Helpful lightsaber info from Rachel

 

Video E-Flash From Dan - July 30, 2021

 

Strength, confidence and energy. Trust in the Lord.

When a person has an authentic trust in God it actually brings strength and hope. When God’s complete and total supremacy is realized and understood to be reliable and true it brings confidence and even energy to the person.

“But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.”

Isaiah 40:31

Let’s see if Nadia and I can do this!

 

Perfect pool day!

 

A joy that defies words

When I was a kid, we sang a hymn in church that had this line: “Joy unspeakable and full of glory.”

It’s one of those lines that I’ve never forgotten. Sometimes when I think about the subject of joy that lyric comes to mind.

It is significant to me, in part, because I love the idea of joy. Also, because it expresses a tremendous truth: it is possible to experience a joy in God that is so profound, so real and so meaningful that it is beyond our ability to put into words.

When I was an adult, I discovered that the memorable line from the old hymn was actually based on a passage of scripture, 1 Peter 1:8.

 "…Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory…”

False Teaching: A diminished view of the Bible – Full Message

 

Checks and balances on power. It is a very good standard to maintain.

 

Here's an update from Dan and Rachel

 

Do not use cuteness as a secret weapon

 

With God failure isn't final!

A few days ago, I heard someone say something to this effect: with Cancel Culture a person can make one mistake and be ruined for life.

I’m so glad that with God, there are second, third, fourth, fifth chances…and more. God’s love—according to the Bible—is deep and wide. He is forgiving, gracious and merciful.

“Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!

For His mercy endures forever.”

Psalm 136:1

There are many characters in the Bible who make very serious mistakes, for example, Moses, Samson, David, Peter and Paul—to name a few—and yet God gives them another chance. Despite their flaws He still uses them for His purposes.

With God, I am so grateful that failure isn’t final.

Is it time for a roofing project update? I think so.

 

Concern for others, not just thinking about ourselves

 

Is Jesus sufficient? Or does He need a little help from you and me?

 

Be discerning! False teachings about Jesus.

 

Travel day from south Florida to north Georgia

 

Dan and Rachel surviving the weather?

 

Power, love and a sound mind

It is possible for us to replace fear with power, love and a sound mind.

That sounds like a much better direction, right?

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7

When we are walking in God’s presence our thinking is affected. With God, our thinking is impacted in a positive way and we are not inclined toward fear. This is a very important truth because fear can cloud and distort our thinking.

God has given us remarkable minds and He encourages sharp, clear, disciplined thinking.

Not so funny, after all

Sometimes I post things online thinking that I’m sharing something lighthearted and amusing only to discover it has not been received that way.

This is usually somewhat surprising to me because I find myself to be quite witty and hilarious, while still maintaining an appropriate measure of humility.

However, my general rule of thumb in these matters goes like this: If I think I’m being humorous but no one is laughing then it’s fairly clear I’m not being humorous, after all.

These not-so-funny posts are a reminder that: #1) humor is subjective; and #2) …I forgot what #2 is.

Can you be grateful today? It will help.

 

...Even from far away

 

If not for God's mercy I would be lost

In the course of my life the mistakes, pride, sin, incompetence, foolishness, wrongs, misdirected anger, willful ignorance, terrible attitudes, lack of wisdom and careless words have been many. To say I have fallen short is almost describing it in a way that is too kind.

“…[F]or all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” Romans 3:23

I know Romans 3:23 to be true from firsthand experience. It is embarrassing.

If not for God’s mercy and grace, I would be lost. Thank you Lord for being compassionate to characters like me.

“The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.” Psalm 103:8

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

Do you think about motivating others to acts of love?

Have you ever spent much time thinking about how you might encourage someone else to be loving and to do good things for others?

It’s an interesting question to ponder, isn’t it?

According to the Bible, God doesn’t just want us to be loving toward others but God also wants us to think about how we might inspire the people we know to be good, kind and loving towards others.

You might be thinking: “Where did you get a crazy idea like that, Dan?”

My answer is that it’s in the Bible. Here’s the verse, it’s found in Hebrews 10:24:

“Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.” Hebrews 10:24

 

May God provide abundant hope to your heart

Sometimes people disparage the idea of hope. Their concern is that hope is not sufficiently action oriented.

Hope is valuable, however, because when people lose hope they tend to become apathetic. They give up. The hopeless person feels that any attempt at positive, helpful effort is pointless so why even try?

We need hope. It is part of what motivates effective action.

May our generous God provide abundant hope to your heart.

“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13

Want to do God’s will? Here’s a good place to start.

 

We’d love to have you take a little ride with Rachel and Dan

 

The supremacy, authority and importance of Jesus

The supremacy, authority and ultimate importance of Jesus is described with clarity in various passages of scripture. The passage below is found in the New Testament book of Colossians. For those who are trusting in Christ these are words of inspiration, comfort and encouragement:

"Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him."   Colossians 1:15-16

Freedom requires morality and virtue

The men involved in the founding of the United States believed that morality and virtue were not only important to our form of government but necessary. The Constitution they created provides individuals with tremendous personal freedom. But the founders understood that governing a very large group of free individuals would require the boundaries and restraints that are a part of genuine virtue and morality.

“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” John Adams

“Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters.” Benjamin Franklin

 

Having fun at Fort Myers Beach? Yes!

 

Interesting and important contrast presented in Galatians chapter 5

A very interesting and important contrast is presented to us in Galatians chapter 5. If we take this seriously, it is likely to be challenging, perhaps even uncomfortable. (It has challenged my comfort level on a few occasions.) Of course, God’s way—which includes the fruit of the Spirit—is ultimately good, helpful, positive and encouraging.

By the way, sometimes people think they can trick, con, distract or fool God when it comes to sinful thoughts, attitudes or behaviors. This is not possible. God knows everything. (It’s one of the benefits of being God.)

What follows is the text of Galatians 5:19-25:

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. 

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.