Whitewashed Prophets from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. There are times in the Bible when the LORD asked people to do some pretty crazy things. And there were always some who would, but most wouldn't dream of it. We like to be composed, cool, and pretend to have it all together. No problems to see here my friend... While the LORD likes to jerk that...

Hold the Line from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. I find there is an interesting depth to the LORD and our relationship with Him. When you are young in the LORD and just starting out, it is a bit like a honeymoon. Things are wonderful, exciting! Then after some years together, there is a little less hand-holding and He lets you walk on your own a...

Impossible Math from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. There was a famine in the land during the life of Isaac, and every farmer around knew it. The ground was dry and cracked. The smart move, the safe move, was to pack up and head to Egypt where the food was. But God told Isaac to stay put. Don't run. Sow here, and trust Me.There was a famine...

Unto You from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. When we put ourselves first, everything fractures. The marriage fractures. The friendship fractures. The church fractures. It always ends the same way, with somebody asking the same question the Apostles asked: "Who is the greatest among us?" That question has wrecked more relationships than most...

He Is Alive from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. The Garden It was late Thursday night. Jesus and eleven of His apostles had just left the upper room after the Last Supper. Judas Iscariot, the twelfth, had already slipped out into the dark to collect his thirty pieces of silver from the chief priests. It was the price of a slave. That is what...

His Loving Hands from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. They arrested Jesus at night in the Garden of Gethsemane and ran Him through six stages of a makeshift trial before sunup. First Annas, then Caiaphas, then the Sanhedrin, then Pilate, then Herod, and then Pilate again. It was a long, ugly night, and none of it was fair. The religious leaders...

The Mockingbird from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. There is a bird called the northern mockingbird, the "many-tongued thrush," which can accurately imitate sounds it learns from other birds and some animals. It can sound like a robin, a cardinal, a bluebird, or a sparrow. It can mimic sounds from cats, dogs, frogs, crickets, and other animals,...

The Hiding Place from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. How can you stay safe in a world filled with violence, danger, and contagious diseases? Today, I want to talk about the hiding place. I want to explore the scriptures and see what we can learn from them. Let's start with Psalm 91. (Psalm 91:1-4 NKJV) He who dwells in the secret place of...

Peeling an Onion from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Walking with the Lord over the years is a bit like peeling an onion. He strips away those lifeless outer layers, one by one, until the real you comes to the surface. He wants to get down to the best part, but at the beginning, we don't want to be exposed for who we really are and wish He would...

The Secret Ingredient from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. In the book of Judges, chapter 6, the Angel of the LORD, who was probably Jesus Christ, appeared to Gideon and called him into his future. The enemy always calls you back to your past, but the Lord calls you into your future. He sees your potential when you cannot, well beyond today. (Judges...

The Great Race from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Life on Earth is temporary. The Apostle Peter wrote that the current heavens and Earth are reserved for fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat (2 Peter 3:10-13). Peter speaks of new heavens and a new earth. This one is going in the great recycle bin. It is God's big reset button,...

The Dove and the Peacock from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. The 1600s-era preacher John Bunyan wrote: "There was a man, the world did think him mad, for the more he gave away, the more he had." When our lives become stagnant and we begin to focus on ourselves and our problems, the remedy is not to concentrate on our own satisfaction but on...

When the Storm Comes from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. The Sermon on the Mount was Jesus' longest sermon, spanning chapters 5, 6, and 7 in the book of Matthew. Those three chapters contain the core of His message, and all the words there were spoken by Him. These chapters are wonderful to read, and they include the Beatitudes. Jesus said...

The One in the Mirror from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. One of our biggest obstacles to living an overcoming life is often the one we look at in the mirror. Usually, the last thing that the body wants to do is live a disciplined life. Our flesh would rather feast than fast, but to follow Jesus, we have to make it obey. (Matthew 16:24...

Filled with Wonder from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. The goodness of God can fill you with wonder. I believe wonder is a powerful way to describe what it feels like when the Holy Spirit moves in your life. It can feel almost magical and surreal. At times, you may ask yourself, "Is this really happening?" A real pinch-yourself moment. Wonder...

The Hourglass from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Before we begin, I want to say that this is a very simple message, that everyone should know, but we seem to have forgotten. Keep an open mind and let the Lord speak to you about whether it is right or wrong, but this is what He told me:Picture an hourglass in the shape of your country slowly...

Inspiration from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Inspiration is when a creative idea suddenly downloads into your brain, and it's not an accident. It is for a purpose and may be more important than we think. Let's begin in Jeremiah chapter 1, verse 4: (Jeremiah 1:4-5 NKJV) Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: "Before I formed you...

Flow Through Me from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Today I want to talk about something at the very core of knowing Jesus: the Holy Spirit. This is fundamental, but sometimes we build our doctrines so high that we can no longer see the foundation, even though it is very important that it is still there. Please keep a teachable spirit and...

Fortunate Son from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. The Lord has a beautiful way of taking the least of the least and anointing them for His work. When Jesus Christ, His Son, came to Earth, He could have been born in a palace and slept in a cradle of gold. But He was born in a stable in Bethlehem and lay in a feeding trough. His parents were...

The Ghost of Christmas Past from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. A common tactic of the enemy is to make you focus on your past, and if that doesn't work, then he will try to make you worry about the future. It's a bit like Charles Dickens' Christmas Carol. You cannot change the past, and we don't know what is coming tomorrow, so both of these...

Courageous from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Most Christians tend to understand what the Lord desires because He has written it on our hearts (Hebrews 8:10). We know we should tell the truth, be kind, generous, show mercy, forgive others, defend the weak, comfort the hurting, and love our neighbors. Basically, do unto others as you would have...

God Almighty from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. There is a lot of fear and uncertainty in the world today, and I feel that many are losing their focus by spending too much time listening to the news and too little time listening to the Lord. We must remember that what we feed into our minds will grow, and what we starve will die. Things we focus...

Mission Impossible from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Once upon a time, a shepherd named Moses was watching his father-in-law's sheep near Mount Horeb when the Lord appeared to him in a burning bush. It was not unusual for a dry bush to catch fire in the desert under the blazing sun, but this one didn't burn up. It just kept burning. So eventually,...

Love and Hate from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. (John 11:35) Jesus wept. It is the shortest verse in the Bible, yet it offers a deep glimpse into the compassion Jesus Christ has for people. Today, I want to talk about love, hate, racism, and where the Lord Jesus Christ stands on these issues. I feel that things have become clouded, and...

Seeing the Invisible from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Like the wind, which is invisible yet can move buildings, there is an entire invisible spirit realm that surrounds us. Angels come and go, spirits pass by, poke our defenses, and see if we have any vacancies. "Is there room at the inn for me tonight?" We need to live in light of eternity....

Find Hope in Jesus from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. When I was about 10 years old, I worked in the fields driving a tractor for a nearby farmer. He had a late 1970s Allis-Chalmers, orange in color, and I loved the sound that the diesel engine made. It was the first diesel tractor I had driven; the old 1940s John Deere we had at home ran...

Anointing and Gifts from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. When a talented singer comes to a church who can bring down the house with a five-octave range, people leave amazed and say, "Wow, they are so anointed!" Maybe, maybe not... There is a massive misunderstanding between being gifted and being anointed. The gifts and the calling of God are...

The Dreamer from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. In the book of Genesis, Jacob had twelve sons, but his favorite was Joseph. He made Joseph a robe of many colors that set him apart from his brothers. It was not the garment of a working man, but that of a prince. Joseph's brothers grew envious of him. Then, when Joseph was seventeen, God gave...

Surrendering in Advance from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Many times when we are faced with something intimidating, we just don't want to face it, and we surrender in advance. A weak man can overcome an army if they cower in fear in front of him, even though he would be squashed like a bug if they decided to stand their ground and challenge...

Bacon and Catfish from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. I received a question last week from members who were doing a Bible study and came to Matthew 5:17-20. As I began to draft a response, it grew larger and eventually became a message. So I thought I would share it with you. Let's read the entire passage, then break it down verse by verse: (Matthew...