1 Samuel 15:22 - "And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams." Have you ever had something in your heart that you know you were supposed to do, but you tried to substitute anything and everything else instead of doing what the Lord has told you to do?...
Read MoreA Bug's Life - Living Abund-ANT"
Proverbs 6:6 "Go to the ant...consider her ways and be wise”. In the classic 1998 Disney film, A Bug’s Life, a story is told of an incredible journey with one little ANT as he searches for a brave band of warriors to help him battle against the grasshoppers who threaten his home. I enjoyed this story because...
Grace Recliner
John 6:10-11 “Jesus said, Make all the people recline (sit down). Now the ground (a pasture) was covered with thick grass at the spot, so the men threw themselves down, about 5,000 in number. Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks, He distributed to the disciples and the disciples to the reclining people; so also [He did] with the fish, as much as they wanted.” “In our home the recliner in our family room is a special place...
Read More"Clean Up in Aisle Nine"
Proverbs 13:10 " Only by pride comes contention". Have you ever been to the grocery store and witnessed a child having a temper tantrum because they didn’t get their way? How about the child pulling things off the shelf, one by one, to get their mom’s attention, until she finally gives in and gives them what they want to keep them quiet? We had a similar experience in the waiting room at the dentist the other day...
Read MoreGod's When is Our Then
Psalm 126:1-2 "When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter and our tongue with singing: Then said they among the heathen, the Lord has done great things for them." There is incredible power in laughter. God laughs! I love to laugh, and I laugh loud, ask my family and friends (LOL!). My dog Benny...
Read MoreDon't Judge a Book by its Cover
2 Kings 6: 15 "And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! How shall we do?” I heard a story about a young lady who was at the vet with her pet, and in walks a man with a yellow Labrador Retriever...
Read MoreMary, Did You Know?
Luke 1:31 "And thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus."
If you’re anything like me, you want to know as much as you can about a new experience before moving forward. What's it going to be like at the new job. What the accommodations are like when you go away. Will I get along with the new neighbors? All the unknowns. Questions, questions, questions!
Bright Future Ahead
Proverbs 4:18 - But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. I just heard someone say, "In God, your future is so bright, you have to squint to see it". Don’t you love it!? I instantly thought of today's verse, which has blessed me countless times. That’s why I never have issues with...
Read MoreOh Say Can You See
Psalm 91:2-3 - "I will say...SURELY He will". A lot can go wrong for those singing the National Anthem at a sporting event, but when it's out of your control, the audience may have your back. That was the case for Michelle Madeira, who performed both the American and the Canadian National Anthem prior to a Toronto Maple Leafs hockey game a few years ago...
Read MoreNo Sweat
Matthew 11:28-30 (Message Bible) “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.” I love that, the unforced rhythms of grace. When it comes to exercise, I know that I’ve done an exceptional workout when...
Read MoreWatch the Tram Car Please
Psalm 35:27 "Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the LORD be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant." The five most frequently repeated words at the Jersey Shore every summer are not "license and registration please", or "we are all booked up". Instead, it's...
Read MoreGood to Great
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 MoreTeach Me Lord to Wait
Galatians 5:22-23 - "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. " I heard a very interesting fact recently that really changed my perspective about waiting. Ready for this?...on The Golf Channel! The presenter was talking about the recipe for success for winning a golf tournament. They gave many "ingredients", but the one that caught my attention was...
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 MoreWhat's In YOUR Attic?
Hebrews 11:15 – “And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return.” There are two really cool things that I remember about the house that I grew up in. First...
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