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Here Comes the Son from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Noah was a righteous man in his generation. He lived differently than the others. Though it had never rained on the Earth, the Lord told Noah to build an ark because there was a flood coming. Noah didn't know what day or hour the rain would start, but he believed God, and he started working on that boat. When the rain began to fall, Noah...

Making Water Into Wine from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. There is an interesting story in John chapter 2 at the beginning of Jesus' public ministry. Jesus, His Mother, and His new disciples were invited to attend a wedding in Cana of Galilee. Cana was a small town about 8 miles northeast of their hometown of Nazareth. In Hebrew culture, the wedding celebration was considered the grandest...

The Door in the Distance from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. The Lord Jesus Christ appeared to the Apostle John, who lived in exile on a small island called Patmos. Tertullian, an early Christian author, and "Foxes Book of Martyrs," record that the Roman emperor Domitian tried to publicly execute John in the Coliseum by plunging him into boiling oil in front of a crowd. But John suffered nothing...

Unstoppable from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. The Apostle Paul had a "thorn in the flesh" that he asked the Lord to remove three times, yet, the Lord refused to do so. He told Paul this: "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Paul wrote about it later in 2nd Corinthians: (2 Corinthians 12:9–10 NKJV)  And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient...

Supply and Demand from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. There is a chronic drug addiction problem in our country. Nearly every family has someone or knows someone who is struggling with it. Drugs are everywhere, and the supply is more abundant than ever before. It has become a trillion-dollar-a-year industry. Why is there such an abundant supply of drugs available? Because there is great demand...

Soul Shine from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. There is an interesting conversation between Jesus Christ and the Apostle Peter on the night of their last supper together. When you were invited to supper like this, you bathed at home. But as you walked along the dusty roads to go to the banquet, your feet would become dirty. Typically, there was a servant there to wash your feet when you arrived. On...

Spiritual Famine from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Too often, we take the Lord for granted. We will pray later...we will do that later. That is assuming that He gives us a "later." Yet, that is not what is taught in the Bible. Today is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). Consider the words of Isaiah: (Isaiah 55:6 NASB)  Seek the LORD while He may be found; Call upon Him while...

The Seed from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. We have a majestic oak tree in our yard that is older than me. It would probably take three men to reach their arms around the base of it at the moment. It stands about sixty feet tall, and the canopy is at least sixty feet across. During the hot southern summer, it provides a cool, dense shade underneath. It is home to a diverse group of creatures....

Prayers That Move Things from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. When David and his men returned home, they found their village of Ziklag burned to the ground. All their families and belongings had been taken away by the Amalekites in a raid while they were gone. They wept until they could weep no more. Some of the men spoke of stoning David to death. It was a dark day, and things were looking...

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...

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...

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...

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,...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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,...

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...

The Return of the King from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Have you ever not had time to complete something? Like when a teacher gives you a deadline for a report, but you just get too busy doing everything else, and the time slips away. You knew the day was coming. You knew you had to have it completed, but you still focused on something else. There is a deadline approaching, which none of...

RHM 2020 Newsletter Photos from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Luke 2:7–11 NKJV  And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood...

Only Believe from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. All Christians face the danger of becoming desensitized to the beautiful truths in Scripture. When you have been around the church a while, His word can become too familiar to us. It begins to lose the magic, wonder, and hope that it once brought when we hear it. We refer to passages by pet phrases like the "Roman Road" without even bothering...

Acts of Kindness from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. When you do what the Lord asks you with the right attitude, it brings a reward. God is really good with numbers, and He always pays His debts. Now we don't earn our salvation, for we are saved by grace alone, and it is a free gift if we choose to accept it (Ephesians 2:8). Not everyone does. What I mean is, there is a pattern in scripture...

Bearing Your Burdens from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. There is too much sickness in the body of Christ today. This should not be. Obviously, we are failing to do something right. I want to take a closer look at what we should do when sick by examining the prayer of faith and divine healing. (James 5:13–16 NASB)  Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful?...

The Voice of a Stranger from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. (John 10:1–5 NKJV)  “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name...

Gathering the Manna from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. (Exodus 16:4–5 NKJV)  Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not. And it shall be on the sixth day that they shall prepare what they bring in, and it shall be...

On Baptism from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Luke 3:16 WEB John answered them all, “I indeed baptize you with water, but he comes who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to loosen. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire” Baptism typically means to "dip" or "immerse." There are many types of baptisms mentioned in the Scriptures. Ephesians 4:5...

Riding with the King from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. (Isaiah 40:21–25 NASB)  Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain And spreads them...