Mother’s Day
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Mother’s Day

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Strong hands

When you think of strong hands what comes to mind?
A doctor? A soldier?

My Grandfather tells a true story almost every chance he gets. I have probably mentioned it before.
Grandpa’s Father was a farmer. Like most farmers, when spring came he burned the fence line before getting ready to plant.
Grandpa’s dad walked the line after to make sure every spark was out and in his walking he found a lump. He thought it was odd in it’s appearance so he pushed it over and out scampered three little prairie chicken babies.
He then realized that the lump was a mother prairie chicken who had covered the babies with her body and then succumbed to the flames. She wouldn’t move from protecting them even though it was killing her.
It made him very sad, and also amazed at the will of the mom.
Grandpa loves animals so it broke his heart.
Only a mom would die covering her babies with her body to protect them from death.
Those are strong hands.
God gave moms the nature to protect and defend the small and the weak. He gave them the power to push through anything whatsoever for the sake of those they care for. God is always with you moms! He will give you strength!
Happy Mother’s Day

Suiting up
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Suiting up

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Every hero has their costume. Without it, they simply don’t look heroic.
If John Wayne didn’t wear his hat he would still look like a hero to us, but that is simply because we have seen him in action. On the other hand if you saw All Might walking down the street in civilian clothes he would look, well, a little bit like a hippy; but full dressed in his hero outfit, he looks like the symbol of peace. Right? Right.
People can’t look at us and see that we are God’s heros. We are always in civilian wear. We can’t suit up and say, “fear not, for I am here!” Because we have nothing to suit up with. Like the Duke (John Wayne) we have to let people know what we are all about by our actions. If they see us acting like Jesus then they will know, “we are here to help✌.”
So, suit up everybody. It’s time to act like heros.

Grace and truth
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Grace and truth

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Grace and truth

I once heard a volleyball captain say that you can’t have a good relationship by only being nice. It is not untrue, especially of you are the leader. You always need to be able to deliver the hard truths that people need to hear but you need to be able to do it with grace.
If you are known for being a jerk and doing nothing but pointing out people’s faults then they won’t ever actually listen to you. If you are never giving them the criticism they need then they will never grow.
Hypothetical story.
You are the captain of the women’s (or men’s), college volleyball team. You have been doing this middle school and the game is all you eat, sleep, and drink. Basically you know your stuff. Last year your previous setter graduated so you are using the person who was training to take the position. Game after game, sloppy spike after sloppy spike, you realize something. It isn’t your spiker that is the problem, it’s the setter. This person is hot headed and ready to eat the ball in her hand from so many misses. More than that she has started to blame the spiker and tell them off. Your words of, “just shake it off girls!” And, “we will get the next one!” Have been silenced by you realizing that you have to tell the setter what she is doing wrong. What do you do?
You tap her on the shoulder and say?
A. Listen. You keep on hesitating before your set so the timing is off and you are throwing off the spiker.
B. Hey there…is everything okay? Your sets seem a little hesitant. Don’t worry, you can do it.
Or C. I have noticed that you are a little hesitant with your sets today and it seems that is throwing off the spikes. (Place hand on shoulder) don’t worry, you can do it!

Option C. Shows the mistake gently and then encourages.

People need help. But they need you to offer that help kindly. Not sugarcoated, but not full of salt either. Find the balance and you can be a great asset to people.

Standing in the blaze
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Standing in the blaze

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The flames will only make me stronger-Zeno

People often call the testing of God, “going through fire.”
Actually bad things in general are often called tests of fire too.
Right now it feels like the whole world is burning, being tested by fire.
One of my absolute favorite novel characters ends up in a burning building. You guessed it. Even though he is not the main hero he ends up having to save everyone from the collapsing, burning building. When the others argue about leaving him behind to be engulfed by fire he responds with: “don’t worry. The flames will only make me stronger.”
For those who are wondering, no, he does not die. Though badly burned, he makes it out alive.
Do we live like that? Do we see our “flames” as something that only makes us stronger?
I know that I don’t. Though the power and beauty of fire is nice at a distance, walking through that fire is not something to be called, “enjoyable”.   But just because you hate it, and just because it hurts doesn’t mean that God isn’t making you stronger through it.
During these difficult times I challenge you to read through the story of the three Hebrew boys, pick the verse that most speaks to you, and put it up someplace in your home to remind you that the flames will make you stronger.
Daniel 3

The party that shakes the skies
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The party that shakes the skies

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Jesus ascended to the Father before returning to see His friends. Recall, He told the women not to hold to Him because He had not yet ascended to the Father.
Imagine the party, the shouts of joy, the resonating songs, the moment Jesus’ feet touched Heaven once again. There you see God running to His boy and thrusting His arms around Him. There you see Father and Son weeping outloud, and laughing as they hold each other. It had been so very long and now they are together again. Watch the angels hoist Jesus onto their shoulders and cary Him to the party as the hosts and the guests of Heaven cheer and shout. The hero had returned. What a party for the hero who had been gone so long. How will we party when Jesus returns physically to us again?

Jesus was busy this Saturday
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Jesus was busy this Saturday

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Our feet feel the squish of who knows what? The air is some sort of un- breathable fume and the walls are wet like tar. But we asked to come, so here we are.
Wails trick our ears from every corner and sunshine is a distant memory, but there is hope. The jingle of keys in a strong and determined hand. Several people join our ranks, faces I never thought I would see as each door is opened. Jesus smiles as He sets the last of the captives free.

Imagine being there with Jesus. Walking through hell and setting the captives free. The Bible says that Jesus took the keys from the devil. You didn’t think He kept them as a souvenir did you? He used them to free those imprisoned by death. Death before Jesus would have been terrifying. Death now is a glorious reward, Heaven.
What would it have been like to walk through the devil’s territory and let free those who had been waiting there for Jesus? Imagine the joy. Imagine the disgust and horror the devil must have felt? It would have been glorious.
Thank you Jesus that we can live unto you and no longer have to fear death because you died for us. Amen. 

The end
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The end

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Those fabulous last words that you place at the end of a story. After struggling, working hard and emptying the drug store of it’s caffeine content, you finally have the right amount of pages, the perfect centering, every title centered and highlighted, every art peice’s name placed on where they are to be inserted onto the page. Now you write. The End. And you take one final breath before sending it off.

The end. Jesus said it more eloquently when He stated, ‘it is finished.’ After all His struggles, all His suffering, all His hard work, now everything perfect to the writer as He closes the book and states. “It is finished.”
It is finished. There is no longer a curtain, no more need for a high priest to pray for us, no more need for sacrifices. It is finished. We have Jesus fully. We have God. We are in dwelled by the Holy Spirit. Heaven is now our prize too. It is finished.

Devotional

Defeated?

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What hurts God? What makes God sad? What do we possess that is not something a person of Heaven, a child of the kingdom would possess?
Most people in this modern era have a defeatist attitude. I can’t do this, I can’t go on, it will never work, I am all alone, it will never change. How often do we hear people say these things? Or worse, how often have we said them ourselves? God gave us a spirit of Strength and Power, not of weakness and defeat. He is sad when live defeated, it hurts him when we condemn ourselves, because He loves us. Life fearless and remember that you have not been given a spirit of doubt or pain or sorrow, but of joy , peace and strength.

Devotional

Pierced

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Show of hands. Who here has been impaled by a sharp object.
Oh, many of you. Me too. Quite a few times, but one time in particular stands out in memory because I hadn’t listened. My dad had told me to always wear closed toe shoes when on a construction site, and I always did. But this time our house was the site and I was sick of boots, it was summer and very hot. I figured out a loop hole in the rule. I wore crocks. Now I love crocks so please no rude comments. We all know that they have holes in them. Guess what? An armload of loose equipment for the saw and one drops through the hole in my shoe. I go yikes, pull it out and keep moving, until I slip on my own blood which had filled the shoe. The tool that had gone through my shoe had stuck so deep in my foot that the pain was delayed so I didn’t know how bad it was. It was bad.

Because we didn’t listen to God Jesus had to come to earth and have tools driven into His wrists and feet. Spikes to be exact. I doubt His pain was delayed. His agony was very clear and very much our fault. Our disobedience caused it. We bought an old farm. Hence the renos. We have found many things in the dirt. Railway ties and spikes being some of them. It was an old switch house. Those spikes are probably similar to the ones they used on Jesus. I dropped one on my foot once. It hurt. A lot. I can’t imagine having those hammered into my flesh. Agony.
Jesus did that for us. That is true love.

Betrayed love
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Betrayed love

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Betrayed love

His head hung as the smile left his lips. This wasn’t right. Was it?
He took a deep breath and leaned in for the kiss.
This was wrong. Wasn’t it?
He looked into the eyes of the man before him. So filled with pain and sorrow. This is so very wrong. The other man just stared. Then his eyes moved past his betrayer to the soldiers behind.
What have I done?
The betrayer ran away, leaving his friend, no longer his friend. He ran and ran until he couldn’t run anymore as grief and guilt tore his soul.
What have we done?

What have we done?
How many of us have betrayed our Jesus at one time or another? Yet He still loves us. That has never changed.
His heart breaks as we betray Him. His heart loves us still and that is why it breaks.
What a paradox. What a mystery. That the king would leave His royal throne, to save a wretch like me. -Petra
We are all wretches, loved by a loyal king.
Reach out to Him today. He is reaching out to you.

If you have never accepted Jesus. Or feel a need to renew your faith. Please pray with me:

Dear Jesus.
I am a sinner and I know I need salvation. Forgive me for my sins.
Thank you for coming to earth to save me.
I accept you into my life now. Guide me to know you more.
Amen.