Jacob Wrestles With God 22 That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two female servants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. 24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 25 When the man saw that… Continue reading Blessed Connections

23 Above all else, guard your heart,    for everything you do flows from it. (Proverbs 4:23, NIV) How can we guard our hearts from the distractions in the world?  Last Sunday, my pastor encouraged the congregation with these words.           Open yourself completely to God and His will for your life.           Spend time in His Word to… Continue reading Guard Your Heart

2025.  Another new year. Time to look back and see how God has been faithful in the past. Are you going through a difficult time?  Is your future unsure? Be encouraged by the promises of God in His Word. Scripture is full of reminders that God delights in renewing the hearts and minds of His… Continue reading Renewal

9 Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan— The people walking in darkness    have seen a great light;on those… Continue reading Be the Light

13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” (Matthew 5:13, NIV) Salt is used to preserve foods by drying them. When covered with salt, figs, dates, raisins,… Continue reading salt

Saul’s Conversion 9 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3 As he neared Damascus on his… Continue reading Hearing God Part 4 : God Speaks Directly

11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. (1Thess. 5:11, NIV) In the apostle Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, he encourages the new believers to endeavor to promote the good of the whole church by promoting the work of grace in one another. This is done by sharing… Continue reading Hearing God: Part 3 Through Letters of Encouragement

The Healing at the Pool 5 Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3 Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. [4] 5 One who… Continue reading Hearing God Part 2: Through the Words of Jesus

God, our father, is relational.  God, along with Jesus and the Holy Spirit, comprise the Trinity, three persons in one. As children of God, our Father wants to have a relationship with us.  God wants to communicate with us. The Bible is full of stories about God communicating with His children.  One way that God… Continue reading Hearing God Part 1: Dreams