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This Week’s Thought

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Crab

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

We walked along the cold wet sand enjoying the breeze.  Daughter was in search of small shells to incorporate into some jewelry she enjoys creating, so our eyes were on the sand.  We walked, carefully examining the area around our every step.  That’s when I spotted this.

An empty crab shell.  A crab had once lived in this abandoned place.  The shell had protected the animal from dangers in its life.  That shell, because of its distinct shape and size automatically told us that it had once belonged to a crab.  It was all so obvious.

Some days we aimlessly wander through life.  We are busy with daily responsibilities and so many other things that require our time and attention.  We are doing great and wonderful things.  We are witnessing for the Lord as we walk along.  But are we really involved in all that?  Or are we merely recognized by others because of our shell?

The shell – the outer appearance.  That’s what conveys to the world that we are who we claim to be.  We look like a Christian, speak like a Christian, act like a Christian, therefore we must be a Christian.  Right?  Not necessarily!

Yes, the crab’s shell once belonged to a crab.  That is undeniable.  But when the day comes that our journey on life’s sea is done, our shell has washed up on the shore, and others walk by and observe the place where we lay, will they be able to say without a doubt that we were once a Christian?

May our shell speak for itself.  What do others see?

Just a thought.

Weekly Inspirational

Posted on by Horizon Professional Services
children running crazy


Life has a way of filling our days with responsibilities, deadlines, and constant movement, often leaving us feeling stretched and distracted. Yet even in the busiest seasons, there is an invitation to slow our hearts and rediscover joy. Not in the absence of activity, but in the presence of God within it.

True joy is not dependent on a quiet schedule or perfect circumstances; it is rooted in abiding with Him wherever we are.

As Psalm 16:11 reminds us, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

This means that joy is not something we chase once life settles down, but something we can experience right in the middle of the noise and motion. When we intentionally turn our thoughts toward Him, we begin to recognize that His presence is constant and sustaining. The more we practice this awareness, the more peace and joy begin to rise above the busyness.

This week, let your goal not be to escape the busy moments, but to invite God into them, trusting that His presence will carry you and fill your days with a deeper, lasting joy.

This Week’s Thought

Posted on by Horizon Professional Services
Dog

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

I’ve introduced you to Granddog previously.  He recently spent several days with us while his parents were on a well-deserved vacation trip.  He is no trouble.  He lets us know when he needs to go outside.  He knows what time is supper time, and he responds quite energetically to the question, “Are you hungry?”  He also knows when it’s bedtime and eagerly trots off to find his comfy spot for the night.

I suppose it’s the “lab” in him that makes him so very curious.  When he and I head outdoors for his bathroom trips, I may have him on a long leash, but his attention is fixed anywhere but on me.  He puts new meaning to the exclamation “squirrel!” and will about jerk by arm out of socket taking off after one.  He sniffs every flower or weed.  He watches the birds, and he is amazed by those larger-than-life-to-him cows and horses.  His eyes are on everything, it seems, except the mission at hand.

But, when he and I are back inside the house, the distractions are all but gone, and his every attention is focused on me, what I’m doing, and where I’m going.  You see his gaze fixed on me here as I sat in the chair near him.

A simple little verse in Proverbs (4:25) says this, “Let your eyes look directly ahead and let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you.”  Granddog certainly has this down pat.  But what does the verse mean for us?  Simply put, if my eyes are looking directly ahead and fixed on the Father, then the ever-abundant distractions of life will fade away.  When I focus my gaze on Him, watch what He is doing, and where He is going, then I have no excuse but to see and do what I should.

In the busy-ness of life, may our eyes be as fixed upon the Lord as Granddog’s have been on me!

Just a thought.

This Week’s Thought

Posted on by Horizon Professional Services
Lizard

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

I was minding my own business doing first one thing and then another when I spotted this little fellow.  And I guess I should state that I actually don’t know if it was a fellow or a gal, but for the sake of argument, it will be a “he” today.  He was there in a sunny spot, apparently a warm floorboard, in front of the large window.  I passed by, hands full of things, and thought to myself, “I’ll deal with him later if he’s still there when I come back through.”

It was later when I thought about the little lizard again as I walked through the room where he previously had been.  I looked for him, and there was, in the exact same location, in the exact same position, as I had seen him earlier.  And that’s when I thought, “Oh, the little fellow died there in the sunshine.”  So I went after the broom and dustpan, returned to the scene, and proceeded to clean up the dead body.

You may guess what happened next.  I touched him.  Then I was as startled as he was when he quickly jumped sideways before scurrying off underneath a piece of nearby furniture.  I never saw him again, and for all I know, he may have escaped the confines of our home and found himself another place to dwell.

I thought he was dead.  He had sat still for so long, unmoving and uncaring, comfortable and complacent.  Because he had not moved, I thought he was dead.

When the Lord looks down upon His creatures this week, will He catch us working for Him, serving Him by serving others, ministering to those around us, lending a helping hand, and otherwise doing the Lord’s work?  Or, will He see our seemingly-lifeless bodies stretched out in the sunshine waiting for anyone else to do His work?

Somedays we would rather not be bothered.  Somedays we are tired.  That is fully understandable.  But the moment the Master looks upon His critters down here and sees our pitiful lazy selves doing nothing to help anyone anywhere, will He go fetch the broom and dustpan to get us out of His way?

Get busy.  Enjoy the sunshine, yes.  But scurry off and be about the Father’s business this week!  Don’t let anyone assume you’ve died and given up your duties.

Just a thought.

This Week’s Thought

Posted on by Horizon Professional Services
NOLA

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

HOWEVER, before I share that thought, I’d like to say this.  My good friend David Hatcher, over these nearly twenty years, has faithfully shared these ‘thoughts’ with countless others via email.  He began this of his own accord, and I have always been grateful to David for helping me share some good with our world.  David met Jesus face to face this past Saturday morning.  And while I rejoice for him, I would also love your help in reconnecting with the many with whom he had been sharing by email.  If you or someone you know was one of those blessed individuals, please send me your email address to be added directly to my list.  And keep David’s family in your prayers.  Funeral arrangements are set for Thurs. March 12 at Cuba Baptist Church.  Visitation at 10am and service to begin at 11am.  Burial will follow in the Clay Memorial Cemetery.

Now, a brief ‘thought’ for you.  The photo I’ve attached is one I took a few years ago while we were in New Orleans for a few days.  I got out one morning and walked several blocks up and down in the French Quarter and around Jackson Square.  What I want you to see is how basically deserted it looks and how clean the streets are first thing in the morning.  Workers have been busy clearing out the trash and washing off the streets and sidewalks from the hustle and bustle of the previous evening.

A place that some have described as “Hell on Earth,” New Orleans does have some particular reputations.  To experience New Orleans in the evening is quite different than experiencing New Orleans first thing in the morning.  It almost seems like two different places.  Alas, it is the same place, but with two different faces.

I pray that none of us live that way.  Is the person that others see in you first thing each day the same person they see in you in the evening, and vice versa?  Are you consistent in your love for the Lord, witness for the Lord, and life lived for the Lord?  Would the world look at us one evening and not wish to see us the next day?  

Yes, life requires washing up and cleaning up the trash on a daily basis.  But, believe me, it’s worth it.  New Orleans, despite the troubles therein, can be a beautiful place.  I believe that also applies to us.  What side of you will the world see this week?

Just a thought.

Weekly Inspiration: God Is Still in Control

Posted on by Horizon Professional Services
Bible

By Ryan Kelly –

This week I found myself revisiting an old song that I had not listened to in quite some time, God Is in Control by Twila Paris. The moment the lyrics started, I was reminded how powerful the message is. Sometimes songs we have known for years suddenly speak to us in a new way depending on the season we are in. This week, that song felt less like music and more like a reminder God intended for me to hear.

Life has a way of filling our days with uncertainty, responsibility, and decisions that feel bigger than we are. In seasons where the path forward seems unclear, it is easy to fall into the habit of believing that everything depends on our own ability to manage it all. But listening to those lyrics again reminded me of a truth that is both simple and profound: God never relinquishes His authority over our circumstances. Even when we feel overwhelmed or unsure, He has not stepped away from the story He is writing.

Right now, I believe I am in a season where God is gently reminding me to let go of the illusion of control. Not in a way that removes responsibility, but in a way that restores perspective. The burdens we carry were never meant to rest entirely on our shoulders. Faith means trusting that even when the road ahead feels uncertain, the One who sees the end from the beginning is still guiding every step.

The message of that song echoes something scripture reminds us again and again: God’s sovereignty does not waver based on our circumstances. When things feel chaotic, He is still steady. When we feel unsure, He is still certain. When we feel like we are holding everything together, He quietly reminds us that He has been doing that all along.

This week, that reminder has brought a sense of peace that only comes from surrendering control back to the One who truly holds it. Sometimes the most faithful thing we can do is simply trust that God is already working in ways we cannot yet see.

And if this season is teaching me anything, it is this:

God is still in control. Always has been. Always will be.

This Week’s Thought

Posted on by Horizon Professional Services
Truck

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

I knew the old truck had issues.  It is several years old, has many miles on it, and has its own little quirks.  But, it is mine, it is paid for, and it still runs.  Or, at least it did.

Daughter and Hubby had borrowed the truck, and Wife and I went to get it and bring it home, making sure we left their house in broad daylight, just in case.  Well, only three short miles from the kids’ house, with me behind the wheel, it lurched, jerked, and shut off.  I’d made it to top of a hill, then carefully coasted off the side of the road into a mud-hole of a place that seemed to have been waiting just for me and whomever came along.  Quickly I called Wife, who had been not too far ahead of me.  And there on the side of an extremely busy highway curve in afternoon traffic we stood, along with Daughter and jumper cables and her Hubby’s Uncle who had seen us and circled back to lend aid.

We fiddled with this and that, then tried some of that and the other.  We called a friend, who suggested another who called another, and tow truck came to our rescue.  As I am writing this, the incident I’ve just described took place a couple of days ago.  I have more calls to make to tow shop and garage to line up who can do what when.

The Lord, no doubt at all, is always looking out for His children.  I knew truck had its issues, but it hadn’t been causing any great problems.  Daughter had used it a few times for very recent one-way hour-long trips with no problems.  As we left the house that morning to go after the truck, I instinctively turned on our carport light.  We were to be home well before dark, but God knew otherwise and certainly is the reason I flipped on that light switch.

God knew truck was about to pitch a fit, but took care of Daughter and her Hubby so that it ran perfectly for them, and saw to it that I was the one driving it when it quit.  God let me travel only three miles from the kids’ home before the machine stopped.  God orchestrated the straight stretch of mud hole along the side of the road that was plenty wide enough and long enough for all three of our vehicles and the tow truck to get out of traffic.  And God saw to it that the sun was still shining while all this took place just inches from maniacal drivers who were apparently off to the races for the afternoon.

Not sure what comes next for the truck, except that I know Who has His hand on the steering wheel!  And I’m oh so very thankful.  We stood beside that muddy stretch of roadside and laughed about God’s sense of humor and timing in it all.  What a wonderful God we serve.

Is He holding your steering wheel as you drive off into the week ahead?  I’m certainly glad He has a hold on mine!

Just a thought.

This Week’s Thought

Posted on by Horizon Professional Services
Fog

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

Very recently, I was driving my car down the highway, literally praying as I went that nothing or no one appeared in front of me.  The fog was so thick I could barely see the lines on the road.  I simply had to trust that I would get where I was going.

From time to time, my wife and I travel by airplane.  I snapped this photo from my window seat on one such flight.  The clouds were so thick in the air surrounding our plane that I was certainly thankful I wasn’t the one having to pilot that very large machine.  It was indeed an eerie scene from inside the plane, but we merely had to trust that the pilots and their equipment would get us safely where we were going.

Do you ever step out of the house on Monday morning, or maybe just get out of the bed on any given morning of the week, and you can’t see the end of the week for the “fog” in your mind?  Your calendar is full.  Your days are chaotic.  Perhaps you have the demands of family, employment, and even church weighing heavily upon you, and you have no idea how you’ll accomplish all you need to accomplish.  You can barely see the proverbial lines beside you or the end of the airplane wing because of the thick cloud of uncertainty, unpleasantries, and perhaps even fear that surround you.  You briefly enter panic mode.

But, you must remember that God is in control!  Have you ever seen one of those bumper stickers that says, “God is my co-pilot?”  Well, that’s a very dangerous statement!  If God is the co-pilot, then it means you are the pilot!  You best switch seats to avoid impending disaster!

Trust the Lord to pilot you, lead you, guide you, carry you, and protect you through the foggy cloudy days of uncertainty in today’s world.  For the Christian, we have a guarantee of arriving safely at our final destination!

Just a thought,

This Week’s Thought

Posted on by Horizon Professional Services
water photo

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

This painting is done as a large mural on a wall just to the side of the main walking path on the riverwalk in downtown Oklahoma City.  As we walked a few streets over for supper one night, we paused to watch it for a moment.  One would not normally “watch” a painting.  However, this painting was done to accentuate the existing water draining along the canal.  The water is meant to look as if it is flowing directly from the jars in the hands of those women.

The Bible tells us that Jesus is the living water.  We read the story of how He met the woman at the well and offered her the Living Water.  We understand that water means life.  Without water, we would surely die.  Doesn’t it make sense that without Jesus, we surely die?  We must come to Him for the Living Water.

One interesting thing about that water is that it is offered to us freely.  It continuously flows.  It is being poured out for us.  It is always available.  Free for the consumption.  — If only we stop and drink.

You may feel as if your week, or even life in general, has drained you dry.  Even as a Christian we have those days.  But the good news (The Good News) is that He is ready to quench our thirst if only we pause to receive a drink.

Water.  Life-giving water.  Flowing freely for all who come to it.

Why are you wasting your time walking around dry?  And just as importantly, why aren’t you offering a drink of that Water to anyone else?

Just a thought.

This Week’s Thought

Posted on by Horizon Professional Services
rest

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

We arrived first thing that morning at the dock in Ketchikan, Alaska.  Ketchikan is known both as ‘Alaska’s first city’ and as the ‘salmon capital of the world.’  As a matter of fact, the ship had a few tense minutes wait for some random fishing boats who meandered entirely too close as the ship attempted to near the dock.

We eagerly awaited our time to disembark the ship and spend the day exploring the city on foot.  We did just that, too.  We walked along the water, went shopping, ate an amazing meal, admired many hundreds of different beautiful flower beds and arrangements, and enjoyed the great weather.  We walked here, we walked there, we walked everywhere we went.  Then, as time began to near for us to settle aboard the ship, we did just that, beat most of the heavy crowds, walked back and went straight up to our cabin where we kicked off our shoes and rested our weary feet.

Because we remained at the dock for a little while and the town was bustling below, I chose to sit on our balcony, prop up my feet, and read a book I’d not had a chance to begin, one by my friend and wonderful storyteller Sean Dietrich.  I greatly enjoyed those quite moments reading and people watching at several times on our trip.

Life is busy.  I don’t have to tell you that.  Many of us have jobs, schedules, calendars, events, meetings, activities, and family responsibilities that keep us busy most waking hours.  That isn’t necessarily a complaint or a bad thing.  It’s just the truth.  We run throughout the days and weeks going here, going there, and squeezing in yet another something at which we must show up and appear to be on top of our game.  We desperately need to stop, prop up our feet, and focus on other things.

Maybe we need to do just as I did and take a break from it all.  Even from my perspective on the balcony, I could see that the world remained busy, people were still going about their business, things didn’t stop or cease to exist simply because I chose to take a break for myself and my sanity.

Oh, that we each could learn to do that very thing.  The thing is, the world will continue to operate without us running ragged thinking we are the ones who have to keep it going.  The Bible reminds us, as I’m sure I have repeated from time to time, to “be still and know that I am God.”  Be still.  Be still.  Be still.  And in that stillness that certainly can exist even with the world bustling around us and below us, know that He is God, He is in control, and He is all you need.

Just a thought.