The Close-Out Sale

May God’s grace and mercy be with you all of your days. God’s goodness is evident in the world around you so embrace each and every day that you are given. You are the blessing that someone needs. You are the message of hope that someone needs in order to know that everything is going to be alright. You are the sign that love still exists, and therefore someone with a broken heart can catch their second wind, and love again. You are the sunshine that someone needs because only dark sky’s and clouds seem to be in their atmosphere. You are all of these things because God shine’s through you. You are able to make a difference because God is working through you. You are blessed for the express purpose of being a blessing and that is what you do whether you know it or not, God’s will is being done through you. Go forth today knowing that the joy that you have been given is spreading to everyone around you.

Good day to you all! If there is love in you, let love come out in everything that you do. Take refuge in peace, and know that God’s timing is not our timing because God’s timing is perfect timing.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2

Everyone enjoys a good sale. In these tough economic times, we often find ourselves looking for a good deal. Every now and then a store will have a close-out sale. That is when the store is not going to sell any more of a particular item because it is not selling, and they need to make room for new inventory. There is nothing like a good close-out sale. As a consumer we are getting a good deal, but on the business end, the retailer is able to get something new that will be more profitable. Definitely a win-win for all involved.

Dear Reader, as we close out this year, I want to encourage you to have a close-out sale of your own. There may be some things in your inventory that have kept you from being profitable. There may have been some things in your life that you were selling, but the world was not buying. No need to worry about the past, I would just tell you to make those things down. As a matter of fact, I would tell you to just go ahead and give them away. Put negativity on sale. Mark down depression. Low Self Esteem has got to go. Do whatever you have to do to get all of those things out of your store. They are destroying your bottom line. You need to make room for new and better inventory. Happiness is on the way. Unspeakable joy is on order. Love is always a hot item. When you make a change in your inventory, you will find that the world will have to take notice of what you have in stock. Dear Reader, you are on your way to a great new year. Make the decision to make a change to what you are carrying with you, and you will find that you have set yourself up for success. I am praying for the best for you! Be encouraged. Keep the faith. Don’t look back. I love you. God loves you. Let’s close out on hate, and stock up on love. Let’s close out violence and stock up on compassions. Stay beautiful. You are always loved. God has His hand on you so you are blessed. I want to wish a Happy New Year to each and everyone that is reading this message! You are indeed a blessing you me! See you in 2013!

You are beautiful, loved, and blessed

John Reed

The Underdog is Here

God is moving in your favor today.  All things are working for your good, so do not worry and do not fear.  You are blessed beyond measure today.  Spend time counting your blessings and you will find that you will run out of numbers before you run out of blessings because we serve a God who is faithful to us even when we are not faithful to Him.  Let us give Him praise today for His grace, His mercy, and the love of God that lasts forever.

Good day to you all! You are a blessing to someone and you don’t even know it.  There is someone who looks to you for inspiration and hope.  There is someone that can see something in you that you cannot even see.  Shine today because someone is in need of your light!

And I will make you to this people a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you, but they shall not prevail over you, for I am with you to save you and deliver you, declares the Lord.  Jeremiah 15:20

I remember fondly a cartoon that I used to watch that was called Underdog.  The idea that an underdog could be a hero is what made this cartoon funny, and also ironic. The term underdog comes from the English blood-sport of bear-baiting where two dogs trained to attack a bear. One dog was a top dog and that particular dog was trained to attack a bear’s head and neck. The underdog was trained to attack the bear’s mid section and legs.  Because of the power that the bear possessed in his legs, the underdog was not expected to survive. There were two dogs in the fight, but only one was expected to make it out of the fight. 

Dear Reader I want you to embrace your role as the underdog.  Yes, we want to be the favorite, because when you are the favorite everyone expects you to be victorious.  However, if you are like me, you embrace the role of underdog.   Understand that every now and then this life will present a bear of a challenge.  The bear can seem intimidating when you are an underdog.  It can seem like you are the only dog in the fight, but Dear Reader there is a top dog that is in the fight with you.  All you have to do is switch the letters around. Don’t worry about it, I will do it for you.  See, when you serve a Top God, your odds of being victorious increase because you are under God. People will tell you that because of where you are from, and what you have got that you don’t stand a chance in the world.  Folks will look at what you have on the outside and try to predict you outcome. What they don’t know is that God works from the inside and is in control of everything so when you go through something you know you will come out.  Jesus would have been considered an underdog.  Here you have a man born in Nazareth, going up against the government of Rome. Jesus did the work on the bottom, but He knew that God was doing His work on top.  When it was all said and done he defeated death, hell, and the grave, and ascended into Heaven with all power in His hands.  Dear Reader you have that same bloodline in you.  Don’t give up on you.  Your enemy has a lot to fear, because the underdog is here.

You are beautiful, loved, and blessed

John Reed

Breakthrough

Take a look around and you will see that you are getting by. I want you to hold on. Change is coming. Hold on, don’t worry about a thing. Don’t worry about the stream, just know that every body of water has a source. Don’t worry about what this world may throw at you, the source of all of strength is God almighty. I tell you this because I know that sometimes it seems like your weeping has endured longer than a night, and that joy doesn’t seem like it is coming in the morning, but be encouraged because your sun is still rising. Morning is coming and joy will replace the pain. Hold on, change is coming!

Good day to you all! There is a blessing right around the corner, so don’t let anyone turn you around. Not now, not ever!

I remember my high school days. I had a short lived football career, but there are some things that I can remember the coaches saying to the defensive players. He would tell them that when they went to tackle someone, they should try to run through them. The thinking is that if you try to stop at the first impact, you could easily be thrown to the ground. The best way to bring down the person with the ball is to try to go through that person. I have been on the receiving end of one of those tackles. I will tell you that it stopped me in my tracks.

Dear Reader, I want to encourage you run through what is in front of you. No matter what it is that is in front of you. When David had Goliath in front of him, he ran right through him. When Daniel had a den full of lions in front of him, he ran right through it. The glory is not in the obstacle, the glory is in the breakthrough. God is with you always. The road is not easy, but I don’t believe that He brought you this far to leave you! Stay in prayer, and don’t you ever back down. There is a blessing for you when you break through. If it’s sickness, poverty, low self esteem, unemployment, it doesn’t matter. Bring it all to God, and get ready to run right through it. Your breakthrough is coming Dear Reader! God loves you and is moving in your favor today!

You are beautiful, loved, and blessed

John Reed

Washed Up!

When the praises go up the blessings come down. When the blessings come down we should spread them around. Understand that when you spread them around there is more chances that more praises will go up. You have now started the circle of a blessed life. Every day you should strive to be a blessing to someone else. Every day there should be someone who feels the warmth of the light that is inside of you. Continue to shine today and always!

Good day to you all! Let your worship show through your work. The things that you do on the outside should reflect what is on the inside!

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:7

 

You never know when God is going to speak to you. I was washing clothes last night I began to think about what it takes to get clothes clean. I watched my laundry spin around and around as it mixed in with the water and the detergent. The process of washing clothes has been around as clothes themselves, but our modern marvels make the process a lot less taxing. We simply put the clothes in the machine, add our detergent and softener, and press start. When the process is over we take the clothes out and the stains are gone. There is a lot that those clothes have gone through in that process in order for them to become clean. The water mixes with the detergent and the clothes tumble in order to agitate the stains. Then, once the agitation is over the water drains out and the clothes go through a tumble and they spin. The spin cycle removes the excess water from the clothes. Now the washing is over, so it is time to dry the clothes. The heat from the dryer dries the clothes out, and you are once again, so fresh and so clean. You never know when God is going to speak to you.

Dear Reader I want to encourage you to give God your dirty laundry. I want you to know that being washed in the blood of Jesus is a process similar to what I have described above. You have been in the world and you have acquired some stains in your life. The first thing that the Lord will do is agitate your situation. Understand, Dear Reader, if your situation just sat there, there is no way that the stains could come out. Once the you start the wash cycle the blood of Jesus gets in and cleans the stains out. However, the process is not over. Just when the stains come out all of a sudden there is a spin. Have you ever been going through life, when all of a sudden things begin to spin. You thought that you had it all planned out. You thought that you had it all together, when all of a sudden God put a spin cycle on your life. It’s not to harm you, it is only to get the excess water out of your life. It’s to get you where you need to be in order to serve His purpose. Now, Dear Reader, after all of that you would think that you have been through enough. You still have to go through the dryer. You have to go through another spin cycle, but this time it’s hot. Dear Reader, when you are in a hot situation, don’t give up on God, just know that God has washed you and now you need to be dried out. If the water stayed in your clothes they would begin to sour. Have you ever met someone without a sour disposition? More than likely, it is because they didn’t allow God to dry them out. Once the heat is over, you are once again so fresh and so clean. Dear Reader, God is washing away the stains and the dirt. It is a process that may seem uncomfortable at times, but at the end, you will be so fresh, so clean, so beautiful, so loved, and so blessed.

You are beautiful, loved, and blessed

John Reed

Capacity vs Capability

One more time, one more time. Lord I’m glad to be in your service, one more time. I could have been doing anything else with my talents and gifts, but Lord I humbly lay them at Your feet so that you can do with them whatever You see fit. Never taking any day for granted and especially thanking you for today, Dear Lord, I thank you for another opportunity to be in your service, one more time.

Good day to you all! Tomorrow is not promised to us, but Heaven is guaranteed. Live for what is eternal.

As I watched the Presidential debate, there was talk about our military, and whether or not it was at an acceptable capacity to defend the United States. The allegation was made that the US Navy was the smallest that it had been since 1917. The President quickly defended the size of the Navy by informing his opponent that it wasn’t about the number of ships that we have, it was about the capability of those ships. The United States is in no danger because the technology that we employ and the people that we have behind that technology is the best in the world. We are truly able to do more with less.

Dear Reader I want to encourage you to be look beyond capacity because God is capable. People may look at you and think that you are not working with too much. The same way that the giant Goliath looked at a young man, named David, and mocked him. David knew that he did not match up well with Goliath, but he knew that the God that He served was capable. People may look at you and not understand the God that is in you. Just like they looked at a man named Jesus, and said that He could not be the Son of God. They said that He has broken the law by healing the sick, and doing miracles. They accused Him of breaking Jewish law because He proclaimed to be the Son of God. Don’t you know that people will try to persecute you for being who you are. Nothing more, and nothing less. Well, this man names Jesus, who was the Son of God, was beaten and mock, and they hung him from a cross. They thought that they had seen the end of this man. Dear Reader they saw his capacity as a human being. Not knowing that Jesus had the capability of a Savior. Now you are covered in the blood. Dear Reader that makes you capable. That means that you may not have the capacity to hold a bunch of degree’s, but you are capable of making that business of yours a success. You may not have the capacity of knowledge that a doctor has, but you are capable of taking care of your sick children. Dear Reader, do not let anybody put a limit on what God can do for you. It’s not about the ships in your Navy, because we serve a God that is capable of doing great things.

You are beautiful, loved, and blessed

John Reed

In Sickness and In Health

Rejoice today because we serve a God that is faithful to forgive us of our sins, and to cleanse of all unrighteousness. Rejoice today because you are covered by the blood of Jesus and there is nothing that your enemies can do about that. You may hear people talk about your demise. You may hear predictions about your downfall. However, you are empowered by the blood of Jesus to overcome whatever the world puts in front of you. Rejoice today because you are victorious. Rejoice.

Good day to you all! You are a blessing to someone today! You are needed by someone today! Never underestimate your ability to change someone else’s situation.

More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Romans 5:3-5

I love my mama! I am happy to report that my mother has safely returned from her mission trip to Africa. I was able to speak to her and she told me about all of the wonderful work that her group had done. She also informed me that she had sick while she was over there. Apparently she had suffered a bug bite that left her sick and swollen. There was no hospital where she was so they called the local doctor. He was a young doctor and he rode into the village on his bike with medicine in his pocket. Understand that this doctor was not highly regarded because he was so young. The people doubted his ability. I tell you that this doctor took care of my mother and restored her back to health. When word spread that this young man had healed “the American” his business began to pick up. He now has more business than he can handle. It is amazing how God works through what would seem like a bad situation in order to bless someone in need.

Dear Reader I want to encourage you during your trials. I want to let you know that what you are going through is not necessarily for your benefit. God can use your situation to turn around the life of someone else. What you are going through may not be comfortable. What you are going through may not seem like an ideal situation, but Dear Reader it is a part of God’s purpose for your life. Your trials and tribulations may be the catalyst for someone else’s victory. Sometimes it doesn’t feel good when God uses us, but the good news is that God is using us. My mother, who I love dearly, was not in a good place when she was sick in a strange country, but God knew what it would take to turn a young doctors practice around. God did not let anything happen to my mother, as a matter of fact they were successful in doing His work. When God uses you for His purpose the reward is great so be encouraged and know that you have not been forsaken. Dear Reader the victory is yours! Don’t let your situation get you down. Praise God for your situation whether it be bad or worse, in sickness and in health.

You are beautiful, loved, and blessed

John Reed

Just Give Me Jesus

Today you will face a new set of challenges.  Today you may find yourself faced with a new circumstance.  Today you may find that you don’t have all of the answers.  I want you to know that God is with you through it all.  The road may not be easy, but I don’t believe that God brought you this far just to leave you.  He is with you through all of your challenges today, and every day.  He is with you through every circumstance that you face.  Today you may not have all of the answers, but that is because God has already answered all of the questions before you even had the chance to ask.  Be of good cheer today because God is with you always.

Good day to you all! May there be peace in everything that you come across, and may joy abound throughout your day!

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12

Sometimes I hear a lot of things that sound sincerely religious.  I hear a lot of big words that sound really deep.  I hear a lot of big concepts that come from a lot of big people with a lot of big titles. I am not one to argue philosophies.  I am not one to have a religious debate with anyone.  I just listen.  Sometimes I even ponder what it is that I am being told, but I don’t dwell there very long.  I believe that Jesus came so that we would not have to go through the debates.  When Jesus spoke to the woman at the well, she gave Him a set of religious rules that had been in place on how and where to worship. Jesus told her that those rules did not matter, the only thing that mattered was the water that He was offering.  Jesus told her that if you drink the water in the well you will eventually be thirsty, but if you drink of the water that I am offering you, you will never thirst again. Just give me Jesus.

And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.  1John 5:11-12

Dear Reader I tell you today that you can have your religion, just give me Jesus.  When I am sick, there is nothing that I can do with your religion, just give me Jesus.  I cannot speak for anyone else, but for me, just give me Jesus.  When I am in between a rock and a hard place, just give me Jesus.  I don’t know about you, but the church can only do so much, the pastor can only do so much, but when it comes to what I need to get by, I need Jesus.  Dear Reader, when you have Jesus there is nothing that your enemy can do to you.  When you have Jesus you be healed.  When you have Jesus your enemies will become your foot stools.  I may not have a degree in theology, and I may not have any particular title.  In the world of religious affairs I may be a nobody, but I can tell you from experience that when I needed someone to be closer than a brother, I did not call upon a degree or a title.  I didn’t call upon a pastor, a bishop, a pope, or a rabbi.  I called upon the mighty name of Jesus. I know that you may be going through something today, and people will give you a lot of advice. Let me give you one more piece of advice: Jesus.  Just calling upon His name will move mountains.  You can keep your religion, just give me Jesus.

You are beautiful, loved, and blessed

John Reed

Where is the Love

You are more than a conqueror, you are more than what people expect you to be.  There is so much for you to do today.  There are so many people in need of your touch, your laugh, your smile.  Do not underestimate how important you are in the movement of this world today.  Yes the world turns, but when it comes to God and all His children there is no reason that you can’t be the bold and the beautiful.  Do not let anyone tell you that you are not gifted, and blessed.  Do not let anyone tell you that God’s grace and mercy are not covering you.  You are more than a conqueror today, so take hold of your blessings, and bless someone else. 

Good day to you all!  There will only ever be one you!  Don’t let someone else love you more than you love you.

For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?  James 2:2-4

I was at home the other day, and I had the television on.  I wasn’t really watching it, but as I was listening I

heard something that caught my ear.  I heard a commercial that said at the end, ‘Who you care about tells a lot about you.”  I couldn’t help but think about how true that is.  If you care only about those who have as much as you, that speaks to your compassion.  If you only care about those who have status, then that speaks to your own self esteem.  If you only care about family that speaks to your values.  Jesus came to save the world.  He did not come to condemn the world.  Jesus came and surrounded himself with people of different walks of life, and he loved them all.  Jesus let the world know that he cared about the world because he died for the world. There are people today who claim to walk in Jesus example, yet don’t care about people who are different than themselves. Aren’t you glad that we serve a God who does not discriminate?

Dear Reader I want to encourage you on this day to open up your heart.  I want to encourage you to love someone who has been deemed unlovable. I used to feel like I wasn’t good enough.  People have a tendency to make you feel that if you are not going their direction you are going the wrong way.  Then I read about a man named Jesus.   How easy would it have been to have the Son of God who owns everything, to only look out for the rich? Like I told you before the world made me feel that I wasn’t good enough, but Jesus saw the best in me, when everyone else around could only see the worst in me.  So when that happened I returned the favor so that I could see the best in people when everyone else could only see the worst.  Who you care about says a lot about you.  Dear Reader there is someone who is in need of your caring.  There is someone who is in need of the love that you have to give.  The key is that they may not look like you.  They may not be from your side of the tracks.  They may not have what you have.  However, they need you.  Reach out to someone who needs a hand Dear Reader and show them where your heart is. Show them the love.

You are beautiful, loved, and blessed

John Reed

The Wisdom of Tony Stark

Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and everything else will that you have been seeking will suddenly appear. Praise God for all that you have been through because everything works together for your good. You have been through the fire and have come out without a scratch. You are stronger than you think and you are more beautiful than you will ever know. Do not let anyone or anything turn you around from what God has for you. You mean the world to the world.

Good day to you all! There is a lesson in everything that happens to you, but it can easily be missed in the midst of complaining.

I love a good movie. A movie that came out recently that I enjoyed was The Avengers. I didn’t think that I would enjoy the super hero movies, as much as I have, but there is so much that we can learn from them. In the Avengers we have earth being attacked, and all seems to be lost. The enemy is too big and too numerous to stop. The head of the attack is bragging about his dominance to one of our heroes, Tony Stark. He tells him that there is nothing that he can do because the earth is already been defeated. The war is already over. Toney just looks at him, and tells him that what he is saying may be true, but they have put a team together, and they may not be able to stop the end of the world, but they would surely avenge the world. Oh what a wonderful lesson.

Dear Reader you may have had dreams when you were younger that have passed away. You may have had plans that did not work out. It may seem like all hope is lost, but let me encourage you today to keep your eyes on God. I want to encourage you to look your enemy in the eye and tell them that God is not done. It aint over until God says it’s over and right now God has not said that it was over. Dear Reader I want you to know that you are not done with your dreams. All this time you have been getting better. You have been getting wiser. You have become more efficient. Dear Reader with your knowledge, wisdom, and efficiency, you have put together a team. You may not be able to do anything about the dreams that have passed away, but with this new team, and God on your side, you can definitely avenge those dreams. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and everything else will become clear. All of those things that you lost will suddenly be found, and they will be found brand new. Your enemy thinks that they have seen the last of you, but they haven’t seen anything yet. The best is yet to come. Your best days are in front of you, and those who doubted you are in for the surprise of their life. Be excited Dear Reader, you are an Avenger!

You are beautiful, loved, and blessed

John Reed

Hold On, I'm Coming

God is speaking to you today. Don’t let your busy schedule keep you from listening. God is moving through you today. Don’t let the quest for your own direction keep you from going where He is leading. God is blessing you today. Don’t let the lack of material things keep you from seeing your true blessings. God is touching you today. Don’t let the artificial feelings that the world offers, keep you from feeling the real love that God is blessing you with. You are covered today. You are beautiful today. You are loved today. You are blessed today.

Good day to you all! If you are able to speak to someone today, and lift them up you have done a good thing. If you are able to speak to someone today and give them hope when the only thing that they have seen has been hopeless. If you can do these things then you are the blessing that someone has prayed for.

Don't you ever be sad,
Lean on me when times are bad.
When the day comes and you're down,
In a river of trouble and about to drown

Just hold on, I'm comin',
Hold on, I'm comin'. – Sam And Dave “Hold On, I’m Coming”

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2 Corinthians 12:9
A letter to the oppressor:
I pray that this message speaks to your heart in your time of need. I know that you feel that there is nothing that I can teach you. I don’t hold any significant degree’s and I hold no significant position. You have trained your eyes to look for material things, and you have trained your ears to listen for what is in your best interest.
Understand that I write to you, not just on my own behalf, but on the behalf of the people who are under your authority. We the people who will not rely on our own strength in order to change our situation because our strength is limited. We the people reach above your authority to draw upon the strength of God which is unlimited. In your arrogance you have been led to believe that your power is infinite and you shall not be moved. However I am speaking to you in your time of need, because it is time for your to move away from we the people. It is time for we the people who have studied, prayed, and waited, to remove the chains and the ropes that have kept our hopes and dreams bound for so long.
I tell you today that we shall call you out by name. We shall call you out: unemployment, depression, fear, unbearable boss, debt, backstabbing friend, abusive relationship, repossession, foreclosure, bad news, loneliness, negativity, poverty, and we shall say to you that your days are numbered, and your power is limited. You shall no longer hold any power over us. Your power is not as important as our weakness. It is in our weakness that we are made perfect. We shall boast in our weakness because it has never been said, “The smaller they are the harder they fall”. It has always been told that the bigger they are the harder they fall. I pray that this message speaks to your heart oh yea that despise forgiveness and savor oppression. I pray that your eyes can see the faces at the bottom of the well one day. I hope that you are able to hear the voices that cry out and cannot be heard. God promised that we the people call on Him, He will be on the way. The call has been made, and we shall hold in to hope, and we shall hold on to our dreams. We shall hold on to the promises of God. Your oppression shall no longer be your staple, but it shall be the back drop of the story that we shall tell when they ask us how we made it when the odds where stack against us. I write this to you on behalf of we the people who are:
Beautiful, Loved, and Blessed
John Reed

Been There Done That

Lift up every voice and sing.  God is on your side and when God is on your side there is nothing that can stand against you.  The victory is yours, now that is good news. You are a child of God and He is always looking out for you, that is better news.  Jesus died on a Friday, and rose again that Easter Sunday with all power in His hand so that you and I could live this life more abundantly, that is the best news.  Lift every voice and sing because you are highly favored and covered by His grace and mercy. God is with you today!

Good day to you all!  Do not let adversity determine your faith.  Walk knowing that your footsteps are guided, and even if your journey takes you through the valley of the shadow of death you have nothing to fear! God is with you today!

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. John 16:33

It can be difficult to find your way in a new place.  We have modern conveniences such as GPS,

and Mapquest, that make it a little easier, but there are still times when finding your way can be difficult. Early explorers would send a scout ahead in order to survey the land.  Once the scout would bring back the report that everything was ok up ahead, the explorers would move the rest of the camp forward into the land.  The person sent to scout the land had to be trustworthy, and they had to be brave. They had to know whether or not the land would be able to sustain the people that were coming in, and they  had to know if there would be enough food to make sure that no one would go hungry.  You could not let just anyone scout out the land ahead.

Dear Reader the good news today is that God has been there, and done that.  I know that you may be facing a challenging road ahead. You may have planned everything perfectly, but there have been some detours that have put you in a new land that you were unprepared for.  Dear Reader, I want you to walk with confidence in the new land because Jesus has already scouted the land.  God will not send you into a place where He is not planning to provide for you.  You may be experiencing heartbreak, and despair, but Jesus wants to let you know that He has been there and He has done that.  You may be experiencing betrayal, but Jesus wants you to know that He has been there and done that.  Your path has already been cleared.  Don’t be bothered by the smoke, because if you are seeing the smoke, that is because God has already put out the fire that is up ahead,  Dear Reader do not let this world intimidate you.  Do not let this world tell you that the God who created everything, does not exist.  Jesus wanted to make sure that we know that He has already defeated this world, so if we are with Jesus then we too have the victory.  Fear not Dear Reader God has already made a way for you, and He will provide all of your needs. Do not fear any situation.  Smile at adversity knowing that your Lord and savior Jesus Christ has been there, and done that.

You are beautiful, loved, and blessed

John Reed

The Glass is Always Full

It is a wonderful day that we get to share today.  God is making a way for you, and He knows what you are going through.  Know that God is with you no matter what the situation looks like and no matter what people think.  Understand that there is a blessing in the midst of your storm. Understand that God develops His best pictures in a dark room.  Understand that God is at His strongest when you are at your weakest!  If you understand these things then you  will know without a doubt that it is a wonderful day today!

Good day to you all!  The point of it all, is that God loves you!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5

We have all heard the question asked, “Is the glass have empty, or is the glass half full?”. I have pondered this question on occasion myself and I have always seen the glass as half full.  What may seem like a bad situation is just the eve of a good situation. A hard beginning is just the set up for a great ending.  The credits never roll on the exciting part of the movie. The bigger they are the harder they fall. I try to look at the bright side, but it can be difficult at times.  Especially when the water is removed from the glass.  The glass used to be full of water and now half of that water is gone.  I used to have a good job, but since I lost that job, I feel like half the person I used to be.  I used to have a beautiful relationship, but now that they left me, I only feel half full.  I used to have dreams, but my dreams have evaporated like water, and not my cup that used to be full is now half empty. My cup no longer runs over.  It is easy to see the cup as being half empty.  It is easy to see the cup as being half full.

Dear Reader I want to hit you with a technicality today.  I want to let you know that technically, the cup is always full.  Understand that when the water goes out of the cup, it is only half full of water.  However when the water which you can see goes out, the air that you can’t see comes in.  Without the air pressure that comes into the glass the water that you can see would just float away.  Dear Reader you may have lost a job that you can see, but there is a God that you can see that is holding you down.  You may have lost the relationship that you can see, but God wants you to get closer to Him so that He can hold you down even though you can’t see Him. Just because you can’t see it, doesn’t meant that it is not there.  Dear Reader I am here to tell you today  that when  you have a relationship with God, your glass is always full.  As a matter of fact, when you seek God, your glass is always running over.  People may look at your glass and think that you don’t have enough.  There are those who will look at your glass and tell you that you “almost” made it. Dear Reader you have everything that you need.  There is no need to worry, because even though you can’t see it, your glass is always full. You have worried long enough, and you have shed enough tears.  Your weeping has endured through a very long night, but Dear Reader your sun is rising and joy comes in the morning .

You are beautiful, loved, and blessed

John Reed

I Have Lost My Mind

When the praises go up the blessings come down!  Even in the midst of confusion, when the praises go up the blessings come down!  Even in the midst of thunder and lightning, when the praises go up the blessings come down!  We serve an awesome God who does not sleep and does not take a vacation.  We serve a God who is always looking out for His children, and He is worthy to be praised. God is so good that we should not let anything keep the praises from going u! Praise Him because He is worthy!

Good day to you all! God is speaking to you in many ways, but you have to know how to listen! 

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.  Galatians 2:20

If you are reading the subject title of this post, I don’t want you to be concerned about my mental health.  This is not a declaration of my insanity.  I am writing to you today with all of my senses in place, yet I tell you that I have lost my mind.  I tell you this because when it comes to some of the things that I used to do, if I were to compare them to the things that I do today, the old me would think that I was crazy.  The old me would be ready to lock me away in a padded room. It was Jesus who made the difference.  Understand that when you follow Jesus closely you do things that are not what the world expects.  You love the ones that the world does not want.  You feed the ones that the world says not to feed.  You listen to the ones that the world says should have no voice.  When you are in step with Jesus you are out of step with the world, so it is a good chance that if you are following Jesus and the Word of God the world is going to give you some funny looks sometimes.  It is not your fault.  When you dedicated your life to Jesus, you took your old mind away, and got a new mind.  You too have lost your mind.

Dear Reader I want to encourage you to lose your mind.  Your mind may be conditioned to this world.  Your thoughts may be conformed to the way that this world thinks.  However, God will throw away what is old so that He can create what is new.  When you are born again everything is new.  So when you forgive someone that has done the unforgivable, or when you love someone who has called you an enemy, it may seem like you have lost your mind.  Well, Dear Reader, I dare to say that you have lost the mind frame that you once had, and it has been replaced with the thinking of Jesus Christ.  Jesus forgave in the middle of pain.  God is faithful to us even though we are not always faithful to Him.  It is ok to step outside the box, and do some things that you normally would not do.  When you smile at the ones that seek to harm you, or when you pray for the ones that curse you, it may look funny to some people, but to God it makes perfect sense.  Dear Reader do not let anyone lead you back into your old way of thinking.  You can let them know that you may have lost your mind, but your new mind is better than ever!  Celebrate the new you!  Celebrate the freedom of salvation!  You are no longer chained to the ways of the world.  In the name of Jesus you have lost your mind, but your new mind is much, much better!  Follow Jesus example Dear Reader, and bless someone today!

You are beautiful, loved, and blessed

John Reed

The Balancing Act

It is another day that we have been blessed with!  Let us lift up every voice and sing!  There is so much for us to do today.  Someone needs a hand, and you happen to have a hand free.  Someone needs a smile and you just happen to have a glorious smile.  Someone just happens to cross your path who needs a path to the cross, and you are just that person that can change their life.  Be a blessing today, because today is the day that we are blessed with!

Good day to you all!  There is something about the name Jesus!  Just the mention of the name of Jesus can turn circumstances around and dry up your tears.  Call on Him, and He will be there for you!

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content Philippians 4:11

I remember going to the circus and seeing the men and woman that could walk on the tight rope.  It was amazing to see them walk across such a narrow rope that was stretched high above the floor.  I wondered how this was done so I researched a little and was amazed by what I found.  The tight rope walker keeps his balance by keeping his center over his support.  So as long as his center of gravity stays directly over the rope, even though the rope is narrow the man or woman will not fall.  Now, as simple as that sounds it takes years of training in order to get it right, because if you do not concentrate on where you are putting your balance you will fall off the tight right.  It takes a lot of training, and discipline in order to get it right, and stay balanced. 

Dear Reader I want to encourage you today to maintain your balance.  Sometimes we get a little off center.  Sometimes we don’t believe in our support.  God is with you even though the road to your success may be as narrow as a tight rope that is stretched high above the floor.  Yes, it may seem like you don’t have enough room to walk, and it may seem like you are going to fall off at anytime, but Dear Reader, I want you to concentrate of keeping the center of your life on your support.  If God is lined up with your center then you will maintain your balance.  We see people falling off every day, and the key to why they are falling off is that they are focused on everything else around them.  They are not centered on God, and everything else that they think can give them balance only makes them fall.  The rope may be narrow, but when God is your support, it doesn’t matter where you put your feet, you will not fall.  Ask Peter when he got out of the boat.  Jesus told him to walk towards him, and he was able to walk on the water.  God will support you.  God will keep you balanced.  Your enemies will watch in amazement while you walk.  Some of them will buy a ticket to the show just to see you fall (and won’t they be disappointed because with Jesus even when you fall you can’t fail).  It may take some time and some discipline in order to get it right.  You won’t be perfectly balanced all the time, but the good news is that when you fall, and we all fall at some point, God provides a safety net to keep you from hitting the ground. Dear Reader don’t let anyone doubting you take your concentration off of your walk.  Sometimes life can be a tight rope walk, but when your footsteps are guided you won’t have to worry about the balancing act.

You are beautiful, loved, and blessed

John Reed

2 Days

Be determined that your faith is stronger than your circumstance.  Walk today knowing that God’s blessings will always be on time, and will always be more than enough to get you through.  Make the decision that God’s will is your direction, and there is nothing in this world that can separate you from the blood of Jesus.  When you do these things you will find that you will hear God’s voice clearly and you will feel a certain closeness to Holy Spirit.  Walk in the light and darkness will fall at your feet like the shadows.  God is with you today!

Good day to you all!  This is the day that the Lord has made, and there is an unmistakable feeling of the Spirit moving today!  Give us this day our daily bread and let us hold on to our faith which can sustain us through all circumstances.

But when Jesus heard this, He  said, “This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.”  Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.  So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was. John 11:4-6

The above verse is describing the reaction of Jesus when He heard that His friend Lazarus was sick.  It is in stark contrast to what we think about when you think of Jesus being for us in our time of need.  Here we have Jesus upon hearing the news of the death of His friend, not moving in a hurry, but staying where He was for another two days.  Verse 5 says that He loved Lazarus and his two sisters, but then verse 6 says that Jesus remained right where He was for two more days. Imagine being in a bad situation and getting word to a friend to help you out, and instead of coming immediately they waited a two hours. We know from the story that by the time Jesus arrived in Judea that Lazarus had been dead for four days. The story of Lazarus is a perfect example of Jesus not coming when we want Him to come, but He is always right on time.  We say that all the time, but I think about the agony and anticipation that Mary and Martha must have gone through waiting on Jesus to arrive.  I imagine the pain that they felt as they waited and Lazarus finally passed away. Those must have been two very long days.

Dear Reader I want to encourage you through your two day period.  I know that it may seem like  your two days have lasted for several years. It may seem like your call to Jesus has fallen on deaf ears. I know that you are waiting on Jesus to arrive.  It may seem like you are in a dead situation.  Dead dreams, and dead relationships that all started with a sickness that could have been cured.  Well let me tell you the good news about two days.  Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days, but Jesus spoke to Lazarus and told him to walk out.  The world may have pushed stop, but when Jesus is on the way the stop button becomes the pause button, and His Holy finger is about to press play. I want to encourage you while you are waiting on Jesus to come.  I want to help you get through your two days, and never give up on God.  Never give up on you.  Your situation is not meant to harm you. When your situation is turned around it will be unmistakable the God was in the mix.  It will be so obvious that it had nothing to do with you and everything to do with God that you will become a shining example of His love.  Your enemies will rejoice during your two days.  However, they may be dumping the Gatorade too soon.  Death got to celebrate for two days when they buried Jesus, but it was day three that we remember so well. On day three Jesus walked out of the tomb with all power in His hand.  Jesus defeated death so that you and I could have life.  Dear Reader stay strong during your two days and praise His name today!

You are beautiful, loved and blessed

John Reed 

A Moving Experience

Your beauty was declared long before you were born, and is so deeply embedded in your spirit it would take a lifetime to experience it all.  Take time to understand your own beauty.  Take time to understand your own perfection.  God’s blueprint is all over you, so never let anyone label a variation of design as a flaw.  You are beautiful at all times.  You are God’s child at all times.  You are under the watchful eye of your creator.  Fear not!

Good day to you all!  There is a lesson for you to learn today! The reason that we go through what we go through is so that we can pull the lessons out of life and apply it to tomorrow!

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus  Philippians 3:12-14

Over the weekend I moved to a new apartment.  I must say that it was mentally and physically one of the most exhausting things that I have done in a while.  There is so much involved, but in the end it was the best thing that I could have done.  The apartment that I was moving from has changed over the time that I had been there, and it was no longer a nice place to live. When I told my neighbors that I was moving they all said that they understood, and that they wanted to move as well, but they didn’t know when they would.

Dear Reader, I want to encourage you to have a moving experience.  Understand that when you have had enough of what the world is giving to you.  You can move on.  I want you to know that you don’t have to take negativity lying down, Dear Reader, you can move on.  When you are watching everything that was once good, now turn bad, and you realize that you didn’t have any business there in the first place.  Don’t put it off for one more minute, it’s time for you to move.  Pack up and don’t look back. You have shed tears for too long, give heartbreak your notice to vacate and move.  You have been frustrated for too long, tell frustration that it is time for you to move on!  Once you move closer to God, and away from the traps of this world, you won’t even bother looking in your rearview mirror. Get closer to God every day, and move away from those things that are seeking to bring you down. Never forget that you are a child of God.

You are beautiful, loved, and blessed

John Reed

Such a Beautiful Sky

Take a moment to look around and notice all of your blessings.  Take a look around and notice that God has brought you a mighty long way.  Take a moment and see that everything that you need is right in front of you.  There is so much to give thanks for that if you had a thousand tongues you could not praise God enough.  When the praises go up, the blessings come down.  Be blessed today!

Good day to you all! If you find yourself in the middle of the storm without an umbrella just know that God does some of His best work in the rain. Remember if there was no rain, the sky would be devoid of rainbows.

Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth. Psalm 50:2

There is something to be said about the beauty of the sky when the sun is rising and when the sun is about to set.  The sky is so beautiful that it would be hard to doubt that there is a God in Heaven who created it all.  There is such a beautiful array of blues that mix with purple and oranges that blend with blues.  An untrained photographer would not have any trouble shooting a perfect shot of sky during dusk or dawn. Upon closer examination of what makes such a beautiful sky we find something very interesting.  When the sun is rising or setting the earth is an angle where the sunlight reflects off of all of the pollution in the air, and it is the reflection and the refraction of the sun’s rays that create the beautiful colors that we see.  It is the pollution in the sky that contributes to making the sky as beautiful as it is.

Dear Reader I want to encourage you to embrace your beauty.  That does not mean to be vain, but it does mean that there is beauty in you despite what you have been through.  The world may see the beautiful creation that you are, but upon further inspection if they only knew what God had used to bring that beauty out.  If they only knew what it took to bring out that smile every day.  If they only knew what tears had to fall in order to build up your strength.  Dear Reader right now you may feel like all of the pollution that is in your life is making your situation ugly.  However, let me tell you that what may be pollution to you, God is reflecting to show someone a beautiful sky.  What may seem like tough times for you, God is showing someone His power and grace through your situation.  Dear Reader there is a ribbon in the sky for you because God loves you so.  Do not give up on you!  Do not give up on love! Your sun is not setting, your sun is rising and someone watching see’s such a beautiful sky in you!

You are beautiful, loved, and blessed

John Reed

Love Under New Management

Lift up every voice and sing! Give God your best praise because He is worthy.  There is someone who is praying for you right now.  There is someone who is asking God to be on your side today.  Someone is on bended knees asking God to send a Heavenly Host to protect you from anyone or anything that would seek to harm you on this day.  God is listening to those prayers and He will be with you today and always. Lift up your voice and praise Him for His goodness.  Praise Him for being faithful to His children.  Once again, God is worthy to be praised.

Good day to you all!  Where is your concentration today?  What are you focused on?  Remember that thoughts become things, so be careful of what stays on your mind!

Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. 1 John 3:18

You deserve somethin' better, " I kept tellin' myself
Just be patient, true love you'll find
I finally found someone who became my friend
And in a matter of time
Real love stepped in-“Love Under New Management”-Miki Howard

Sometimes a change of management is needed.  There are times when the old way of doing things is not working the way that it ought to work.  Sometimes we get stuck in a particular way of doing things because those ways have become habit and are now comfortable.  We don’t even have to think about what we are doing.  The current management is happy with the results, but upper management is not pleased.  The home office is looking at the big picture, and it says that a change needs to be made immediately.  The home office sends down a referendum for sweeping change.  There is a note that says that current management is making the company look bad.  The current management is not treating its workers right, and it doesn’t care about the customers.  Something has to change.  New management is needed.

Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him. John 14:21

Experience is a good teacher
It takes someone like me to know
All the little games people tend to play
Some call it love
It never has a chance to grow-“Love Under New Management” Miki Howard

Dear Reader I want to encourage you to embrace sweeping change.  God wants us to love each other as He loves us.  God wants us to love unconditionally, and forgive unconditionally.  The world was not managing love correctly so the home office in Heaven sent down a reformer by the name of Jesus.  He brought about sweeping changes, so now love is under new management.  Dear Reader you may need to make some sweeping changes yourself.  I know that I have had to make some sweeping changes to the way that I love, and forgive.  Dear Reader the old way just wasn’t representing the Jesus that loved me so now there is love under new management.  Jesus set the example when they beat Him, and hung Him on the cross and as they mocked Him, Jesus asked God to forgive them because they did not know what they were doing.  How many times have we thought that we were unable to forgive someone, all the while forgetting who has forgiven us. You are not a bad person, your love just needs new management.  Forgive the way that you want to be forgiven.  Love the way that you would want to be loved.  Let us not love in word and talk, but in deed, and truth.  In other words, talk is cheap, and actions speak louder than words.  God’s love is eternal and covers you every day.  Try as hard as you can to make the love that you give reflect the love that you have been given.

You are beautiful, loved, and blessed

John Reed

Love the Skin You're In

Let us make a joyful noise to the Lord.  If you cannot sing, then you can just wave your hands, and let the world know that God has been good to you.  Let everything that has breathe praise the Lord!  So if you are able to read these words then you are more than capable of giving Him praise.  If you can see this message then you have been blessed with the ability to see and comprehend, and that is enough to give God the praise.  Don’t take the small things for granted.  Be grateful and lift up your praise to God today!

Good day to you all!  Stay in prayer! Our daily conversations with God are important!  Pray for someone that you don’t know very well because the compassion that we show towards a stranger is the compassion that God will show towards us!

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it 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 saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them  Psalm 139:13-16

Sometimes it is easier to be critical of ourselves than to see the beauty that is there. There are so many people who like to tell us what beauty is that we often can’t see the beauty that sits right in front of us.  There are so many priceless portraits in the world, and we miss the one that hangs in our bathroom.  That’s right, the mirror transforms into a priceless masterpiece whenever you step in front of it.  God created the world with His words, but He crafted you with His hands.  I tell you this because there is no way that you can value others, if you don’t see the value in yourself.  There is no way that you can understand where I am going if you have not started your own journey.  I find it amazing that babies are born all day, every day and each and every one of them is uniquely branded with God’s love.  You are also uniquely branded and there is no flaw in your design.

Dear Reader I want to encourage you to love the skin you are in.  I want to encourage you, on this day, to appreciate every part of who you are.  There may things that you want to improve on, but never let anyway cast shade on what God has made to be light.  Don’t let anyone tell you that you are less than the perfect specimen made exclusively by the Master’s hand.  There may be others that want to be like you, but that’s just because behind closed doors they like you.  I tell you Dear Reader there is no smile quite like your smile.  There is no voice quite like your voce.  There is no beauty quite like yours.  You should love the skin that you are in because the skin that you are in holds that spirit that God has made.  Dear Reader, don’t let nobody bring you down.  I live by a quote that I heard from Shaquille O’Neil.  He said, “If you don’t like me, then there is something wrong with you”.  Dear Reader when you have God in your heart, and you know that you are walking in the spirit, there are people who are not going to like you.  However, I want to encourage you not to change a thing!  If they don’t like you, then there is something wrong with them.  Dear Reader, you are God’s best creation.  Smile because you are who you are.  Don’t let anyone try to change you.  Love the skin you are in.

You are beautiful, loved, and blessed

John Reed

Cross Training

Take a look around you and know that you are blessed.  Cherish your family and friends, not just on birthdays or holidays, but everyday that you have the opportunity to do so.  Sometimes we miss out on the opportunity to love, and to laugh, so on this day make an effort to do just that. Sometimes we don’t realize that time is short until we realize that we are about to run out of time.

Good day to you all!  Give something to someone that you know cannot pay you back.  Give without expectation of receiving and you will be blessed beyond measure.

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

One of the most effective ways for an athlete to train is to cross train.  Cross training is the process of an athlete doing things outside of how he normally trains in order to get a complete training experience.  A runner may train with a kick boxer in order to gain more agility, and then train with basketball coach to work on speed. After going through a series of different training methods the runner finds that they are stronger and faster than they would have been if they had only concentrated on running. 

Dear Reader there is something that we can learn from these athletes.  We all have a cross to bear.  We all have something that things that we must take up and carry whether we want to or not.  I want you to know today that it is Jesus who taught us to cross train.  Jesus could have just been a healer. Jesus could have just come down from heaven to raise the dead.  Jesus could have come down to be a teacher, but Dear Reader the good news is that He came and did it all.  He taught us how to be accused and forgive at the same time.  Jesus taught us how to be a teacher and a provider at the same time.  I want to encourage you to cross train as well.  If you are good at teaching, work on praying for others.  If you are able to give you may want to work on your ability to forgive.  Once you work on these things you will find that your spiritual muscle will be able to handle the cross that you have to bear a little bit better.  You are stronger than you think Dear Reader, and you will be rewarded with the imperishable wreath of eternal life for all of your efforts. 

You are beautiful, loved, and blessed

John Reed