One Page at a Time from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. It is easy to feel overwhelmed by what you are facing. Sometimes life hands us things that feel too heavy, too much to handle. We are not the first. Let's begin by looking at a little Bible history. The Prophet Jeremiah prophesied for about forty years, warning backslidden Israel that disaster...

He Touched Me from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Leprosy, also called Hansen's disease, is a contagious, infectious disease that wrecked people's lives during the time of Jesus. The effects can range from a rash on the skin to severe deformity. It destroys the nerve system and brings numbness to the extremities as well as to the ears, eyes, and nose....

From Fisherman to Apostle from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. After we are saved, we should begin becoming more like Jesus. This is not an instant transformation, and it requires the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Salvation is merely the beginning; the tip of the iceberg of what is available to you. I will be talking mostly about the life of the Apostle...

The Lack of Knowledge from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. There is a famine today of the knowledge of God and His word. There has always been too much hearsay in the church, people simply repeating what they have heard well-meaning preachers tell them. Sadly, many preachers are propagandists teaching as doctrine the commandments and desires of men....

Soul Anchor from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Hope is called the anchor of our soul, the protector of our mind. Hope is so important in our daily life and overcoming the storms that we all face. Everyone that has committed suicide first lost all hope. Hopelessness is a very dark place to be. The South Carolina motto here is "While I breathe, I hope." I...

Love Mercy from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. I want to share some things that I have learned about walking with God in a sustainable way. I am talking about a long-term lifestyle and what exactly is required to please God. Israel had these same questions thousands of years ago. The priests had burdened the people with religious rituals until they...

Changing Our Minds from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. It can be difficult to break bad habits, or destructive patterns in our life. It requires allowing the Holy Spirit to change our mind. We tend to put on our Christian face and look like we have it all together, but we all have our inner struggles that the Holy Spirit knows about. He wants to help...

Dust on the Bottle from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Something that everyone blessed with a long life will face is growing older. As gray hair begins to come, we can begin to feel less useful, like our time has passed, when it may not have gotten here. While it is true that there is time for changing the guard, there is always a proper place for...

The Mirror from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. You can often pinpoint your own flaws by what you point out in others. I've found that what I hate in people is usually just a mirror of what is inside me.  It’s funny how easy it is to feel better than everyone else while looking down our noses at others. But self-righteousness isn’t a microscope....

The Missing Bread from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. When we face a lack of something, we tend to look inward, asking what “we” can do with our own strength and the provisions we have. We tend to take our eyes off Jesus and soon plummet into a life of chaos filled with emergencies. Soon there is never enough of anything, and it is usually because...

This Magic Moment from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Today is a magical day full of wonder and opportunity. It is the first day of the rest of your life. From this very moment nothing is set in stone. Today doesn't have to be another yesterday. It can be something new, fresh, and beautiful. (Lamentations 3:22-23 NKJV)  Through the LORD’s mercies...

Excellence from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. One thing I have learned about walking with the LORD, is that He does not take shortcuts. He is not lazy. He doesn't half-do things. He does not half-reward us. Instead, I find the LORD goes above and beyond. He is generous, understanding, forgiving, and He is far better to us than we deserve. He blesses...

Laughter Stops When the Rain Starts from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. The LORD is the Key Master, and He will open doors for you that no one can shut. Seek a relationship with Him and the doors that you need will open when the time comes. No one can stop your destiny, except you. You don't have to win anyone's approval or acceptance on this earth,...

The Promised Land from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. In the book of Joshua, the Israelites were gathered together on the bank of the Jordan River. For the last forty years, God had miraculously provided for their every need, and He had done everything for them. He went before them as a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (Exodus 13:21). The...

The Last Word from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Peter, James, and John were fishermen, owned fishing boats, and worked the Sea of Galilee. They were used to hard work, pulling heavy nets, dealing with freezing or steaming temperatures, and sudden storms sweeping down on them.   The Sea of Galilee, where they earned their living, is famous...

Just Another Day from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. There was a man in the book of Acts who was born crippled. He had never walked a day in his life. He never knew what it felt like to take a step. He didn’t know the grit of gravel under a sandal or the strain of climbing a hill. For over forty years, his life had been measured in begging cups and...

The Eagle and the Crow from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Eagles are such majestic birds, sometimes with a wingspan of up to eight feet. They can hit 70-80 mph when they mean business, and glide at a steady 40. Eagles have been tracked at 20,000 feet over the Rocky Mountains — so high the air becomes thin, and the ground is a distant memory. When...

Between the Call and the Crown from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. David began as a young shepherd boy tending his father's sheep, until he was anointed by the Prophet Samuel when he was around twelve to fifteen years old. Then he challenged the giant Goliath and served as a musician in King Saul's court for three to five years. This age range...

Empty Jars from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. There is a story in 2 Kings where a widow had two sons. Her husband had died and a creditor was coming to take her sons to be his indentured servants. That's pretty horrifying debt-collection, but you couldn't declare "bankruptcy" in Israel. So the widow went to the Prophet Elisha for help. (2 Kings 4:1-4...

Acts of Kindness from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. When you do what the Lord asks with the right attitude, it always brings a reward. God is really good with numbers, and He always pays His debts. Now, we don't earn our salvation. We are saved by grace alone, and it is a free gift if we choose to accept it (Ephesians 2:8). Not everyone does. What...

A Prophet Without Honor from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. We can read the Bible and feel like Jesus had an automatic win button in every circumstance. Storms, disease, demons, even death obeyed His words, but there was one thing on Earth that did not: people. Today I am going to talk about rejection, especially in your calling, your spiritual gifts,...

Gnats and Camels from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. (Matthew 23:24 NKJV) "Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!" There came a time when Jesus stopped talking to the hardened Scribes and Pharisees, and began to warn others to not be like them. "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees." The opponents of Jesus were abandoned just like...

Copperhead Road from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. We were tearing out the floor to replace some of the joists and the sub-flooring in 90-degree heat with 90% humidity. It was the kind of day where your clothes cling to you before you even start working. It would rain just enough to wet the ground, then the sun would come back out and steam everything...

Upside Down from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. The last night Jesus was with the apostles in the upper room, He taught them one of the most important things of all: the way up in the Kingdom of God is down. The greatest among you will be the servant (Matthew 23:11). Jesus knew what was coming. He knew it was their last meal together, and He used...

Hidden Away from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. God tends to hide His chosen ones away until it is time to bring them out. He will keep them out of the spotlight for a season and let them mature like a bottle of fine aged wine. The bottle may be dusty and sitting on a shelf  a long time before the day comes for it to be shared. He did this with...

Chains of Clarity from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. King Hezekiah became deathly ill and the Prophet Isaiah came to see him. Isaiah told the King to "put his house in order for he would soon die." So Hezekiah wept and prayed to the LORD, and the LORD had compassion on Hezekiah. The LORD sent Isaiah back to tell him that He would add fifteen years...

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...