Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

 8.13- I am enjoying hearing stories of love and compassion from around the world each week. I attend several congregations online in addition to my own home churches. I like to visit where my family members attend. This week in London I heard this story. The story of the friendship of Naomi and Ruth was used to illustrate what friendship means. The most famous verse says " where you go i will go, where you live i will live and where you die i will die and there i will be buried". That's Ruth's comitment to her mother in law, Naomi, who had nothing to give her except her presence. Our God gives his friendship and presence in our hardest moments. We come with empty hands and he fills them with what we need. The minister illustrated this by telling of a time twenty years ago when his best friend experienced the death of a newborn baby. He didn't know anything to do but go over there and grieve with them. His friend moved to another area and they lost contact. 20 y...

 8.12- What would you call someone who would allow people to come over to his home and hang out with him for a long time? Someone who recruited a five time divorced person to be a key helper at their church? Who wanted religios leaders to repent and start over? Wanted failures to be as gentle with themselves as they with others? God called him My son. Matthew 17 17  After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.   2  There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.   3  Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. 4  Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 5  While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, ...

 8,11- The best teachers know how to free people from mediocrity and move them into radical excellence with gentleness and steady expectation of the superior work. 2 Peter 1 3  His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.   4  Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 5  For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;   6  and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;   7  and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.   8  For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unpr...

 8.10- Joyful. That is the marker of the most successful teachers. They go out of their way to help others. They laugh. They cry. They laugh with you not at you. The joy of God is their secret sauce. They don't think they are better than anyone. They think God is better than anyone. They keep hope alive in all situations. Acts 4 4  The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people.   2  They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.   3  They seized Peter and John and, because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day.   4  But many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand. 5  The next day the rulers, the elders and the teachers of the law met in Jerusalem.   6  Annas the high priest...