Author: JLB-Admin

“Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was hungry, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” Matthew 25:34-40 Sometimes I wonder if we’re getting it right. With all the agendas and opinions out there, it’s hard to stay focused on keeping the main thing the main thing. When I break it down, according to Scripture, the main thing is: “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy...

At the start of the new year, most of us are ready for a fresh start. Shake off the dust of the previous year and move forward. I don’t know about you, but January 1 of each year is full of hope and possibilities. Maybe this will be the year that I stick with a healthy meal plan. Maybe this will be the year that I stick with an exercise regimen. Maybe this will be the year that I land a lucrative book contract. Go to any gym, and you’ll see that many people start the new year ready for change. Most of it is a desire for positive change. If you made resolutions this year, I encourage you to stick with it. However, 2017 is a different year for me. I did not make resolutions around healthy eating or an exercise routine (though I probably should). Nope. Not this year. This year I desire one thing: I want a closer walk with God. Watching 2016, and the divisiveness of politics and media, it hurt me deeply. I watched the anger and insults trickle into the lives of family and friends. I watched battles one against another, whether of social media or in the classroom or in the line at Walmart. This division cuts and wounds and maims, and that’s the point. It’s a boiling pot for hatred, anger,...

For most of us, we can recite the Christmas story. We can sing Christmas carols that tell the tale of a newborn baby lying in a manger because there was no room at the inn. But dig deeper and you will discover the vast amount of miracles that took place in order for God to reconcile Himself back to us. From the immaculate conception to Joseph’s change of heart to pointing the shepherds and wise men to the newborn king to protecting the baby from the wrath of Herod who was already jealous of this proclaimed usurper to the throne, the fact is that this entire situation was God-inspired, God-driven, and God-protected. Beyond all of this, however, God chose to demonstrate His majesty through unexpected means and humble circumstances. Mary, a fourteen year old virgin with little to no means, is told by Gabriel that she has found favor with God and has been chosen to carry and birth the Messiah. Mary had no doubt heard the prophecies of the coming Messiah. All of Israel waited for their Savior. And out of the millions of Jewish girls, she would be the chosen one. Her betrothed was a mere carpenter. Neither of them had riches, but both had faith. And they needed it, especially for the coming months ahead. These months would be trying, testing them at every point. They...

“When one of them saw that he was healed, he came back. He praised God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him.” Luke 17:15 On this week of Thanksgiving, especially with our tumultuous and uncertain times, I have pondered the meaning of gratitude and thankfulness. Sure, we say we’re thankful, but do we mean it? And how do we show our thankfulness? In the Gospel of Luke Jesus healed 10 lepers. He told them to go and show themselves to the priest, that way they could be reintroduced to society. All 10 left. Eventually one stopped, turned around and went back to Jesus. Why? Because he wanted to say ‘Thank you.’ Something even more miraculous happened that day. Something other than Jesus healing the 10 lepers. Jesus asked, “Were not 10 cleansed? But where are the nine?” Even though Jesus asked the questions, he already knew that answer. Only one came back to thank him. Only one came back to worship him and to give him honor. What Jesus did next is an excellent example of how he responds to thankfulness: “Arise, go thy way: thy faith has made thee whole.” See, Jesus cleansed and healed all ten lepers, but with the one who came back, he went a step further and made him whole. That means he restored him completely. No missing...

Life sometimes feels that it is nothing but one struggle to another. I have a dear friend whose daughter suffers from seizures. My sister is struggling with her health. So many of my friends struggle with finances. Others with family situations. Sometimes when we struggle it is hard to see past that moment’s issue whether it’s pain or worry or fear or heartache. What is it you are struggling with? Sometimes through our struggles our perspective becomes distorted. We may start getting angry at God, or at the very least questioning Him. We may start to pull away from people because we can’t see past our own pain. I’m reminded of the widow of Zarephath in I Kings 17. Here is a woman who had nothing. She was picking up a few twigs to start a small fire in order to make herself and her son a small meal out of nothing more than a handful of meal and a cup of oil because that was all she had. Here’s what I find interesting: God told Elijah to go her because that’s who He was going to use to sustain Elijah. Really? A starving widow and her son, both of whom planned on dying after eating this small cake, were going to sustain Elijah? God, however, wasn’t only thinking of Elijah, He had a plan for the widow too....

That’s right! The release date is here for my book, No Longer Rejected! If you haven’t ordered it yet, it’s available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, the Crosslink publishing website, and other book retailers. If you want the DIGITAL copy of the book, it’s available to you for only $2.99.   Super excited, and I’m so glad I get to share this adventure with all of you! Hugs,...