Month: April 2026

The Right Stuff

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“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9

I was 4 years old when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon and said, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”. At that age I could not comprehend the significance of that moment in history. Years later as a high school student, the film “The Right Stuff” came out and I started to comprehend the overwhelming difficulty of putting human begins into the vacuum of space. ‘The Right Stuff’ meant you had the courage to take it to the very limits of what was possible. These brave pioneers knew that in the vastness of our universe just how fragile we are, and yet up they went anyway. You may not feel it today, or realize it, but you actually possess the right stuff.

‘The Right Stuff’ Power Is Faith

Think about it. Over and over again in scripture, God says when we put our trust in Him, we cannot comprehend the incredibly fulfilling life that He will provide for us. Look at 1 Corinthians 2:9, which says, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” This is one amazing promise. Be prepared for amazing things to happen in your life when you honor God with your faith.

Be Salty

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“You are the salt of the earth….” Matthew 5:13

There once was a man who had achieved fame and prosperity in his chosen profession, yet this was not what I admired about him. What I admired was that no matter where he went, or who walked up to him, there was always a smile and always a kind word to be given away. No matter how tired he was from traveling, I’d watch him walk through airports only to set his bags down so he could fold his hands and listen to the person who had stopped him just to talk to him. No man is perfect, far from it, but in his imperfection his singular goal in life was to be salty. The man was Dr. Robert H. Schuller and he lived to plant seeds of hope and inspiration in the lives of others. One of his favorite sayings was,

“Only God Can Count The Apples In A Seed”

May we strive every day to be salty. After all, it doesn’t take but a pinch of salt to change the flavor of any dish. Try it, you might just change the world.

Cast Away!

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“Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you.” Psalm 55:22

When my children were little and we took roadtrips they had little patience for lengthy car rides. Their favorite question was always,

“Are We There Yet?”

We frequently ask the same question of God when we should be taking David’s advice from Psalm 55, “Cast your burden on the Lord”. This includes the burden of waiting for answers or solutions we have prayed over. Over and over again in scripture God says, give your burdens to Me. I’ve chosen to take the Bible at face value and simply do what God says. I cast my burdens on the Lord, and sometimes I’m a broken record about it, day, after day, after day, until the breakthrough comes. Give it a try. God’s not worried about taking on your burdens. He wants them. Cast away in His direction.

Haystacks

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Jesus said, “If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying?” Matthew 18:12

Sometimes searching for what we want in life is like searching for a needle in a haystack. The answer is elusive, and sometimes just out of reach, even when we think we are on the right track. U2 famously made a song out of the search, singing, “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.” Yet, have you ever stopped to think that,

God Is Looking For You

Jesus tells a parable about a man who would leave his 99 sheep just to go look for 1 that is lost. God is not elusive, He’s actually looking for you, but He’s leaving the choice up to you. God is right beside you, quietly waiting for you to realize that He is what you are looking for. Turn to Him.

Just Do It

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“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord.” Colossians 3:17

There is something out there waiting for you to discover, uncover, invent, or reinvent. Odds are the person you will surprise the most is you, for you are more than you think you are. Try starting by eliminating the words ‘failure’ and ‘impossible’ from your vocabulary for they will only slow you down. Then, as you set out on whatever your quest is, take the advice that Forrest Gump’s Momma gave to him,

“Do the best you can with what God gave you.”

Many times I’ve set out to achieve something and the end result wasn’t quite what I expected, but was exactly where God in His infinite wisdom wanted me to be. Involve God in your dreams, then watch as He takes you wonderful places you never expected.

Mistaken Identity

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“You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood.” 1 Peter 2:9

Who am I? At various points in our lives we wrestle with this profound question. We evaluate our lives by societal standards just to see if our track record stacks up. The real question is, are we using the correct measuring stick?

You Are Who God Says You Are!

Who does God say you are? God says to us in scripture, “You are chosen; You are His child; You are complete; You are beloved; You are a royal priesthood.” Let this soak in and shake off your mistaken identity. For there is one powerful truth that you need to look into a mirror and say to yourself every single day. “I am not who the world says I am. I am who God says I am.”

The Giver

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“If you know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” Matthew 7:11

I never really understood the joy of giving until we had children. Seeing their joy radiate with a surprise gift melts my heart. There is something inexplicably wonderful about giving, be it love, or laughter or possessions.

Giving Brings Forth Joy

Imagine the joy God must feel when He brings forth gifts to us when we ask Him. After all, He gave to us the ultimate power of free will. We choose to believe, or not to believe, in Him. So when we chose to believe, and exercise that belief by actually calling on Him and asking for His help and blessings, imagine the joy He feels. It’s not that hard to imagine, Jesus told us so Himself in Matthew 7:11. So, why not bring God some joy today and call on him. He loves to give.

Rejoice!

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“Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice!” Philippians 4:4

Joy is a choice we can make, no matter what circumstances surround us. Philippians tells us:

Rejoice, and then rejoice again!

Just one line later, Paul, the author of Philippians, goes on to say why we can rejoice in all circumstances. “Be anxious for nothing,” he says, “but in everything by prayer, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Think Beyond

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God said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.” Exodus 14:16

Resolving impossible situations are God’s specialty. To us they are insurmountable. To God, all He sees are solutions ready to be unleashed when you put your life in His hands.

God Is A God Of The Miraculous

When you reach out in faith to God, and hand your burden to him, somehow, someway, a way through is revealed. The way through may be just what you expected, and conversely in a way you would not expect. Either way, God will have the last word, and when you put your faith in Him it will be good. He is all you need.

The Redwood

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“…he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.” Psalm 1:3

The Redwood trees along the West Coast of the United States are an amazing creation. With some standing more than 300 feet tall, the fact that they live, and how they live, is even more amazing. Imagine the task a normal tree has to feed nutrients and water from its roots up a trunk to the branches. Now imagine that same task in a Redwood, that high into the sky. Yet the redwood possesses a secret, a system of roots along its long trunk and all the way to its canopy to capture the almost daily early morning fog along the Pacific coastline. All that the Redwood needs for life surrounds it. We can learn something from the Redwoods,

Life Giving Blessings Are All Around

Psalm 1 begins by telling us that, blessed is the man person whose delight is in Lord. That such a person will bring forth fruit, and that such a person will not wither, and that whatever that person does shall proper. Blessings will literally surround you, and chase after you, when your delight is in the Lord.