
Casting Nets
When he (Jesus) had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Now go out where it is deeper and let down your nets and you will catch a lot of fish!" "Sir," Simon replied, "we worked hard all last night and didn't catch a thing. But if you say so, we'll try again." And this time their nets were so full that they began to tear! A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking. When Simon Peter realized

Intentionally Made
Read Romans 12: 1-8 And so, dear brothers, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living sacrifice, holy - the kind he can accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but be a new and different person with a fresh newness in all you do and think. Then you will learn from your own experience how his ways will really satisfy you. As God's messenger, I give each of you God's w

Strength in Community
Read Daniel 3: 19-30 The story Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace. And one standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer; three is even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. Ecclesiastes 4: 12 (TLB) A sure sign of autumn here in the northeastern U.S. is the flight of the Canada geese to the south. Geese instinctively form a perfect "V" formation to decrease wind drag and make their long flight easie

A Genuine Faith
For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes beheld my unformed substance. In your book were written all the days that were formed for me, when none of them as yet existed. How weighty to me are your thoughts, O G

When You Don't Fit In
"Let not your heart be troubled. You are trusting God, now trust in me. There are many homes up there where my Father lives, and I am going to prepare them for your coming. When everything is ready, then I will came and get you, so that you can always by with me where I am. If this weren't so, I would tell you plainly. And you know where I am going and how to get there." "No, we don't," Thomas said. "We haven't any idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus

The Colors of Life
God said, "This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.

Life's Hurdles
Don't you yet understand? Don't you know by now that the everlasting God, the Creator of the farthest parts of the earth, never grows faint or weary? No one can fathom the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the tired and worn out, and strength to the weak. Even the youths shall be exhausted, and the young men will all give up. But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; t

Dry Bones
Read Ezekiel 37-1-14 Story of the dry bones. The power of the Lord was upon me (Ezekiel) and I was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord to a valley full of old, dry bones that were scattered everywhere across the ground. He led me around among them, and then he said to me: "Son of dust, can these bones become people again?" I replied, "Lord, you alone know the answer to that." Then he told me to speak to the bones and say: "O dry bones, listen to the words of the God, for t

God's Garden
Read Psalm 104:27 -35 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live. I will praise God to my last breath! May he be pleased by all these thoughts about him, for he is the source of all my joy. Let all sinners perish - all who refuse to praise him. But I will praise him. Hallelujah! Psalm 104: 33-35 (TLB) "My true disciples produce bountiful harvests. This brings great glory to my Father." John 15: 8 (TLB) Jane Rager is from Virginia. This year Jane and her husband decided to tur

The Telephone Tree
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit,