Salt is a seasoning and a nutrient. Without this essential electrolyte, we will die. Without it food tastes terrible. But too much of it is just as bad! Too much salt in your diet will cause a number of health problems that lead to death and too much salt in your food makes it inedible. What does this mean to you? YOU are the salt of the earth. You bring the Good News that is essential to life: that Jesus made a way for each person to be saved and have eternal life. Without this Good News, people will perish. Jesus also wants us to bring flavor to life. Not just for ourselves though, for ot ..read more

I don’t usually post photos of myself here, because I only use Insta to post devotionals - but this is a testimony. Yesterday we made it to the top of North Mountain again. It’s a tough and steep climb, but one I’ve made many times over the years. That’s kind of a big deal! Until I was 35, I couldn’t have dreamed of doing that. Hiking was out of the realm of what was physically possible - but then God healed me. It was a miracle, and one I’ve not taken for granted. I started building strength and challenging myself to get and stay strong since then. And I’ve found my ride or die who I can hi ..read more

Thank you for this @louiegiglio Rest is a commodity these days - we trade it for things we think are valuable or so that we can do more, be more, have more. We lose it because we’re anxious about all the “things and stuff” we’ve traded for. How much are we doing that is actually on God’s plan for us, and how much is from our own agenda. If you’re losing sleep - you’ve got to ask these questions. If you’re overworked, you’ve got to ask these questions. “Rest is worship.” It means you trust God more than yourself… you need this to be whole-shalom. #trustinthelord #discipleship #restisworship ..read more

This is true. Jesus prayed a lot. We all have an inner dialog going on in our heads and His was probably very different than ours - He spoke to His Dad. And sometimes He needed to go off by Himself to have deeper conversations with Him. If Jesus needed to do that, how much more do we? Paul teaches us to “pray without ceasing.” This is that ongoing dialogue in your head - we can turn that into prayer with a little focus and discipline. There are too many Christians who want to move mountains but lack the focus and discipline of prayer and walking in faith. We aren’t saved by our works, but wh ..read more

Every storm passes. Every morning is a new beginning. And God is in the midst of it all! ”The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations‬ ‭3‬:‭22‬-‭23‬ Nothing can separate you from the love of God. Not even yourself. You don’t have the power to make Him leave you or love you less. Your sin doesn’t have that kind of power either. You’re just making yourself suffer when you turn your back on Him. The Lord is with you. #dontgiveup #childofgod #thelordwillneverleaveyou #godisfaithful #shalom ..read more

You are His child, His masterpiece, His beloved. You don’t have the power to ever lose your true identity, the one He gives you, or to change His endless, reckless, unconditional love for you. Ever. There is nothing you can do to make the Lord love you more and nothing you can do to make Him live you less than He does now. Nothing. When you face the trials of life, don’t be deceived by the disappointment, sorrow, or frustration you feel. Those are just temporary, what God says is permanent. All the storms of this life will pass. #iamwhoyousayiam #iamachildofgod #godlovesyou #thelordiswithyo ..read more

Jesus came to serve, not to be served. He taught us to love others in a way that is far greater than our own capacity to love, and to forgive without measure. In other words to love and forgive others like He did. There is no place this shows more than in a marriage when a husband and wife creatively serve one another. Looking for ways to show love and to help the other is the model of Biblical marriage we’re to follow. It’s also true in friendship, families, at church and at work. There are probably many opportunities we all have to serve others that we miss, ignore or dismiss. Why do we do ..read more

Who do you serve? God? Or people? Or yourself? There are too many people calling themselves Christians who aren’t serving God. God says you’re either for Him or against Him - there is no neutral stance. Serving someone or something means you’ve prioritized pleasing them. Pleasing God is a Christian’s top priority. Remember the WWJD movement? It was right on in this regard. It emphasized What Would Jesus Do in any situation over what you wanted to do or felt like doing. It brought that choice to the surface. I still ask myself that question sometimes because I have decided to follow Jesus. I ..read more

There have been times when my life looked a lot more like a country song than a Believer’s Christian walk. It was during those times when I clung to God as if my life depended on Him. Because, my life does depend on Him. I gave up the false belief in my own strength a long time ago and I knew I couldn’t do anything worthwhile on my own. Some of the time that I was clinging to Him, I couldn’t hear Him nor feel Him. Sometimes I doubted, but I had to put my faith in His word: - He was with me in the valley of the shadow of death. - He would never leave me or abandon me. - that if I would seek ..read more

I don’t know you @restored_souls but thanks for this reminder! When I was young and had decided to answer the call to ministry - I knew that I knew I was called but I wasn’t sure what I should do next. The Holy Spirit told me to just serve and live and listen. So I did. I’ve enjoyed serving and loving and listening in many churches and communities over the years, and it’s been an amazing Journey. When I wasn’t sure what was next, I would try to focus on the last thing I knew the Lord had asked of me, and keep doing that while I waited. You see, waiting on the Lord is an activity. Sometimes t ..read more