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The Good and the Bad from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. (Jeremiah 29:11–14 NKJV)  For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found...

Here I Am from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo.  Here I Am. In a time when so many have begun to focus only on the negative, when so many people wonder, "Where is the Lord?", He answers, "Here I Am." When Moses met with the Lord at the burning bush in the wilderness, He asked Moses to return to Egypt and speak to Pharaoh. Moses asked the Lord, "Who do I tell them has sent me?" He told...

Hooked on a Feeling from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. I feel this, I feel that I feel, I feel, I feel. Feelings rule our society today, and unknowingly shape our attitude and actions. When we begin to speak our feelings, our tongue begins to steer our life. James said it like this: (James 3:3–6 NASB)  Now if we put the bits into the horses’ mouths so that they will obey...

Please Stay Here from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. There is a story in 2nd Kings where the prophet Elijah tells his servant Elisha to stay behind three times, but Elisha refuses. Later he receives a double portion of Elijah's anointing. (2 Kings 2:1–2 NASB) And it came about when the LORD was about to take up Elijah by a whirlwind to heaven, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal....

The Hourglass from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Jeremiah 31:3 NASB The LORD appeared to him from afar, saying, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness. A "forever" love. That is what everlasting means. It is love that lasts for eternity. God loves each of us, and He knows us by name. He knows how many hairs are on your head (Matthew...

Ripples from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. (Isaiah 55:10–11 NKJV) "For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And...

The Fall of a Dynasty from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. It took Solomon seven years to complete the first temple. When the work was done, all of Israel was invited to Jerusalem, and they had a long feast that lasted for twenty-two days. Solomon prayed a beautiful prayer of dedication. When he was done, the fire of the Lord came down from heaven and consumed the sacrifices on the altar. His...

Ultimate Obedience from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Sacrifice. If the Lord asked you to give up, surrender, give away, something precious to you. Would you be willing? In the book of Genesis, Abraham had waited many long years for him and Sarah to have a child. God had made them a promise and even told them that his name would be Isaac (Genesis 17:19). Isaac means "he laughed" because they...

The Enemy Within from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. There is a thought-provoking story in the book of Joshua, chapter 9. Moses had passed on. Joshua had become the new leader, and Israel was taking the Promised Land one city at a time with great success. The land was given to Israel because Canaan's inhabitants were exceedingly sinful and had been for hundreds of years. The three principal...

When the Storm Comes from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. “The words of Jesus, written in red, so easily ignored, by those who are misled.” That is what came to me while praying over this message. Jesus’ longest sermon, the Sermon on the Mount, spans chapters 5, 6, and 7 in the book of Matthew. Those three chapters contain the core of His message, and all the words there were...

What Would Jesus Do? from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. What would Jesus do? That has always been a thorn for me each time I hear the phrase. It sounds harmless enough on the surface, but most people do not truly know the answer to that. For example, many have taken up a sword in the name of Jesus, though He didn’t seem to own one. Years ago when I was working my way through Bible...

Good to the Bone from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Today I want to talk about the goodness of God. He is good through and through. It is His very nature to be good to us, and no one has to help Him. God is eternally and unchangeably good. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all good through and through. God is good to the bone, and nothing that we do will ever change that. (Nahum...

Mockingbird from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Today I want to talk about the northern mockingbird, the “many-tongued thrush” This bird can do an exact imitation of the notes it learns from other birds, as well as some animals. It has the ability to sound like a robin, a cardinal, a bluebird, or a sparrow. It can even mimic cats, dogs, frogs, and crickets. It is a copy cat, and...

Eagle Wings from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Today I want to talk about the importance of waiting on the Lord, for good things happen when we learn to wait on God. A good example is our grandpuppy River, who sits and watches us eat supper in anticipation of something good happening. She has hope that something special is coming her way, that we are going to move on her behalf, and usually...

Hang Ten: A New Wave Begins from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Lord I wait here all alone, for a whisper from Your throne. I prayed that while waiting on some inspiration to come, unsure what to write about. I was waiting for a word of hope or encouragement, but all week, I had been hearing something else. I waited quietly for a while with my head resting on the keyboard here. Then I heard...

The Hiding Place from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Today I want to talk about the hiding place. How can you dwell in safety in a world filled with violence, peril, and contagious diseases? I want to examine the scriptures and see what we can learn from them. Let’s begin with Psalm 91: (Psalm 91:1–4 NKJV)  He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under...

When the Minstrel Played from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Today I want to talk about the spiritual power that can be brought on by music. There is an interesting story told in 2 Kings chapter 3 when Moab rebelled against Israel. After the death of King Solomon, the nation of Israel had been split into two parts by a civil war: Samaria and Judah. Samaria had drifted far away from God and...

When God Shakes the Earth from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Today I want to talk about the rise and fall of kingdoms on the Earth. They come and they go, but there is one that will remain for eternity. The prophet Daniel wrote about a vision that he had during the night in Daniel 7:13: (Daniel 7:13–14 NASB)  “I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds...

Mission Impossible from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Today I want to talk about our Heavenly Father. What it is like to talk with Him, to work with Him, as it is written in the scriptures. Sometimes we receive prayer requests that to me resemble a fairy tale, or a child’s letter to santa claus. I hope that I can bring a balance to that, for when we line up with what He is doing, His...

Video Devotional: Love and Hate from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Note: Today's article is the "devotional-length" version of our ministry newsletter on the subject of racism. For those interested, you are welcome to read or watch the full version, which includes the devotional below plus additional thoughts and scriptures relating to current events. It will be about 30 minutes long. Jesus...

RHM Newsletter: Love and Hate from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. (1 Corinthians 13:1-3 NASB) If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all...

The One in the Mirror from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Today I want to talk about our biggest problem, the one in the mirror, and the importance of living a disciplined life. Be wary of a watered down religion that costs you nothing, for true freedom always comes with a price. The enemy does not willingly let you go without a fight. James wrote it this way: (James 1:22–27 NASB) ...

Petrified from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Today I want to talk about becoming petrified. So scared, so bound up, so terrified inside, that you are unable to think or move. Frozen in place. Unable to make decisions. An example is the guards at Jesus’ tomb on Sunday morning. At the request of the Jewish leaders, Pilate sent a group of Roman soldiers to stand guard over the tomb of...

Bible Study, The Gospel of John, Chapter One from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Today we are going to study the good news of John chapter 1 in depth. You can follow along in your own Bible if you like. I will be reading from the World English Bible because it is the only modern English translation that is copyright free, and I can read the entire Bible...

People Get Ready from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Jesus said “My sheep hear My voice” in John 10:27 and I believe that each of us have pearls of wisdom given to us by the Holy Spirit. Little gems and insights that are beautiful and meant to build up and strengthen the body of Christ. We are each a microcell in His body and are given resources, gifts, and talents to benefit the...

Don't Look Back from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Today I want to talk about putting your hand to the plow, and looking back at what you have left behind. In Genesis chapter 19, there were two cities that had become extremely wicked, so bad that God decided the Earth would be better off without them: Sodom and Gomorrah. During this time, there was a man named Abraham who walked so closely...

The Lord Is My Helper from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Today I want to talk about the importance of realizing that you are not isolated and alone. This is so important today, because it easy to just hear those words, nod and smile, and then go on about your day not actually believing them. Maybe only one in 10,000 will get this, but it was a turning point in my life when I realized that...

Follow Me from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Today I want to talk about something that was confusing to me when I really got serious about knowing Jesus. My life became difficult. I mean, what’s up with that? “I’m a child of the King! He fights my battles.” Uh huh. It seemed the more effort that I put into knowing Him, the more difficult things became. My little mind...

I Can Do This from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Today I want to talk about something very simple, but immeasurably important, and not always easy to do. Let’s begin in a house in the book of Matthew where Jesus healed two blind men: (Matthew 9:27–30 NKJV)  When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, “Son of David, have mercy...

Left Behind from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Today I want to talk about being left behind. Not particularly about the return of Jesus Christ to Earth, because that will be a simple enough choice. When He appears in the twinkling of an eye, you will be saved, or you will be dead. You won’t have to decide anything, and you won’t have to worry about being left behind. The decisions...