This session is our typical one for either recurring appointments or even just once in a while ones for you.

This session is our typical one for either recurring appointments or even just once in a while ones for you. This may not seem like enough time, but sometimes little snippets of meetings can move things along for you, too.

A free 30-minute session for us to get to know each other and discuss high-level concerns.

I know... the normal title we have all heard through our lives is "Life Everlasting", which is mentioned many times in scripture passages. The one thing we seem to overlook is that death is everlasting, too. Every person will face eternity, but Scripture teaches that not all eternities are the same. The Bible speaks soberly about “death everlasting”—a final separation from God that stands in contrast to the gift of eternal life offered through Christ. This devotional explores what that means, why it matters, and how God has made a way for every soul to choose life instead of everlasting death. WHAT?
 I know... we rarely give any consideration that death does not 'stop', just like life does not stop. See... that is the very definition of Eternity (it continues on, whether your body is alive). The bible never actually calls it Death Everlasting, but read these passages and grasp that 'pain and misery' last forever; Isaiah 34:10 - It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever. Revelation 14:11 - And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Revelation 20:10 - And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. From birth, we are all dead. Sure, our bodies are alive, but our spirits are not 'alive' in Christ. That is the 'death' God was talking about when He told Adam "...for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." (Genesis 2:17) That 'death' is not a physical one, but a 'separation' from God spiritually... a disconnect that will FEEL as though you did die. As we trudge through life, this disconnect keeps us from "having life more abundantly", as Jesus tells us in John 10:10. But, if we get to the end of our physical lives without making that connection spiritually back to God, we are going to experience Death Everlasting. But, the hope is that you turn from 'your ways' and accept the Lord. I would never want to 'scare you to death', but rather 'scare you to life'! :-) Jeremiah 25:5 tells us , "They said, Turn ye again now every one from his evil way, and from the evil of your doings, and dwell in the land that the LORD hath given unto you and to your fathers for ever and ever:" NowTo the HowTo According to the Bible, avoiding everlasting separation from God is not about performing rituals or earning salvation — it is about responding to God’s call with repentance, faith, and obedience. These steps walk a reader from spiritual death toward spiritual life. Effectively, there are eight phases or steps of your faith-walk; Recognize your spiritual death Acknowledge the eternal consequences Turn from sin (repent) Believe in Christ alone Confess Him openly Receive new birth Walk in obedience Endure in faith Mind you, this is not a formula—it is a transformation.
Not a ritual—it is a relationship.
Not fear‑based—it is hope‑based. The message of the Gospel is not complicated—it is personal. It is God Himself reaching toward you, calling you out of darkness and into life. The same Scriptures that warn of everlasting death also proclaim everlasting hope. You do not have to remain spiritually dead. You do not have to face eternity separated from the God who made you. The Lord extends His hand even now. God Loves You - Before you ever sought Him, He sought you. Look what Romans 5:8 tells us, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” This mean that His love is not sentimental—it is sacrificial. He loved you at your worst. Your Sin Separates You - Sin is not merely wrongdoing — it is a barrier between you and God. Romans 3:23 reminds us, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” and it is this separation is the spiritual death Adam experienced, and the death every person inherits. Christ Paid the Price - You cannot save yourself. But Christ did what you could not. Over in Romans 6:23 we find, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” This is say that a wage is earned. A gift is received. Christ took your wage so you could receive His gift. You Must Turn and Believe - Salvation is not automatic. It requires a response and Acts 3:19 clarifies that when it tells us, “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out.” But, also over in Acts 16:31 we read, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” In short, repentance turns you from sin.
Faith turns you to Christ. Call Upon Him - God does not hide salvation behind rituals or mysteries. He places it within reach. As Romans 10:13 tells us, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” and pay special attention that “whosoever” includes you. A Simple Prayer of Surrender This prayer does not save you — Christ saves you. But these words may help you express the faith rising in your heart: “Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner, and I cannot save myself.
I believe You died for me and rose again.
I turn from my sin and trust You alone as my Savior.
Make me alive in You.
I receive Your gift of eternal life.
Amen.” If you prayed this sincerely, Scripture says you have passed from death unto life. The bible tells us that “He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life… and is passed from death unto life.” (John 5:24) What Happens Next Salvation is the beginning, not the end. You have been forgiven You have been made spiritually alive You have been adopted into God’s family You have been rescued from Death Everlasting Now begins the walk of discipleship, fellowship, and growth.

Promises Are Meant to be Broken Well, that is not actually true, but it is a folklore statement that helps people shrug off the guilt when they decide to break the promise or not keep their word. Whether making a promise or a vow is a sin, is a strong NO. We too easily lose track of some details in our words and in our intentions, but it is the 'breaking of the vow' where the sin lies. Jephthah's Daughter The infamous story of Jephthah is one of a vow that made is too lengthy to include here, but please read the entirety with this link; Jephthah's Vow . Essentially though, it all boils down to this one verse where he makes his vow, " And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands, then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD'S, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering. " ( Judges 11:30-31 ) Well... God did honor Jephthah's plea to deliver the children of Ammon into his hands, but he was so arrogant and sure of himself, he never considered just HOW his vow could play out. Jephthah was a man of his word, even to the point of losing his only daughter. He was NOT about to break a vow to God. Promises and Vows Can Be Good Jacob made a very good and very wise vow; to trust in God. Genesis 28:20 tells us, " And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on... " Later as the people of Israel were facing yet another enemy, they made a vow. Numbers 21:2 reads, " And Israel vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities. " Deuteronomy 23:22 reads; " But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee ." Should a Christian make a promise? This article on GotQuestions.org helps clear that up, and essentially "A Christian should make a promise only if he or she fully intends to keep it." The Gotcha About Vows Vows or promises in and of themselves are not a sin. It is the breaking of the vow or promise where God warns us about the calamity to follow. Deuteronomy 23:21 reads; " When thou shalt vow a vow unto the LORD thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the LORD thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee. " Then, getting over to Ecclesiastes 5:4 we can see, " When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed ." We are not doomed when we break a vow, though. Vows are not an unforgivable sin but be very careful if you approach a vow thinking "Oh, I can always be forgiven for this" in your heart. There is another great article here on GotQuestions.org regarding forgiveness for broken vows to God. This article concludes with, "Breaking a vow is serious, but it is not an unforgivable sin. God forgives believers when we come to Him with a contrite heart. God’s love, grace, and mercy do not end. No failure, including breaking a vow, can separate us from God’s love in Christ" Now-To the How-To Another saying that seems to parallel the one I opened with is; "Never make a promise you cannot keep". Ecclesiastes 5:5 reads; " Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. " Here are a few hurdles we face when it comes to making a promise or a vow; The Future: we cannot see the future, so making a promise or a vow is your way of ensuring or guaranteeing that a 'thing' will come to pass. We make a marriage vow to our spouse, but all too often cannot fulfill it whether by choice or fate. Regarding a promise or vow, make every effort to give yourself time to think about it, time to ruminate over it, and time for the Lord to lead you, too. Many times, the urgency of a matter may not allow you to take the time you need. Be very careful in these times and instead of making an actual promise or vow, use the "I will do the best that I can" or the "...with every fiber of my being" approach. These may help you recognize that we are walking fallibility and there are things that can be out of our control. But, we are also reliable, dependable, and certainly faithful to follow through in our commitments. James 4:13 - 4:17 reminds us; " Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin ". God's Will: we do not know God's will for us. Many times, we use a vow or a promise to provide assurance to others that we 'will' complete a task, or follow through with our intentions. Romans 12:2 reminds us, " And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. " Paul even reminded the Ephesians of going to great lengths to add more assurance of our word or our intentions. In James 5:12 he tells them, " But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation ." Good Intentions: we do not always have the best of intentions. Many times, we can schmooze someone, we can offer assurance, we can sound hopeful and honest to others, but deep in our hearts we know we 'can' get away with not fulfilling a vow. It is deception in the purest form and while it hurts others, it damages us even more. We become callous and our conscious gets desensitized to the guilt, the shame and the sin of this trait in our lives. In 1 Timothy 4:2 we read; "... Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; " We must be careful to be honest, to be forthright, and certainly to be true to our own conscious, too. 2 Corinthians 1:12 reminds us, " For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward. "

I have an opinion, but I don't have a microphone. I have a perspective, but I don't have a microphone. I have a solution, but I don't have a microphone. I have a voice, but I don't have a microphone. I have a plan, but I don't have a microphone. I have a way, but I don't have a microphone. I have a strategy, but I don't have a microphone. I have encouragement, but I don't have a microphone. I have an answer, but I don't have a microphone. I have an alert, but I don't have a microphone. I have a joke, but I don't have a microphone. I come with hope, joy and love, but I don't have a microphone. It is rather sobering and more-so rather humbling to look around me and realize that I am not even in the right place on this stage of my life; the microphone is way over there.

You get what life throws at you when you do not search for yourself. Put some energy into yourself and get curious about life, about love and certainly about the peace only Jesus can provide. Your soul searching has a home, now. Come and see at Seek and You Find! Matthew 7:7-8 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find ; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth ; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Mary Had a Little Lamb Where's Your Heart? The following three songs (in this order, too) best describe how our very lives should be with God; Broken, open, and ready to let Him show us His will Asking His Spirit into our lives and blow out the dust, corruption, and certainly the SIN that has kept Him from residing within The very nuggets of gold that He will leave behind as an encouragement for your surrender. Please, PLEASE take some quiet time (20 minutes in all) to listen to each song. The words/lyrics are included, so let God move through your ‘surrendered’ heart, and let these messages speak to your very soul. This IS what I do… almost daily too, still. Each link opens in a new window Worlds Apart, by Jars of Clay – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFj17GYJEj Rushing Wind, by Keith Green – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSL2Xh8WBwA I Think I See Gold, by Ray Boltz – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1N_Gpq6v8as

Assessment Hoping Stones Choose an Assessment Type Statement 1 of 32 I often respond right away when I receive criticism. Your Progress Please Choose One Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree 100 Answered 0 of 32 Previous Next Process My Choices

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