to provide for those who mourn in Zion, to give to them a garland for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of Yahweh, that he may be glorified. Isaiah 61:3 WEB.Have you ever felt so down, so sluggish, that you begin to ask yourself, "What is the point of it all?" There are many things in this...

Arise and Shine from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Happy resurrection morning! It's a great day to be alive. This week has been slammed unexpected work and things breaking. We are a few days into our Intentional Growth Corporate Fast, and all hell seems to be breaking loose with our network equipment here. Air conditioners pouring water into the house, routers going offline, and databases...

Come now, and let's reason together, says Yahweh: Though your sins are as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good of the land Isaiah 1:18 WEB.I grew up in the country and have always loved ATVs, four-wheel drives, dirt bikes, off-roading, and mud bogging. For a while, a group of us would...

For our citizenship is in heaven, from where we also wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will change the body of our humiliation to be conformed to the body of his glory, according to the working by which he is able even to subject all things to himself. Philippians 3:20-21 WEB.We have a large oak tree in our yard, and each year, a fresh batch of caterpillars is born into the world. For a...

They shall make an ark of acacia wood. Its length shall be two and a half cubits, its width a cubit and a half, and a cubit and a half its height. You shall overlay it with pure gold. You shall overlay it inside and outside, and you shall make a gold molding around it. Exodus 25:10-11 WEB.The Ark of the Covenant was about the size of a small seaman's chest, built from acacia wood and overlaid with...

Intentional Growth 5: The Challenge from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. We have been covering growing in godliness during the "Intentional Growth" series by doing things intentionally instead of just hoping something good will happen. If you want to get better at something, you practice. That is how you learn to play guitar, piano, sing, write, paint, or a million other things. You learn by...

Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste. He spoke and said to his counselors, "Didn't we cast three men bound into the middle of the fire?" They answered the king, "True, O king." He answered, "Look, I see four men loose, walking in the middle of the fire, and they are unharmed. The appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods. Daniel 3:24-25 WEB.Shadrach, Meshach, and...

When the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, close to shore. But before long, a stormy wind beat down from shore, which is called Euroclydon. When the ship was caught and couldn't face the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along. Acts 27:13-15 WEB.The Apostle Paul was a Roman prisoner scheduled to stand trial before...

When the Clock Strikes from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. (I planned to wrap up my series on "Intentional Growth" this week, but while praying, the Lord interrupted me and changed my message. Lord willing, we will continue the series next week.) (2 Corinthians 4:16–5:1 NKJV)  Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being...

Intentional Growth 4: When You Fast from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. During His Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6, Jesus mentioned three things we were to do in secret that would be openly rewarded. He used the words, "When you..." 1. When you pray. 2. When you give. 3. When you fast. (Matthew 6:3–4 NASB)  "But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your...

They took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their own daughters to their sons and served their gods. The children of Israel did that which was evil in Yahweh's sight, and forgot Yahweh their God, and served the Baals and the Asheroth. Judges 3:6-7 WEB.Centuries ago, when it was time to go to church, there was excitement in the air. No one wanted to stay home. Their acts of worship were lustful...

Intentional Growth 3: When You Give from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. During His sermon on the mount in Matthew chapter 6, Jesus mentioned three things His disciples would do: when you pray, when you give, and when you fast. This April, we plan to do a corporate Daniel-type fast, and to prepare us, I am covering some of the basics. Last week we covered "When you pray." This week will be,...

One of the criminals who was hanged insulted him, saying, "If you are the Christ, save yourself and us!" But the other answered, and rebuking him said, "Don't you even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong." He said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when you come into your Kingdom." Jesus...

Intentional Growth 2 (Prayer) from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. The Sermon on the Mount that Jesus gave is a goldmine of information. It is like the beating heart of my Bible. It spans 3 chapters, Matthew 5 through 7. I created a playlist of it and put it on repeat to listen to it all day while working, and I learn new things consistently. To prepare us for our upcoming corporate fast in...

The world is passing away with its lusts, but he who does God's will remains forever. 1 John 2:17 WEB.It was my first day of school at Kingston Elementary. Early that morning, my stepmother pulled up to the school, pushed me out of her car, and drove off. Standing there alone in the parking lot, I felt like a fish out of water. Panic, fear, abandonment, and a few other strong emotions rolled over me...

Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that had come on him, they each came from his own place: Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite; and they made an appointment together to come to sympathize with him and to comfort him. Job 2:11 WEB.Righteous men have always been hard to find. Yes, under the new covenant, we have forgiveness, and our sins are covered by...

God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way. God relented of the disaster which he said he would do to them, and he didn't do it. But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. Jonah 3:10'4:1 WEB.It was early morning during a hot summer in the South, and we were digging up a septic tank. After we located and shoveled the dirt off the lid, I grabbed a heavy bar off the truck, and...

Intentional Growth from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. When trying to learn something new, we must invest the time needed to be successful. For example, when I was first learning to play bass guitar, I spent hours each day practicing. Soon the results of disciplined practice began to show in my playing, and people began to invite me to play in their band. Great musicians, much better than...

Caesar is in the House from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Jesus was born during a time of great division and strife. As so many times before, His nation of Israel had once again been conquered by a surrounding enemy. This time it was the Roman empire. Rome was the latest in a long list of nations that had invaded and occupied Israel. All through history, God used "evil" nations to bring...

You gave also your good Spirit to instruct them, and didn't withhold your manna from their mouth, and gave them water for their thirst. Yes, forty years you sustained them in the wilderness. They lacked nothing. Their clothes didn't grow old, and their feet didn't swell. Nehemiah 9:20-21 WEB.When the Israelites came out of Egypt, the Lord gave them His Spirit to teach them. He provided them food, water...

The Little Things from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Jesus told His disciples a parable about an unjust steward who squandered his master's possessions. The master demanded to see the books to determine what he had done with the wealth entrusted to him. Then he promptly fired the steward. The steward was too weak to dig and too ashamed to beg, so he came up with a cunning plan. He would...

For you will light my lamp, Yahweh. My God will light up my darkness. For by you, I advance through a troop. By my God, I leap over a wall. As for God, his way is perfect. Yahweh's word is tried. He is a shield to all those who take refuge in him. Psalm 18:28-30 WEB.Total darkness is the complete absence of light. In scripture, it is associated with gloom, despair, and terror in addition to the natural...

You shall seek me, and find me, when you shall search for me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13 WEB.Remember the game "Hide and Seek"? Many of us played it when we were children. One person covers their eyes and counts down while the others go and hide as best they can. When the countdown is complete, the seeker then searches for the hiders. When I became a dad, I would reverse this game and play...

You Are Good from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. When you get married, your life changes in many ways. Life is no longer about what I need. Instead, it becomes about what we need as a couple. The "I do" automatically brings many unspoken, "I don'ts" along with it. Your actions now reflect on your spouse, and you are now called to a higher standard. When you said yes to your spouse, you said...

When pride comes, then comes shame, but with humility comes wisdom. Proverbs 11:2 WEB.The movie "Pride and Prejudice" might have scored good ratings at the theater, but it will not score you points with God. He looks at your heart instead of your clothing. These are two great hindrances to the Holy Spirit moving in your life. And each of us has dealt with one or both of them at some point.When we are...

Wild Horses from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. How would you like to see more divine provision, protection, peace, and rest in your life? To have less anxiety and worry about what is coming tomorrow? There is a way. Jesus told us this: (Matthew 11:28–30 NKJV)  Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me,...

God heard the voice of the boy. The angel of God called to Hagar out of the sky, and said to her, "What troubles you, Hagar? Don't be afraid. For God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. Get up, lift up the boy, and hold him with your hand. For I will make him a great nation." God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. She went, filled the container with water, and gave the boy a drink....

For the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who was the master of a household, who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. Matthew 20:1 WEB.Vineyards that produce some of the best wines limit the grapevines' water to make their roots go deeper into the soil. The resulting grapes are small...

Divided By Pride from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Humanity faces a challenging new year. I pray it is not like the last one, and I hope we can start well. A key tactic of the enemy is to divide and conquer. Well, too many of us were on his team last year and happy to attack each other. As a people, we are divided more now than I ever remember, and I grew up during the school system's desegregation...

Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me. Don't throw me from your presence, and don't take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation. Uphold me with a willing spirit. Psalms 51:10'12 WEB.King David took a stroll around his palace's rooftop terrace one lazy afternoon when he spotted one of his neighbors bathing. It appears his balcony was above hers...