The Gift of Today

"Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. No One Knows the Day or Hour. But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven but My Father only... This is the day the LORD has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. (Matthew 24:35, 36; Psalm 118:24 NKJV) No one knows how long one's life is going to be. Each day is a gift from God. We should celebrate this gift and use it to the best of our ability. We should also appreciate all that our days give us...good or bad. The good is a joyful thing, and the bad makes us stronger and teaches us life lessons. The Holy Bible teaches us, "for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content." (Phillipans 4:11 NKJV) We should celebrate each day we are given. No one knows what's around the corner. There is a saying that goes something like this, "Yesterday is a memory, tomorrow is but a dream, and today is all we have." So live today to the fullest, celebrate the day before you and all that it gives you. This is good advice no matter what your faith or beliefs! Love, Beau

A Higher Ground

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.." (Matthew 5: 43, 44) Whatever your religious beliefs, this is just sound thinking. It ultimately doesn't matter who is right and who is wrong but how we handle what goes on in our lives. There is so much hatred and anger in the world today we need to take a higher ground. The world needs to stop the "eye for an eye" mentality and respond in love, blessing, and prayer. When one is lashed out at by another, we don't necessarily know what is going on inside of the other person, and even if that person IS responding in pure anger and hatred, it is better to reach out in love and pray for them that the heart and mind might be changed, and receiving a blessing, than to heap more hostility on that person and the world. The tragedy at Virginia Tech was horrible and we CAN be justifiably angry it happened, but it doesn't change what happened. What CAN change thing is to pray for everyone involved. that lessons will be learned, and that it ultimately will lead to positives changes on how we treat each other and reach out to one another. Take the higher ground. Reach out in love. (love, Beau)

Always There

"No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you...Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid...These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." (Joshua 1:5b; John 14:27, 16:33) Sometimes when things happen that hurt us or cause us deep pain, even if we understand it, we don't always feel God is there for us. We feel He has abandoned us. We wonder how He could let something happen, why He won't answer our prayers, or why is He not there for us. But He is. It just doesn't always seem like it. Sometimes He's silent so that we can learn a bigger lesson from our experience, sometimes the answers don't always come in the way that we expect or want, and sometimes we're so lost in our pain and hurt we just can't feel Him or reach out to Him. But, be at peace, He is there and He's there for you...no matter what. (And if He can overcome the world, think how much he can do for us!!) Love, Beau
Footprints in the Sand
One night a man had a dream. He dreamedhe was walking along the beach with the LORD.
Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand: one belonging to him, and the other to the LORD.
When the last scene of his life flashed before him,he looked back at the footprints in the sand.
He noticed that many times along the path ofhis life there was only one set of footprints.
He also noticed that it happened at the verylowest and saddest times in his life.
This really bothered him and he questioned the LORD about it:
"LORD, you said that once I decided to follow you, you'd walk with me all the way.But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life,there is only one set of footprints. I don't understand why when I needed you most you would leave me."The LORD replied:
"My son, my precious child,I love you and I would never leave you.During your times of trial and suffering,when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."
written by Mary Stevenson

Easter Sunday sermon

"But the angel answered and said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you' So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy... For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (Matthew 5-8a; John 3:16) For those of us who are Christians, we believe that Jesus lives and conquered death so that we might be restored to God and live forever with Him. What joy!! As a Christian, this tremendous gift of love pushes me to think about what I can do, and how I can live, to show my gratitude and thankfulness for this gift, and to live up to that gift. It also makes me consider what things I can conquer in my life to live more fully and thankfully. How can you, whatever your faith, conquer and live more fully and thankfully, and live up to the gifts of love you have been given. It's something to ponder! Love, Beau

Do Unto Others..

"...You shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD. You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor] and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you" (Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 5:43-44 ) It seems that everywhere we look there is bickering, arguing, hate and meanness throughout the whole world. What we all need to do is take a step back and be kinder and more caring, patient, and compassionate with each other. If we did that and then paid it forward what a better world this would be. This is what God wants, expects, us to be. He wants us to treat others how we want to be treated. And, it's all about loving..both ourselves and others. It's also not just about loving, but going one step further and loving the unloveable and loving even when we don't feel like loving. This is the will of God. Therefore, I challenge you this week to hug 3 people..without speaking first and without warning..just hug them! Love, Beau