By Ryan Kelly –

Maybe it’s my Southern upbringing, but I feel that fellowshipping with friends and family over food is such a great opportunity for connection. Lunch in particular invites a welcomed midday break where two or more people can connect in a meaningful way.

I encourage everyone to seek after opportunities to catch-up with friends or family, or perhaps to get to know someone with whom you don’t yet have a relationship. I have found lunch meetings to be a great way to do this. It is a low pressure, high reward way to grow a deeper relationship with someone and also enjoy some good food in the process! Take a moment this week to find a day that is open and ask someone to lunch. You’ll be glad that you did.

“Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.” Romans 12:13

By Ryan Kelly –

Let’s face it, life is busy. When you ask someone “how are you doing,” they will often reply to you something along the lines of “doing great, just busy.” Or maybe they will go on and on about work, kids’ activities, school projects, problems, etc. You may do the same…perhaps even in a subconscious game of outdoing the other person’s busyness. Because after all, this is the norm of our society today.

I’m not going to be one to suggest that we shouldn’t be busy, because such is life for most of us and it does not have to be a bad thing. But what I do want to stress is that God did not create us to be busy all of the time. First, he gave us a day of rest that far too many of us overlook. The Sabbath is there for a reason, so that we can rest from work and celebrate the Lord. But even aside from the Sabbath, we need to find ways to take little breaks throughout the day and enjoy the moment far more than we do.

There are so many opportunities to enjoy the little moments of the day. Here are a few suggestions, in no particular order:
1. Look up and see the sun, the clouds, the birds, and the sky while feeling a cool breeze blowing and the glow of the sun hitting your skin.
2. Play with your kids and think of how amazing it is to have a life in front of you that enjoys your company.
3. Enjoy time with others and strive to form deeper, lasting conversation.
4. Savor bites of food and focus on the different tastes, all the while being thankful for the nutrition and flavor that you get to enjoy.
5. Close your eyes for a moment, stretch your arms, and just live in the peaceful calm of the moment.
6. Find a fun game to play, even a quick one, and allow your mind to relax.
7. Sit in silent reflection and walk through your day in your mind, thinking of the good things that have taken place and the opportunities still to come.
8. Treat yourself to a lunch or a snack.
9. Take a few minutes and read a chapter of your favorite book of the Bible.
10. Sit in silent prayer and thank the Lord for each little moment that He gives us.

There is an unlimited number of things that we can do to enjoy little moments in the day. This list are just a few examples that came to mind and some that I try to enact in my own life. No matter how you enjoy the little moments that the Lord gives us, just be sure to do it frequently. It is good for your heart and your spirit.

“So I commend the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 8:15

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

It’s a crazy world.  Folks are nuts.  From neighbors to political parties, we are seeing people come unglued.  Be it in the church family or outside of that realm, instead of denying self and taking up their daily cross, people are denying the cross and doing anything possible to boost and elevate themselves.  

In those first few sentences, I have told you absolutely nothing you didn’t already know.  You are quite familiar with it all.  From where you stand, either party or candidate might be the best, or might be the worst.  From where you stand, the church is building up the community, or it is heavily involved in false prophecy and is bringing the community (and us) down with it.  From where you stand, your perspective as a Christian should be no different than mine, in that people are sinners, and God is the great forgiver!  But it depends on where you stand.

All you have to do is look at my picture this week, and you will know exactly where in this big world I was standing at the time.  Yep, I was on the corner of both famed travel avenues – Wall Street and Broadway – in New York City.  Wall Street is known primarily for the stock market activity that takes place there.  Broadway is primarily known for the arts and performances that take place there.  When you think about it, the two streets are not that different.  It just depends on where you stand.

Let me tell you that standing still anywhere in New York City is quite the challenge with all the hustle and bustle of the crowds at any given moment of time.  Probably you are standing somewhere today that isn’t quite like that particular spot.  However, you are still overwhelmed by the noise, by the crowds, by the people, by the opinions, the problems, the number of directions you can go from there, the ones that might (or might not) follow you if you went, or even the trail you will leave behind

Yes, the world is nuts.  But we are a part of this world.  And the difference you can make as a Christian in this life, the challenges you may face as a hurting human being, the overwhelming thoughts and burdens that are on your mind at this very moment in time, may all be made different depending on where you stand.

Stand with Jesus.  Stand for Jesus.  What’s happening in your life this week?  It ALL depends on where you stand.

Just a thought.

By Ryan Kelly –

This is a special week for our family, as my son is representing the State of Mississippi in the DYB World Series in Bossier City, Louisiana. He has been playing baseball since he was 3, and he has grown into a fantastic player with a big bat and an exceptional arm. His All-Star team this year is what we dub the “Dream Team,” where it consists of the best players in our area who are all focused on one mission, to win.

As of my writing, tomorrow they will play in the championship game against Texas. Why am I telling you this you may ask? It is because of the journey that we have recently been on with my son and his hitting. I know that some may scoff at the idea of praying for a game, but I can tell you that we have been praying fervently for his hitting since he hit a massive slump in late spring. He went 0-15 from the end of May through early July…which is the largest slump of his life by far. His confidence was down, he was doubting himself, and he grew both frustrated and discouraged. It was a truly sad time.

Does this sound familiar to anyone by chance? Life can sometimes erupt into a series of perceived failures to the point where we question everything that we do. It is a horrible “slump” that can affect us all in life.

So how did we help our son to get out of his slump? With tremendous amounts of prayer and a heart to see the greater picture of what is going on. We focused not on mechanics or practice, but on our prayer life and our reliance on the Lord to work through him as the Lord saw fit. We placed this burden on the Lord and not on our own shoulders. I remember the feeling that I had when we were down by one run with two men on base, and my son with two strikes his a blistering double off of the left field wall to score both runs and allow us to take the lead, which eventually led to a State Championship. Since then, he has batted over .800 and is the hottest hitter on the team.

Was this success his own doing? In my view, absolutely not. It was the Lord working through him and with him for a greater purpose. My job as a father now is not to celebrate, but to praise the Lord with thankfulness in humility, and to show my son to do the same. We have grown much closer to the Lord during this time, and I can only wonder if this slump was used by God to do this for us. If that is the case, I am truly thankful. In all things, I am thankful. And no matter how the game turns out tomorrow, we as a family will be thankful…for so many things.

The Lord is good and He loves us. If you are in a slump right now and are struggling to dig out, remember to dig out on your knees in prayer by placing your concerns and burdens on the Lord. He will help you like no other, and praise be to the Lord who loves His children.

“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” Colossians 4:2

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

Guilford, Vermont, is a very picturesque little village.  We drove around a little, admiring the beautiful scenery, the colorful flowers, and the awesome old homes, barns and other structures along the roadways.

The general store provided a place for us to stretch our legs a few minutes, admire the homemade jellies, jams, and candles on display near the small cafe in the corner.  I was tempted to purchase a few of the chocolate chip cookies.  The sign said “small” cookies $1.00, and “large” cookies $3.00.  The only cookies I saw were at least as big around as a softball.  So I asked the gentleman behind the counter if there were any of the small cookies left.  He told me I was looking at them.  The “large” cookies were in the case just below and were about as big around as my head!

Leaving temptation behind, we crossed the highway and took the other main road up the hill and around several curves before arriving at this beautiful covered bridge.  Just off to the right was a water fall.  Ladies in the front yard of the huge old home nearby were preparing for what we assumed to be a wedding reception or some such grand event.  We walked over the bridge, admiring the structure itself but mostly the scenery all around it.  God outdid Himself there.

And even with all the beauty of everything we saw while there, what I see most now from my picture is this.  That bridge covered the old dirt road.  It made a safe passageway for travelers to cross.  It provided shade for our walk across it, and it allowed us some rest and respite from the heat of the day.  It allowed us some time to reflect and enjoy the goodness of God.  We were covered there.

You and I are probably not much different in our daily lives, circumstances, and responsibilities.  We each need rest, refuge, and rejuvenation from the world around us.  God provides the coverage we need.  His loving arms can hold you tighter than any human hug you could imagine.  And if you think His nature is beautiful, just think on How beautiful He and His loving care are.  Yes, the world is tough.  Yes, it may be a rough week.  But, yes, also, He promises His children all the coverage we need.

Take advantage of His coverage this week.  And invite someone else to experience it with you.

Just a thought.

By Ryan Kelly –

I myself love sport. I grew up playing sports, I have children who compete in sports now, and my family and I enjoy watching sports both live and over television. I believe that sport is a fantastic way to build teamwork, let loose energy in a constructive way, and to learn to complete in a healthy manner that can translate into all aspects of life. Sport is truly wonderful in my opinion.

The ancient Greek’s agreed with this philosophy, having established the Olympic games in 776 BC as a way to set aside political differences and allow athletes who represented different nations to complete in a friendly manner without the need for war or political unrest. The goal of the Olympics was peace and unity. The ancient Olympics ended in 393 AD and was re-established in 1894 under these same ideas of peace and unity.

Fast forward to today, one can visit the official Olympics website and find the goal of the games to be much the same. The goal reads as follows: “The goal of the Olympic Movement is to contribute to building a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport practiced without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.”

Without being long winded, let’s dissect a few elements. First, “build a peaceful and better world”. Is it more peaceful to make fun of the world’s most historic and largest religion in the opening ceremonies in a wildly innappropriate and offensive manner? Next, “without discrimination of any kind” and “a spirit of…fair play.” Who exactly gets to define what discrimination is? Who decides what is fair play? Is it the athletes, the collective voices of the nations competing, the government of the host nation, or the Olympics committee?

I absolutely agree with the goals and ambition of the Olympics, and I applaud our many athletes for representing the US in these games as well as all athletes throughout the world. But from all that I have seen from the promotional side of the Olympic games, they have fallen far short of the goal of unity and peace. Rather, I would say they just lobbed metaphorical bombs of intolerance and hate all over the world under the banner of “tolerance and human rights.” In a word…wokeism.

Moving forward, I would like to see politics completely removed from the Olympics as it was originally intended. Athletes can share their beliefs lovingly with one another and create bonds across the world, and we as fans can watch and support our nations without being ostracized and offended. But if this is not the case and we’re going to start being political and controversial with each session of the games, then I look forward to lobbying for the next Olympics to celebrate Jesus Christ as the savior of the world who conquered death for all that believe and worship in Him. We’ll then see what is more effective…a bunch of men in drag making fun of the Last Supper, or a celebration of the Lord God who created the universe and who deeply loves all of His people. For the sake of moving hearts and saving souls, I’d put my emphasis on the latter.

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

Before this summer’s trip to New England, we made a very tentative list of some things we thought might be interesting to see or do along the way.  Some of those places were simply of some interest to us, some just because we’d be close, and some were historical places we might not see again.  One of those such places I wanted to see was Plymouth Harbor and the Plymouth Rock.

Now, if you pep yourself up, expecting to see something extraordinary, grand, unbelievable, and huge, then you might be disappointed.  I knew Plymouth Rock was just a rock that marked the spot where the pilgrims landed so many years ago on the Mayflower.  And just a rock it is.

Granted, that rock has been surrounded by a large ornate structure of columns and a roof.  Iron fencing surrounds the rock itself.  As Momma would say, “You may look, but you can’t touch.”

It’s just a rock.  But that rock represents so much more.  It represents a new world.  It stands for freedom OF religion, not FROM it.  It stands for struggles and hardships – both those left behind and those to come.  That rock represents life itself where so many people had wondered if they would ever really have one.

You and I have friends who question why we bother to attend church.  They say it’s just a building.  It’s just a place filled with messed up people.  It’s just some place else to have to go when their week is already so full of other things.  I’m here to tell you that it’s so much more than that.

The church is a place where hurting people have traveled in order to get away from the terrible world, if but for a little while.  The church is a structure meant not to keep us away, but to have a safe place to gather.  The church is a place where we have the freedom to worship as we please.  It’s where we bring our hardships and our struggles, leave them at the altar, and re-boost our courage and strength to wear the armor of God and face the struggles and hardships of the week ahead.  It’s place we all need to go.

You can avoid the church if that’s what you really want.  Or, you can go, but with the attitude that you’ll be disappointed.  And that may be exactly what will happen.  The church, as so many have said, is not meant to be a museum for the saints, but a hospital for the sinners.  We are all broken, just like that big famous Plymouth Rock, with the glue and repairs of the Master to hold us back together.  And like that rock at Plymouth Harbor, we children of God have been marked by His hand and surrounded by His loving care.

As you plan the activities and journeys of your week ahead.  I pray your road takes you to the church house – the one built upon the Rock.  You’ll be glad you experienced it for yourself.

Just a thought.

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

Those of you who read these for the photos may be slightly disappointed in this one.  But let me explain.  Although the picture makes it somewhat difficult to discern what city it is, I know because I took the photo.  It belongs to me, I have studied it, and I remember having been there.  It’s a fascinating place.  Trust me.

I snapped several pictures, actually, as youngest daughter and I rode in our Amtrak seats, having just left Penn Station following a full day of walking in New York City.  The train rattled along, and we took advantage of those first few minutes to take in the horizon, trying our best to pinpoint familiar landmarks.  I’ve numbered two of them for you in the picture.

Way to the back of the photo are Number 1, on the left, and Number 2, on the right.  The building I’ve labeled as Number 1 is the newest World Trade Center.  It was amazing to see.  The 9/11 Memorials are also a breath-taking experience.  If you walk the three miles in distance toward what I have labeled as Number 2, you will arrive at the Empire State Building, also an impressive place to see and visit.  Oddly enough, driving around the streets of the city brings the distance between the two places to nearly six and a half miles.

Those 2 very tall buildings look incredibly tiny in the photo.  You must zoom in, look closely, and study the picture in order to identify those landmarks.

I wonder how many times we tote our Bibles around, leave them laying on a nearby table, thumb through the pages for a daily devotional time, and even read or perhaps memorize a verse or two, and yet we never really zoom in and study what’s deep inside.

It is an impossible task to take in everything in New York City in one day, but we crammed in as much as we possibly could, even snapping these photos as the Big Apple disappeared from our sight.  

As you travel through the Scriptures this week, whether in your private study time or in corporate worship or group Bible study discussion, take the time to really look into the Word.  Very likely, there are some big things way down inside that you will miss if you simply scan over the verses.  Zoom in, study it, visit those places in God’s Word, and take in as much as you possibly can.

Study, look, the answers to your questions and concerns are in there.  Trust me.

Just a thought.

By Ryan Kelly –

On July 30, 1956, Congress passed a resolution declaring ‘IN GOD WE TRUST’ as the new the national motto of the United States. This replaced E pluribus unum, a Latin phrase meaning “out of many, one” as the national motto.

Today, I believe we take for granted the reasoning for this motto and the purpose behind it. Remember, in 1956 the US had recently won World War II and was on a moral high. Soldiers returned from a brutal war, and the nation had placed its faith in the Lord as much as ever during a very dark time. Much like the Israelites after a victory during the time of the Judges, the US was in a great place due to the Lord’s favor.

Congress declared this motto in part from Psalm 91:

“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress,
    my God, in whom I trust.’”

It is amazing that our nation adopted such a powerful scripture as the motto for all Americans to live by. God’s hand was on our country, and you can clearly see the result of this faithfulness that we have seen. However, unfortunately through all of the growth and success, people have lost sight of the reason behind the success. Much like the Israelites during the time of Judges, we have ventured away from the core of our nation’s faith through every passing generation. We are now in a position where less than half of our nation professes to have faith in Jesus Christ, and almost certainly a smaller portion than this truly places Jesus as the Lord of their life.

Our nation MUST return to trusting in the Lord for our salvation. We must not lean on politicians, on the military, and certainly not on money. The God that we serve controls these things, uses these things, and can easily take these things away. Our faith must not be in human hands but on the things of the Lord. His protection and His might are all that we need to sustain us. When we truly turn the nation back to the Lord and place our collective faith in Him, only then we will return to the spiritual peace in which we all search.