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MEEKNESS THAT LISTENS - by Bill Hernandez

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In Matthew 5:5 it says, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” From my perspective, this is about open doors both ways in relationships. It’s about receptivity. It’s about love. Other things that come to mind regarding meekness are strength under control, patience, long-suffering, forbearance, gentleness, peacefulness, modesty, humility, unpretentiousness, submission, and deference, among other things. Meek people are teachable, self-controlled, yielded to God, and they follow His instructions. It’s a posture of waiting, watching, listening, receiving, and inquiring. In James 1:19 it says to be “quick to listen, slow to speak...” In 1 Corinthians 13:9 it says, “For we know in part and prophesy in part.” No matter how smart or trained we are, we never know the full story of other people’s lives unless we take the time to meekly listen and receive them. In the same way, we don’t know more than God; therefore, we meekly come before Him and let Him bring understanding fr...
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MEEKNESS (PRAUS): THE WAY OF JESUS - by Karena Lout

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Last Saturday, we continued our journey through the beatitudes focusing on “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” Matt.5:5 I can’t imagine how transformative this must have been for those hearing Jesus’ message. They were under Roman oppression so they only saw dominance and aggression as a means to gain authority. But Jesus was completely opposite. He didn’t assert his power. He used his power to heal and to love (and He still does today!) “His gift of grace is in direct opposition to the vanity of the proud mindset of self effort, whereby people strive to prove themselves superior to others. Gift and reward are opposites. Humility attracts grace.” James 4:6 (Mirror) The Greek word for meekness is Praus, used to describe a warhorse that was trained for battle. They had immense strength, power and courage in complete obedience to the rider. A warhorse is calm under pressure. Praus is trusting God’s ways and not forcing our own. It is not passive or timid but having se...
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ANXIETY, AHHHHH!! - by Katie Landy

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Hi everyone! First, I wanted to thank everyone for the kind words and prayers. This is not a goodbye just a see you later! It was truly an honor, and I’m so thankful for the chance to share what God has been teaching me. The topic of anxiety and control is something that feels deeply personal, but also something I know many of us experience in different ways. One of the main things I spoke about was how closely anxiety is often tied to our desire to stay in control. When life feels uncertain or overwhelming, our natural instinct can be to try harder, to plan more, manage outcomes, or hold everything together on our own. But over time, that kind of control becomes exhausting, and it can leave us feeling even more burdened. I’ve been reminded that God never intended for us to carry the weight of life alone. Scripture continually invites us to bring our worries to Him, to release what we cannot control, and to trust that He is present even in the unknown. While anxiety can make us feel li...
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SURPRISED BY GRIEF - by Russ Fochler

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Last Saturday night, i felt privileged to facilitate a panel discussion with Elijah Breon, Karena Lout, Susan Fochler, and Diane Jung The panelists shared about their walk with God with vulnerability and pearls of life wisdom. Here is a taste of what you’ll find on the video: Elijah shared about things he set his heart on.  The kinds of things he hoped would give him a strong sense of identity and purpose. Karena shared about how deep grief surprised and overwhelmed her and how Jesus lovingly comforted her. Susan had longed all her life for emotionally healthy, life giving conversations with her mom.  And God helped her grieve this in a way that brought more wholeness for Susan while her mom was still alive. Diane realized she needed God to comfort her her after her father’s death - she intentionally chose to open her heart to God’s comfort from loving friends. With gratitude and affection, Russ P.S. I warmly encourage you to watch what was shared. Find the video for our Febru...
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MATTHEW 5:13 & 14 (BLV)

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We’ve been slowly working our way through the beatitudes found in Matthew 5:3-14 for the past few months. We have a ways to go, but I was inspired to write down an artistic overview of this passage. This is not done phrase by phrase, but rather pulls in themes from the entire passage and communicates them in a seamless way: Jesus reveals that, much to our surprise, we’re blessed when we come to the end of ourselves—when we have nothing left and know how desperately we need to depend on him for everything. As we embrace our deep need for Jesus as well as when we mourn when crushed by loss and pain yet turn to him for comfort, a genuine humility arises and we develop a hunger and thirst for what is right. With this renewed heart and spirit, we discover the mercy, purity and deep peace of Jesus within us—evidence that we belong solely to him. Jesus assures us we will be his grace-filled seasoning and his love-light in this world, yet because light clashes with darkness, there will be time...
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KINGDOM TREASURE - by Bill Hernandez

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The Lord occasionally reminds me not to worry about finances and everything pertaining to financial security. I have not been too concerned about these things, but He has been reminding me of this lately which I found curious. Into this atmosphere of assurance He pointed what it says in Mat 6:19-21 -- “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” I then told Him that Him speaking to me so very clearly every day about anything was a treasure to me beyond measure. I then had a vision of Him being this huge golden jewel. Jewels on Earth are amazing that people like to possess, but He showed me that figuratively He was more of a treasure that lasts forever unlike the things of this material realm. I then began to see all the virtu...
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HELD THROUGH THE NIGHT - by Brent Lokker

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Each of us encounters night seasons where life crashes in and around us in a way we didn’t see coming and often don’t know how to navigate—the death of a parent, a sibling, a best friend, or a child; the end of a marriage or other significant relationship;  the loss of a dream, now shattered in a million pieces. Jesus, who knows the sheep he came to save, says to us,  “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”  (Matthew 5:4) The Lover of our souls didn’t come to judge or scold us, but to hold and comfort us. The root word in the Greek for ‘comfort’ is the same used for the Comforter, the Advocate, the Holy Spirit. Jesus is saying to us,  “Open your heart to expose the deep pain you’ve experienced and let me in to comfort you. Don’t stuff the grief deeper inside of you but express to me and with me the sadness and loss you feel. Mourn with your questions or anger or lostness you feel within. My promise to you is that I will never leave you and that I ...
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