1 Peter 3:15 – Verse for Aug. 11th
But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. —1 Peter 3:15 Ⓒ 1996-2026 Heartlight, Inc. This material may not be reproduced in part or whole for commercial use without written consent.
Colossians 4:5 – Verse for Aug. 10th
Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. —Colossians 4:5 Ⓒ 1996-2026 Heartlight, Inc. This material may not be reproduced in part or whole for commercial use without written consent.
Matthew 6:19-21 – Verse for Aug. 9th
“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 moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. —Matthew 6:19-21 Ⓒ 1996-2026 Heartlight, Inc. This material may not be reproduced in part or whole for commercial use without written consent.
1 Peter 2:12 – Verse for Aug. 8th
Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. —1 Peter 2:12 Ⓒ 1996-2026 Heartlight, Inc. This material may not be reproduced in part or whole for commercial use without written consent.
Hebrews 12:14 – Verse for Aug. 7th
Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. —Hebrews 12:14 Ⓒ 1996-2026 Heartlight, Inc. This material may not be reproduced in part or whole for commercial use without written consent.
Revelation 19:9 – Verse for Aug. 6th
Then the angel said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’” And he added, “These are the true words of God.” —Revelation 19:9 Ⓒ 1996-2026 Heartlight, Inc. This material may not be reproduced in part or whole for commercial use without written consent.
Proverbs 5:18-19 – Verse for Aug. 5th
May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. A loving doe, a graceful deer— may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be captivated by her love. —Proverbs 5:18-19 Ⓒ 1996-2026 Heartlight, Inc. This material may not be reproduced in part or whole for commercial use without written consent.
Living Your Dream
Are you living the dream God placed inside you? You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—and how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. (Psalm 139:13-16) This is an interesting time of year. Untold thousands of young people graduate from high schools, colleges, universities, and graduate programs this time of year. In fact, many have already left school for grander things. It’s an exciting time for them and their families. I know we’re thrilled and proud of our own daughter-in-law for completing her degree in Physical Therapy! (Way to go Mandy!) So now all of these graduates are off and on their way up. We want to tell them, “Go live your dream!” When I was not quite three years old, my dream in life was to be a garbage man. Now that may not sound like much of an ambition to you, but think about it a minute from the perspective of a three year old. You have a really big, noisy, moving truck with lots of knobs and levers. It goes by everybody’s house and they put stuff out for you to get. When you dump that stuff in the back of your truck, this big metal deal turns and the trash all disappears. Now how cool is that? Once while visiting my grandparents, I heard the garbage men. I went out to watch them. When they left my grandparent’s yard, I followed them to the next … and to the next … and across two streets … and … my mom realized I was gone and was terrified. They found me by listening to the sound of the garbage truck and realizing that is where I must be. I was following my dream! You have a dream. I’m pretty sure for most of you the dream isn’t to be a garbage man. If it is, well that’s cool. I’m with you on that dream! Let me tell you something about your dream no matter what it may be: it was placed in your heart by God himself. See the little guy in the picture? (Okay, if you get this via email you don’t see the picture, but it’s of a little baby twelve weeks after conception. His right leg looks like it’s kicking something or pressing the accelerator of a car.) He is so small no one knows he’s there — well no one knows except God. In Psalm 139:13-16, we are told that from our conception, God knows us, has a purpose for us, and has a plan for us to live that purpose. In other words, God has given us a dream! No matter whom your parents may be, no matter how you came to be, you are not an accident. God has known you all along and has a dream for your life that he has placed inside you! Your job in life is to go live that dream! Are you living your dream? I wanted to be a garbage man when I grew up. Guess what? I am … sorta. I help run Heartlight, which is a high tech kind of company. I love all the high tech devices because they are useful, they do cool things — cooler than all the noise, levers, knobs, and stuff the garbage truck did. In addition, I’m a minister. I get to help people take the garbage in their life and leave it at the curb and let God take it away. I’m getting to live the dream that God planted in me! Hope you are getting to do that, too! If you are, you already know what I’m about to say. If not, let me share a couple more things with you about that dream. I believe God wants you to understand some things about the dream God has placed in your heart. First, you will face obstacles, challenges, and distractions to keep you from living your dream. Satan opposes the work of God and he will oppose it in your life. It won’t be easy to stay focused on God’s dream he’s place in you. But you can and you must. Second, you must honor the Dream Giver with your dream. If you cannot live your dream and honor God, then it’s not really an honorable dream — it’s not your real dream. If you have to sacrifice your character, your integrity, or your faith for your dream, then it isn’t really a worthy dream. God, the great Dream Giver, gave you your dream. He will not give you a dream that does not bring honor to him. Third, don’t settle for less than the dream God placed in you. He made you for that dream. He made you for his purpose. Don’t settle for something less than God’s dream. It will be too little, too confining, and too costly in the long run. You may be like a lot of people who are not sure of the dream God has placed inside them. In addition to reading the New Testament, I recommend Bruce Wilkinson’s book, The Dream Giver. It will help you find, identify, and pursue your dream and the great Dream Giver who placed it in your heart. If you are a graduate, or a parent of a graduate, use this transition as the time when you re-commit to the dream God gave you. That way if people can’t find you, all they have to do is listen for the sound of your dream and know that this is where you will be! Image from Adobe Firely, generated with AI. Used
Kicked to the Curb? Good!
Holy ground — without brokenness, there would be no healing or hope or grace. So, thank you, Abba, for reserving a place for us, just for us, at the curb with you. MO is at Black Rifle Coffee. Beyond Black is in the cup, silence is on the playlist, and God has moved the room to the curb. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (Romans 5:6-11 — bold added to help us recognize why we were on the curb of broken “whatevers” before his grace found us!) What do you do with broken things? My dad would find a place in the garage and keep the broken “whatevers” in hopes of one day fixing them, or using the parts to fix something else — he loved restoring them — turning misfits into good-fits… don’t think he ever tossed anything, he even gave a new home to the broken stuff in the backlot at work. Lyn and I, on the other hand, put our broken things on the curb by the driveway, and like magic…within three hours they disappear. Over the last four decades lots of broken things have vanished: 5 chairs 3 recliners a trash compactor a washing machine three lawn edgers two lawn mowers a dot matrix printer a b/w laser printe two color printers one fax machine a 21 inch computer monitor 2 ceiling fans a rusted out radial arm saw two patio furniture sets three outdoor swings three TVs three outdoor gas grills two floor lamps three VHS players a tireless wheel barrow a vacuum three rotted railroad ties one barely used treadmill and one grab-bag full of broken odds and ends. All labeled “free to first one who stops.” They all disappeared by nightfall. So, unless it’s broken, we don’t leave anything by the curb. God on the other hand is like my dad. He collects broken things. He knows the curb well — He lives there. Only his collection is much more intriguing and compelling than my dad’s. He takes broken people, those who know they’re broken and those who are clueless — they are all treasures to Him — He mends them, comforts them. heals them, finds their lost pieces, and makes them whole. His magic only happens at the curb, the place where confession happens, when we admit our helplessness, where we own up to what’s going on behind what’s going on. And to be comforted, we have to experience His healing we have to leave our brokenness as the curb. Abba collects all kinds of brokenness — broken dreams, broken hearts, broken promises, broken futures, broken reputations, broken trust, and broken bodies. Then, our Abba does holy surgery. He restores, heals, transforms, and repurposes. Somehow, He makes us stronger in the broken places. The Spirit of God knows us better than we know ourselves; He knows we will fight Him — refuse to turn loose — we will try to hide our brokenness — to second-guess the curb. We don’t like admitting we are broken. The first miracle is that… He’s patient… He waits… He camps-out at the curb… The second miracle is that… He urges us to tell Him about it, to own it, to confess it, and turn loose of it. That’s when the curb becomes holy ground. Ah yes! Holy ground — without brokenness, there would be no healing or hope or grace. So, thank you, Abba, for reserving a place for us, just for us, at the curb with you. I can smile because God owns the curb. Real church happens there! About the author: Ron Rose has been a unique minister and friend, but he is also a noted author and leader of several ministries. Ron now makes himself available as a listener and friend as he spends time with people on the go and in coffee shops and shares grace and a listening ear connecting them with God who is always in the room!
Sharing in the Joy!
O God, please, will you let me see a little harvest… Please! Jesus is not in Israel — not Judah or Judea or even Galilee. He is in Samaria that often forbidden area where nothing and no one properly lived — at least from the perspective of a Good Jewish person of Jesus’ day. Jesus has just concluded a public conversation with a woman — ooh, that’s questionable! She was a Samaritan outcast of dubious sexual practices! Ouch, that was forbidden. Yet, Jesus has answered her searching and seeking questions and then led her to faith. She has gone to tell her own people — those who had cast her to the outer margins of their village life. But Jesus’ knows her, knows her faith is real, and that her testimony is about to change village life around her forever. Now, as so often happened, the LORD had to deal with the often “slow-to-get-it” apostles.”Why are you talking to a woman, and why are you not hungry?” they asked Him. Then Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work. You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest. The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike! You know the saying, ‘One plants and another harvests.’ And it’s true. I sent you to harvest where you didn’t plant; others had already done the work, and now you will get to gather the harvest.” (John 4:34-38 NLT) I imagine this scene as Jesus talks to His apostles and points to the villagers coming their way. Their white headpieces bobble along as they walk toward them, and Jesus says: “I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe [— the heads of grain are white —] ready for harvest.” There are different kinds of seasons in the life of a follower of Jesus who takes seriously the LORD’s Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8-10). We often find ourselves in the harder seasons. Some are in the planting seeds season, where we keep sowing and can’t see any harvestable results. Some of you have been trying to find good soil. Others have been planting seeds for what seems like a long time with few noticeable results. Others are in the watering and tending phase to see if there is any harvest in sight. Some of you are weary and not sure you can keep on looking for soil, planting seeds, bringing water, tending to the weeds, and waiting on any hint of the harvest. It is hard work getting to know the soil and cultivating relationships so you can sow in a cultural climate hostile to the seed you sow. It is discouraging not to see quick results from all of your labor, sweat, and prayers. This can be a season that leads many of us to doubt ourselves, our calling, and our mission: Did I mishear God’s call? Was I wrong in coming here? Is this what I’m supposed to be doing at this time in my life, and especially in my family’s life? What am I doing wrong? Is there any fruit in sight? O God, please, will you let me see a little harvest… Please! I’ve asked those questions, had those doubts in my patch of ministry dirt that Jesus sent me to prepare for harvest, and felt inept when others around me were harvesting. So, what word is there for the “no-or-slow” harvest seasons of our lives and ministries? Jesus reminds us of an essential truth: “What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike! You know the saying, ‘One plants and another harvests.’” And I believe the LORD’s promise is true! Jesus promises us that we will share in the joy of the harvest. It may not be now, or soon, or even on the horizon. However, the Chief Sower of seeds promises us we will share in the joy of His bountiful harvest. And if we are blessed with a surprise from God’s gracious love, we may experience a foretaste of this harvest when we least expect it. I am an old dude. My hands-on sowing is less frequent and more restricted. While I do get to hear about our house church planters’ successes and challenges, I don’t get to be there to get wet hugging the newly baptized or lifting my hands with them when they sing their first praises to Jesus. Oh, how I’ve missed that and longed for those experiences! So, imagine my surprise when we visited Rwanda Children Christian School, and I was asked to preside at the baptism of 188 people delivered from animism and incestuous living who were brought into the Kingdom of the Son of God’s love. It was from a neighboring village that time had forgotten. The efforts of loving disciples took over a year of lessons on how to grow crops, training in hygiene, explanations of birth abnormalities because of incestuous inbreeding, health care that provided basic services, education for the children, and lots of love. God’s people did that consistently, beautifully, sacrificially, and hopefully. They planted the seed, watered it, removed the weeds, and then shared the Good News. These practices of gracious sowing, tending, and weeding had guided God’s people in their love for people in desperate need of grace. I was blessed to stand and welcome ninety-eight of those new family members into the fellowship of the saints as they rose from their new birth into God’s family. I got delightfully wet from high-fives, handshakes, and hugs. I rejoiced over them and cried with them. I saw old men and women with tears streaming down their cheeks for joy, many wearing their best clothes to be baptized. I saw pre-teens who were excited but unsure of the road