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

The Heart of Easter

Easter is coming soon! Easter is about the resurrection of Christ and about Christ dying for our sins. But, Easter is also about faith and hope. Christ's followers believed and hoped that they again would see Christ, but they didn't know that for sure. They just believed...and had hope and faith. Christ dying for our sins gives us hope that we can be made anew and start fresh...tomorrow is a new day. I think we all need more faith and hope, and belief in these things. It's what keeps us going. No one knows what's going to happen beyond today, but we believe it will be okay, and the sun will rise again. We have faith and hope in that. The Holy Bible says, "..for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Matthew 17:20; Hebrews 11:3) Have you ever seen the SIZE of a mustard seed??? It's very tiny. It doesn't take much faith. You just got to believe in it and have hope. So keep the faith, have hope, and believe, even if you can't see around the corner. It will be okay!! Love, Beau

Celebrate YOU!!

"So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them;...Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good...For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb...for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;" (Genesis 1:27-28a, 31a; Psalm 139:13-14 NKJV) You were made by God. Not only were you made by God you were made in His own image, fearfully and wonderfully made. Since you were made in His own image, you also have amazing abilities and powers...you just have to tap into them and use them! And, since God's powers are limitless all you have to do is ask Him to achieve your fullest abilities and He will help you! How truly special you are to have been fearfully and wonderfully made in God's own image! Ever wonder what God looks like? Look in the mirror! Celebrate your life. God does! You are blessed!! Love, Beau

Ask Jesus!

What would Jesus do (WWJD)? That is what we are supposed to ask ourselves before we do ANYTHING, if we are to truly follow His example. I know that mom and I don't always think to do that. I suspect that is true for most of us. It is something that we need to strive to do more. By always asking first "What would Jesus do," not only would we most likely improve our lives, but we would be better Christian examples to those around us. We are to be examples of Christ's love and compassion, so that others may see our example and come to know, love, and follow Christ. This makes it even more important to always first ask ourselves, "what would Jesus do." And I can guarantee you one thing, if you ask Him, He will guide you and lead you in His way. Love, Beau

Take Comfort!

In the past few days someone told us, "Remember God is always there to help you feel better." Those were very comforting and healing words. They helped us to start feeling some better. It has been a rough week for many of us for varying reasons. Some are still looking for jobs, other lost their fur kids or a human, and some have ailing furrs or humans. We all go through ups, downs, trials, frustrations. joys, sorrows and losses. We need to remember those words, "God is always there to help you feel better." The Holy Bible says, "Comfort, yes, comfort My people!' Says your God." (Isaiah 40:1) And, "Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted." (Matthew 5:4) So, when you're going through trials, frustrations, and pain, remember those word, "God is always there to help you feel better," and take heart and be comforted. Love, Beau

Witnessing

One of the purposes of our lives is to bring other people to Christ. We are to share our faith and our testimony, of what God has done for us, with others so that they may see His good works. We are to share the love of God with others. God wants us to be "fishers of men" and share His love for them. He loves us all and wants us all home with Him. God wants us to share the good news with those who have lost their way or have never known Him: I forgive your past, your mistakes, I LOVE YOU, and all you have to do is, genuinely ask forgiveness BELIEVE in Me and then RECEIVE what I have to offer you and follow in my footsteps. Bringing others to Christ gives glory to God...and it brings joy to us to see that person's life changed forever. If you are reading this, and want to bring Christ into your life, pray this prayer created by Rick Warren of The Purpose Driven life, "Jesus I believe in You and I receive You. Thank You for dying on the cross for all my sins. As much as I know how, I ask you to come into my life and help me learn to know you, trust you, and love you." If you already have Christ in your heart, don't you want to share with that joy with as many people as possible so they can feel it too? I do!! Love, Beau