Category Archives: The Word

He’s Alive!

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Believe It!!

And Base Your Whole Life Around That Truth!

(We did a human video drama of this song for Fine Arts Competition several years ago…)

So Powerful!!

John 19:35

“The man who saw it

has given testimony,

and his testimony is true.

He knows that he tells the truth,

and he testifies so that you also may believe.”

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The gates and doors were barred
And all the windows fastened down
I spent the night in sleeplessness
And rose at every sound
Half in hopeless sorrow
And half in fear the day
Would find the soldiers breakin’ through
To drag us all away

And just before the sunrise
I heard something at the wall
The gate began to rattle
And a voice began to call
I hurried to the window
Looked down into the street
Expecting swords and torches
And the sound of soldiers’ feet

But there was no one there but Mary
So I went down to let her in
John stood there beside me
As she told me where she’d been
She said they might have moved Him in the night
And none of us knows where
The stone’s been rolled away
And now His body isn’t there

We both ran toward the garden
Then John ran on ahead
We found the stone and empty tomb
Just the way that Mary said
But the winding sheet they wrapped Him in
Was just an empty shell
And how or where they’d taken Him
Was more than I could tell

Oh, something strange had happened there
Just what I did not know
John believed a miracle
But I just turned to go
Circumstance and speculation
Couldn’t lift me very high
‘Cause I’d seen them crucify Him
Then I saw Him die

Back inside the house again
The guilt and anguish came
Everything I’d promised Him
Just added to my shame
When at last it came to choices
I denied I knew His Name
And even if He was Alive
It wouldn’t be the same

But, suddenly the air was filled
With a strange and sweet perfume
Light that came from everywhere
Drove the shadows from the room
And Jesus stood before me
With His arms held open wide
And I fell down on my knees
And I just clung to Him and cried

Then He raised me to my feet
And as I looked into His eyes
The love was shining out from Him
Like sunlight from the skies
Guilt in my confusion
Disappeared in sweet release
And every fear I’d ever had
Just melted into peace

He’s Alive!  Yes, He’s Alive!
Yes, He’s Alive, and I’m forgiven
Heaven’s gates are open wide
He’s Alive!  Yes, He’s Alive!
Oh ,He’s Alive, and I’m forgiven
Heaven’s gates are open wide
He’s Alive!  Yes, He’s Alive!
Hallelujah!!  He’s Alive!
He’s Alive, and I’m forgiven
Heaven’s gates are open wide
He’s Alive!  He’s Alive!  He’s Alive!
I believe it!!  He’s Alive!
Sweet Jesus!!

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John 20:19

“On the evening of that first day of the week,

when the disciples were together,

with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders,

Jesus came

and stood among them and said,

‘Peace be with you!’

After He said this,

He showed them His hands and side.

The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.”

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Acts 1:8-11

“But you will receive power

when the Holy Spirit comes on you;

and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem,

and in all Judea and Samaria,

and to the ends of the earth.

After He said this,

He was taken up before their very eyes,

and a cloud hid Him from their sight.

They were looking intently up into the sky as He was going,

when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.

‘Men of Galilee,’

they said,

‘why do you stand here looking into the sky?

This same Jesus,

who has been taken from you into Heaven,

will come back

in the same way you have seen Him go into Heaven.’”

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Acts 2:33

“Exalted to the right hand of God,

He has received from the Father

the promised Holy Spirit

and has poured out

what you now see and hear.”

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Revelation 1:18

“I am the Living One;

I was dead,

and now look,

I am alive for ever and ever!

And I hold the keys of death and Hades.”

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He’s Our Risen Savior!

Allow Jesus To Be Alive In Your Life!!

Amen!

You’ve Stolen My Heart, Yes You Have!

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I’ll Sing Your Praise!!!

Romans 1:20

“For since the creation of the world

God’s invisible qualities—

his eternal power

and divine nature—

have been clearly seen,

being understood from what has been made,

so that people are without excuse.”

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Every tree and every stone
Every rushing wind that moans
They sing Your praise
My God, they sing Your praise
Every star and open sky
Tell of Your Glory Divine
They shout Your praise
They shout Your praise, yeah

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You’ve stolen my heart
Yes, You have!
You’ve stolen my heart
Yes, You have!
You’ve wiped away the stains
And broke away the chains
Yes, You have!!

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With Your love, You set me free
Three nails gave me liberty
So I’ll sing Your praise
This is all for You
Oh, with Your love
You forgave my sin
Forgot my past
And brought me back again
So I’ll sing Your praise
I’ll sing Your praise, yeah

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If I ascend into the sky
Or hide behind the night
I can not run, Your love is chasing me
If I fall into the sea
Your hand will rescue me
No one will take Your place
Because…

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This is all for You
Yes, this is all for You
You’re the King of the world
You’re the King of the world

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(photos-taken by my friend Marian, on her family trip to Lake Billy Chinook)

You’ve stolen my heart!

Yes, you have!!

This is all for You!

My God, I’ll sing Your praise!

You’re the King of the World!

I’ll shout your praise!!

Mathew 22:37

Jesus replied:

Love the Lord your God

with all your heart

and with all your soul

and with all your mind.

I do, Lord!!

Amen!

 

Great Is Thy Faithfulness!

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Faithfulness

Is a major attribute of our God!!

The Bible reveals…

He’s Trustworthy!

He’s Dependable!

He’s Consistent!

He’s Loyal!

He’s Steadfast!

We can trust Him!

He’s true to His Word!

We can obey Him!!

We can experience His faithfulness first hand!

We can rely on Him every day!

Our confidence in Him grows!

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Deuteronomy 32:4

“He is the Rock,

His works are perfect,   

and all His ways are just.

A faithful God who does no wrong,   

upright and just is He.”

Psalm 36:5

“Your love, Lord, reaches to the Heavens,   

Your faithfulness to the skies.”

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Psalm 89:1

“I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever;   

with my mouth I will make Your faithfulness known   

through all generations.”

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Psalm 91:4

“He will cover you with His feathers,   

and under His wings you will find refuge;   

His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.”

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Psalm 110:4-5

“Enter His gates with thanksgiving   

and His courts with praise;   

give thanks to Him and praise His Name.

For the Lord is good and His love endures forever;   

His faithfulness continues through all generations.”

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Lamentations 3:22-24

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,   

for His compassions never fail.

They are new every morning;   

great is Your faithfulness.

I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;   

therefore I will wait for Him.”

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1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

“May God Himself,

the God of peace,

sanctify you through and through.

May your whole spirit, soul and body

be kept blameless

at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The One who calls you is faithful,

and He will do it.”

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Has He proven His faithfulness to you???

I Still Believe…Even When I Don’t See…

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Ever Felt Like This???

Scattered words???

Empty thoughts???

Torn???

Feel His Grace…

Falling like Rain…

Washing away pain…

Believe in His Faithfulness
Believe in His Truth
Believe in His Holy Word
Even when you don’t see…

Still Believe!

Let Jesus prepare your heart…

Brokenness???

Fall into His Arms…

He’s near…

Jesus!!

Believe!

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Hebrews 11:1

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for

and assurance about what we do not see.”

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Matthew 9:28-30

“When He had gone indoors,

the blind men came to Him,

and He asked them,

Do you believe that I am able to do this?”

‘Yes, Lord,’ they replied.

Then He touched their eyes and said,

According to your faith let it be done to you;’

and their sight was restored…”

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Matthew 21:21-22

Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you,

if you have faith and do not doubt,

not only can you do what was done to the fig tree,

but also you can say to this mountain,

‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’

and it will be done.

If you believe,

you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

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Mark 9:23

“What do you mean,

‘If I can’?’

Jesus asked.

“Anything is possible if a person believes.”

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Still Believe…

Even when you can’t see!!

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Yes, I Am

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Who Are You, Lord????

John 8:56-58

“Your father Abraham

rejoiced at the thought of seeing My day;

he saw it and was glad.”

“You are not yet fifty years old,”

they said to Him,

“and you have seen Abraham!”

“Very truly I tell you,”

Jesus answered,

“before Abraham was born,

I Am!”

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Think about it…

He Is…

Maker of the Heaven  

Bright and Morning Star  

Breath of all Creation

Who Always Was

And Is To Come

One Who Walked on Water  

One Who Calmed the Seas  

Miracles and Wonders

So Come and See

And follow Him

You will know

Fount of Living Water
Risen Son of Man
Healer of the Broken

And When You Cry…

Your Savior and Redeemer
Who Bore the Sins of Man
The Author and Perfecter
Beginning and the End

He Is

Spirit Deep Inside You
Word Upon Your Heart
One Who Even Knew You

Before Your Birth
Before You Were

Before the Earth
The Universe
In Every Heart

Where You Are
The Lord of Love
The King of Kings
The Holy Lamb

Above All Things!

Yes, He Is!

Almighty God Your Father
Risen Son of Man
Healer of the Broken

And When You Cry…

Your Savior and Redeemer
Who Bore the Sins of Man
The Author and Perfecter
Beginning and the End

He Is

Right there beside you!!

Amen!

Comforting, huh???

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My Savior!! Loves! Lives! My God!! He Was! He Is!

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We’re not skilled to understand…

God’s will and His plan…

Only know at His right hand…

Stands the One who is your Savior!!

Take Him at His word and deed…

Christ died to save you, you can read…

In your heart there is a need…

For Him to be your Savior!!

He left His place on high…

To die for sinful man…

Seemed strange…

Before I knew my Savior

My Savior Loves!

My Savior Lives!

My Savior’s always there for me!

My God He Was!

My God He Is!

My God He’s always gonna be!

He who lives to be my King…

Once died to be my Savior!!

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Zephaniah 3:17

“For the Lord your God is living among you.   

He is a mighty Savior.

He will take delight in you with gladness.   

With His love, He will calm all your fears.   

He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”

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Romans 8:29-30

“For God knew His people in advance,

and He chose them to become like His Son,

so that His Son would be the firstborn

among many brothers and sisters.

And having chosen them,

He called them to come to Him.

And having called them,

He gave them right standing with Himself.

And having given them right standing,

He gave them His glory.”

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Romans 8:38-39

“For I am convinced

that neither death nor life,

neither angels nor demons,

neither the present nor the future,

nor any powers,

neither height nor depth,

nor anything else in all creation,

will be able to separate us

from the love of God

that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

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Jesus is our Savior.

Nothing can separate us from His great work on the Cross…

From His love!

That truth…

That promise…

Is at the core of who we are as Christians!!

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Savior…

Thank You for Your Abundant Love

Displayed through Your Sacrificial Life

So the God Who Was

Is Now Our God Who Is!

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Jeremiah 32:17

“Ah, Sovereign Lord,

You have made the Heavens and the earth

by your great power

and outstretched arm.

Nothing is too hard for You.”

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Romans 4:21

“He was fully convinced that

God is able to do whatever He promises.”

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Amen!!!

Grace? Walk Right In!

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Grace means:

To get something that you do not deserve;

Unmerited favor

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John 1:14

“The Word became flesh

and made His dwelling among us.

We have seen His glory,

the glory of the One and Only Son,

who came from the Father,

full of grace and truth.

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Ephesians 2:8-9

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—

and this is not from yourselves,

it is the gift of God—

not by works,

so that no one can boast.”

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You’re standing with your list of regrets that you can’t get past yourself
You wish so bad that you could make the mark
But your dreams are stuck on a shelf
And all you wanna do is turn back time
And redeem the days you lost
But shame keeps calling out your name
The chains refuse to fall

But it’s not over, it’s not over
This is the moment grace walks in
With arms wide open, arms wide open
To tell you this is not the end
When doubt is strong and your will is weak to even believe again
That’s when grace, that’s when grace walks in

You once believed that you could change the world
With a fire deep in your soul
Your faith was strong and the call was clear
You were sure you could make a new road
Like so many the flame grew dark
And your confidence hit the wall
There always seems to be a lot of big questions
But the answers seem so small

Just in the nick of time
Right there to save our lives
Grace is greater
Grace is greater

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2 Corinthians 12:8-9

“Three times I (Paul)

pleaded with the Lord

to take it (the thorn in my flesh) away from me.

But He said to me,

My grace is sufficient for you,

for My power is made perfect in weakness.’

Therefore I will boast all the more gladly

about my weaknesses,

so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

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Hebrews 4:16

 “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence,

so that we may receive mercy

and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

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2 Peter 1:2

“Grace and peace be yours in abundance

through the knowledge of God

and of Jesus our Lord.”

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John 1:16

“From the fullness of His grace

we have all received one blessing after another.”

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Romans 3:23-24

“…for all have sinned

and fall short of the glory of God,

and all are justified freely

by His grace

through the redemption

that came by Christ Jesus.”

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2 Corinthians 8:9

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,

that though He was rich,

yet for your sake He became poor,

so that you through His poverty might become rich.”

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2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

“May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself

and God our Father,

who loved us

and by His grace

gave us eternal encouragement and good hope,

encourage your hearts and strengthen you

in every good deed and word.”

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Grace is at the heart of the Gospel message!

To accept God’s grace…

Means to live in thankful response!

We don’t deserve God’s grace!

Yet, He has chosen to give it to us!

We should be moved to give our all to Him!

Amen!!

It’s Simple! Just Call His Name!!

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Jesus!!  Jesus!!  Jesus!!

Can’t Breathe???

Don’t feel loved???

You belong…

In His arms!!

Feel alone?

No one cares?

 Just want to get away ?

CALL HIS NAME!!

JESUS!

Your hope has died?

He’ll give your heart all it could ever want!!

And so much more!

Call His Name!

Say it now!

Whisper it!

Or say it loud!

Never doubt!

The love He has for you is so alive!!!

Just Call His Name!!

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Philippians 2:9

“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place  

and gave him the name that is above every name,

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.”

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Colossians 3:17

“And whatever you do,

whether in word or deed,

do it all in the Name of the Lord Jesus,

giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

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Acts 2:21

“And everyone who calls  

on the name of the Lord will be saved.

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God grant our requests…

We come You…

In the Name of Your Son…

In the Name of Jesus!

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Amen!!

Check With God!

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Many people say many things…

I’d like you to_____

I wish that you would_____

Why can’t you_____

You really should_____

Why don’t you_____

You need to_____

I can’t understand why you won’t_____

Don’t____

Oh, you must_____

When will you_____

Stop thinking about_____

Stay on track with_____

Take responsibility for_____

How can you_____

We need you to_____

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And expect you to do many things…

Stay calm

Get excited

Go to work

Stay Home

Have a baby

Make more money

Have another baby

Quit your job

Volunteer

Help out more

Be a great Mom/Dad

Step up

Be a team player

Care for your parents

Give some money

Give more time

Teach your kids

Be perfect

Focus on your job

Cook healthy meals

Keep in shape

Be organized

Be spontaneous

Clean the house

Go have fun

Work hard

Be studious

Mow the lawn

Be polite

Be assertive

Plant a garden

Handle a sick child

Create holiday traditions

Keep in touch with the in-laws

Understand your spouse

Be strong

Be ladylike

Be manly

Be sensitive

Be independent

Send cards

Buy gifts

Delegate

Pay the bills

Organize the carpool

Find anything in the house that’s lost

Read minds

Be confident

Have a sense of humor

Always have an alternate plan ready

Fix the toilet

Save for college

Sign up for classes

Look good

Read your Bible

Spend time with your family

Get everyone ready for back-to-school

Supervise homework

Help at church

Service the car

Throw a party

Buy groceries

Redeem coupons

Bake cookies for school

Watch the news

Run errands

Change your hairstyle

Lose some weight

Buy new clothes

Join a gym

Read more

Take care of pets

Do the laundry

Pick up the kids

Plan the vacation

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Etc.

Etc.

Etc.

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Whew!!

This is exhausting stuff…

Trying to please everyone!

STOP!

Check with God!!

Say, “I’ll pray about it!”

Be who He wants you to be!

That’s what pleases Him!!

1 John 5:14-15

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God:

that if we ask anything according to His will,

He hears us.

And if we know that He hears us—

whatever we ask—

we know that we have what we asked of Him.”

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Romans 12:2

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world,

but be transformed

by the renewing of your mind.

Then you will be able to test

and approve what God’s will is—

His good, pleasing and perfect will.”

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John 8:28-29

So Jesus said,

“When you have lifted up the Son of Man,

then you will know that I am He

and that I do nothing on My own

but speak just what the Father has taught Me.

The One who sent Me is with Me;

He has not left Me alone,

for I always do what pleases Him.”

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Proverbs 16:7

“When a man’s ways please the Lord,   

He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.”

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Trying to do it all???

Relax!

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Ask in prayer and obey!!

Jesus will give you joy for the things He wants you to do!

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Let Jesus take your burdens to lighten your load!

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Don’t be pressured by the world!

Psalm 118:8

“It is better to take refuge in the Lord
    than to trust in humans.”

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You’re confidence is in Christ!!

The opinion that matters is His!

1 Timothy 2:5

“For there is one God

and one mediator between God and mankind,

the man Christ Jesus…”

Simplify your life!

Listen to One Voice!

The world doesn’t dictate…

The culture doesn’t define…

God’s voice is the loudest…

At all times!!

Before you take a new job…

Take on a new volunteer position…

Do another chore…

Let go of things God says are not yours!!

Suggested reading: 

Kingdom Man by Tony Evans

Kingdom Woman-Embracing Your Purpose, Power, and Possibilities by Tony Evans and Chrystal Evans Hurst

“…your life flows through different seasons.  Each of these seasons carries with it different time constraints, blessings, and demands.  To try to do all things without being cognizant of the season you are in is the surest way to burnout and even bitterness…Yet God never said that you would receive praise for trying to please others….Place what God says and what God requires as the highest priority in your life.”  Chrystal Evans Hurst

A Fish Story!!

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My husband caught this fish today!

A Black Drum…

Approximately 40″

It took him about 20-25 minutes to get it to our neighbor’s dock…

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After he accomplished that…

  Our neighbor, Wes, had to take the fishing rod…

My husband was spent!!!!

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His size 10 shoe is in the picture for comparison…

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After snapping these photos…

He went home to take a nap!!!

Ha!

The occupation of fisherman is quite labor-intensive!

Strain, long hours, and often little results!!

It takes persistence and dedication to the task…

His fishing always seemed so easy before…

I guess it’s the catching that’s hard!!

John 21:3

“I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them,

and they said, “We’ll go with you.”

So they went out and got into the boat,

but that night they caught nothing.”

Matthew 13:47

 “Once again,

the kingdom of heaven

is like a net

that was let down into the lake

and caught all kinds of fish.”

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Jesus said unto them,

“Bring of the fish which ye have now caught.”

Don’t just go fishing…

Catch some fish!!