Happy Friday!!! This is a great new song from my favorites… Newsboys and Toby Mac. I used to love going to Newsboys and DC Talk concerts back in the day and here is a mini-reunion. Watch the video, meditate on the lyrics, and enjoy!
Who will I be When trouble comes callin’ for me? Will I live the way I believe When I’m backed up against the wall?
What kind of heart do I have in my chest? Does it beat for my Savior or just for my flesh? What will I do in the moment that everything falls?
I’m gonna stand in a world that’s breaking Stand for a truth unchanging I’m not ashamed I’ve considered the cost I’ll stand right here at the foot of the cross, and stand They can call me a fool Or stubborn for following You For trusting without any proof But I’ve seen you here through it all
So what kind of person do I wanna be Am I committed to you or Committed to me? What will I chooose the second that everything falls?
I’m gonna stand in a world that’s breaking Stand for a truth unchangin’ I’m not ashamed, I’ve considered the cost I’ll stand right here at the Foot of the cross, and stand (stand) (Stand)
I’m not ashamed, I’ve considered the cost I’ll stand right here at the foot of the cross And stand up for the one who gave everything
Stand up because You deserve all of me I won’t give up, I won’t give in, and if it takes all I am
I’m gonna stand in a world that’s breaking Stand for a truth unchangin’ I’m not ashamed, I’ve considered the cost
I’ll stand right here at the foot of the cross, and
Stand Jesus help me stand (stand) I’m not ashamed, I’ve considered the cost (not ashamed) I’ll stand right here at the foot of the cross And stand
Welcome back to another edition of the Refill with Randy blog. My name once again is Dave Good. I pray that the message God has imprinted on my heart will be a blessing to you.
Today, I’d like to talk about miracles. The first question I have to ask is, “Do you believe in miracles? “ I hope your answer is yes! I am a big believer in miracles. I have seen God do some amazing things. I’ve seen family members healed, I’ve seen people set free from addictions and bondage, I’ve seen money and blessings from out of nowhere. These are just a few examples of the many ways God has touched my life and the love ones around me. Now you may be sitting there thinking to yourself “That’s all good but how do you explain a miracle?”
I’m glad you asked that question. A miracle, according to the dictionary, is an event that appears inexplicable by the laws of nature and so is held to be supernatural in origin or an act of God.
A miracle simply put is something you really can’t explain. It can only be explained as an act of God.
I’d like for you to let that definition soak in for a minute and take a moment to think back at a time in your life when something happened that you really can’t explain. Maybe it’s surviving an accident that you don’t know how you did. Maybe it’s landing a job which you weren’t really qualified for. Maybe it’s a check in the mail that you weren’t expecting which came at just the right time so that you could keep the lights on. My friends this is a short list but they are all examples of what I would consider a miracle. I’m telling you right now, we have all experienced a miracle at one time or another.
Just writing this has caused a flood of miracles to rush into my memory. Over the years God has been so good to me. Thank you Jesus!!!
So how do miracles happen? In order to answer that question we have to look at the master of miracles himself—Jesus Christ. If you’ve spent any time in the Bible, and even if you haven’t, I’m sure that you are aware of at least a few of the miracles he performed during his time on earth. There was the feeding of thousands with just a few fish or loaves. There were the countless accounts of him healing of the deaf, blind, and lame. How did Jesus solidify these miracles?
I believe there are two essential elements of a miracle.
1. Faith…. You’ve got to have faith ( ugh side note – as soon as I wrote that I suddenly heard George Michaels in my head. So of you may know what I’m talking about lol) Anyway, miracles have to be based in faith. Mark 5:34. Matthew 15:28, Matthew 9:29, speak to this just to name a few. The miracles were performed for each and every example listed because of the great faith in the power of Jesus.
2. Prayer… it is important to pray and ask God for your miracle. One of the clearest examples of the need for prayer comes when the disciples were unable to free the boy from the unclean spirit. The story can be found in Mark 9:14-29. The disciples couldn’t free the boy so then sought Jesus to perform the miracle. Jesus later shared with his disciples that this kind of unclean spirit can only come out with prayer.
3. Thanksgiving… No I’m not talking about turkey here. I’m talking about giving thanks to God for what He is about to do. Jesus displayed this essential part of a miracle multiple times in the Bible, most prominently in the feeding of the multitudes from Matthew 15:36 and Mark 6:41. Jesus took the tiny fish or the loaves of bread and first thing he did each time was “give thanks”. He gave thanks to His Father in Heaven for what he was about to do. All miracles need to start with a grateful heart and an anticipatory spirit.
Friends, I don’t know if any of you out there are waiting for your miracle but I pray that what I have shared might help you. Anytime you put faith, prayer, and thanks all together I know something miraculous is going to happen.
Thank you for your time, I pray my words are a blessing and allow you to uncover even more miracles in life. I look forward to seeing you next week.
Good day!! Welcome back to another edition of the Refill with Randy Blog. My name is Dave Good and I pray that my words will be an encouragement to you and add some blessing to your life.
Today, I’d like to talk about spring cleaning. I know most of you are probably going to say, I hate cleaning. Lol. I know this isn’t the best topic but I think you will find out it can be a rewarding experience. I would have to say spring is one of my favorite times of the year. If you take a few moments and look around you will soon see signs of life everywhere. The weather is starting to get warmer, the trees are starting to bud, flowers are emerging from their winter slumber, and the grass is turning a vivid shade of green. The world is starting to awake from the long winter hibernation. To me, this is an exciting time of the year.
Spring is also the perfect time to do some cleaning and evaluation. One of the first projects I do each spring is get the garage and mower ready for the work that lies ahead. The mower oil and blades need to be changed, the porch and garage need swept and organized. There is work to be done all around the house. I know right now you are probably thinking what does all of this have to do with my Christian walk and ministry? I’m glad you asked.
Spring is a time of new growth, reorganization, and new life. I really think our Christian walk could use a season of new growth, reorganization, and new life too. I am not here to throw stones or point fingers but I really think if we are honest with ourselves, we would all agree. I can only speak for myself but I love the idea of breathing new life in my walk. A lot of the time we can get stuck in a bit of a routine or a rut. So the next question we need to ask is what are some of the ways we can grow and mature spiritually this spring?
1. Spend more time in The Word. One of the easiest ways to grow spiritually is to read your Bible more. I don’t care how long or how many times you’ve read the Bible, it will always speak to you in new ways. The Bible is God’s Living Word and you will never master the depth of it so keep reading it and rereading it.
2. Start a devotional. Another way to grow close to God is through the reading of devotionals. Pastor Randy and I have completed many devotionals together using the YouVersion Bible app. It is a wonderful tool to not only deepen your scripture reading but it also helps with accountability. I encourage you to take a look at it if you haven’t already.
3. Spring clean your daily routine. Since the topic of this entry is all about spring cleaning, I think this is a perfect time to take a look at our daily routine and get rid of some of the clutter. I encourage you to take a look at how you are using your time. How much time are you spending with the Lord? How much time are you spending on social media? How much time are you working ? How much time are you relaxing? All of this is important for a well rounded life yet, like everything else, it must be done in proportion. If we are spending too much time in any one of the list above our life could be out of balance and could lead to problems down the road. Spring is the perfect time to reorganize our daily routine to ensure a balanced daily walk.
Friends, Spring is the perfect time of year to fine tune our lives. Spring is a time of rebirth and I hope you seize the opportunity to breathe some fresh life into you walk with Jesus. I will never claim to have all the answers. I will never claim to know it all. The one thing I will tell you is that over the years I’ve used some of these things to deepen my own relationship with Jesus. I can assure you they are helpful because I’ve seen the fruits of it in my own life and I pray that you will too.
Happy Tuesday! If you read yesterday’s post you know that I was recently quarantined after catching Covid-19 and I shared some lessons that I learned from it. If you didn’t read yesterday’s post then go read it. I’ll wait… 😇
Ok, now that you are all caught up, here are a few more lessons that I learned last week…
LESSON #5 – God Is The Good Shepherd & A Good, Good Father
One of the things I love about God is that He cares about us. And He doesn’t just care about the big stuff but He cares about the little stuff too. He really is the Good Shepherd from Psalm 23:1 that supplies all of our needs and the Good Father from Matthew 7:11 who knows how to give good gifts to his children. Not only did God bless me by not allowing me to suffer some of the debilitating symptoms and side effects that some have had to go through and ultimately, I believe, healing me but He also blessed me along the way. And the best part was that he used others to do it! That brings me to…
LESSON #6 – God’s Kids Are Pretty Great Too
I mentioned in yesterday’s blog post that it was tough not having anyone to talk to or touch but that didn’t mean that others didn’t talk to me via texting and social media and that I didn’t get touched by their encouraging words and generous acts. Some examples were…
A friend showing up w/ coffee and meds
Another friend showing up with tea and cough drops
Yet another friend showing up with coffee
My wife bringing me coffee in bed each morning
Are you starting to sense a theme here? Lol
Friends offering to bring me take-out or groceries
Hundreds of Birthday wishes online
$4,815 raised for my Birthday Fundraiser
A friend and fellow pastor offering not only to preach at the two churches I was scheduled to speak at this past Sunday but also to donate the honorariums from each to Go Scatter Ministries.
Friends sharing that they have their churches and friends praying for me.
Encouraging messages coming from other countries
Birthday breakfast in bed ☕️🥓🍳🥞
I could go on but you get the picture. 😁
LESSON #7 – I Am Not An Essential Worker
Sometimes it takes getting sidelined for a bit to realize that, whether out of a sense of self worth or in trying to live up to others’ expectations, we have taken on too much. The reality is that, like many found out at the beginning of the pandemic, we are not as essential as we assumed we were. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely believe that it is God’s desire to partner with us in order to achieve His Will but sometimes we overstep and forget that God is God and we are not. When this happens we need to be reminded that the world will turn and that ministry will still happen without us. For me this is not a new lesson but actually one that God reminds me of often and one that I now receive with joy.
I have come to learn that there is no greater privilege than to be used by God for His Purpose but also that there is no greater relief than realizing that He can and does use a lot more people than just me. Last week I had friends cover for me with preaching, with Hospice, with Hands 4 Hope, etc. and I didn’t lose one wink of sleep over it because I knew that the same God who would have worked through me in those settings would work just as mightily through them. That isn’t an excuse to stay sidelined and leave ministry to others but rather an opportunity to reevaluate what you are doing and to ask God to reveal any areas that you took on without His prompting. To have Him refine your purpose will ultimately be a blessing to you and to others as you will accomplish more together.
Well, I could go on but seven ramblings is probably enough for now. Thank you for reading and please share any lessons that you have learned while going through a crisis, big or small, so that I can learn from you as well.
Good morning friends, it’s good to be back with you after an unanticipated, yet necessary, hiatus. For those that don’t know, I tested positive for Covid-19 a week ago Saturday and ended up spending Easter through my birthday sick in bed and isolated from friends and family. Currently I am out of quarantine but still nowhere near 100% as I struggle to speak without coughing and I feel like I am constantly fighting fatigue. I am however doing much better than I was a week ago so the blog is back on and I thought I would kick things off with a two part post listing some of the lessons that I learned after having Covid-19 and being quarantined.
LESSON #1 – Covid Isn’t As Fun As The Kids Make It Out To Be
Seriously folks, Covid kicked my butt. It reminded me of when I came down with the Swine Flu, not once but twice, over a decade ago. That seemed worse because I had a bad fever, and I haven’t had one since, but with Covid I did experience waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to breathe—and this was before the coughing began.
I hadn’t felt well for a while but since Sheryl had had Covid herself right before Spring Break I had been cautious and was tested six times over 12 days and they all came back negative, including earlier in the day before The Good Friday Service. It was that night however that I woke up choking, which I blamed on reflux, and the next day after attending a funeral and not feeling well that I decided to take Test #7 prior to going to church and my in-laws the next day for Easter. For this I used a home test and it took all of 20 sec. before both lines shown clearly. I immediately started self-quarantining and my journey began.
LESSON #2 – Even In Isolation It’s Hard To Just “Be” And Not “Do”
It’s hard to turn off the world even when you are sick and all by yourself. As much as I stopped doing a lot of things (i.e. visiting with patients, counseling with clients, having coffee with friends, leaving my bedroom…) I still had a few little devices that “allowed” me to stay up to date with things whether I wanted to or not. From needing to be on social media because I was in the middle of a much needed fundraising effort (Praise God I reached my goal of $4,800 by the time I turned 48!!!) to receiving counseling requests via text late at night when I was trying to sleep, the world did stop spinning nor did my mind. This was a wake up call for me to develop better habits and better boundaries when it comes to having tech always on whether I’m sick or not.
LESSON #3 – Always Multi-Tasking Isn’t Always Good
For better or worse I am a multitasker—not because I think it is a more efficient or effective way to get things done but because my ADHD riddled brain gets bored if I’m not doing at least three things at once. That being said, Covid brain made me slow down and multitasking was near impossible. The other day I laid in bed and read an old fashioned paper and print book from cover to cover in one sitting. No tv on in the background. No reading on the same screen where I get pop up notifications non-stop. No thinking of five other things I could be doing and setting the book down never to be picked up again. No, I read it, enjoyed it, and was inspired by it. In case you are wondering it was The Dream King by Will Ford & Matt Lockett who will be speaking at a number of events this week sponsored by PACT. This is another benefit of having better boundaries with my devices… FOCUS.
LESSON #4 – I Get Why Jesus Only Stayed In The Tomb For 3 Days
Ok, let me preface this by saying that I am only kidding around by comparing Jesus’ being buried with me being quarantined. I think God has a sense of humor and he certainly made me with one. For example, at The Good Friday Service another pastor and I carried a large wooden cross into the sanctuary and when we were placing it on stage I got a splinter from it. When returning to our seats I showed him my wound and whispered, “Now I really understand Jesus’ suffering.” I laughed. He laughed. I came down with Covid the next day. 😳
On second thought maybe I should cool it with the jokes and just get to the point which is that, for an extreme extrovert with physical touch being high up on his list of Love Languages, being by myself without anyone to talk to or touch was downright depressing. My wife would bring me food and drink but the rest of the family stayed as far away as possible so as to avoid any germs. Even though Sheryl had just had it herself a couple weeks prior she avoided getting close to me so as to not carry any of my germs back to the kids or her class. All necessary but also depressing. Even the cats, who never left Sheryl’s side when she was in bed, wouldn’t venture into the room with me. To say that being quarantined was at least as bad, if not worse, than the actually illness would not be an exaggeration. It really made me feel that much more for the people in the hospitals and nursing homes during the height of Covid who had to suffer through so much while not being allowed to have loved ones by their side. Needless to say, as soon as I am sure I will not cough in your face as a result you will all being getting a big hug from me the next time I see you—whether you want one or not. 😉
These were just some of the lessons I learned. Come back tomorrow and read about a few more. SPOILER ALERT!!! They are all positive! 😇
Friends, from now until my birthday on April 23rd I am raising support for my evangelism efforts through GSM. The total is currently at $1,819 but there are only 6 DAYS LEFT to raise the final $2,981. Can you help me reach my goal of $4,800? Any amount will help! Thank you in advance for considering.
You can give using the PayPal link https://www.paypal.me/GoScatterMinistries?locale.x=en_US you can Venmo me @Randy-LeBaron or to receive tax credit you can write a check to “GENESIS CONFERENCE FMC” with “EVANGELIST FUND” in the memo line and mail it to: GENESIS CONFERENCE FMC 2260 Westside Drive P.O. Box 206 N.Chili, NY 14514
If you send a check please DM or e-mail me at RandyLeBaron@gmail.com with the amount. Thank you in advance for your support!!! To find out more about my ministry check out goscatterministries.org
Good morning friends and Happy Easter! I pray that God would bless you today and help you to be a blessing to others as we shine Christ’s light in this world.
I would also ask that you please pray for me as I am sick with Covid. It is for that reason that I will also be taking next week off from my Refill with Randy blog and videos.
When we think of Jesus going to the cross we often focus on his actions, his emotions, and his sacrifice, right? And though there is nothing wrong with that because he did endure so much for our sake the fact remains that his Father did and experienced much of the same—just from a different perspective.
One of the most quoted verses in all the Bible is John 3:16. It states…
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” (NLT)
God the Father was not merely a passive bystander in Jesus’ sacrifice but a willing participant. He gave us his son to stand in our place and die for our sin. He sent his son into the world, not to condemn it but to save anyone who would put their faith in him.
And, before you start thinking that Jesus was the only one who experienced pain as a part of this plan to redeem mankind, remember that when Jesus took our sins upon him and was separated from his Father for the first time in all eternity that the Father ached as well.
Imagine, as a parent, watching your only son be tortured, mocked, and nailed to a cross and then hearing him cry out…
“Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).” (Matthew 27:46b NIV)
A little over 18 yrs. ago, the day before our daughter Ashlyn’s 2nd birthday, we were staying at a friend;s place and where she fell and cracked her head open on the corner of a coffee table. As young parents we were overwhelmed with emotion as we rushed her to the E.R.
Eventually we were told that she would need staples to hold the wound together so that it would heal and, inexplicably, they told us that we would need to hold her down while the doctor did it. TALK ABOUT TRAUMATIZING!!! And I don’t just mean for her.
Our hearts broke as she cried out for us to help her—not understanding that what we were doing was for just that reason. As she cried we joined in and to this day I do not understand why we were made to participate in that way.
What I do understand though is that it must have been just as heart-wrenching for God the Father to watch all that his son went through and not step in and stop it. For the same reason though that Jesus didn’t save himself so that he could save others, God watched without intervening out of His great love for us. A chance to be reconnected with His creation.
“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory. What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us. Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:28-39 NLT)
Imagine the night before Jesus’ arrest, before Judas’ betrayal, before Peter’s denials, and before the disciples desertion.
Imagine what it must have been like for Jesus.
Imagine knowing in advance that those closest to you in the good times would be furthest from you in the bad.
Imagine washing your friends’ feet, serving them food, and praying for their protection and perseverance—even as one plotted to kill you, two vied for position, and three would fall asleep as you poured your heart out in gut-wrenching fashion at the Garden of Gethsemane.
Imagine knowing that you were about to experience an unimaginable amount of pain—physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually—but allowed yourself to be arrested all the same.
Imagine knowing that death was waiting for you in the form of a cross but still choosing to walk toward it—not because you deserve it but because you have great compassion for those who do.
Imagine every difficult choice Jesus made just to give us the opportunity to choose him, to choose life, to choose eternity.
Imagine how much he must have loved us to leave heaven, to become human, to live a sinless life, and to die a sinner’s death, for our sake.
Imagine what our lives could look like if we chose to follow him and his example of loving others unconditionally and unflinchingly.
Imagine…
“When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” (Romans 5:6-8 NLT)
Good morning!!! Welcome back to another edition of GSM’s “Refill with Randy” Blog. It’s my honor to spend the next few minutes with you. I hope my words are a blessing and bring you closer to the Lord.
Today, I’d like to talk about what happened after Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. The gospels of Matthew and Mark give us a few clues of what Jesus did once he was paraded into Jerusalem. In Mark 11:15-18 it says..,
“When they arrived back in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people buying and selling animals for sacrifices. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves, and he stopped everyone from using the Temple as a marketplace. He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.” When the leading priests and teachers of religious law heard what Jesus had done, they began planning how to kill him. But they were afraid of him because the people were so amazed at his teaching.” (NLT)
When I reflect on the actions of Jesus in the temple I am reminded of the threat Jesus posed to the Jewish leaders. Jesus was truly bad for business. He shined a bright light on the corruption of the Temple and shrewd business practices of the moneychangers and sacrifice vendors. Jesus was disrupting the flow of money into the Religious Leaders pockets and he also seized the power and status from them. Jesus repeatedly called the Temple, “His Father’s House”, completely contradicting the claim of the Elders as rulers and managers of the Temple. In other words, it’s like walking into a store and dealing with the manager who thought he had the final say but the owner walks in and completely overturns the decision. Jesus put His full authority on display and there was nothing they could do about it. Once again, Jesus was bad for business.
This response of the Jewish leaders to the threat and authority of Jesus was simple. They plotted to eliminate him. Over the next few days, the urgency to kill Jesus escalated tremendously. This really was the last straw that sealed the fate of Jesus. A few days from now they would succeed by nailing him to the cross.
As I am sitting here reflecting on the actions of Jesus, I am convinced that this story is just as relevant today as it was 2000 years ago. Today, Jesus is still bad for business in a way. How many people are offended by the name Jesus? How many businesses are avoided because they bare a Christian focus? How many conversations are avoided when the name of Jesus enters it? How many friendships are altered when Jesus enters into someone’s life? These are just a few examples of the impact Jesus has on the world today.
Friends, as we continue our journey through Holy Week, let us hold on to the authority and power of Jesus. To the world, Jesus is a threat. He is bad for the schemes of this world. I am here to tell you today that doing business with Jesus and modeling your life after His example will have a remarkable effect on your life. Jesus came to die and save us from the punishment of our sins but he didn’t come to be a friend of the world. Yes, Jesus may be bad for business… but he is great for our life.
Yesterday was Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week, and so I want to take a look at not only Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem but also what led him there in the first place. Let’s start by reading…
Matthew 20:1-11 “As Jesus and the disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the town of Bethphage on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead. “Go into the village over there,” he said. “As soon as you enter it, you will see a donkey tied there, with its colt beside it. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone asks what you are doing, just say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will immediately let you take them.” This took place to fulfill the prophecy that said, “Tell the people of Jerusalem, ‘Look, your King is coming to you. He is humble, riding on a donkey— riding on a donkey’s colt.’” The two disciples did as Jesus commanded. They brought the donkey and the colt to him and threw their garments over the colt, and he sat on it. Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of him, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around him were shouting, “Praise God for the Son of David! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Praise God in highest heaven!” The entire city of Jerusalem was in an uproar as he entered. “Who is this?” they asked. And the crowds replied, “It’s Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”” (NLT)
This seems like a pretty good first day in the city but, as we know all too well, it kind of went down hill from there at least from an earthly point of view. The fact though was that Jesus knew what was coming all along. He knew that even though there were those now crying “Hosanna! Hosanna!” And throwing Palm branches at his feet that a mere five days later others would be crying, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” and pressing a crown of thorns into his head. We know that he knew this because he had already told his disciples as much. If you go back four chapters Jesus says in…
Matthew 16:21-24 “From then on Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead. But Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. “Heaven forbid, Lord,” he said. “This will never happen to you!” Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.” Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.” (NLT)
Jesus knew what would happen by going to Jerusalem and yet he kept going in that direction. Why? My friend Pastor Mike Rivera shared in his message yesterday morning that it was because Jesus was heading home and the way was through Jerusalem… through the pain… through the cross. I would argue that you can look back to the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry and see that he had been going in this direction the entire time as he followed GPS (God’s Positioning System).
Jesus chose to go to and through the cross for us. On this first day of Holy Week I would encourage you to take some time and consider where you would be willing to go and what you would be willing to do for him, remembering that he said…
“If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.”
Friends, giving is currently at $570 which is just under 12% of the goal if $4,800. Would you consider helping me reach my goal today? You can use the PayPal link below.
You can also Venmo me @Randy-LeBaron or, to receive tax credit, you can write a check to “GENESIS CONFERENCE FMC” with “EVANGELIST FUND” in the memo line and mail it to:
From an early age I have enjoyed all types of creative writing including haiku. These bite-sized poems are comprised of three lines with exactly 5, 7, and 5 syllables each. The following are seven random haikus that I have written. If you are feeling creative yourself I would encourage you try your hand at some and please feel free to share!
The Christian witness Our lives lived out on canvas; Painted with purpose
Hospitality Welcoming others as friends; The first time you meet
The Christian journey Daily choices that are made; To keep your first choice
Missional mindset Purpose over preference; What would Jesus do?
Hypocrisy reigns When Christianity is Compartmentalized
A broken cistern No water to quench one’s thirst Many still return
The Imago Dei Created to be creative Living works of art
The Incarnation An ultimate act of love God becoming flesh
Welcome back to another edition of GSM’s “Refill with Randy” blog. I am so glad you are here today. If this is your first time, welcome! I hope you continue to follow us as we scatter words of hope to all of you. My name is Dave Good and I am honored to share the next few minutes with you.
Today, I’d like to discussed your triunity. You are probably thinking, “Come on Dave, that’s a big word, what in the world are you talking about?” I am so glad you asked. I think we all have heard that Our God is a triune being. He is God the father, God the Son, and God the Spirit all in one. Many people refer to this as the Trinity. Let’s take it one step further and remember that we were created in God’s Image (Genesis 1:27). God created us with a body, mind , and soul. So we are also triune in nature. Today we will discuss how we are to take care of each one.
The first part of us is our body. Your body is your physical appearance and structure. You know… your arms, legs, face, and torso which, if you are anything like me, has the tendency to keep expanding. Go ahead and look back at an old photo and see how much you have changed over the years. Your body, once you get past your youthful prime, is on a constant decline through the years (I’m getting a little depressed just writing this). Anyway, we need to take care of our bodies the best we can. Our God created us to take care of this temple that houses our mind and soul. We should participate in regular exercise, eat right, and not abuse ourselves with any substance that could harm us such as smoking, drugs, or too much alcohol. I know this is getting touchy but I want you all to live your best life.
The second part of us is our mind. The mind is where our thinking takes place, decision are made, and it is the source of our intelligence, and, just like with our physical bodies, our minds also need to be nurtured, taken care of, and developed. I know some of you may be saying hey Dave I’m pretty smart I went to college. Others may be saying I’m not too smart and didn’t do well in school so not much I can do. I’m here to tell you God has given us a mind that is so dynamic that if you put the time in you might just be amazed. God also gave us the owners manual to help nurture our minds in the form of His Word. The Bible has the ability to stretch, transform, restore, and renew our minds if we put the effort in and read it daily. Romans 12:2 tells us that we are to be transformed by the renewing our mind.
The third and final part of ourselves is our soul. The soul is a little harder to define but it can best be described as our inner being which consists of our character, our conscience, and our spirit. Our soul is what departs from our earthly body and, if we choose Jesus as our savior, taken up to heaven. The best thing we can do for our soul which will never die is accept Jesus. That boils down to accepting that we are all sinners and we need a sacrifice to make us right with God. Jesus came to earth in the form of man, lived a holy life, and died a sinner’s death on the cross for our sake. If you can accept that and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead then God’s Word says that you will be saved and you (your soul) will spend eternity in heaven. I hope you will make that decision today.
As you can see, there is a lot of effort involved in taking care of our whole self. It takes a daily decision to make sure we are living our best life. However, sometimes we get out of practice and neglect or hurt ourselves. Maybe we aren’t reading our Bible like we should and our mind gets out of focus. Maybe we just got back from vacation and eating out every day has added a few more pounds. To tell you the truth it’s really easy to become a little off track. That is why I think it’ is so important to take an inventory on a regular basis. Look yourself in the mirror and check your body, ask some questions that check your mindset, and make sure things are in balance. If they aren’t in balance make a plan to fix it.
Friends, I know I gave you a lot of things to consider today. I know I may have shed some light on areas that are really out of balance or need a lot of attention but I’m here to tell you that you can start to get back in shape today! Make the decision to work on your body, mind, and soul and you will be amazed how quickly things can change and how much better you will feel when things slide into balance. I hope this entry was helpful for you and I pray God will help you in balance all areas of our life. Blessings! DG
Grab your favorite cup, fill it up, and join Randy for a special “Autism Awareness Month” episode of Refill with Randy featuring a new book illustrated by Trent Landreth from DrawingsbyTrent.com
Good afternoon! Today I am sharing a previously published post I came across because I realized as I read it that I needed to hear it again and thought maybe you did as well.
I pray that your week is going well. If not, then I’m still praying for you.
And prayer is what I want to talk about today. I want to encourage you to expand your prayer life. Now most of the time when a pastor issues a challenge concerning prayer it typically has to do with the rhythm, frequency, or duration of your prayers but not this time. This time…
I CHALLENGE YOU TO PRAY UNCOMFORTABLE PRAYERS
And what is an uncomfortable prayer you might ask? I would define it as any prayer that doesn’t fit easily into our Christian Comfort Zone such as…
asking God to meet a GOD-SIZED need (something we can’t control)
asking God AGAIN for something that we still haven’t seen any fruit from (be persistent)
asking God to use you to be an answer to someone else’s prayer
asking God to place HIS AGENDA ahead of yours
asking God to do a miracle (putting Him on the line w/out a Plan B)
asking God why such and such did or didn’t happen to you (real emotions w/out being pc)
asking God for something publicly (like blessing your food in a crowded restaurant)
asking God for healing and forgiveness (confessing your sin)
asking God for the strength to forgive others
Asking God to bless your enemies
You get the picture. Sometimes we get stuck lifting up prayers to God that are short, sweet, safe, and sanitized. What God wants, and what we often need, though is to go off script and have a real conversation with God without pretense. David excelled in this as we see in the Psalms like in…
Psalm 13:1-6 “How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? 2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? 3 Look on me and answer, O LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death; 4 my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall. 5 But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. 6 I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me.”
So follow David’s lead and let God hear your real thoughts, your real fears, your real desires, your real doubts, and your real requests. He already knows what they are anyway so in being real with God we will actually start to be real with ourselves. And that’s when God can start responding to our requests in really awesome ways!
Happy Friday! I pray that you have had a good week and are hopefully headed into a restful weekend. For some of you though you may be burdened and your mind still busy with all that has happened throughout the week… at home, at school, at work, online. I’m writing this for you today.
This past month I detoxed in a couple of different ways. At the beginning of the month I did a digital detox to start my Lenten journey. I deleted my FB and IG Apps for a couple of weeks and took time off from posting “Refill with Randy” Blogs & Videos. It’s good for the soul to take some time way every now and again, right?
Then for the latter part of the month I did a physical detox or, as my chiropractor calls it, a Cleanse. For 21 days I purge certain foods from my diet (initially all but veggies & fruit) and take supplements to help get rid of the bad and green foods to replenish the good. Losing weight is a nice side-effect (I’m on Day 15 and down exactly 15 lbs.) but the real goal is to become healthier and hopefully continuing eating better.
What I want to encourage you to do today though is what I would describe as a thought detox. All week long we are bombarded by the noise of this world—social media rants, never ending news coverage, cutting remarks from coworkers or bosses, unkind words at home, you name it. The point is that all of these words compound and impact us whether we realize it or not. There is a reason why our society as a whole is so filled with fear, anxiety, and no sense of identity or self worth. We hear negative things all the time, we personalize them, and then we start to believe them.
What I want to propose is that, in order to prepare for a weekend that can be restorative, we need to intentionally purge those things that we continually think about which are not healthy, helpful, or hopeful. Rather than constantly trying to avoid thinking about those things that trouble us, that can be exhausting, and allow those thoughts to come to the surface where we can deal with them with God’s help.
Ask Him to filter out those things which would be deemed toxic (worrying about things out of your control, dwelling on what someone commented on your post, etc.) and to fill you with His Spirit which can guide your thinking and give you peace.
I hope you enjoy a weekend full of rest for your body, mind, and soul.
“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.” Psalms 23:1-3 NIV
“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV
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