The Dash

For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. Romans 14:7-8

Last Monday I shared with you that my longtime mentor, friend, Dad, Pastor Van was having open heart surgery on Wednesday. The gist of my blog that God has always been faithful – God is faithful – God will be faithful.

On Wednesday morning, Ed Weiss, our Director of Guest Services, Chaplain Bill Pruitt and me gathered around Pastor Van’s bedside in pre-op to laugh, cry, and pray. Pastor Van shared with us that whether he came through the surgery or whether the Lord took him home – he would win either way!

Little did we know that the Lord’s will was not to heal his damaged heart but to give him a new heart the next day. Surgery did not go well, and on Thursday evening, the Lord called Pastor Van home.

Everyone of has three things in common. All of us have a birth date. If you don’t, please call me as soon as possible. Someday we will all have a death date. The Bible says “it is appointed for man once to die, and after that the judgment.” Hebrews 9:27 ESV.

But in between our birth and death dates – we all have a dash. Pastor Van used his dash to serve God with all of his heart. He served for years as a pastor of several churches. He was a teacher, educator, school administrator, and Christian counselor.

He loved to teach. He loved to use puppets to communicate spiritual truth. He wrote hundreds of poems to teach and communicator biblical principles. He was an avid reader.

His 82 year old mind was a repository of wisdom. When in his presence you’d always hear a story that had an application to life.

He lived life to the fullest and he was prepared to go home to be with the Lord. His life was a living testimony to today’s verses: For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. Romans 14:7-8

I was privileged to call him Pastor, friend, counselor and Dad. His legacy is huge. If I learned nothing else – it would be to live my dash like his – living for Jesus! Thanks, Pastor Van for the example you lived before us and for the legacy you’ve left us. We love you.

Running the race with joy,

Bill Welte
President/CEO America’s Keswick

Daily Bible Reading: Leviticus 23-24; Revelation 2

Quote of the day: God requires the duty. If its performance brings no return, that is God’s affair not yours. The soldier who has obeyed every order comes back from defeat, as from victory, with honour. George Scott Railton

Bible Memory: “Your hands have made and fashioned me; give me understanding that I may learn your commandments. Those who fear you shall see me and rejoice, because I have hoped in your word.” Psalm 119:73-74 ESV

Have to vs Want to

Know that the LORD has set apart his faithful servant for himself;

 the LORD hears when I call to him. Psalm 4:3

I recently spoke at a Men’s breakfast and the theme this year was based on Ephesian’s 4:1 “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received”.

My thoughts were focused on the word “worthy”. When I think of something of worth or valuable concerning our walk with the Lord I think of being responsible or faithful.

One of the things that I would be told when I was in my addiction was that I am to take responsibility for my actions. People would say you have to become responsible. I have to say that being responsible was a burdensome task. I would look at responsible people and think to myself “they don’t look very happy”. Then I began to study God’s word and I came across a different suggestion, “faithful”.

I began to look at people who I would consider faithful and think, they are responsible people who had joy.

So when you think about what you do, you can some it up this way, Responsible people are “have to” people and Faithful people are “want to” people.

Have you ever been around a “have to” person? I have, and sometimes I am one. But the next time you find yourself in a “have to” kind of mood, remember God calls us to be a cheerful giver. So turn that frown upside down because when you become a “want to” person, than you realize we “get to”. After all you won’t find “Well done good and responsible servant” in the Bible. Amen!

– Rob Russomano is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and a full time member of the America’s Keswick team

Daily Bible Reading: Leviticus 17-18; Hebrews 12

Quote of the day: Be persuaded, timid soul, that He has loved you too much to cease loving you. Francois Fenelon

Bible Memory: It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes. The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces. Psalm 119:71-72 ESV

Stand We Will

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.~ Jude 1: 24-25

Oh beloved, it is true.  Every knee shall bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is LORD, to the glory of G_d the father.  However, for a blessed number of believers, that moment has already happened.  Somewhere, by His grace, we have come fully to the end of ourselves and cast the authority for our own lives off ourselves and fully onto Him (where it fully belongs).

And for those who have already yielded to His Loving lordship and grace have something absolutely amazing before them.  We, you… will stand in the Presence of G_d.  There will not be a moment of abject fear or paralyzing dread.  We will surely be nervous, but i believe it will be the excitement of a bride deeply in love with her groom.  We are no longer some criminal awaiting doom.  We are welcome members of the court of our King.

For, it will be the One in whose Presence we stand who has already made the moment possible.

For, it is He who became the sin by which we were burdened, and cast that sin as far away as the East is from the West.

For, in becoming that sin, He then made us the very righteousness of G_d.

For, in making and declaring us now-righteous, He paved the way for us to fulfill the calling of our creation in His image.

We are to be His friends, and lovers forever.

Can we see it?  Everything in life now, has everything to do with everything in Life then.  We are going to stand in the Presence of G_d as His friend.  And it will be in this context, that He then tears away the curtain to show the tangible gifts of grace He has prepared for His bride, based on our readiness to meet Him.  Like a good husband, He will have built us a home, but surely this is only the beginning.  Being that He is the wellspring of wisdom herself, He will most surely have thought of everything.  Surely it is beyond our imagination.

Said simply:  G_d is going to more greatly reward those most willing to let themselves be Loved by Him – now.  And all will be faultless, freed by the showers of His mercy and grace.  Many though, will be adorned even more beautifully in eternity.  And none of our beauty will be based on our performance.  This beauty will be based on our acceptance and appropriation of the grace He poured out on us in this life.

We are the saints of G_d.

We are His holy ones.

We are His bride.

We are His friends.

Forever.

This is very good news for the wretched old man i was before He took care of the problem.  Just avoiding the horrible payment for my sins seems beyond wonderful.  But then to know beyond any shadow of a doubt that we shall dwell – WELCOME – in His near Presence, forever, simply makes a wordsmith’s fingers like mine…

And they sang a new song, saying,
Worthy are You to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
for You were slain, and by Your blood You ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation,
and You have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on the earth.

Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever! ~ from Rev 5  — Makala Doulos is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and is love with Jesus.

Daily Bible Reading: Leviticus 15-16; Hebrews 11:20-40

Bible Memory: It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes. The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces. Psalm 119:71-72 ESV

Throwin’ Bricks at Wesley

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” John 15:18-19 (ESV)

The great preacher John Wesley was riding along on his horse one day when he realized that three days had passed, and he had not been persecuted in any way. Not a single brick had been thrown in his direction. He had not been hit by an egg. So he actually stopped his horse and said out loud, “Could it be that I am backslidden or I have sinned?” Slipping down from his horse, he knelt on one knee and asked the Lord to show him if there was anything wrong with him spiritually. A man who disliked Wesley saw him kneeling in prayer, so he picked up a brick and threw it at him, barely missing the preacher. When Wesley saw the brick fly by, he said, “Thank you, Lord! I know I still have Your presence.” No wonder he was such a powerful preacher

.

I don’t know about you but I am not a fan of dodging bricks.  However it should be expected when we take a stand for the sake of The Cross. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Mat 5:10 ESV) John Wesley displayed the right attitude when it comes to living this out. It even grieves his soul when the bricks aren’t being hurled at him but what about us living in these times? Do we, dare I say, display this attitude or do we resent the bricks and the brick thrower? How about the Almighty Himself?

Ya know there is nothing more dangerous to a Christian than to carry around this kind of resentment against God or the people that He uses to temper and humble us. But you would be shocked by the growing number of believers who hold some kind of grudge against Him.  And why is that? God may call us, burden us, send us and equip us but then, when things do not go as we had planned, such as a brick or two aimed in our direction, we feel misled or betrayed. We forgot the “persecuted for righteousness sake” and went to the “ours is the kingdom heaven” didn’t we? John Wesley didn’t!!

Wesley kept his calling realistic and when it didn’t seem like it was going the way God would have it go, it grieved him. Then God would reveal to him that he was on track and the bricks resumed their tossing. But that didn’t happen until Wesley humbled himself before the throne of grace, prayed and asked God to reveal to him where he had fallen short. Then God revealed purpose. So it should be for us.

It isn’t until the Father decides to reveal what the purpose is in the first place for us ask why we are being persecuted in any case. It’s ours to do if we believe we are called to His good purpose at all then it’s ours to duck when the bricks start flying at us. Ya see, if we are His, and that is our heart’s desire, God can take those bricks and build a wall of fortification around His people. We just gotta get out there and get people to start throwin’ them, Amen? – Chris Hughes is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and a regular Freedom Fighter blogger

Daily Bible Reading: Leviticus 14; Hebrews 11:1-19

Quote of the day: “The culture of the world and the counter-culture of Christ are at loggerheads with each other. In brief, Jesus congratulates those whom the world most pities, and calls the world’s rejects ‘blessed’.”—John Stott

Bible Memory: It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes. The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces. Psalm 119:71-72 ESV

Biblical Meditation

“But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night” Psalm 1:2 ESV

I have noticed recently that there is a lot of interest with the millennial generation with yoga and meditation. I have seen quite a few posts by young people stating that they are trying to learn the discipline of meditation.

This weekend I read an article written by Pastor Paul Tautges listing “7 Directives for Meditation.” It was posted on his blog – Counseling One Another – Helping You Grow in God’s All-sufficient Truth and Grace.

I felt it was a good outline to share with you to help you understand biblical meditation:

1. Pray for the power to harness your mind. Focus by faith on the task of meditation. For example, use Psalm 119:18, 36-37 as a prayer.
2. Read a passage of Scripture, then select a verse or two or a particular doctrine upon which to meditate.
3. Memorize these verses to facilitate meditation, to strengthen faith, to help you witness and counsel others, and to serve as a means of divine guidance.
4. Think on what you know about these verses or subject and how you have experienced their truths by probing the book of Scripture. Develop particular applications to your own life. As Thomas Watson said, “Take every word as spoken to yourself.”
5. Stir up affections such as love, desire, hope, zeal, and joy to glorify God. Preach the truth to your own soul. (Psalm 42:5; 103:1)
6. Rouse your mind to some specific duty and a holy resolve to do it by God’s grace.
7. Conclude with prayer, thanksgiving and psalm-singing.

This article was very helpful for me in gaining a better understanding on how to meditate on the word of God.

How can you implement this discipline into your daily walk – not out of duty but out of delight?

Running the race with joy,

Bill Welte
President/CEO of America’s Keswick

Daily Bible Reading: Leviticus 13; Hebrews 10:19-39

Quote of the day: God is looking for those with whom He can do the impossible– what a pity that we plan only the things that we can do by ourselves. A. W. Tozer

 

Bible Memory: It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes. The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces. Psalm 119:71-72 ESV

Biblical Meditation

“But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night” Psalm 1:2 ESV

I have noticed recently that there is a lot of interest with the millennial generation with yoga and meditation. I have seen quite a few posts by young people stating that they are trying to learn the discipline of meditation.

This weekend I read an article written by Pastor Paul Tautges listing “7 Directives for Meditation.” It was posted on his blog – Counseling One Another – Helping You Grow in God’s All-sufficient Truth and Grace.

I felt it was a good outline to share with you to help you understand biblical meditation:

1. Pray for the power to harness your mind. Focus by faith on the task of meditation. For example, use Psalm 119:18, 36-37 as a prayer.
2. Read a passage of Scripture, then select a verse or two or a particular doctrine upon which to meditate.
3. Memorize these verses to facilitate meditation, to strengthen faith, to help you witness and counsel others, and to serve as a means of divine guidance.
4. Think on what you know about these verses or subject and how you have experienced their truths by probing the book of Scripture. Develop particular applications to your own life. As Thomas Watson said, “Take every word as spoken to yourself.”
5. Stir up affections such as love, desire, hope, zeal, and joy to glorify God. Preach the truth to your own soul. (Psalm 42:5; 103:1)
6. Rouse your mind to some specific duty and a holy resolve to do it by God’s grace.
7. Conclude with prayer, thanksgiving and psalm-singing.

This article was very helpful for me in gaining a better understanding on how to meditate on the word of God.

How can you implement this discipline into your daily walk – not out of duty but out of delight?

Running the race with joy,

Bill Welte
President/CEO of America’s Keswick

Daily Bible Reading: Leviticus 13; Hebrews 10:19-39

Quote of the day: God is looking for those with whom He can do the impossible– what a pity that we plan only the things that we can do by ourselves. A. W. Tozer

Bible Memory: It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes. The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces. Psalm 119:71-72 ESV

God Was Faithful. God IS Faithful. God Will Be Faithful

This week one of my dear friends is facing open heart surgery to deal with three blockages and an aneurysm. Yesterday it hit me that the timing of this is very ironic since five years ago today we faced a similar issue with our granddaughter Lindsay.

The day before her surgery, the Lord spoke to my heart through His Word while reading Scriptures posted years ago in the little daily devotional, Daily Light on the Daily Path:

We … rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations. I am filled with comfort. I am exceedingly joyful in all tribulation. Believing you rejoice with joy inexpressible. Romans 5:2-3;

God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, have an abundance for every good work. – 2 Corinthians 9:8

My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2 Corinthians 12:9

We do not lose heart. Though the outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. – 2 Corinthians 4:16

In Him we love and move and have our being. He gives power to the weak and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. – Acts 17:28; Isaiah 40:29-31; Deuteronomy 33:27

Five years after Lindsay’s first open heart surgery I can tell you that God WAS faithful to His word! Because of all He taught us, I can tell you that TODAY God IS faithful!

And to my dear friends, Pastor Van and Laurel Van Sandt, I can tell you that when Van has his open heart surgery on Wednesday, God WILL BE faithful!

Whatever you may be facing today, this week or in the future – you can count on HIS faithfulness!

How has He demonstrated His faithfulness to you? I’d love to hear about it.

Running the race with joy,

Bill Welte
President/CEO of America’s Keswick

Daily Bible Reading: Leviticus 11-12; Hebrews 10:1-18

Quote of the day: Live in the presence of God and you too will have the eyes of Abraham. Eyes that are always alert to the unexpected. Eyes that see God’s actions in petty annoyances and even in tragedies. Eyes that trust. And eyes that continue seeking whenever they are tempted to turn inwards. Glen Argan

Bible Memory: It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes. The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces. Psalm 119:71-72 ESV

My Ole 67 Pontiac

Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”  (Revelation 21:5)

            Once when I was struggling through life, as I often did before Jesus came along, I needed a car to transport my family.  A so-called friend gave me a 1967 blue Pontiac Catalina.  It was a classic that looked and ran great, for about fifteen minutes. Then it would stop running completely!  Since that was the only problem and I prided myself in my skills as a shade tree mechanic, I set out to fix it.  For the next three months that car drove me absolutely crazy.  I flushed out the fuel lines, rebuilt the carburetor and even installed an electric fuel pump to keep the fuel system from vapor locking.  Nothing worked. I finally took someone else’s advice to keep the oil and change the car!

That’s kind of how our flesh is.  No matter how hard we attempt to fix it and make it better, we fail.  We become totally frustrated and end up reverting even deeper into destructive behaviors.  The addict knows this all too well, but then again so do those of us who have tried to diet repeatedly.  Most of us have at least some clothes in our closets for when we lose that temporary ten pounds that we are carrying around.

If you go into a book store probably the most prominent display is the one offering “Self Help” books.  In reality, as Christians we ought to categorize self-help books as Fiction.  Because there is no such thing as “Self Help.”   Paul says, For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out (Romans 7:18 ESV).  So biblically-speaking there is no help for self.  We will have as much success fixing ourselves as I did fixing that old Pontiac.

And wisely God doesn’t try either.  He knows what is needed.  He states simply at the end of His book about mankind, Behold, I am making all things new.

Father, Forgive me for even attempting to fix my old fallen flesh. Help me please to yield myself completely to You, that You may make me new today.” Amen –

 Chaplain Jim Freed is Director of Men’s Addiction Ministries at America’s Keswick. Today’s devotional is from Real Victory for Real Life Volume 2 and can be download to your Kindle.

Daily Bible Reading: Leviticus 4-5; Hebrews 7

Quote of the day: Endurance is like an unshakeable rock in the winds and waves of life.

However the tempest batters him, the patient man remains steadfast and does not turn back; and when he finds relief and joy, he is not carried away by self-glory: he is always the same, whether things are hard or easy, and for this reason, he is proof against the snares of the enemy. Peter of Damaskos

Bible Memory: You have dealt well with your servant, O Lord, according to Your word. Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe Your commandments. Psalm 119:65-66

My Road to Emmaus

Luke 22:31″ …their eyes were opened and they recognized him”

How often we miss what Jesus did after his resurrection on the road to Emmaus . It’s  sort of how we as Christians show up in church year after year to celebrate this day and we walk away and fail to recognize Jesus in any of our daily lives.

We claim to know Jesus, we say we walk with Jesus, we say we talk to Jesus, the reality is Jesus is walking with us and we don’t even know it. I  often fail to recognize Christ in others, I often forget God’s grace in my own life. I often fail to be the Jesus  that someone else needs to see.

As I walk daily with Jesus now I walk with eyes open wide.

…as their eyes were opened and they recognized him we can see Jesus all around us.

Others can see Jesus in us as his spirit will be manifested in our daily lives as we reach out, reach over, and  reach down.

We as Christians need to walk with Jesus with eyes opened because….

“I tell you truly whatever you did not do for one of the least of these you did not do for me.” Matthew 25: 45 – Dan Gavin is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and serves on the full time staff at America’s Keswick.

Daily Bible Reading: Leviticus 1-3; Hebrews 6

Quote of the day: We strengthen our faith by: The careful reading of the Word of God, combined with meditation on it. [In order to grow] in every grace of the Spirit, it is [vitally important] that we seek to maintain an upright heart and a good conscience, and therefore do not knowingly and habitually indulge in those things which are contrary to the mind of God. So it is also particularly the case [in order to grow] in faith. If we desire our faith to be strengthened, we should not shrink from opportunities where our faith may be tried and therefore, through the trial, be strengthened. Let God work for us, when the hour of the trial of our faith comes, and do not [attempt to] work a deliverance of our own. George Muller

Bible Memory: You have dealt well with your servant, O Lord, according to Your word. Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe Your commandments. Psalm 119:65-66

Hold Up Their Hands

“And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.”  Exodus 17:11

As we were discussing the shows during Easter someone asked “Who is Ben-Hur?”

It caused me to do a search and I found out he was one of the twelve soldiers for Solomon in charge of supplies. It also said “He was the son of Hur”.

Hur was with Aaron who held up the arms of Moses as Joshua fought Amalek.

“But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side, and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.” Exodus 17:12

When I was reading this account of the battle that took place and the support that Moses had from his assistants (congregation) I became burdened to pray how I can come along side my Pastor.

I thought about the amount of study he has done and the excellent job he did to help us grasp the true meaning of Easter.

I can only imagine the energy levels in our Pastors lives and ministry being depleted after such an important task of not only “feeding the sheep” but also the opportunity to present the Gospel to the lost in that window of time that people will come to church.

So if you feel lead, pray how you might be able to hold up their arms.

May I suggest a note of encouragement or a gift card for him and his wife to enjoy a meal out? “Just sayin”. Rob Russomano is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and serves on our full-time staff. He is a regular Freedom Fighter Blogger

Daily Bible Reading: Proverbs 30-31; Hebrews 5

Quote of the day:  Lord Jesus, you embraced your cross to redeem the world. Help me to embrace the crosses in my life — the hardships, struggles, disappointments, pain. Only by recognizing my own weakness, can I discover your strength. Anonymous

Bible Memory: You have dealt well with your servant, O Lord, according to Your word. Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe Your commandments. Psalm 119:65-66

It Ain’t Advice

“The beginning of the Good News about Jesus the Messiah ,the Son of God”                                                                                                                        Mark 1:1 (NIVUK)

In a sermon recently preached by Dr. Benji Kelley of New Hope Church in Durham North Ca-ka-lackey (North Carolina) on Mark 1, Dr. Benji really struck a chord with me just by staying in the first verse. He said that what is said here is what separates Christianity from every other world religion to include no religion. Every other religion likes to give us advice. Now he did say that we can get great advice from great people and that it can be inspirational to us. But at the end of the day advice is just advice and that it has an element of burden to it. You still gotta do something.

Christianity is not advice; Christianity is Gospel Good News and we need to receive it with great joy. Advice can be of great benefit to us but do we really receive it with great joy? Now if you are lifting your holy hands in the air when your wife advises you that the shirt you picked out for that date night dinner doesn’t go with your Dockers and you should try a different color well then hallelujah  for you ‘cos that ain’t me. But when it comes to Gospel Good News we need to receive it with great joy.

During his message Dr. Benji made use of a really cool term by saying that Mark was using a Greek word that “carried great currency” to his readers. I like that term because that Greek word is “euangelion” and in ancient Greece it designated the reward for bringing good news. Guess being the bearer of good news in the ancient world came with a material possession? But not with Gospel Good News, it requires nothing on our part. When we receive Gospel Good News nothing from us is needed, wanted or even worthy enough to give in return…unless you want to include the surrender of self? (Yeah I went there, deal with it!)

To be homiletically speaking, the Gospel is spoken in words. The Gospel is embodied in deeds and sufferings (yes there is Good News in suffering, deal with that too!). The Gospel has power. The Gospel came from YHVH who alone is able to impart the blessings it promises. The Gospel comes to all people whether you be blessed with provision or not, because without it you still are a wretched person (see Romans 7:24). The Gospel proclaims pardon for sin, brings peace to your conscience, renewal for your whole nature, guidance and strength for your spiritual walk, it is your salvation and the Gospel will bring you eternal life…if you chose to receive it!

So in short Christianity is Gospel Good News, it ain’t advice. You need this Good News. This Gospel Good News and the grace it has for you is sufficient for you!! This Gospel Good News is offered and adapted for you. But the kicker here folks is that this Gospel Good News alone blesses you and when you receive it…you get to give it away to bless others. So this Gospel Good News is sharable. You can share advice if you want to but it doesn’t need to be received with joy! But The Gospel…now that’s Good News. – Chris Hughes is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and contributes weekly to our Freedom Fighter Blog

Daily Bible Reading: Proverbs 27-29; Hebrews 4

Quote of the day:  “If the devil were wise enough and would stand by in silence and let the Gospel be preached, he would suffer less harm. For when there is no battle for the Gospel it rusts and it finds no cause and no occasion to show its vigor and power. Therefore, nothing better can befall the Gospel than that the world should fight it with force and cunning.”—Martin Luther

Bible Memory: You have dealt well with your servant, O Lord, according to Your word. Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe Your commandments. Psalm 119:65-66