Every Ending Is the Beginning of Something New

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new beginnings

Life is filled with beginnings and endings. Some endings arrive with celebration, while others come with a quiet sadness as we recognize that a cherished season has passed. Whether it is the end of a career, the closing of a chapter with family, the completion of a ministry, or simply the turning of another page in life, endings are often bittersweet because they remind us of both what we have gained and what we must leave behind. Yet for the child of God, an ending is never the end of the story. It is simply the place where the Lord begins writing the next chapter.

One of the greatest temptations during times of transition is fear. We wonder what lies ahead, whether we are making the right decisions, or if the future will be as meaningful as the past. But Scripture continually reminds us that our confidence is not found in familiar circumstances. It is found in the unchanging character of God. The same Lord who faithfully guided us through one season is already present in the next. Long before we arrive there, He has prepared the way.

The Bible reminds us in Ecclesiastes 3:1:

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.”

God never intended life to remain static. He designed it with seasons, times of planting and harvesting, learning and teaching, building and resting. Every season serves a purpose in shaping us into the people He desires us to become. If we cling too tightly to what is ending, we may miss the beautiful opportunities God has prepared in what is beginning.

Change is not something we must simply endure. It is something we can embrace with grace and confidence. Looking back allows us to give thanks for God’s faithfulness, while looking ahead allows us to trust His promises. Every ending carries with it memories worth cherishing, lessons worth remembering, and blessings that have prepared us for what comes next. Rather than fearing change, we can welcome it knowing that the Author of our lives never loses His place in the story.

This week, if you find yourself standing between an ending and a beginning, remember that God is already walking ahead of you. Thank Him for the season that has passed, celebrate the blessings it brought, and step confidently into the future He is unfolding. The God who has carried you this far will not abandon you now. His plans remain good, His timing remains perfect, and His presence will be with you through every beginning, every ending, and every step in between.

This Week’s Thought

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By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

As I finished high school, there was a popular song at the time by Janet Jackson entitled, “What have you done for me lately?”  It asked a very interesting question.  However, in the words of that question are implications of greed, jealousy, and the fact that it should be all about me.  Instead, the Lord reminds us to love our neighbor, which certainly means it absolutely cannot be all about me.  It must be about the others around me.

What you are seeing on this platter is some homemade sourdough bread in the shape of the number “50.”  The bread was made by one friend for another and shared as a surprise during a simple little supper at our church Vacation Bible School recently.  I won’t share their names, at risk of embarrassing them, but one person was turning the big 5-0 that particular day, and the other person knew it and decided to share this surprise in honor of the other person.  One neighbor, one friend, doing a simple little something out of love and friendship for another, with no want for anything in return.

That’s how we are to love our neighbors.  Another friend helped me yesterday by pulling a heavy trailer from one location to another where I needed it stored.  When I thanked this friend, the response was, “Y’all are always doing things for us, too.”  No deeds expected in return, but appreciated never-the-less.  One neighbor loving another.

Your life is no doubt full of very similar examples.  And I find it very interesting that the very people who respond with a thankful heart for our kindnesses are just as willing to show the same kindnesses toward us – not because we shared, but because they see and understand the goodness of God as well.

In your very busy week ahead, don’t overlook the opportunities to love on your neighbors.  What may seem like such a very simple gesture on your part may very well be the kindest thing shared with your neighbor this week.  And then give God the thanks for allowing you to be a blessing.  For it truly is more blessed to give than to receive.

My friends you are.

Just a thought.

This Week’s Thought

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Brick Wall

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your day.

“I’ve hit a brick wall.”  Maybe you’ve heard that phrase, or maybe you’ve spoken it yourself.  This particular brick wall happens to be part of my house.  Your symbolic brick wall could be any number of things.  I enjoy dabbling into the branches of my family tree.  That hobby sometimes consists of hitting a brick wall, so to speak, when the trail on one particular person or branch of the tree suddenly stops or becomes very difficult to follow.

My thoughts sometimes hit a brick wall.  I felt like I struggled through my Sunday sermon at church because I kept stumbling over my own words.  I even seemed to have hit a brick wall as I tried to put together a ‘thought’ for you for this week.  Sometimes the words just won’t come like I think they should.

Maybe the brick wall is something completely different.  When I was a young pre-teen, my mother had a car accident and literally hit a brick wall, shaking her up and damaging the car.

Those brick walls may bring us to a sudden stop, may seemingly prevent us from going any farther, or certainly will slow down our progress.  So, I wonder, what do you see as your brick wall right now?  Are you struggling in your faith?  Your relationship with the Lord?  Are you bogged down in all the “got-to-get-it-done” stuff of the work week?

Keep this in mind.  That brick wall is only as strong as the one who built it.  Walls can be broken down, dismantled, or perhaps even driven through if necessary.  Those brick walls do not have to be a permanent barrier in your day, your week, or even your spiritual growth.

The first step to getting past that brick wall is to first admit you’ve hit it.  Then assess the situation.  Climb over it, go around it, or maybe even plow right through it.  The Lord has work for you to accomplish this week, and He certainly wants to accomplish His work through you.  Are you putting up a brick wall and slowing down the work and growth that could be happening in your walk with Him?

Whatever your brick wall happens to be, allow the Master brick mason to help you conquer it this week!

Just a thought.

When God Does the Impossible

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Praying

There are moments in life when we simply cannot see how things will work out. We pray, we wait, we hope, and yet the answers seem distant or completely different from what we expected. In those moments, it is important to remember that God is not limited by our understanding, our circumstances, or even what we believe is possible. He sees the beginning and the end at the same time, and He is always at work accomplishing His perfect will.

Scripture reminds us in Ephesians 3:20, “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.” Notice that God does not simply meet our expectations—He works beyond them. His plans are often larger, deeper, and more meaningful than anything we could have imagined for ourselves. What appears to be a closed door may actually be His protection. What feels like a delay may be His preparation. What seems like a disappointment today may become tomorrow’s greatest blessing.

One of the challenges of faith is that we rarely understand God’s work while it is unfolding. Joseph did not understand the purpose of the pit, slavery, or prison. Ruth could not see how her loss would lead to redemption. Even the disciples struggled to understand why Jesus had to go to the cross. Yet in every case, God was orchestrating something far greater than anyone involved could comprehend. His ways were perfect, even when they were hidden.

The same is true in our lives. There may be situations that never fully make sense to us this side of heaven. We may never know why certain opportunities disappeared, why some prayers were answered differently than we hoped, or why certain hardships were allowed. Yet we can trust that God never wastes a circumstance. He is weaving together a story that serves His purposes and ultimately works for the good of those who love Him.

This week, take comfort in knowing that God is at work even when you cannot see it. Trust Him not only when His plan is clear, but also when it is mysterious. His wisdom is greater than our understanding, His timing is better than our schedule, and His plans are more beautiful than our imagination. The God who created the universe is still writing your story, and every chapter is being written with divine purpose, perfect love, and eternal perspective.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.” — Isaiah 55:8

May we have the faith to trust God with what we cannot understand, knowing that He is able to do far more than we could ever ask, think, or imagine.

This Week’s Thought

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Prickly Pear

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

When my brother and I were very young, we enjoyed our visits to Nanny’s house down Campbell Road.  Our entertainment was in spending as much time outside as possible.  We dug holes in the red clay dirt driveway with silver kitchen spoons.  We chased one another around the yard.  And we played ball.

What we really enjoyed, much to the chagrin of the grown-ups, was throwing the ball back and forth to each other, one in front of the little tin-roofed house, and the other behind it near the woods.  The ball, usually a baseball, not a softer tennis ball or a little rubber bouncing ball, but a hard baseball, would bounce across that tin roof with a boom, boom, boom.  We could only get away with that for a few minutes before the front door flung open and we were being scolded yet again for making so much racket.

Part of that fun was in finding the ball when it went rolling.  Whichever one of us boys was behind the house would have to chase the ball into the kudzu.  Whichever one was out front did our best to keep the ball from rolling into the prickly pear!  That’s what we called the big sprawling cactus plants, just like the ones you see here in my picture.  I wish I had photos of those that I remember, but this pretty one from Arizona will serve the purpose.

Those flowers blooming on the cactus are certainly pretty, and Nanny had taught us to respect the beauty in God’s creation, especially her flowers scattered around the yard.  We also learned to respect the stickers on the cactus as well.  All it would take was for the ball to go rolling into the prickly pear one time, we would reach in one time to retrieve the ball, and that one time would remind us why we were to respect the cactus.

It was as if our hands were magnets and those stickers were metal needles instantly attracted to the magnet!  I can almost still feel the pain even now.

In your week ahead, look and enjoy and respect the beauty, but be ever aware of the prickly pear.  Sometimes you see it, you run around it, and you admire it, but you make the mistake of thinking it won’t bite you.  Then you have one little slip-up and pow, the pain of that one mistake!

Satan is roaming, right in plain sight in the front yard, in among the pretty flowers.  Beware what you dare to stick your hands into.  Life-long lessons can be learned in an instant.

Just a thought.

This Week’s Thought

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Ball up a hill

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

There are those things in life which we run across that make us wonder.  We see things, perhaps hear things, that make us stop and take notice, but we still have no understanding or concept of the meaning.

I walked past this sculpture on the downtown riverwalk in Oklahoma City.  I thought it was interesting, so I snapped this photo.  I didn’t know the name of the sculptor, given on the small brass plaque near its base.  There was no explanation as to its meaning or purpose.  It just looking intriguing to me, so I stopped to take notice.

The man is apparently attempting to push the ball or sphere up a pair of rails.  Maybe it implies strength and courage, fortitude, or even desperation at past failed attempts.  I have no clue.  However, it didn’t stop me from wondering, from pondering, from taking an interest, and from studying what I was seeing.

Do you ignore your Bible simply because you don’t understand what some of the passages mean?  Do you refrain from studying the Word because you have trouble interpreting what you see in those pages?  Or, do you make it a point to keep reading, keep looking, keep studying, and keep pondering even when you have trouble finding its meaning?

I will be the very first person to declare to you that I don’t understand it all either.  I read it, and I make every effort to have some understanding of the Word, especially before I stand to share it.  But, I will never know all that it means.  I will keep pondering, keep reading, and keep studying.

This sculpture was the work of some master of his craft.  Surely he had a purpose in its design and presentation.  And surely the passerby was meant to gain something from the exposure to this work of art.  Perhaps each person who passes it will gain some separate understanding of what he sees there.

Similarly, each person who reads God’s Word may gain a particular understanding of the verses simply because the Master Who wrote it will speak directly to you through His Work.

If you’ve looked but ignored what you see in that great Book, I encourage you to give it another look this week — today even!

Just a thought.

Patience With Others

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Conversation

One of the greatest challenges in life is learning to deal with other people. Whether it is a co-worker who continually makes mistakes, a family member who tests our patience, or a stranger whose actions seem inconsiderate, frustration can quickly take root in our hearts. The world often tells us to respond with anger, sarcasm, or distance. Yet as followers of Christ, we are called to a higher standard.

Scripture reminds us in Colossians 3:13:

“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

Those words are powerful because they place our focus not on the shortcomings of others, but on the grace we ourselves have received. Every one of us has needed patience from God. Every one of us has made mistakes, failed, and fallen short. Yet God continues to show us mercy day after day.

When we become frustrated with others, it is often because we expect them to meet our standards, our timeline, or our understanding. A godly perspective shifts our focus. Instead of asking, “Why can’t they do better?” we begin asking, “How can I show Christ through my response?” Patience is not approving of wrong behavior, nor is it ignoring problems. Rather, it is choosing to respond with grace, wisdom, and love rather than allowing irritation to control our actions.

Paul also writes in Ephesians 4:2:

“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”

Notice that patience is closely tied to humility. Humility reminds us that we do not have all the answers and that God is still working on us just as He is working on others. The person who frustrates you today may be walking through struggles you cannot see. They may need encouragement far more than criticism.

This week, when frustration begins to rise, pause and remember the patience God has shown you. Pray for the person who is testing your patience. Ask God to help you see them through His eyes. In doing so, you may discover that your greatest opportunity to reflect Christ is not in how you respond when everything is going well, but in how you respond when someone makes it difficult.

As believers, we are called to be people of grace. The more we recognize God’s patience toward us, the more willing we become to extend that same patience to others. Through humble hearts and Spirit-led responses, we can demonstrate the love of Christ in a world that desperately needs it.

This Week’s Thought

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Caution sign

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

On a recent visit to Middle Daughter and Hubby’s house, we took advantage of the one day we’d had that week without any rain, and we all ventured down to the lake with Granddog.  We enjoyed watching the jet skis, pontoon boats, and other such vessels all greatly enjoying the water and the sunshine.

Very near the water’s edge was this particular sign.  It reads, of course, “Caution.  Swim at your own risk.”  The water, especially near the boat launch, contained many grasses and plants that normally grow along the bank of such a large lake.  The waves caused by the boats zooming past caused great splashing at times.  It could be very dangerous to attempt to swim in such an environment.  The sign was no-doubt posted to warn of such dangers.

It’s easy to look out over the beautiful waters of life, the radiant sunshine, and the boats and folks zooming past us at all rates of speed and miss the little things.  Had one stepped off into the waters of the lake, that action could have very quickly become disastrous.  Looking only at the big picture, a potential swimmer could miss the dangers of jumping in at the wrong place and under the wrong circumstances.

Now, don’t hear me wrong.  I’m not suggesting we ignore the great beauties before us.  I just think we need to be more aware of the little dangers that lie between us and those great beauties.  We shouldn’t be scared of life and all that “could go wrong,” but we should always be aware of the lurkings of Satan and his little minions.  He would like nothing more than for God’s children to be focused only on the great glories to come and thereby miss the dangers of sin and circumstance in front of our faces.

Warning signs are placed for a reason.  As you head off into the waters of yet another potentially great and beautiful week, just be aware and be prepared with your personal Life Preserver!  Jesus, the One Who walks on water, can certainly take care of you when you wade off into the unknowns.

Just a thought.

Growing Beyond Milk: A Deeper Walk with Christ

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Bible

One of the greatest blessings God gives us as believers is the opportunity to continually grow in our relationship with Him. Faith was never intended to remain shallow or stagnant. The Christian walk is a lifelong journey of learning, refining, maturing, and drawing nearer to the heart of God through His Word. As we spend time in Scripture, we begin to understand not only who God is, but also who He is calling us to become.

Too often, believers can become comfortable with only a basic understanding of Scripture. We may rely on familiar verses, brief devotionals, or what others tell us about God without personally diving deeply into His truth. But the Lord desires more for us. He calls us into deeper study, deeper trust, deeper wisdom, and deeper obedience. Through prayerful study of Scripture, we begin to recognize God’s character more clearly, discern truth more faithfully, and stand more confidently in a world filled with confusion and distraction.

“Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained their senses to distinguish good from evil.” — Hebrews 5:13-14

As you read Scripture, learn to dive into its deeper truths and teachings. See how verses connect with one another, even across generations of authors, revealing the consistency and faithfulness of God’s message throughout time. Recognize not only how Scripture reflects history, but also how it continues to speak into our lives today with wisdom, conviction, encouragement, and truth. The deeper we grow in our understanding of Scripture and the more faithfully we apply it to our daily lives, the closer we grow to Christ and the stronger our trust in Him becomes.

Faith, Freedom, and Remembrance

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flag

Today, on Memorial Day, we pause to honor the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation. Their courage helped preserve the freedoms we cherish, including the liberty to worship, pray, and openly live out our faith.

As we remember those who gave their lives, we also reflect on the truth that true leadership begins with seeking the Lord’s wisdom and guidance. Scripture reminds us in Psalm 33:12, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance.”

May we never take for granted the cost of freedom, and may we honor the memory of our fallen heroes by striving to lead lives marked by faith, gratitude, service, and unity. Today, we remember. Today, we give thanks.