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"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you," says Yahweh, "thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope and a future. You shall call on me, and you shall go and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You shall seek me and find me, when you search for me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:11-13 WEB.I returned to church early in the afternoon because I was in the band, and we needed to rehearse...

Feeling Good from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. The Lord speaks to us in ways we can comprehend. For example, He wouldn't speak Hebrew to someone who doesn't understand Hebrew. That is why the Apostle Paul said this: (1 Corinthians 14:18–19 NKJV)  I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all; yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that...

The Night Before Christmas from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Imagine what it must've been like to be in Bethlehem, a cozy little town surrounded by rolling hills, over 2,000 years ago on the very first Christmas Eve. Think about a time way before we had all these twinkling Christmas lights and the happy holiday songs we sing today. It was a night unlike any other, special and full of wonder,...

David left his baggage in the hand of the keeper of the baggage and ran to the army, and came and greeted his brothers. As he talked with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines, and said the same words; and David heard them. All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were terrified. 1 Samuel 17:22-24 WEB.When...

Roosters from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. I grew up on a farm in the country, and we raised chickens. I had a gorgeous dark red pet rooster I raised from a hatchling. They are peculiar creatures. The roosters were attention seekers and would strut around with their chests out, hop onto the highest point they could reach, and crow as loud and long as they could. They chased all the hens...

The Vineyard from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. I have always admired Amos, who was a shepherd in a field when the Lord told him to go and prophesy to King Jeroboam in Bethel. The priest Amaziah told him to prophesy somewhere else. They weren't interested in what the Lord had to say, but Amos stood his ground and told them the message the Lord had given him. That took courage. (Amos 7:12–16...

You see then that by works, a man is justified, and not only by faith. In the same way, wasn't Rahab the prostitute also justified by works, in that she received the messengers and sent them out another way? For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is dead. James 2:24-26 WEB.I grew up on a farm with two brothers and ten step-siblings. I got to see first-hand the...

However, what things were gain to me, these have I counted loss for Christ. Yes most assuredly, and I count all things to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I suffered the loss of all things, and count them nothing but refuse, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, that which is of the law, but that which is through...

Sacrifice from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. When Jesus came walking past the disciples in their fishing boat late one night, Peter called out to Him and asked if he could join Him and walk on the water.  (Matthew 14:28–31 NKJV)  And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." So He said, "Come." And when Peter had come down...

Walk on Water from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. An extraordinary event unfolds in Matthew chapter 14, one that is unparalleled elsewhere in the Bible: a common fisherman defying the laws of nature by walking on water. This miraculous feat wasn't performed by Jesus, but rather by Peter, a regular fisherman by trade. Peter, who openly referred to himself as 'a sinful man' in Luke 5:8, was...

The Eyes of Faith from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. This message is a spiritual pearl for me, and I am a bit conflicted about sharing it as the Lord warns us not to throw our pearls before swine, and this is the Internet. Yet, this is a word from Him meant to be shared. May it encourage someone to look beyond the natural and give them hope. We need to see the resources available beyond the...

He said, "Take the arrows;" and he took them. He said to the king of Israel, "Strike the ground;" and he struck three times, and stopped. The man of God was angry with him, and said, "You should have struck five or six times. Then you would have struck Syria until you had consumed it; whereas now you will strike Syria just three times." 2 Kings 13:18'19 WEB.Israel had repeatedly been invaded by Syria...

Moving On from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. There will be times when the Lord sends you in a different direction than those around you, like Barnabas and Saul:  (Acts 13:2 NKJV)  As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, "Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." That time was graceful, but there will be other times...

For as the rain comes down and the snow from the sky, and doesn't return there, but waters the earth, and makes it grow and bud, and gives seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so is my word that goes out of my mouth: it will not return to me void, but it will accomplish that which I please, and it will prosper in the thing I sent it to do. Isaiah 55:10'11 WEB.There are things the Lord told me...

Country Road from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Jesus Christ came to seek out and save the lost sheep. He is the Good Shepherd and said plainly that He didn't come to condemn the world (John 3:17 NKJV)  "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." Jesus' teachings were so refreshing to listen to, which was a complete...

The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. Acts 17:10'11 WEB.The first mechanical repeater was a telegraph machine, but the practice was used...

Feel the Spirit from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Jesus Christ began His ministry when He was thirty and continued for three and a half years. He knew He would be crucified, and He taught His disciples all He could to prepare them for it, but many things went over their heads. They didn't understand what was coming. They assumed that Jesus would become the next king of Israel, like David,...

Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and don't do the things which I say? Everyone who comes to me, and hears my words, and does them, I will show you who he is like. He is like a man building a house, who dug and went deep, and laid a foundation on the rock. When a flood arose, the stream broke against that house, and could not shake it, because it was founded on the rock. Luke 6:46'48 WEB.The boss paced...

Down by the Riverside from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Sometimes, when reading or listening to something, you know it was meant for you. That somehow, someway, the Lord put it in front of you for such a time as this. An anointed word or song is timeless, just as the Bible was written thousands of years ago, but it can speak something new to you every day.  Yet, you could be standing...

If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace; and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods, nor worship the golden image which you have set up. Daniel 3:17'18 WEB.Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, had built a golden image ninety feet high and commanded everyone in his kingdom to...

You Will Have What You Need from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. We really live in exciting times. We are coming out of a global pandemic with millions dead. Wars rage around the world, with people launching billions of dollars in missiles while others wish they had a bowl of rice. The U.S. Government is approaching its fourth shutdown showdown this year. Earth has come a long way from the...

When the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, she obtained favor in his sight; and the king held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. So Esther came near, and touched the top of the scepter. Then the king asked her, "What would you like, queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you even to the half of the kingdom." Esther 5:2'3 WEB.After fasting for three...

Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he bowed himself down on the earth, and put his face between his knees. He said to his servant, "Go up now, and look toward the sea." He went up, and looked, and said, "There is nothing." He said, "Go again" seven times. On the seventh time, he said, "Behold, a small cloud, like a man's hand, is rising out of the sea." He said, "Go up, tell Ahab, 'Get ready...

Super Natural from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. The Lord works in mysterious ways, and I love seeing Him do miracles. Yet, the heavy work of God in my life has happened so naturally that you wouldn't notice it: super natural. Sometimes, I would get laid off from one job because He wanted me somewhere else, and I didn't understand until later. I wouldn't even be in ministry today if the Lord...

The Day of Small Things from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. As with many of my messages, this was a word for me, but I will share it with you as I found it encouraging. I have been building a new social media website for Refreshing Hope behind the scenes for months. It is a massive undertaking as we are merging three control panels patched together with scripts into one mobile-friendly site...

Hope in the Dark from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. How can you have hope while living in a dark time? When you feel like what you are facing is so powerful, all you can do is pray. Many before us did, and we can learn from their examples.  First, if you read the New Testament, you'll encounter multiple rulers named 'Herod.' Though they belong to the same family line, it's important...

Then the devil took him into the holy city. He set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, 'He will command his angels concerning you,' and, 'On their hands they will bear you up, so that you don't dash your foot against a stone.' " Jesus said to him, "Again, it is written, 'You shall not test the Lord, your God.' " Matthew...

The Fog from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Beggars sat by the gates of the city with their hands out, heads down in shame, hopelessly believing "woe is me." That nothing could change for them, at least for the better. Such was their lot in life, the hand they had been given. They accepted and believed the lie that things couldn't change. That their future would only be more of the past. It...

I have declared the former things from of old; yes, they went forth out of my mouth, and I shown them: suddenly I did them, and they happened. Isaiah 48:3 WEB.There was a time in our life when our business started failing. Our income grew less and less and then stopped completely. After several months with no work, the bills started piling up. We tried everything we could, but nothing seemed to change...

If there is therefore any exhortation in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any tender mercies and compassion, make my joy full, by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind; doing nothing through rivalry or through conceit, but in humility, each counting others better than himself; each of you not just looking to his own things,...