have a Father that loves us that much that He is our shield?

I just cannot wrap my mind around how deep that love is, but I am so thankful that I am His child.

Have a blessed day!

a learning experience

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

- Romans 15:4

I am studying the Old Testament in school right now, there is a lot more to it than I had originally thought!

For so long I believed that the Old Testament was history and the New Testament was how to live, but I am finding that, as Romans 15:4 states, the history is written to teach us.

Wow.

Ponder this for a moment: we should learn from our mistakes and the mistakes of others.

Isn’t that what we teach our kids?

We teach them things that we know – things we have learned over the years, things we have seen other people do.

As parents we want to keep our kids from making the same mistakes that we did.

Isn’t this exactly what God is doing with the Bible?

He wants us to learn, so that he can provide encouragement and HOPE.

I don’t know about you, but I think that God is a pretty good teacher.

Have a blessed day! 

envy and evil both have 4 letters

For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

—James 3:16

Have you noticed that the words "envy" and "evil" have the same number of letters? 

I just noticed it this morning . . . I am sure that the doomsayers of the world could have a field day with this. . .  but that is not why we are here. 

Most of my friends and family know that I recently made the decision to go back to school.

This was a pretty big leap for me, and I am really hoping that no one sees it as selfish ambition.

I needed to seriously look at the goals I’ve set and the plans I’ve made, because some could view it as me needing to “one-up” others, and that is honestly not why I made this decision.

I feel like I am doing this to make myself a better person, to learn more about the Gospel, to be able to accurately spread God’s word.

This is not a decision that was selfish or based on envy or greed.

My ultimate goal is for my heart to reach great heights for God's glory and to do great things to be a blessing to others.

We all need to make our plans and set our goals for God’s glory, otherwise, all our attempts to reach great things ultimately will end in chaos, heartbreak, and destruction.

What will you do today that is completely unselfish that will be a blessing to someone?

Have a blessed day! 

the new is here

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

– 2 Corinthians 5:17

The new is here! 

I kind of feel like the same person though . . . what hope do we have of really having a “new year” if we are the same people?

I remember how excited I was to turn 16 (holy catfish that was a LONG time ago!) and my brother told me “first thing in the morning on your birthday, look in the mirror and tell me if you look any different.”

Of course I didn’t look different, but I felt different.

It is like when we dedicate our life to following Jesus, we are re-made, not just rehabilitated or reformed, but re-created — a new person.

We still look the same on the outside, but in our hearts we are made new.

When we are new, we see things from a different perspective and we can use this new perspective to do good.

I am going to let my outside shine and show the world that I am a child of God.  

I will take this new year, this new me,  and I will make a difference!

Have a blessed day!

amazing things

Joshua told the people, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you."

—Joshua 3:5

Today’s commentary is full of quotes and references, I apologize in advance for the groans you will certainly endure.

Joshua said “tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things”.

Tomorrow has always held the promise of better things yet to come. 

Scarlett O’Hara said “Tomorrow is another day” (yeah, I threw in a literary reference) and who can forget Little Orphan Annie “The sun will come out tomorrow, chase away the sadness and the sorrow. . . “ (yeah, I did that too). 

So often we are focused on the past, the hurt and anger of things that happened, in reality all this does is damage our hearts. 

Make this year the year of “Let it go” (sorry, I had to). 

Focus on the what tomorrow will bring.  ( I really want to reference the song from An Officer and A Gentleman here, “Up Where We Belong” but I will spare you that one, and if it is an ear worm now, you are welcome!!)

Listen, people, today might be tough, but stop and breathe – it’s just a bad day, not a bad life. (that is a quote)

On particularly rough days when you are sure you can’t possibly endure, remind yourself that your track record for getting through bad days so far is 100% and that is pretty good. (last quote)

What plans do you have for this next year?

How about tomorrow or (gasp) today?

Just make sure that in all your planning, you remember how blessed you are and that God is in control, because I promise, you are loved and you are indeed blessed, no matter how you feel at this very moment, this too shall pass (ok, that was the final quote).

Have a blessed day.

it's your turn

Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.

- Matthew 9:17

2018

Wow, it is 2018.

I remember thinking that the year 2000 would never arrive, the turn of the century, a new beginning . . . and now it is 18 years later, crazy doesn’t sound so crazy anymore.

What will you do in 2018, what will you accomplish?

Will you have a breakthrough, a leap from ordinary to extraordinary?

Or will you hold back in fear of the unknown and continue to live a quiet little life?

It is OK to be afraid because whether we admit it or not, we all struggle, we all have doubts we all have this fear of failure, of looking foolish, of being wrong, just remember that with every advance we make fear will be there, because we are stepping out of our comfort zones.

We have a tendency to analyze stuff too much (not ME – never!!!!) and we end up talking ourselves out of a major discovery that could change our lives or the lives of people around us.

Imagine if you will – inventors, and the things that they invent, for example, the light bulb – it was a great breakthrough for Edison that is still impacting lives today.

So listen – the next move is ours.

God is there, encouraging us along the way, and He uses our “little” successes to accomplish a lot.

This is our year.

Every person has a name, every name has a story, and maybe, just maybe this is the year that we link every story to God.

Have a blessed day!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

—Genesis 1:1

Today is a new beginning for us!!

A lot of people make resolutions for the new year.

Every new beginning, whether it is a day, a week, a year, or a millennium, should begin with God.

He alone is the ultimate Genesis, our beginning.

Have a blessed day!