Article by Dr. Les Hollon, Pastor, Trinity Baptist Church

Living requires courage.  Courage for you to be the person whom God is creating you to be and do that which God is calling you to do.

Along the way of courage, fear always shows up. God speaks directly to our fears.  David wrote in Psalm 23:4, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for the Lord is with me; thy rod and thy staff they do comfort me.”

In the shadow lands - not able to see clearly, overcast by death - temptation lurks to give way to evil. But David, reassured by God, said fear would not control him. 

Putting one foot in front of the other is the key to getting through the valley of the shadow.  Trusting God with each moment of every day during this valley walk of 2009 means that the Shepherd, not evil, will see us through.  Fear paralyzes us in the grip of the shadow.  Faith frees us to walk with enough light to see & feel God’s rod & staff.

Left to ourselves, there is a lot to fear.  We live in a world where there is no perfect safety net that catches us from everything.  Our society is characterized as the information age, in which the knowledge base that we have now may only be 3 percent of what we will have in 2020.  The average American changes his/her address every seven years, and with most people changing jobs seven times before retirement, there are future challenges people may fear.

But we may have a confidence, in the midst of momentary fear, that as we follow the Shepherd our fear turns into faith, and our faith into faithfulness.

Pastor Les

“Man is the individualized expression or reflection of God imaged forth and made manifest in bodily form.  How is it, then, I hear it asked, that man has the limitations that he has, that he is subject to fears and forebodings, that he is liable to sin and error, that he is the victim of disease and suffering?  There is but one reason.  He is not living, except in rare cases here and there, in the conscious realization of his own true Being, and hence of his own true Self.”
-Ralph Waldo Trine, The Greatest Thing Ever Known  

“The Lord is my light, and my salvation; whom shall I fear?”
-Bible, Psalm 27: 1

This article was written by Les Hollon, Pastor of Trinity Baptist Church.  For more information about how God works in your life, or to contact Dr. Hollon, click over to Trinity Baptist Church.

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Article by Dr. Les Hollon, Pastor, Trinity Baptist Church

Jesus lived among us to be known, understood, trusted and believed.  He performed miracles so people would see His authority and trust themselves to His care.  Jesus taught so

people would understand and apply His message.  Jesus related in love so He would be known in mercy & justice as Savior & Lord.  Jesus acted so those who had “eyes to see” would believe in Him.  By knowing Jesus we discover ourselves as though for the first time.

Jesus revealed Himself as the Good Shepherd so we could experience abundant life.  

Who holds the future?  What lies ahead of us?  Where will current events lead us?  Questions  abound.  Fear and faith wrestle inside of us.  What can we know during these uncertain times?  The following from Psalm 23 can calm & guide us:

The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.  Stay near the Shepherd and we will be okay.  Circumstances may affect us but not control us as our lives follow the Shepherd.  God is the resting place for our wants.  Bringing our fears to the Shepherd places us in the care of the One who holds together our lives, our universe.

Christ shepherds us as:

1. An indwelling of His presence as we follow Him (John 3:1-16);

2. An inner guide for our thoughts, feelings, and decisions (Matt. 5:1-11);

3. An outdwelling of His presence as we gather with others in His name (Matt. 18:20);

4. An outer guide as we serve Him in the world. (Matt. 28:16-20).

Pastor Les

“Each one of us has some kind of vocation.  We are all called by God to share in His life and in His Kingdom.  Each one of us is called to a special place in the Kingdom.  If we find that place we will be happy.  If we do not find it, we can never be completely happy.  For each one of us, there is only one thing necessary: to fulfill our own destiny, according to God’s will, to be what God wants us to be.”
-Thomas Merton, No Man is an Island

This article was written by Les Hollon, Pastor of Trinity Baptist Church.  For more information about how God works in your life, or to contact Dr. Hollon, click over to Trinity Baptist Church.

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“If I am open to the gifts that lie in the present moment, I can move forward with peace…”

Article By Make The Days Count Contributor Judy Mosley

I had been looking forward to this day for months.

For many people, March 20th probably didn’t mean very much, but for me, it was a cause for celebration. It was the First Day of Spring and I was determined to celebrate.  We got the children out into the sunshine and planted our sunflowers. Earlier that week, I had bought hot dogs to roast over the tiny fire pit in our backyard.  I knew that this celebration wouldn’t end the cold weather, but that it would remind us of the fact that spring was here, no matter how we felt on the inside.

Change is inevitable.  Life always moves forward.  Many people welcome change, no matter how it may appear.  Others dislike change for reasons that are individual as they are.  But what I have noticed is those who welcome change seem to be much more content and at peace than those who do not. Read More »

Article by Dr. Les Hollon, Pastor, Trinity Baptist Church

At dawn on Sunday, the morning after the Sabbath, the grieving women led by Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James (Luke 24:10) went to the tomb where the body of Jesus of Nazareth was buried to anoint Jesus’ body with their burial spices. When the women arrived at the cemetery, they were astounded to see Jesus’ tomb open.  The heavy covering stone had been rolled away and the body of Jesus could not be found.  Their minds could not keep up with the events happening around them. What they were seeing could not be explained by reason or by prior experience.

The women’s faith-eyes needed sharpening to comprehend the miracle, which was before them. The angels responded with three clarifying questions:

▪ First, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?”  The women needed to change their expectations of what they were looking for in order to see the truth about Jesus.  What about you?

▪ Second, the angels declared, “He is not here. He is risen.”  Their seven words forever altered the course of history.  What do they mean to you?

▪ Thirdly, “Remember how He told you this would happen while you were in Galilee?” Jesus had prepared them for what they were now experiencing. But the women had not connected Jesus’ teaching of resurrection to life application. Have you?   

Jesus prophesied His crucifixion and still the disciples could not comprehend Calvary.  Jesus prophesied His resurrection and still the disciples did not expect Easter.  Only by remembering and understanding His words would their lives be transformed.  Jesus had promised them that He would rise from the dead.

With Christ’s resurrection comes our resurrection.  With Christ’s resurrection comes Satan’s ultimate defeat.  With Christ’s resurrection is the victory of: heaven over hell; love over hate; hope over despair; forgiveness over sin.  Like the early believers, we are to share the joy of Easter’s promise. Christ is risen.  Christ is risen indeed!

Pastor Les Hollon

“The Gateway to Christianity is not through an intricate labyrinth of dogma, but by a simple belief in the person of Christ.”
-Norman Vincent Peale

This article was written by Les Hollon, Pastor of Trinity Baptist Church.  For more information about how God works in your life, or to contact Dr. Hollon, click over to Trinity Baptist Church.

If you liked this article, please share it on del.icio.us, StumbleUpon or Digg. Thanks!

Editor’s Note: Make the Days Count is republishing its top 10 articles for the benefit of new readers. This article was first run on November 18, 2008. Article by Make The Days Count Contributor Judy Mosley

It’s a simple signal - a little growl in the stomach or the sudden urge for “something.”  Human beings are superior for knowing when we are hungry.  Even if we aren’t exactly starving, we will snack as much as possible to keep hunger at bay.

There is another part of us that needs just as much attention.  It can’t be seen on an x-ray or an ultrasound, but it’s still an important part of who we are.  We’ve all felt its’ many signals … from unwarranted anger, the loneliness that creeps in while we’re in a crowded room, to the feeling inside when we have nothing left to give to those around us, just to name a few.

It’s our soul speaking to us in different ways, and it’s telling us it’s hungry.

Feeding our soul, however, is not as simple as going to the fridge and eating Thanksgiving leftovers.  We must give our souls what will nourish it and make it strong. This can be relatively plain to us, if we know who we are and what we need. Read More »