This Week’s Thought

Posted on by Horizon Professional Services
Rim Rock

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

My wife and I had spent several days exploring the four-state area of Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico.  Along the way we saw many spectacular scenes.  One of the beautiful spots we enjoyed was the view you see here.  This is part of Colorado’s Fruita Canyon as seen from the amazing twenty-three-mile route that Rim Rock Drive spans through the Colorado National Monument.  God’s beauty abounds.

Rim Rock Drive is aptly named because of the winding route it takes along the rim of the canyon.  Harrowing at times, it makes it very difficult to both drive and keep your eyes on the road while also trying desperately to take in all the views below.  But the only way to see the beauty below is to drive that narrow winding breath-taking road along the upper rim of the canyon.

Life offers some amazing views and experiences along the way.  Maybe we are even currently living in an amazing time in our own lives.  But we don’t have the same view from down here that the Lord has from up above.  He looks down and watches His children as we navigate life’s highways and byways.  He knows the beauty we seem to ignore.  He sees the whole picture while we tend to wallow in the here-and-now.

Sometimes it is necessary in life to step out of our comfort zone, which I very much did by driving this and several other routes that week, and tackle the unnerving so we can get but a glimpse at the bigger more beautiful picture the Lord has painted for us.  You see, those who stay down in the canyon may see the beauty of the mountain rock walls surrounding them, but until they take the higher road, they will never see the whole picture.

God has so many “great and wonderful things” prepared for you.  Perhaps you just need to take a tighter grip upon the steering wheel of the car and head out on the winding highway to see for yourself.  Until you do, you’ll never know what beauty you’re missing, what blessings you could have had from Him, what experiences you might never have had.

Take a trip through the uncomfortable.  When you finally reach the other side, there will be no doubt how blessed you are because of the experience.

Just a thought.

Pause at Noon to Pray and Draw Near to God Every Day

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prayer

Today, believers across our nation are invited to pause at noon and pray. This moment is to humble our hearts, seek God’s forgiveness, intercede for our leaders, and ask for healing and peace in our land. This call to prayer comes from Rev. Franklin Graham, who emphasizes that we are living in a time that urgently needs hope, unity, and spiritual renewal. He has invited everyone to join with him in this time of prayer and repentance today at noon, recognizing that prayer is powerful and that God hears the prayers of His people.

This special moment of collective prayer isn’t meant to be a one-time event. It serves as a reminder that prayer is not just something we do only when crisis reaches our doorstep, but something we are called to maintain continually throughout our lives. Prayer is our lifeline to God. It is where we bring our gratitude and our burdens, our doubts and our dreams, knowing that the Lord listens and responds according to His unfailing love.

In Scripture we find this timeless promise: when God’s people humble themselves, seek His face, and turn from their sin, He hears from heaven, forgives, and brings healing. Today’s call to pray at noon is anchored in that truth and points us beyond the moment to a daily rhythm of communion with our Creator.

Why prayer matters every day:

• Prayer draws us close to God’s heart. It shifts our focus from fear and confusion to faith and dependence on Him.

• Prayer changes us. It softens pride, deepens humility, and aligns our will with God’s purpose.

• Prayer impacts others. Our prayers for family, leaders, neighbors, and communities invite God’s peace, protection, and wisdom in ways only He can provide.

So as you lift your heart in prayer at noon today, let it also become the start of a greater commitment: to seek God in prayer not just once, but every day. Let prayer be the foundation of your joy, the strength of your courage, and the source of your hope.

Pause today at noon. Pray. And then continue to draw near to the Lord each day through prayer.

This Week’s Thought

Posted on by Horizon Professional Services
Stool Photo

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

Nineteen years.  That’s how long ago I wrote and sent my first emailed weekly thought.  Many of you are instantly amazed that I’ve even had that many thoughts of any kind!  But seriously, at times through the years, I’ve been asked this question – “Do you write out something and then find a picture to go along with it?”  The answer is that no, I do the opposite.  I settle on a picture and then just start typing.

So, as I was scrolling back through hundreds of photos on my phone, I ran across this one.  Granted it’s a stock photo, a screen shot that I took while roaming around the internet a while back.  With the exception of its color, this stool is exactly like one that my mother’s parents had in their home as long as I can remember.  There were fourteen of us grandkids on that side, not to mention the spouses and kids of the older ones.  It was a rare privilege for any one of us to get to sit at the “big table.”  But sometimes, when maybe there were only a handful of us visiting, we would gather ’round that dining table, which I love to tell others now sits in my own home, and the smallest of us would get to sit on the stool.  We might perch up on the top, or when the seat was raised, sit on one of the lower steps.

I don’t know who in the family wound up with that old stool.  I’ve longingly looked at some like it in various antique or junk stores through the years.  But it isn’t even about the stool.  It’s about the memories associated with it.

For that stool, to me, represents times gone by.  It is a symbol of simpler days – maybe not for our parents, but for us as we grew up.  It represents being initiated into the wonderful sit-at-the-big-table crowd, listening to the grownup conversations, even if we didn’t contribute.  It reminds me of the countless meals that were spread upon that table, the cold fried chicken, bacon, and biscuits that we kids would reach up under the tablecloth that had been thrown over it all and sneak some of.  That stool is a reminder of times, places, and people I have loved and held very dear.  I would like to find a stool like it.  I want to sit on that seat again.

I am so very blessed to be a part of a loving, Bible-believing and teaching, church FAMILY.  Granted, I’m the pastor, so I see the gathered crowd from a different angle than most, but I stand in front of those pews, those seats, and I remember the faces of so very many dear Saints of God that have long passed to their eternal reward.  A twinge of sadness arrives for but a very brief moment, but then I’m reminded of those same things the old stool reminds me of – – times, places, and people that I have loved and held very dear.

If you haven’t been to church lately, if you haven’t sat upon an old church pew (or even a newer more comfortable seat that has replaced those pews), if you haven’t been where those who raised us worshiped together themselves, then may I urge you this very week to go looking for your seat?  There’s something about those special seats that bring the world together, remind you of Who and what matters most, and puts everything into perspective again.

Time is precious.  Please take your seat at the table.  Oh what glorious conversations await.

Just a thought.

Drawing Closer to God in 2026

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prayer

By Ryan Kelly –

As we step into a new year, we are reminded that each day is a gift and an invitation from God to begin again with hope, purpose, and trust. The turning of the calendar does not merely mark the passage of time; it offers us a sacred opportunity to realign our lives with what matters most. Rather than focusing solely on resolutions that fade, we are called to fix our eyes on Christ, trusting that God is already at work in this new season and preparing growth we cannot yet see.

A positive outlook for the year ahead is rooted not in our own strength, but in the faithfulness of the Lord. Scripture assures us that God’s mercies are new every morning, and with each sunrise comes fresh grace to walk more closely with Him. When we choose to seek God daily through prayer, Scripture, worship, and obedience, we invite His peace to shape our perspective and His wisdom to guide our decisions. Even in uncertainty, we can move forward with confidence, knowing that God orders the steps of those who trust in Him.

As we dedicate ourselves to growing closer to the Lord, our hearts begin to change. The more time we spend in His presence, the more our desires are aligned with His will. This alignment does not happen overnight. It is the result of daily surrender and faithful commitment. When our primary goal becomes knowing God more deeply, He gently reshapes our priorities, strengthens our faith, and refines our character to reflect His love.

Let this new year be marked by a simple yet powerful commitment to draw nearer to God each day. As we do, we will find that He draws nearer to us, guiding our hearts, renewing our minds, and leading us into a life shaped by His purposes. With hope in Christ and trust in His plan, we can step confidently into the year ahead, assured that walking closely with the Lord is the surest path to lasting joy and peace.

“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.”
James 4:8

This Week’s Thought

Posted on by Horizon Professional Services

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

You know from my previous “thoughts” from time to time that as I travel, I tend to photograph unusual flowers, plants, rocks, trees, etc.  You’ll see one of those trees in this picture.  You may not think it’s that unusual.  It looks like any normal tree might.  But the reason I took this picture was because of what I had just read and found out about the tree and a few others very similar nearby.

This is an olive tree.  That’s unusual in itself to me, since most of the trees that grow where we live are pine or oak.  This olive tree was one of several planted in what is now a downtown area of historic Scottsdale, Arizona.  They were planted to stand as a break from the desert winds before most of those buildings were there.  And these olive trees are now well over 125 years old, having all been planted in 1896.  

They are unusual.  They stand out.  And they were planted with a purpose.  These things ought to describe us as Christians.

We certainly were planted with a purpose.  God intends for us to love, serve, and worship Him, and He intends for us to be a bright light in a dark world.  As such, we are automatically unusual, and we should stand out from all the rest.  

I don’t know that I want a sign posted near me to say how old I am and why I was put here.  On the other hand, by living as a Child of the Father, I am basically wearing a sign just like that.  I call myself by His name, and I represent Him wherever I go — even in odd downtown desert places where I might not be expected to survive.

Planted with a purpose.  Growing with His help.  Representing Him to all who pass by.  Those are wonderful things on which to focus in this brand new year.

Just a thought.

This Week’s Thought

Posted on by Horizon Professional Services

By Brad Campbell – Just a thought to help start your week.

The old year of 2025 is fading into the past while the new year of 2026 is just becoming clear on the horizon.  I’ve always thought it was very interesting that as much as we think of one year disappearing and another one being a brand new start, there is not a lot of difference between the two.  We arrive on January 1 each year to find it to be very much like the day before, December 31 of the past year.  A different year, yes, but only seconds apart.

I do like the thought that a new year can bring opportunities for us to do something different and perhaps more importantly to be something different.  That thought itself seems to bring some hope in that I don’t have to give up.  I really can be different – in a good way – in the coming year.

For many people, our family included, the new year begins without several family members who began last year with us.  There are holes that cannot be filled, places that cannot be taken, people that cannot be replaced.  We hesitate to go forward because we are spending an awful lot of time looking in the rearview mirror.  I took a picture of this little sign this past summer in a place I no longer remember.  The quote, attributed to Theodore Roosevelt, says, “The more you know about the past, the better prepared you are for the future.”

Simply put, I know the past to have been difficult, lonely, sorrowful, and full of mourning.  However, I also know the past to have been glorious, bright, inviting, full of adventures, and very much a learning experience.  All of those things can prepare me for the future of this next year.  There will be difficult days, and there will be wonderful days.  There will be hard times, and there will be great times.  There will be losses, but thank God, there is always the glorious possibility of new gains and gifts from Above.

Take time to reflect upon the past – upon 2025 specifically.  For what things and in what ways are you better prepared for 2026 now?  God is always good.  Every day is a good day.  As God leads you from one year into the next, and even from one month, week, and day, and moment into the next, reflect on His goodness and grace and thank Him in advance for all that He has in store for you in the coming year!

Just a thought.

This Week’s Thought

Posted on by Horizon Professional Services

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

A couple of weeks ago, I glanced out the back window as I walked through the den, and I saw something unusual in the pond.  I watched for a few seconds and decided it was a beaver.  I knew if this was the case, then we would soon have serious issues.  So, about the time I thought of calling my next door neighbor (He actually owns the pond.) to tell him we needed to tackle that situation, I realized it wasn’t a beaver after all.

A very playful and energetic otter had somehow made its way from the nearby river up a creek or two and was now having a ball playing and splashing around.  Otters have been spotted in other areas of the state, but to my knowledge not around here.  At least I couldn’t find any written proof of such.  And this led me to believe, because the lone otter seemed to be the only one of its species anywhere around, that he shouldn’t “otter” be here!

The holidays, as much as they are grand and wonderful for so many people, are equally difficult and a struggle for others.  Christmas, the beginning of a New Year, and the festivities or family and church events surrounding each can be quite overwhelming.  We are forced to look back at the past year, which quite honestly for some of us has been a year we pray never to repeat.  And we can’t help but wonder are we the lone creature making our way up river in unknown waters to fend for ourselves?

Maybe we look back and think that it just shouldn’t “otter” be this way.  And we’re right.  It shouldn’t.  But because we live in a sinful, fallen world, there will always be the difficulties of life until the Lord chooses to take us out of here.

That little otter hasn’t been seen again since the one morning I snapped some photos and got a quick video.  It must have continued its trek elsewhere.  —  We will too.

Tomorrow, or maybe the next day or the one after that, we will realize that it really doesn’t have to be this way.  Life is what we make of it, by the grace of God.  This is the day that the Lord has made.  We will rejoice and be glad in it.  Every day — every day — is a blessing.  No, maybe it shouldn’t “otter” be this way.  But because we as Christians have the blessed hope for tomorrow, it won’t always!

Blessings on you and yours throughout these glorious holidays and into the New Year.

Just a thought.

Dedicate Time with Family This Christmas Season

Posted on by Horizon Professional Services
Family

By Ryan Kelly –

As Christmas draws near, the season invites us to slow our pace and turn our hearts toward what truly matters. In a world filled with noise, schedules, and distractions, dedicating intentional time with family mirrors an act of worship in itself. These moments of togetherness reflect God’s design for community, reminding us that love is best expressed not only in words, but in presence, patience, and shared time. Gathering around a table, sharing stories, or praying together prepares our hearts to receive the joy of Christ’s birth with gratitude and unity.

Scripture reminds us of the sacred responsibility and blessing found in family relationships. Deuteronomy 6:6–7 calls believers to keep God’s commandments close to their hearts and to teach them diligently to their children, speaking of them in everyday moments at home and along the way. This passage highlights that faith is most powerfully passed down through time spent together, where love, instruction, and example intertwine. Likewise, Psalm 127:1 affirms that unless the Lord builds the house, our efforts are in vain, reminding us that God’s presence is the foundation of a strong and faithful home.

As we prepare for Christmas, choosing family time over busyness mirrors the humility and intentionality of the season itself. God chose to enter the world not in grandeur, but within a family, surrounded by love and obedience. When we set aside time to be fully present with one another, we honor that same spirit that the Lord set before us. May our homes this season be filled not only with celebration, but with peace, conversation, prayer, and the gentle reminder that Christ is all that we need.

This Week’s Thought

Posted on by Horizon Professional Services

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

On the Christmas that was eleven years old, my Dad’s mother remained in the hospital following a very recent major stroke.  Things were crazy around our house.  My brother and sister are younger than I, and at those ages, we were understandably excited about the coming Christmas.  But with everything else going on, Christmas Eve came with still no decorations put up, no tree in the house.  Just before closing time for the local businesses that afternoon, my Dad made a few desperate phone calls, and he, along with my 9-year-old brother and I, headed off to the local Radio Shack store, the one place with a good affordable tree.

I don’t remember how much the kind man charged my Dad for that last tree in his store, the one they had decorated and placed in the front display window for the Christmas season.  But I do remember that he only added one dollar to the total for all of the decorations on the tree.  My brother and I grabbed one end of the tree with our Dad on the other, and we headed out the door and across the parking lot, losing and breaking some of those ornaments along the way.  We shoved that decorated tree into the back of our long Chevrolet Impala station wagon, took it home, and placed it in the big front window of our living room.  Talk about a last minute Christmas tree!  There was nothing spectacular about that tree itself, but it certainly was beautiful to us kids.  And I love to tell that story, because I know it’s true.

The ornament you see here was hand-beaded by a Native American Choctaw Indian woman, a friend of my sister, several years ago and given to my mother-in-law, who passed away a few short months ago.  In going through assorted Christmas decorations she left behind, I located this little ornament that my sister had given to her one year, and I brought it home recently to place on our own tree.

There’s nothing incredibly outstanding about it.  The ornament itself is made of “unbreakable” plastic.  The beads are strung around it, and a metal hook is attached.  To any other person, it’s a simple plastic ornament with no others to match it, and it could very well have ended up in the discard pile.  Nothing appears spectacular about that ornament, but it’s beautiful to me.  And I know it’s story.

You probably have those Christmas story memories.  Maybe you continue to share them with your family members through the holidays.  Memories that are special because we know the story.

Christmas is the story of the birth of Christ Jesus.  I know His story to be special and incredible.  Therefore I will continue to tell the story because I know it to be true!  I pray you do as well.  Merry CHRISTmas to you and yours, and may all your dreams for the holidays and the New Year of 2026 come true.

Just a thought.

This Week’s Thought

Posted on by Horizon Professional Services

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

Christmas time is here.  You’ve been busy with the decorating, shopping, events, and parties.  You’ve hung the stockings with care, slung the tinsel all over there, and watched your budget with prayer.  You’ve gotten the menu written, crocheted new mittens, and told the kids they’re not getting kittens.  It has already been a busy season.

Two of my daughters were home in time to help with our family’s annual chex-mix-making festivities.  We were very busy doing this and that in the kitchen when the microwave decided it had breathed its last, and it gave up Marley’s Christmas ghost.  So we removed the faulty appliance from the house, chunked it in the dumpster, and made a trek to the big home do-it-yourself center in search of a replacement.  Having found an exact copy of the original, we loaded our cart and were about to leave the store, when what to our wondering eyes should appear — but lots and lots of Christmas decorations and lights.

Our trip to that store became twice as expensive as it had begun from the appliance aisle as we loaded not one, not two, but three separate light-up animals onto our bulging cart, slid the plastic give-me-5-percent-off-with-every-purchase card through the slot at the register ourselves and headed toward home.  We finished our first project with new appliance installed, then immediately installed the light-up critters you see here.  

Beside our front walkway now stand a chicken, a cat, and a dog.  And you ask why.  Well, they are cute, they light up, and we didn’t have anything like them.  But those aren’t the reasons we let them follow us home.  Eldest daughter and hubby are parents to our several grand-chickens.  Middle daughter and hubby are parents to our grand-dog.  And youngest daughter is the proud mother of our grand-cat.

So, each kiddo is now represented in Mom and Dad’s yard by their particular light-up animal.  This Christmas, all the kids are represented at our house.

This Christmas, are you and all of your kids represented at the Father’s House?  It’s easier than a quick trip to town.  Just introduce them to Jesus – the reason for the season – and the One Who can light up their world!  Nothing could make for a better Christmas!

Just a thought.