The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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For those of you feeling lonely on this Christmas, I want to remind you that God left his heavenly dwelling to live a rejected life. And the Bible says that He sympathizes with our weaknesses, and He knows what it's like to not have people around him. When Jesus was on the cross, everyone left. He was fully alone. He was despising the shame on his shoulders…and that shame was your shame and that was mine. So if you feel shame or a heaviness about this past year, this Christmas, I want you to l...
One of the most forgotten sins of the Bible is looking back on your past. Did you know that it is actually a sin? Jesus says that He doesn't want you looking back anymore. He tells us the story of Lot, his wife, and two daughter. God was about to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah and God sent two angels of the Lord to rescue them. God only gave them one instruction. Don't look back. That was the only instruction. The life as they knew it was burning down. The Bible says that they came out but Lot’s w...
Have you ever said this to yourself? I feel like that what I do is insignificant and maybe even pointless. I'm not even sure anybody notices anymore or even cares about me. My friend, may I encourage you? There's a story in the Bible in the book of John chapter 6 about Jesus feeding thousands of people, but there's a part nobody talks about. The story goes that a boy brought 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread in his lunch. I like to think he was packing Star Wars lunchbox because a friend of mine in...
You want to know the incredible thing about God? Not only does He say that He will deliver us from the hands of our enemies when we are going through a trial, but He will do so and take the riches of our enemies and give them to us. If you're going through a trial right now, you need to hear this message. This comes from Exodus chapter 3. This is where God talks about how He Is going to deliver the Israelites from the hands of the Egyptians…where they've been in slavery for hundreds of years. T...
Imagine this….You are holding a cup of coffee when someone comes along and bumps into you or shakes your arm, making you spill your coffee everywhere. Why did you spill the coffee? You may reply, "Because someone bumped into me!!!" Nope. Wrong answer. You spilled the coffee because there was coffee in your cup. Had there been tea in the cup, you would have spilled tea. Whatever is inside the cup is what will spill out. “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The ton...
What if I told you the devil's goal wasn't for you to follow him? It's a crazy thought, right? I had this realization the other day when I was asking how anyone could follow the devil versus follow God. It seems like such an easy decision, but I realized that devil's goal isn't for you to follow him. The devil’s goal is for you to follow yourself. It's for you to truly believe in yourself so much that you will follow your own way and your own desires. And even say that you do not need God and y...
A while back, I was listening to a Podcast and one of the speakers referred to the word “ego” as an anacronym. E-G-O….Edging God Out. For me, and maybe for some of you, this is idea or concept is thought provoking, to say the least. There’s a story in Greek mythology about a young man named Narcissus. He was a very handsome young man and he knew it. One day he saw his reflection in a stream and he became enamored with the image of himself. He couldn’t pull himself away; he stared into the strea...
It’s that time of year again, when the stores are filled with red and pink candies, stuffed animals and heart-shaped boxes of chocolates. Some people look forward to Valentine’s Day each year, while others are impartial or may even dislike it. The holiday centered on love does not only have to be applied to couples, though. No matter how you feel about this holiday, as Christians, we are called to love at all times. Why? Because God first loved us. He sent His son, Jesus, to die for our sin...
Happy New Year! As we begin a new year, we share this hopeful greeting with friends and family. At times, however, we may need a little more…more from ourselves as well as the people around us. Perhaps what God told Joshua is just what we all need to hear and to believe. “Do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 As Joshua was about to lead God’s people into the promised land, he had reason to be afraid. He had an enormous task ahead of him, an...
I once of the story of a family during the great depression was unable to afford anything but the bare necessities. One day the news came that a circus was coming to town. Tickets cost one dollar. The little boy came running home excited and eager to get the money from his dad. The father regretfully told his boy that he could not provide him with that much money, but if he went out and worked on odd jobs, he might make enough to purchase a ticket on his own. The dad promised to match what the...
Did you know that God has already forgiven you? You just need to forgive yourself. I do know what weigh that you are holding onto right now. It may be from something that happened a day ago, a month ago, a week ago, a year ago. But it does not matter because God has forgiven you! It’s out of His mind. It’s clear. Psalm 103 says “God has separated us from our sins as far as the east is from the west.” It’s gone. It’s erased! God has given you grace. And if it’s out of God’s mind…if He has...
Hi friends! Thought of the day…Can we please stop doing two things? Adding “and” and “but” to the end of God’s plans. Here’s what I mean by that. We have a tendency to want to put our own spin on things. So often when God shares His plans with us, we say “Yes, I will do that AND I’m also going to do this other thing that I want to do.” Or God will tell us to do something and we’ll say “I will follow the plan, BUT maybe not this one part of it because I don’t want to do it.” God’s plans are perf...
There's something in life that took me a little while to realize…If it makes sense to God, it doesn't have to make sense to us. Let me repeat that. If it makes sense to God, it doesn't have to make sense to us. A lot of times in life we want things to make sense. We want to see the plan. And God is saying that's not how it works. You're seeing what is going on in the present. God is saying I'm seeing in the future. I'm looking a week, a month, a year out, and this is when it's going to make s...
Recently, I read a book about setting healthy boundaries. Well, I actually listened to it. Who has the time to sit down and just read these days. This book got me to thinking about boundaries and walls. I feel like there something that needs to said. Not all boundaries are bad. We live in a world that pushes limitless freedom. Do what you want to do. Be who you want to be. Live your life how ever you want to live it on your terms. There are no restrictions. And yet, how has that worked out for...
What if I told you that you are probably missing a very important lesson from one of the most famous stories on the Bible? We have all know the story of Noah, who God told to build an ark to save the world from a global flood. “Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark and cover it inside and out with pitch.” Genesis 6:14 But do you know how long it took Noah to build the ark? It wasn’t a few days, weeks, months, or even a few years. Most biblical historians estimate that it to...
We all deal with storms in our lives. Whether financial problems, health scares, or relationship issues, no one’s life is free of challenges. And we often don’t get to choose which storms pass through our life. The only choice we usually have is how we respond to those storms. A dear friend recently shares with me a great metaphor looking at the different reactions between a herd of cows and a herd of buffalos when a storm approaches. The cows make what might seem the logical choice. They try to...
So often in this life when we are wronged, betrayed, offended, or treated unfairly. In the moment, we want to rise up to defend our rights and on our own point of view. Or we fight to get even. Or even stew in silence while nursing our wounds and getting angrier. It’s hard to extend the same grace and compassion that Christ Himself extended to others in the midst of His own pain. Yet He set the example, the way for us to walk. To be betrayed or wronged by one who was trusted is a difficult h...
For Christians, Easter represents Jesus Christ’s victory over death. His resurrection is proof He is the Son of God, and it is the reason we can find hope in an eternity spent with Him. During Easter, we celebrate what we believe to be the biggest moment in history. Before celebrating Easter Sunday, however, many observe Good Friday. On this day, we remember how Jesus was persecuted and put to death. Jesus was crucified and took on the sins of the world, even though He was blameless. Because o...
A while back, I was listening to a Podcast and one of the speakers referred to the word “ego” as an anacronym. E-G-O….Edging God Out. For me, and maybe for some of you, this is idea or concept is thought provoking, to say the least. There’s a story in Greek mythology about a young man named Narcissus. He was a very handsome young man and he knew it. One day he saw his reflection in a stream and he became enamored with the image of himself. He couldn’t pull himself away; he stared into the strea...
There really isn’t any other day on earth like it. If you just look at Valentine’s Day by the numbers, it boggles the brain a bit: ♥ $130.97 – The average estimated amount an individual will spend on Valentine’s Day. ♥ $224 million – The estimated number of roses grown for Valentine’s Day. ♥ $18.6 billion – The projected total amount Americans will spend for Valentine’s Day. ♥ $1.6 billion – The amount people will spend on candy. ♥ $1.9 billion – The amount people will spend on flowers. ♥ $4.4...
Happy New Year! As one year draws to a close and a new year begins, Numbers 6:24-26 is on my mind and heart. It says, “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.” Considered to be one of the most beautiful blessings in the Bible, and perhaps the most widely used benediction, this verse is found tucked away in a book of the Bible that many believers may not actually be too familiar with. The...
Merry Christmas, my friends! In our Christmas card this year, my husband, Brian, and I chose the verse Romans 15:13. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 Paul's prayer for the Christians in Rome found in this verse is often used in churches today as a closing benediction. It is a powerful statement about what God can do in the heart and mind of every Christian. Paul makes this r...
Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and so I’ve been thinking about gratitude a lot lately. What is it? When should we show it? What does God say about it? 1 Thessalonians 5:18 tell us, “Give thanks in all circumstances”. This verse doesn’t command us to feel thankful in all circumstances. Instead, it says we should “give thanks in all circumstances.” When I begin to praise God in a difficult situation, even if I don’t feel like it, many times the scales fall from my eyes and I begin to se...
I love fall!! The color change, the weather change, the smell change...it’s about change. I see it happening right now. Leaves falling. What was once a tree deep in rich green, then a tree with vibrant shades of red and orange, now is soon becoming a tree that will be empty. Nothing left but the branches. We wish the color stayed. We think the only thing that makes the tree beautiful is the colorful leaves. We may ask, “why does it have to be so bare?” Isaiah 43:18-19 “Remember not the former...
It’s natural to have some fear or apprehension at the beginning of a new task. We may ask ourselves questions like “What if I don’t know what to do?” or “What if I’m not good enough?” I am sure at some point in life, all of us have had questions like these have come to mind followed by feelings of fear and doubt. I know I sure have. Joshua 1:9 reminds us, “Be Strong and of Good Courage. Life can be full of challenges, sorrows, and tough decisions. But even amidst hardship, the Lord counsels us t...
