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God said to Noah, "I will bring an end to all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them and the earth. Make a ship of gopher wood. You shall make rooms in the ship, and shall seal it inside and outside with pitch. Genesis 6:13'14 WEB.Noah had something to do. It was a driving passion that no one else understood. He could see beyond the curve, and it made...

"He said to another, "Follow me!" But he said, "Lord, allow me first to go and bury my father." But Jesus said to him, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead, but you go and announce the Kingdom of God." Another also said, "I want to follow you, Lord, but first allow me to bid farewell to those who are at my house." But Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back,...

The Sound of Silence from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. It's great when we are on top of the mountain with the Lord, like Moses getting fresh direction, but it gets lonely down in the valley where they worship that golden calf. We are excited when we get a fresh vision from the Lord, a new direction. "Oh, now we know what to do!" But there is often a span of time between the revelation and...

God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. There was evening and there was morning, a sixth day. The heavens, the earth, and all their vast array were finished. On the seventh day God finished his work which he had done; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done. God blessed the seventh day, and made it holy, because he rested in it from all his work...

He went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass away from him. He said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible to you. Please remove this cup from me. However, not what I desire, but what you desire." Mark 14:35-36 WEB.After growing up in the bible-belt, my image of God was as a complete disciplinarian. An angry, white-haired, lightning-bolt...

When the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It's a ghost!" and they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Cheer up! It is I! Don't be afraid." Peter answered him and said, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the waters." He said, "Come!" Peter stepped down from the boat, and walked on the waters to come to Jesus. Matthew 14:26'29...

The Grapevine from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Some people have the gift of writing a thousand words without conveying anything meaningful. Have you ever tried to research something and read page after page of documentation and still can't even find what it does?  For instance, try and compare different versions of Microsoft Office, and you will find lengthy pages of writing like:...

At the same time my understanding returned to me; and for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and brightness returned to me. My counselors and my lords sought me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent greatness was added to me. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven; for all his works are truth, and his ways justice; and those who walk in pride he is able...

Facing the Storm from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. We live on the coast of South Carolina near Myrtle Beach, less than ten miles from the Atlantic Ocean, as a bird would fly. I was born here. For us, from late August through November, it's hurricane season. Technically, it runs from June 1st to November 30th, but the storms I remember most land in September.  Hurricane Hugo came...

The Door to Eternity from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. People who try to live right when the world has gone wrong have always gotten God's attention. We would not even be here today unless some of those people had swum against their current culture. Consider the story of Noah: (Genesis 6:9–10 NKJV)  This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations....

Ever Increasing Faith from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Small victories in your life will lead to bigger ones. When I started with the Lord, I was so hungry I wanted to do exploits for God immediately. I wanted to do the end from the beginning, but the Lord does not work that way. Like track and field, He sets obstacles before us that we can overcome, then He raises the bar a little higher....

Jeremiah said, Yahweh's word came to me, saying, Behold, Hanamel the son of Shallum your uncle will come to you, saying, "Buy my field that is in Anathoth; for the right of redemption is yours to buy it." So Hanamel my uncle's son came to me in the court of the guard according to Yahweh's word, and said to me, 'Please buy my field that is in Anathoth, which is in the land of Benjamin; for the right...

The Lamb from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Today we celebrate the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. We know Jesus was crucified during the Passover feast, so the timing is not far off. In fact, the week of Passover overlaps with Easter this year and begins at sundown on Wednesday, April 5, 2023. At the same time, Easter is on Sunday, April 9th, right in the middle of Passover week.  The...

God looks down from heaven on the children of men, to see if there are any who understood, who seek after God. Psalms 53:2 WEB.When the Lord began speaking to me with His gentle promptings, I was amazed at how well He knew me. I was a computer technician and dealt with a lot of spyware and viruses at the time. The Lord often spoke to me in technical terms and dialect that others wouldn't understand....

Intentional Spiritual Growth from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. t's time to align with the divine! To clear our ears and get in tune with what the Lord is doing today. It is planting season once again and a time for intentional spiritual growth. You won't complete a marathon if you haven't disciplined yourself to run for hours. That ability is not given to you. It is earned.  Olympic...

Mirror Mirror from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. I look in the mirror, and what do I see? Who is that looking back at me? Is it someone faithful and true, or someone wishing they could start new? Today is the day to square up with the one in the mirror. David wrote this song about the Lord after he was delivered from Saul: (2 Samuel 22:26–29 ESV)  "With the merciful you show yourself...

You Get What You Need from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Sometimes disappointment comes from unrealistic expectations, like a fish that wants to fly. Fish simply aren't built for graceful air travel, but they can swim like no one else. Likewise, the Lord has given each of us a gift set and areas of expertise to build up the body of Christ, but too often, we want to be someone else, somewhere...

As an eagle that stirs up her nest, that flutters over her young, he spread abroad his wings, he took them, he bore them on his feathers. Deuteronomy 32:11 WEB.When eagles have their young, they line the inside of the nest with feathers, fur, and other soft materials. The parents try to make the little ones comfortable in the nest. They hunt and bring food to feed them. They pamper the little ones...

Rest in Me from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. This is a word for me, but I'll share it with you. I've had a rough week. Our main mail server here at Refreshing Hope has grown so slow it was becoming unusable and began randomly corrupting email accounts. Millions of emails pass through that machine, and it is mission-critical for us. It is also a temperamental, hateful beast with hundreds...

Whoever finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor of Yahweh. Proverbs 18:22 WEB.One morning, I was lying on the floor in my room praying. My mind was aimlessly drifting from one thing to another as I prayed when I saw an image of my wife and me walking on a beach together. Then it occurred to me that her birthday was coming up soon. Then a thought came to me, "You should take her away for...

Wheel in the Sky from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. God's being, wisdom, and His word are eternal and live outside of time. Unlike us, He has always existed:  (Genesis 1:1 NKJV)  In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Proverbs 8:23 NKJV)  I have been established from everlasting, From the beginning, before there was ever an earth. (Matthew 24:35 NKJV) ...

By reason of the exceeding greatness of the revelations, that I should not be exalted excessively, a thorn in the flesh was given to me: a messenger of Satan to torment me, that I should not be exalted excessively. Concerning this thing, I begged the Lord three times that it might depart from me. He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Most gladly...

Sheep from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Sheep are one of the most high-maintenance animals you can raise. It has been said that the very existence of sheep is evidence against the theory of evolution, for there is no way they could have survived on their own.  Sheep are at the lower end of the intelligence scale and pitifully defenseless. They are both timid and stubborn, frightened...

For neither from the east, nor from the west, nor yet from the south, comes exaltation. But God is the judge. He puts down one, and lifts up another. Psalm 75:6-7 WEB.During a personal time of revival in my life, I began to fast and pray hard for the Lord to remove anything holding me back from being closer to Him. I was thinking spiritually, but it turns out that the Lord is a bit more practical than...

The Servant from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. The Lord Jesus Christ is eternal and has been here since the beginning of time. He was here when the Earth was formed and will be here when it is rebooted. He is the Commander of the army of the Lord and has legions of angels available (Joshua 5:14). That is why He could tell the apostles this:  (Matthew 26:53 NKJV)  ...do you think...

Walking by the sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers: Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew, his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. He said to them, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers for men." They immediately left their nets and followed him. Matthew 4:18'20 WEB.As Jesus walked down by the seashore, He saw Peter and his brother Andrew. He told them to follow Him....

Whine and Fish from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Children are notorious for whining and tend to have short memory spans. They forget what you did for them last week, and the most important thing on Earth is what they want right now. They are often greedy and selfish. It's a sign of immaturity.  When the Israelites came out of Egypt, they behaved like children. One day they are singing...

Beauty for Ashes from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. We live in an age of smiling despair. Like a whitewashed tomb, everything looks fine on the outside, but inside us, there is a pile of dead dreams. The things we struggle with seem overwhelming, and we don't feel strong enough to face them. The enemy wants you to get tired and quit. To make you feel like you just can't win this time, for...

Also delight yourself in Yahweh, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to Yahweh. Trust also in him, and he will do this: he will make your righteousness shine out like light, and your justice as the noon day sun. Psalm 37:4-6 WEB.Once while performing a deed search on some property, we found a tax lien had been filed against us by the state for several thousand dollars. After...

The Prize Fighter from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. While on his second missionary journey, the Apostle Paul spent 18 months in a town called Corinth. It was one of the wealthiest and the most immoral of the ancient cities, and Paul's letters contain several stern corrections to them, including one church member who was "having" his father's wife (1 Corinthians 5:1).  Paul established...