Week Eleven, 2025

Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6

It happened quickly and was a stupid thing on my part. I was in St. Stephens Cathedral in Passau, Germany, where the largest pipe organ in Europe, with 18,000 pipes, is located. There are also beautiful frescas on the ceiling. With my video camera, I started with the pipe organ and raised the camera higher and higher until I was leaning back, not realizing how far.

Suddenly, my knees gave way, and I fell on my head and was unconscious, having led to a skull fracture and a brain bleed. After an extended time, I awoke in the hospital ICU, surrounded by people in white coats speaking an unintelligible language. At first, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. Tragic as it sounds, the story had a good ending. I recovered, but was told by the doctors more than half of all people who have that kind of brain damage don’t survive.

Over the ensuing months of recovery, I thought about why I survived, while many do not. I came to the conclusion that God was not finished with me yet. I still had a ways to walk in my life….. days to serve Him and help others. Without survival, this devotion would not have been written.

“God is not finished with me yet” means that despite current challenges or setbacks in life, a person still has potential for growth and transformation. God is actively working in them and has not completed the process of shaping their life. This is a message of hope and encouragement to keep striving and believing in a better future. This signifies God is still actively working on a person’s character, developing their potential, and guiding them towards their purpose.

We know not how long we have in this life, but God has a plan. Jeremiah 29:11 tells us: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

What does God have in store for you and where do you need to go as you walk through the remainder of your life on earth?

Sometimes True Stories

The most acreage in Florida owned by a single person or entity is some 626,000 acres owned by Farmland Reserve, an auxiliary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Their orange groves, timber land and cow-calf operations is one of the largest in the nation which dominates Florida’s landscape. They earn returns to fund the church’s mission and works.

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And then… there is the fear of the Lord. The great respect. The awe. The knowing of His great strength, His great knowledge, even His great wrath. The knowing of His history, His dependability, His promises, His love. The knowing of this Greatest Gift of all, His Son, who He sent to live and die and live again, is so that we might have eternal life.

As we face the fears of today and tomorrow, whether large or small or somewhere in between, let us not be afraid. For we know that He will never leave us nor forsake us. We know that we are never alone. We know God is in control.

Though I may fear… I will not be afraid, for I know from where my help comes. I will have faith over fear. Marty Stubblefield

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The most effective way to destroy a great nation is to obliterate their understanding of their own history. We must never lose sight that on June 8, 1845, President Andrew Jackson said “That book, the Bible is the rock on which our Republic rests.” Newsweek magazine acknowledged on December 26th, 1982, “Historians are discovering the Bible, even more than the Constitution, is our Founding document.”

Quotes You Can Use

A lie can travel halfway around the world while the Truth is still putting on its shoes.

Wisdom begins with understanding, you are a student forever learning. Socrates

No society wants you to become wise: it is against the investment of all societies. If people are wise, they cannot be exploited.

Older people shouldn’t eat health food. They need all the preservatives they can get.

The leading cause for injury in older men is thinking they are still young men.

God created the first cordless phone. It is called prayer. It never needs recharging; it can be used anywhere, and the line is never busy!!!!

Never forget that nothing is more powerful than prayer, nothing is stronger than faith and nothing is greater than God!!!

People who make you smile on bad days are so important!!!

Once you lick the icing off of a cupcake, it becomes a muffin and muffins are healthy.

If you have to choose between being kind and being right, choose being kind and you will always be right.

Each of us is an innkeeper who decides if there is room for Jesus.

No one is harder to reach than a false Christian. John Macarthur

We have a God who not only understands our suffering—he feels it personally.

Jim Denison

Tolerance is important, but equally as important is understanding the background of the other person and how they determine truth. Tony Ferguson

Commit to follow Jesus by willingly surrendering your life to Him while understanding the cost of your commitment. Kevin Baggett

Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see. Mark Twain

My affections were first for my own country, then, generally, for all mankind. Thomas Jefferson

Your feedback is welcome and if you want to contribute your ideas and thoughts, aAddress all items and comments to [email protected]. © Thoughts on Life Copyright 2025

March 8, 2025

—There is only one woman in the Bible that I can find who is specifically referred to as a shepherdess. Do you know who it is? Genesis 29:9 reads,

“Now while [Jacob] was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherdess.”

—Most of us are far removed from a shepherd’s life, yet the Bible overflows with images of shepherds and their sheep. David leaning against a tree, trying to think like one (Psalm 23). Jesus teaching that good shepherds give their lives for the sheep (John 10), and, of course, beautiful Rachel watching her dad’s flock and turning Jacob’s head (Genesis 29).

—The Shepherdess, displayed in the Tel Aviv Museum of Art in Israel, also turned my head the first time I saw it. Executed in oil on canvas and measuring sixteen by twenty-one inches, it captures a solitary shepherdess, holding a wooden staff and seated in the foreground of a quiet pasture. Painted in 1889 by Vincent van Gogh, a minister’s son who himself pursued the ministry for a short time before turning to art, I’m drawn to the face of the shepherdess. Is she young or old? Rested or beleaguered? Is it a hot day or a cool one? Is it windy or still? I can’t tell, and yet not knowing actually adds a touch of timelessness to the painting, for the shepherdess is always among her sheep. They are never alone.

—At first I missed them—the sheep! They had blended unseen into the hilly background of the canvas, but when I looked again, there they were, standing just to the left of the shepherdess, not far from her, perhaps eager to remain near, unwilling to stray, for they have a good shepherdess.

–Daniel McCabe

Who We Are

—Shalom Y’all Ministries is a 501(c)(3) organization, and all gifts to our ministry are tax-deductible. SYM was formed in 2021 to teach the Bible and lead tours to Israel. Our teaching and presentations feature the acronym S-H-A-L-O-M, which means “peace” in Hebrew.

——S – Scripture Study

——H – History and Geography

——A – Archaeology

——L – Life in the Land

——O – On-the-Ground Tours

——M – Media and Resources

Our Mission

—To teach and encourage those who love the Bible, the land of the Bible and the people of the land and to lead educational tours to Israel that forever change the way you read your Bible and worship the Lord

Our Prayer

—“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace” (Numbers 6:24-26).

Week Ten, 2025

I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments (Exodus 20:2-6).

He is one of my favorite pastors. For thirty-six years he was pastor of Moody Church in Chicago. He has written more than twenty books. His latest, The Eclipse of God, chronicles modern culture’s attempts to redefine God and calls Christians to return to the God of the Bible. He is Erwin Lutzer.

We all have seen the drifting away from God, especially with the younger people. Just 16% of Americans say religion is the most important thing in their life, according to a new report released this week by the Public Religion Research Institute. A 2020 survey found that the average congregation size across Christian denominations is less than half what it was in 2000 — down to 65 from 137. It also found that on average, a third of churchgoers are 65 or older, twice that age group’s representation in the general population. These numbers held true for Protestants, Evangelicals and Catholics alike. Only congregations of other faith traditions — including Islam, Baha’i and Judaism — are seeing increases, the survey said.

But the church is not just withering from the outside, it is also withering on the inside, by many churches, in order to be culturally attractive. The church has to get back to the Biblical concept of God and not the gods of popular culture. Americans say they believe in God as long as they can choose the god in which they believe. Even many in church believe it is okay to sin because we are under grace and not under the law. Even pastors have slid into this culture; in order to keep modern members coming and giving. Tolerance has become the byword on issues like abortion, same sex marriage and the like.

Luke had an answer in Luke 6:46: Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? Paul laid it on the line in Romans 8:7: For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.

Lutzer says the church has to decide if we interpret the Bible through the lens of culture or critique the culture through the lens of the Bible. We have to tell this generation that love and truth are not our enemies. They are the core of the Bible.

We all need to do our part both within and without our churches. The church and our culture cannot long survive if we continue to slide down the slippery slope of Christian modernization.

Sometimes True Stories

Love and faithfulness are two of the greatest attributes of human behavior. It is important to do a self-examination of these two qualities and equally important to instill these qualities in others. Jesus sent His disciples to all corners of the earth to spread the good news that He is the Truth, the Way, and the Light. If you are a believer in the commands of Jesus, then you are charged with being a disciple of God and spreading His word. We are not responsible for anyone’s response. We are only responsible for planting the seed. You cannot force a tree to grow, but you can provide the fertilizer and the water it needs to flourish. C.S. Lewis said, “No man knows how bad he is until he has tried very hard to be good.” Go out today and plant the seeds of love and faithfulness. Tony Ferguson

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6 million seniors in America are living below the poverty line.

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The cornerstone – Having its foundation upon the apostles and prophets, the church’s message is to be apostolic and prophetic. Still, we remember that Christ is the cornerstone.

A cornerstone was the first stone to be placed at a construction site when a building construction process began. Its function was to set the pattern for the building as a whole. Christ is thus given priority and is the one who sets the standard for all who follow. Ephesians 2:21 affirms this by saying the entire structure is built upon Him and joined together as one.

Quotes You Can Use

I rarely know where I am going in my life’s journey, but I look back and see that God has been leading my every step and I did not know it. A. W. Tozer

God doesn’t tell us to understand. He tells us to trust Him. Proverbs 3:5-6

If you are worried about it, that’s a sign that you need to pray about it.

Even if other people leave you, God will never abandon you.

God’s timing is better than your timing.

God knows what’s best for you. Trust the plan.

Love is not what you say. Love is what you do.

We have a Trojan horse full of enemies in the citadel of our hearts, enough inside to undo us.

Leadership is not about being in charge. It is about taking care of those in charge. It is not about being a star; it’s about lighting the way for others to shine.

A mistake that makes you humble is better than an achievement that makes you arrogant.

If money and material things make you believe that you are better than others, you are among the poorest people on earth.

Before you mock people who still believe in Santa, remember there are many adults who believe everything they read on Facebook.

You’re not grown up until you know how to communicate, apologize, be truthful and accept accountability without blaming someone else.

Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity and I am not sure about the universe. Albert Einstein.

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Your feedback is welcome and if you want to contribute your ideas and thoughts, address all items and comments to [email protected]. © Thoughts on Life Copyright 2025

March 1, 2025

—Ask almost any Israeli tour guide to take you to the tomb of King David and he’ll lead you straight to the wrong place, to a building just outside the Old City of Jerusalem’s Zion Gate. Why wouldn’t he take you to the correct location, the City of David, when it’s only a five-minute’s walk away? Because Kathleen Kenyon scared everyone away.

—In 1913 Edmond Rothschild, a wealthy, Jewish banker and philanthropist, purchased a large tract of land in the City of David and asked archaeologist Raymond Weill to excavate the site. There they hoped to locate King David’s tomb. Being Jewish, Weill knew exactly where to start digging—in the pages of the Bible. He quickly unearthed 1 Kings 2:10, “So David rested with his fathers and was buried in the City of David.” But where in the City of David should Weill look for the tomb? He then discovered Nehemiah 3:15-16 that describes the Jews’ efforts to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem after their return from Babylonian captivity, particularly their detailed reconstruction of the eastern wall of the city. Suddenly the following words jumped off the page at Weill, “[They] made repairs as far as the place in front of the tombs of David.” By then tracing Nehemiah’s catalog of repairs as they worked their way along the eastern wall and by mapping out each gate, pool and landmark listed in the passage, Weill located the general area where one would expect to find the tomb of David and those of Judah’s subsequent kings.

—So, in January of 1914 Weill hired two hundred men and thirty donkeys to begin his work, and digging down to bedrock he predictably found a group of tombs from the Judean royal period, including one in particular that stood out from the rest. Could this be the final resting place of Judah’s greatest king? It certainly seemed plausible. But if not, then at least the biblical evidence suggested to Weill that he was in the general vicinity.

—Preaching on the day of Pentecost, the apostle Paul reminded a gathered crowd that David’s “tomb is with us to this day” (Acts 2:23). Evidently it was still in reasonably good condition after the passing of one thousand years. Sadly, however, only one hundred years later, Emperor Hadrian, legendary for his shameless disregard for the holy sites of both Jews and Christians, quarried rock from the City of David during his extensive expansion of Jerusalem, badly damaging the existing, stately tomb structures there. Subsequent generations soon lost all memory of David’s tomb until a Medieval tale surfaced, purporting to have discovered King David’s scepter and crown in a cave on Mount Zion, west of the City of David. Pilgrims subsequently visited Mount Zion to visit David’s tomb until 1914 when Weill’s findings and argumentation resonated with the majority of biblical archaeologists.

—For the next forty-seven years tourists were routinely shown Weill’s site as the correct location of King David’s tomb until Kathleen Kenyon arrived in 1961 to lead an excavation of her own. She overturned Weill’s conclusions, so meticulously researched from the Bible, and reinterpreted the tombs as cisterns despite acknowledging that they were “not like any observed cisterns” she had ever previously encountered. Following Kenyon’s tenuous reversal of Weill, the tour guides once again returned to Mount Zion with their groups in disregard for the biblical evidence that clearly points to the City of David, unwittingly giving credence to an unverified and fanciful Medieval tale.

—To this day almost no one visits the tombs of David’s royal house in the City of David. Admittedly there’s not much left to see after a millennium of abuse at the site by expansion-minded kings and caliphs, but there’s even less to see of the legacy of King David atop Mount Zion.

-Daniel McCabe

Week Nine, 2025

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

Recently, after a discussion of a friend who had passed away, we talked about the future. We agreed that we are not concerned about dying, as all of us will someday. And we are not concerned with where we will go, as our eternal security is secured in Jesus. What concerns us is what will happen between now and then. What lies ahead as we progress through life?

I thought of a close friend who recently passed. I was honored to speak at his funeral. He was a gifted pastor, writer, radio personality and on his way up in the pastoral world. I had followed his career since he finished seminary and went to his first church assignment.

Then, as a surprise shock to his life, he was diagnosed at age 45 with Parkinson’s disease. He battled it for more than twenty years before his death, as it took him out of the pulpit and off the air as his symptoms grew worse. He was Mike Potts.

While disabled, he wrote Living in the Meanwhile, a book that talks about spiritual relationships and life through those times when we are down. Our meanwhiles may become permanent, become progressively worse with periods of difficulties that may ultimately pass. But they are not fun or as Mike describes them: When life really stinks.

He talks about opportunities he had for ministering to others. He shared the Gospel with one of his doctors and thought for those opportunities, the disease was worth it.

One way God redeems all He allows is by using our pain to draw us closer to the Great Physician. You don’t usually go to your doctor when you’re well, but when you’re sick. John Piper explained, “This is God’s universal purpose for all Christian suffering: more contentment in God and less satisfaction in the world.”

We celebrate the blessings of God at the end of the struggles of life and not as we pass through them. But God wants us at the moments of our struggles. He uses our meanwhiles to keep us on the road to trusting Him more and more. God doesn’t focus on my tomorrows or my yesterdays. He wants my todays as I live in the moment ….. in my meanwhile. He wants us to take our attention off the pain of today and place our attention on Him.

I have had some meanwhiles like my wife’s cancer or facing financial ruin and possible bankruptcy. These times were not fun to experience, but we both came closer to the Lord and grew spiritually in those periods of meanwhiles of stress and uncertainty.

What are your meanwhiles: past, present and future? Whatever your meanwhiles may be: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Sometimes True Stories

Despite the obvious reality of human finitude and mortality, tech millionaire, Bryan Johnson, says he spends upwards of $2 million a year on an anti-aging regimen he believes is enabling his body to “achieve the lowest possible biological age.” Netflix’s new documentary, “Don’t Die: The Man Who Wants To Live Forever,” was released on January 1 and tells his story.

Johnson takes over one hundred supplements and pills a day and engages in daily medical scans, blood draws, a rigorous and restrictive diet, an exercise regimen, and various experimental medical procedures.

I hope he doesn’t die in a car wreck.

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At the first presidential inauguration, George Washington laid his hand on the Bible and took the oath of office as prescribed by the constitution, adding the words “so help me God,” after which he leaned over and reverently kissed the Bible. It is not power or politics that make a great nation. It is not how large of an army a country has, nor is it about how much wealth a nation controls that makes a great nation. We are blessed to live in one of the greatest nations on earth and this nation was founded on Christian values. “In God we trust” was not just a slogan, but was truly a belief held by our founding fathers. A godly nation is a blessed nation. Tony Ferguson.

Quotes You Can Use

Fear can be debilitating. It can tear us down and steal our confidence. It can bring great anxiety that has us feeling as if we are boxed in and the walls are moving closer.

Fear can cause us to freeze up, to not move or do. It can cause us to just lock up, to “choke” ~ being unable to act, unable to help, unable to think clearly.

Fear can cause us to run, to flee, to panic, to take flight. It can cause us to fight, to become angry, to defend.

Fear keeps men from rising up to greatness.

Do not fear opposition—God will keep you in His presence. Edgar Aponte

Fear keeps men cowering in a boat, while the Savior beckons us to step out and walk on water.

Fear causes us to thrash about in the water, even after we’ve taken a few steps on the very same water.

Fear can also be healthy as it causes us to prepare, to strengthen, to fortify.

Fear can cause us to plan and strategize.

Fear can be the catalyst to help us think outside the box, help us become creative, help see things we may never have seen otherwise.

Your heavenly father will never forsake you. Edgar Aponte

When I was young, I was poor. But after years of hard work, I am no longer young.

Leadership is about guiding, not controlling, inspiring not dictating and succeeding together.

Common sense is like deodorant as the people who need it the most never use it.

Never stop doing little things for others. Sometimes those little things occupy the biggest part of their hearts.

I rarely know where I am going in my life’s journey, but I look back and see that God has been leading my every step and I did not even know it. A.W. Tozer

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Your feedback is welcome and if you want to contribute your ideas and thought, address all items and comments to [email protected]. © Thoughts on Life Copyright 2025

Week Eight, 2025

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:8–10)

In the first two chapters of the Book of the Revelation, penned by the Apostle John, seven churches are described. They were all located in what is modern day Turkey. One of the largest cities, and most restored, is Ephesus, close to Izmir, Turkey. Recently, we walked the city, but no church was to be found. That is because there is none………none in any of the cities of the “seven churches” locations.

The Apostle, Paul spent three years in Ephesus during his third missionary journey, building the “church” and walking the same streets that I walked. The early believers met in homes, rather than in special buildings. Churches were house gatherings in Ephesian homes. Worshipers would enter the home and enter a courtyard to meet with other believers, perhaps Paul himself. Paul later wrote one of the most significant books of the Bible …. Ephesians.

Paul emphasized that Christians are saved by grace and not of their own doing. We are created for good works. We are dead when we follow the ways of the world. Naturally, in our sinful nature, we crave the things of the flesh, but because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

As I walked past the foundations of those old homes, I wondered which ones housed church meetings and which ones fostered the spread of the Gospel. I remembered the night I spoke in the fellowship hall of a church next to the remains of the sanctuary that had burned to the ground. I asked the pastor when the church burned down and he said ”Never, only the building burned, but the church is alive.”

I was reminded that the church is not a building, but a movement in the hearts of the believers committed to saving the world with the Word of God. As I walked along, I was reminded that my faith is a product of a shared Gospel that began in those homes two thousand years ago and I thought how my faith and its sharing would affect the world years from now. It compelled me to share more and worry about the world less and it should to you too.

Sometimes True Stories

Dr. Ted Traylor, pastor of Olive Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida, says it this way, “Passion is a consuming, motivating love and commitment for someone or something. In this context, it is a burning desire to please God above men.”

Passion is what drives men and women to desire more than what is expected. It’s a fire in the belly that drives one to go deeper… to try harder… to give that extra push.

“Growth is a fundamental aspect of life. We begin to grow and develop physically, mentally, and emotionally from the moment we are born,” wrote author, speaker, and host of the podcast, Passion Struck by John R. Miles. “As we progress through life, we seek new experiences and challenges that help us grow and develop as individuals.

Reaching your goals and dreams takes more than just doing what is expected of you, as good and as hard as that may be. Exceeding your goals and dreams is about doing what is expected and then some. It’s about taking personal responsibility for it. It’s about owning it. Marty Stubblefield

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The return of Jesus holds different outcomes for humanity. For believers, it is the fulfillment of the Blessed Hope, a time of restoration and victory over evil. For those without faith, it will be a time of calamity. Your relationship with Christ determines your experience on that day. Dan Shock

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Nobel Prize-winning physicist, Geoffrey Hinton, often called the “godfather of artificial intelligence,” is warning that AI could wipe out the human race within the next decade. He said the technology is developing “much faster” than he expected and could make humans the equivalents of “three-year-olds” and AI “the grown-ups.” In his view, “We’ve never had to deal with things more intelligent than ourselves before.”

Quotes You Can Use

The secret of success is to do the common things uncommonly well. John D. Rockefeller

Power must never be trusted without a check. John Adams

There is more in every person’s soul than we think. Ralph Waldo Emerson

When we stand at that great white throne judgment of God and hear our names called, we need not fear. Dan Shock

Before you mock children who still believe in Santa Claus, remember that there are still adults who believe everything they read on Facebook.

You are not grown up until you know how to communicate, apologize, be truthful and accept accountability without blaming someone else.

Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity and I am not sure about the universe. Albert Einstein

A lie can travel halfway around the world while the trust is still putting on its shoes. Mark Twain

Wisdom begins with understanding, as you are a student forever learning.

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Your feedback is welcome and if you want to contribute your ideas and thoughts, address all items and comments to [email protected], © Thoughts on Life Copyright 2025

An open letter to church leaders

February 17, 2025

Beloved brethren,

Joy and I began attending Calvary Chapel BV three years ago, and as a pastor who planted several churches, I was blessed to observe Pastor Eddie’s efforts as he laid the foundation for this work upon the Chief Cornerstone—Jesus Christ.

The Lord willing, on March 8^th I’ll celebrate my 85^th birthday. Some of you know that I have both Carcinoid cancer, a failing heart, and hypertension, so I’m sort of a walking talking miracle. And with the time of my departure approaching, I empathize with Eddie who has repeatedly warned us that he won’t always be with us because his illness is progressive. But he has nevertheless endured, and though there are serious challenges, he planted the seeds of this local church and has sought to prepare us for that time when the Lord moves him on, as we all inevitably move on.

Eddie’s early labors show that the Holy Spirit honored him too with the gift of church planting, and since I have planted churches, I can testify that Eddie’s accomplishments are as vital as those of any other servant. As Paul, the greatest of all church planters testified in 1 Cor 3:6-9:

“I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.

Eddie has often shared with us how, nearly twenty years ago, God brought him out of a miry pit and set his feet on the solid rock. He has used his Thursday discipleship classes and his periodic leadership meetings, to share his wisdom and experience with us. the elders and deacons whom he appointed to assist him, and who one day will be called upon to carry on the work.

And since I’m preparing myself to move on at the Lord’s pleasure, I want to point out some qualities of leadership that we must never overlook, nor the failures that must never be excused. For if we are excusing sin in our fellow workers, we will soon excuse them in ourselves. A little leaven leavens the whole lump” (Galatians 5:9). If that is happening, this church—while it may exist as a visible body—will not manifest the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. And when those around us, including our children and grandchildren, see hypocrisy in us, their respect for us will die and their faith crumble. And the people who come here and find salvation are, in a sense, our children in the Lord. We dare not soil our legacies.

Never forget, everything rises and falls on leadership! So, look at yourself, and those with whom you labor, because you have been blessed with a leadership role, and authority is commensurate with responsibility. That’s why Jesus warned us:

For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more (Luke 12:48).

It’s our responsibility to correct and rebuke with all long suffering and patience; as Paul exhorted us in 1 Corinthians 6:2-5. But first we are to remove the log from our own eye before attempting to pick the speck of dust out of our neighbors.

We are justifiably concerned because, over the past few months, there have been divisions in our fellowship, over both the questionable conduct of a number of individuals and conflicts over various issues. Sadly, instead of restoring our brethren, we encouraged or allowed them to move on, treating some as though they were anathema. We need to ask ourselves whether they were dealt with according to our Lord’s command in Matthew 18:15-17.

“Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.

There is no question that these divisions among us have embittered some and are responsible for the decline in our numbers. If you are concerned about the church having inadequate income, remember this simple verse, But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you (Matthew 6:33). Or reread James’ warning that ye receive not because ye ask not, because ye ask to heap it upon our own lusts.

Give serious thought to what will happen if we ignore the word of God. Jesus warned the pastor and the Church in Laodicea, “So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth” (Rev 3:16).

Have we become respecters of persons? Have we allowed anyone, regardless of his seeming importance or influence, to continue in their role while in a practice of sin. No matter how seemingly innocent, our failures are harming young believers and well-meaning brethren. Many dear individuals have stood by in astonishment while some among us were tearing others apart. And what of the inexplicable illnesses, particularly to Rob and Chris’ beautiful little girl; can her failure to be healed be traced to our failures? God forbid! How many have simply left Calvary without saying a word because the elders and deacons failed to sense and address their concerns?

I humbly suggest that a quick review of the following passages of scripture may help us to ascertain the right and wrong in these matters, but only if we stand up for the truth and bring ourselves and others to the judgment seat.

If we do not, then we ourselves will be held accountable. Paul wasn’t speaking empty words in 1^st Corinthians 11 when he warned us that some were ill and others had died because they had consumed the elements of the communion unworthily. If we share in communion without confessing and repenting our sins, we are sowing the wind and we are going to reap a whirlwind.

But consider what happens when someone in the congregation is erring, and reveals by his or her continued behavior that they are either blind to their sin or unwilling to deal with it? We are to take action, even if that means conducting a trial within the fellowship.

And it’s not enough that we pay lip service to God’s holy word! We become culpable!

Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin (James 4:17).

Ask yourself the following questions. If you can honestly answer yes to all of them, you do well. But if you, or anyone in leadership, is continuing in a practice of a sin, it would appear you or they are no longer qualified to be a leader in God’s work. If we do not take action, God will!

And after you deal with your own sin issues, look around you, for that is your responsibility as a church leader:

Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? If the world is judged by you, are you not competent to form the smallest law courts? Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more matters of this life? So if you have law courts dealing with matters of this life, do you appoint them as judges who are of no account in the church? I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not among you anyone wise who will be able to decide between his brothers and sisters, but brother goes to law with brother, and that before unbelievers? (1 Cor 6:1-6).

If we do not succeed in this, our church will lose the power of the Holy Spirit. It may have already done so. We may have a form of godliness, but lack the power thereof. We may succeed in the eyes of the world, but Christ will spew us out of his mouth! We need to get right with God and pray for revival.

So here are a few important questions.

1. Do you labor continually at the ministry of reconciliation? (Yes) (No)

Do you understand that reconciliation was Christ’s purpose in coming to earth, to reconcile us to God. Are you laboring to reconcile those in the church who are angry and separated by differences? Do you reach out to the lost to reconcile them to God through Christ?

Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation(I Cor 5:18).

More to the point, have you reconciled with others with whom you have issues. It fascinates me that the above verse follows one of my favorites, I Cor 5:17: “When any one is in Christ, he is a new creature.” Are we behaving as though old things have passed away and all things are become new? Are we practicing reconciliation?

Our first and most vital purpose is to reconcile ourselves with those with whom we have differences, and after that to help others to reach agreement. The greater the authority we are given as leaders, the greater our responsibility to fulfill this basic work.

How can we in positions of leadership forget Christ’s commands:

“But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either” (Luke 6:27–29).

How are you doing so far? Do you have anything against your brother? If anyone has ought against you, you are to go to him and make it right! Let him who is greatest among you become the servant of all.

2. Do you rule your family well? (Yes) (No)

If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?) I Tim 3:1-5).

Doesn’t this say it all? How can you or I hope to influence others for good in the church if we are failing the family over whom God has given us leadership.

3. Does your wife support you in ministry? (Yes) (No)

Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. (1 Tim 3:11).

In other words, we who would be leaders, do our wife strive to fulfill Christ’s commands in the sermon on the mount? If not, we should withdraw until such time as they too are ready to fulfill their obligations in Christ’s service. Otherwise we sin and we stumble the fellowship.

4. Do you honor your own parents? (Yes) (No)

“Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth” (Eph 6:2-3).

Consider the investment in tears and prayer and finances our parents have made in us. According to the above verse, we may not expect to live very long if we fail God in this matter.

5. Does God answer your prayers for wisdom and success in ministry? (Yes) (No)

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him (James 1:5).

We don’t require any commentary on this one. The Bible is rich in examples of how God answers prayer!

6. Is God anointing your labors, or are you content to labor in your own strength? (Yes) (No)

You know the answer to that! Sin cripples!

7. Do you hunger and thirst after righteousness?

Have you become lukewarm? Is God’s word dear to you? Do you love the fellowship of the brethren? If not, why not?

In conclusion:

Those seven questions are far from exhaustive, but good representative issues that are close to home. They should start you on a hunt for personal failings, and help you draw nearer God.

Now therefore, amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the LORD your God; then the LORD will relent concerning the doom that He has pronounced against you (Jeremiah 26:13).

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time (I Peter 5:6).

I pray that the Holy Spirit will use this epistle to set you on a quest for a closer walk with God. And if, during your prayers and meditations, God has brought to mind any such failings in another, remember one more admonition:

Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted (Gal 6:1).

As I prepare my heart to meet our Master, I pray that your lives will shine with the glory of God, and that your ministries will grow and prosper.

Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers (3 John 2).

Consider the alternative.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,

and the love of God,

and the communion of the Holy Spirit

be with you all.

Amen

(2 Cor. 13:14).

Pastor Frank Becker

www.frankbecker.com

Week Seven, 2025

In the minds of many, he is the most evil character in the Bible. After all, it was he who delivered Jesus to the Romans who beat, tortured and crucified Jesus. He was Judas.

How could a man who was an apostle who followed Jesus for three years and heard every word He said become so vile as to do such a dastardly deed? For a few pieces of silver, he delivered our Lord for execution. He was the enemy of the Passover.

Or was he? Jesus had just said that the Passover meal would be His last and that the end was near. Judas allowed that plan to be carried out. After all, it was the beginning of the resurrection.

Judas later repented, realized his wrongdoing, and took his own life.

We are all surrounded by people, including ourselves, who have sinned and are not beyond repentance.

We are called to love Jesus and Judas. As we become more and more aware of the need around us, as we begin to open our eyes and strive to make a difference as we begin to put our minds to the task, we should have a love for all.

Where is there a need that we can help fulfill? How can we shine the light of Jesus there? Can we love and seek salvation for the Judas’ in our midst? No one is beyond the reach of Christ.

The Good Samaritan put his faith into action. It’s time for us to go and do likewise.

Sometimes True Stories

It is easy to shake our heads at those in Bible times who foolishly worshiped false idols, but Revelation makes it clear that men will continue to worship idols all the way through the tribulation period. Those same idols are still worshiped today.

If you worship your intellect, you are worshiping Baal, the god of the intellect. If you worship pleasure, then you are worshiping Molech, the god of pleasure. If you are worshiping power— the drive to reach the top, even if it means crushing other people beneath you— then you are worshiping Mammon, the god of power. If you are worshiping sex, then you are worshiping Ashtoreth, the goddess of sex.

How do you know if you are worshiping any of those gods? You can tell by what absorbs your time, your thoughts, your energy— your life.

Search your heart. What are you worshiping?

Quotes You Can Use

God is inviting you to a rich, abundant life— a life with Him. Will you accept the invitation? Will you come? Dan Shock

Leadership is not about being in charge. It is about taking care of those in your charge.

Remember that whoever is trying to bring you down is already below you.

Leadership is not about being a star; it’s about lighting the way for others to shine.

A mistake that makes you humble is better than an achievement that makes you arrogant.

If money and material things make you feel that you are better than others, you are the poorest person on earth.

If you would be loved, love and be lovable. Benjamin Franklin

Don’t let people who aren’t going anywhere take you with them.

Choice is a wonderful thing, but it can also bring devastating consequences. Dan Shock

You are either a part of the systems that is corrupting the world and dragging it under, or you are a part of the system that will float over it when it falls. Florida Marketplace Ministries.

When things go wrong which is inevitable, we often blame God because we perceive God didn’t answer our prayers on our timetable. Instead of taking personal responsibility to solve the problems we created, we look for someone to blame. Tony Ferguson

For those of us who consider ourselves Christians, Believers or Followers of Jesus, it’s time to stop hiding in the dark and time to find our voices and find our heart. Marty Stubblefield

Polite society says not to point fingers, but without the facing consequences, how can people learn? Legitimately placing blame is a key to better humanity. Michael Smith

If you want to change the world, go love your families. Mother Theresa

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results. This is a good definition of a fool when it comes to sin. Tony Ferguson

Salvation is free, but discipleship is costly.

Be wise as you walk in a hostile world, but do so without compromising your faith. Edgar Aponte

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Your feedback is welcome and if you want to contribute your ideas and thoughts, address all items and comments to [email protected]. © Thoughts on Life Copyright 2025

Week Six, 2025

Brethren, I beseech you, be as I am; for I also have become as you are. Galatians 4:12

Influence is the power to have an important effect on someone. If someone influences someone else, they are changing a person or thing in an indirect but important way.

We have all been influenced by other people or movements and not always in a positive way. My parents had the most and earliest influence on me. I accepted what they believed. Later, the influence came from teachers and peers. Those who influence us have significant effect on our lifestyle.

In Galatians 4:12, Paul is asking the Galatian Christians to become like him, and to put themselves in his shoes. He explains that he became like them, and that he knows what they are going through because he has been there too. He asks why they would now throw away the blessing they once felt, and why they would not pay the same deference to him that they once did.

In other words, Paul is asking the Galatian Christians to fully accept their status as free men and women in as he, Paul, has fully abandoned his own status as a man “under the law” to live free in Christ himself.

Those who influence us can control us and control our behavior, so we need to be cautious as to who gets to us. Do we listen to the wrong people or wrong movements in this liberal anti-Christ world?

How do people influence us? We soak up attitudes, ideas and characteristics like a sponge from the people around us without realizing it. We absorb, assimilate and instinctively mirror behaviors. We adopt mindsets that we understand to be beneficial.

People influence others through political savvy, self-promotion, building trust and networking. The goal is to influence and change others. Sensory data is interpreted according to our cultural learnings long before our ability to think about and understand our culture develops.

As Christians, we need to be sure, both in and out of the church, by whom or what we are influenced. Like Paul, Jesus calls us to be influenced by and emulate Him.

Think about it. By whom are you influenced. Who is your number one influencer?

Sometimes True Stories

Counterculture: a subculture whose values and norms of behavior differ substantially from those of mainstream society, often in opposition to mainstream cultural mores.

In a society and culture moving further and further from the values in which it was founded, how then should we live?

A Countercultural Standard For Living:

Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.

Do not conform to what the world/age says is ok.

Be transformed by the renewing of your mind so you can discern God’s perfect will.

Do not think of yourself more highly than you should

Think sensibly

Be a functional part of the body of Christ

How, then, will you live? For Christianity is naturally countercultural. What, then, will you follow? Mainstream society and the direction it’s world is pulling and leading? Or the counter… a world led by Biblical values, with decisions and choices made through prayer and supplication? Marty Stubblefield

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Words from Edgar Aponte:

The Bible is clear in that only God is worthy of worship.

Our true value can only be rightly understood in light of the coming of the Lord.

A right view of God’s majesty leads us to worship Him.

A right view of God’s mindfulness toward us frees us from seeking our value in the world. Remember that He came for you!

Quotes You Can Use

How does a three month old child know what is funny? Maybe it is in our human DNA.

The world may war against Jesus but He will triumph— He is the Lord of lords and King of kings. Dan Shock

The coming of the Lord enables us to be real about the messiness of the world while still being hopeful for the future.

Strong men don’t compromise, it is said, and principles should never be compromised. Andrew Carnegie

Truth is the first casualty of power. Michael Smith

There are two genders. One goes to a gynecologist, while the other goes to a urologist. Every other needs to go to a psychiatrist.

Your life as a Christian should make nonbelievers question their disbelief in God. Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Common sense is not a gift, it is a punishment because you have to deal with everyone who doesn’t have it.

The only sin Jesus ever had was ours, and the only righteousness we can ever have is His. A.W. Tozer

No society wants you to become wise, as it is against the investment of all societies. If people are wise, they cannot be exploited.

Older people shouldn’t eat health foods. They need all the preservatives they can get.

The leading cause for injury for old men is them thinking they are still young men.

Never confuse education with intelligence. You can have a PhD and still be an idiot.

When I have to fill out a form naming whom to call in the case of an emergency, I always write “ambulance”, because no one in my family is going to answer a call from and unknown number.

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Your feedback is welcomet. Feel free to contribute your ideas and thoughts. Address all items and comments to [email protected]. © Thoughts on Life Copyright 2025

Week Five, 2025

All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “We are your own flesh and blood. In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the Lord said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.’” When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, the king made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel. 2 Samuel 5:1-3

He was designated as a future king and waited fifteen years until he was thirty to become king. By all the worldly standards he did not appear to be a king. But, while David did not look like a king, he had the heart of a king.

He was “ruddy”, but handsome, but not someone the world would choose as a king, but he had what counted to be a king. Likewise, we cannot see the spiritual condition of a person’s heart. So, we should reserve our judgment about their value in the Kingdom of God.

Some of God’s most faithful servants do not look like people the world thinks of as successful. God does not always call people to serve Him because of their ability, but because they make themselves available. We cannot see the spiritual condition or openness of a person’s heart. So, we should not judge their openness to the Gospel.

Don’t judge the value of a person by outward appearances means that you should not form an opinion about someone based solely on how they look, as their true worth lies deeper within their character and personality, not their physical appearance; essentially, don’t judge a book by its cover.

I admit I sometimes judge a person’s value, especially spiritual value by outward appearances. It’s easy to fall into that trap, but God tells us that the value of a person is in the inside more than in the outside.

Remember in His kingdom, He is more interested in availability than in ability. Are you available to God for whatever He calls you to do to use the talents He has given to you in creation?

Be careful how you judge people and accept them as they really are, remembering God has a purpose for all and created us all as we are.

Sometimes True Stories

A church in Switzerland has created a computer-generated avatar of Jesus. St. Peter’s Chapel in Lucerne, ironically the nation’s oldest church, now has cutting-edge technology that enables people to talk with an AI version of God’s Son. When you enter a confessional booth, a lifelike avatar on a computer screen offers advice based on the Bible and is available in more than one hundred languages. Around nine hundred conversations between people and the machine have been registered so far.

However, visitors are warned against sharing personal details and informed that their interactions with the avatar are at their own risk.

Of course, the real Son of God already knows every detail of our lives (cf. Luke 5:22; Hebrews 4:13). Interactions with him are not a risk but a blessing beyond compare (Hebrews 4:16).

And there’s the fact that we need a God who will not only give us advice, but actually act in our lives and our broken world on our behalf.

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Canada recently released its updated statistics for how many people died last year from physician-assisted suicide, and the numbers continue an alarming trend. The country’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) program was used by roughly 15,300 people to end their own lives. This makes it the fifth leading cause of death in 2023 and represents a 16 percent increase over the previous year.

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Your skeletal system is constantly regenerating! On average, every bone in your body will be completely replaced within a decade. This regeneration process slows down with age, resulting in bones becoming thinner over time.

Quotes You Can Use

The key is not for God to give us what we want, but to learn to want what God gives. Richard Blackaby

Be careful what you define as mundane – it is a sliding scale. Michael Smith

Rational people and institutions respond to things they cannot afford by finding alternatives – sometimes those alternatives are not buying them at all. Michael Smith

Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men. General George S. Patton

You may have been given a gift that is under the Christmas tree, but it is not a gift you have received until you open it and claim it for yourself. Dwight Short

The best way to keep yourself in the love of God is to realize that Jesus is coming soon. Dan Shock

Be reminded that there is nothing that you may be facing Jesus, himself, has not already faced. Nothing He cannot overcome. Marty Stubblefield

The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high, and we miss it, but that it is too low, and we reach it. Michelangelo

We should love others truly, for their own sakes rather than our own. -Thomas Aquinas, Theological Texts

Joyful worship is the proper response to our salvation and the hope of Christ’s return. Joyful worship flows from knowing and treasuring Jesus. Rejoice in your salvation! Worship should be awakened and sustained by truth and only assisted by music. God is the object of our worship, and worship is the response to the Truth of who He is and what He has done. The one who is forgiven much, loves much! Edgar Aponte

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Your feedback is welcome and if you want to contribute your ideas and thoughts, address all items and comments to [email protected]. © Thoughts on Life Copyright 2025