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Good morning. Have you taken time, recently, to dream? Sometimes the dreams feel big. Sometimes the dreams are so simple they make us smile. Sadly, constant stress denies so many people permission to dream or to accomplish what they’re called to do. It is possible not only to become de-stressed but also to thrive. Learning to do what you’re best at when you’re at your best will give you space to dream again as well as the time to pursue that dream. You probably have a dream that seems so impossible that you’re afraid to say it out loud or even admit it to yourself. Let’s be like the Paul and say, “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14). Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Often the stress of everyday life can leave us feeling so exhausted that we lose sight of both our gifting and our calling. We no longer even remember who we were created to be. "We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10). God created you to accomplish some meaningful things in this life. What are you best at? What were you put here to do? A study of some great leaders revealed that they had one thing in common - they did what they were best at when they were at their best. They worked in their area of gifting and passion when their energy was at its highest during the day. And as a result, they got their top priorities accomplished day in and day out. For us to move from being overwhelmed by what we perceive to be pressures of life to a stress free life we need to live in a fundamentally different way. Isaiah gives us clue as to the how - "but those who hope in (wait on) the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40:31) God's purpose for us is not a stressful life. "For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord , ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11) Take time today to quieten yourself down and wait on Him. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Today, most of us are overwhelmed, overcommitted, and overworked. Parents feel they are perpetually on the back foot. Retired people are stressed. So are entry-level employees and high school students, who are increasingly being rattled by anxiety and panic attacks. Even the medical doctors who diagnose our stress find themselves overwhelmed just trying to keep up with everything. So many people are living in survival mode. How did we get there? There is little about our lives that require us to merely survive. Jesus invites us to live differently, and the benefit is peace. "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ... But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matthew 6:25, 33-34) Jesus is asking us to trust Him. When we do, we move from survival mode into a far greater objective - his kingdom and his righteousness. We can do this. Let's do it. Have a good week. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. When we join together to worship God today, we do so with: • Gladness • Joyful song • Thanksgiving and • Praise. Psalm 100 puts it this way: "Shout for joy to the Lord , all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his ; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures for ever; his faithfulness continues through all generations." Enjoy His presence as you worship Him in the beauty of holiness. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Jesus always seemed to be able to discern the essential from the noise. "Under all his gentleness there is a purpose harder than steel." (Dorothy Sayers) Jesus understood his purpose and that allowed him to take the long list of things he could do and prioritize it down to the things he knew he should do to “finish the work the Father gave him to do” (John 17:4). Jesus knew the difference between urgent and important. And with his work prioritized, Jesus remained focused on His purpose. To follow Christ's example we must decide what matters most and allow those choices to prioritize our commitments. But let’s face it, this is easier said than done. We all have so many things on our to-do lists. How do we decide what matters most? Yesterday Tyrone Danyel speaking at SA Equip said we must "stick to purpose. Link prayer to purpose. Link practice to purpose." We must live purpose driven lives. As we quieten ourselves down over the weekend, let's once again ask God for clarity of His purpose for us (you). Then resolve to live accordingly. Enjoy your weekend. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Noise! Noise. There is so much noise going on around us. Social media, TV, radio, covid/vaccination debates etc. All this external noise results in us creating internal noise that blocks our ability to be silent and reflective. Our lack of solitude stands in stark contrast to the way of Jesus. The gospels mention Jesus withdrawing to “a solitary place” a number of times. Matthew 14:13 tells us that Jesus “withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place” to get away from the crowds. So important was silence to Jesus that he literally jumped into a boat to get away from all the noise to pray, think, and listen to his Father’s voice. It would appear that the busier Jesus got, the more he sought out silence. Luke 5:15-16 says that as “the news about him spread all the more...Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” To do our work for the glory of God and for the good of others, we, like Jesus, must fight for the quiet solitude we need to think, be creative, and listen to God’s voice. The weekend is almost here. Let's make time to withdraw from both the external noise and the internal noise and have some quiet time with Him. Remember that you are God's child. He loves you and is pleased with you. Have a dood day. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Have you ever had days whe you feel overwhelmed, swamped by the situation you find yourself in? The Bible tells us that Jesus’s disciples were once “swamped” in a different way. As they sailed across the Sea of Galilee “a squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger” (Luke 8:23). You know the rest of the story: Jesus “got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm” (Luke 8:24). The solution to the disciples being swamped by the wind and waves is the exact same solution to our being swamped by our to-do lists and hurried schedules. The solution is found in Jesus Christ. • Jesus offers us peace before we take matters into your own hands. • Jesus shows us how He managed his time. The Scriptures show him having to prioritize where he spent his time, dealing with distractions at work, fighting for solitude, and seeking to be busy without being hurried. Throughout the gospels, we see Jesus prioritizing time with the Father above everything else. We read in Mark 1:35, "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed." Let us follow Christ's example in prioritizing time with the Father. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Our lives are hectic. There is very little respite from modern living where digital multimedia demands our attention without ceasing; where nearly everything can be purchased and delivered at the click of a button and where often the drive to achieve leads to compromise and becomes prioritized over deep relationships. The invitation of God, however, counters this. His invitation is to routinely escape the hustle and bustle and be refreshed in His presence, and to see things differently. "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28‭-‬30) When we do this, we move out of the chaos of our lives and into the wide open space of His presence, a place where we can drink from the fountain of life and refreshment. It’s here where we regain a true perspective - that God is God. This is one of the most important exercises we can do - remembering that true joy and hope comes from the presence of God. This is the source of true peace. Enjoy a peaceful day knowing He is with you in every situation. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. When we made a commitment to follow Christ and receive His transforming power, we started on a journey in which greater things are still to come. It’s a life of liberation and freedom along the way as we stay open to the work of the Holy Spirit and acknowledge "Christ in us the hope of glory." Paul has this to say in 2 Corinthians 3:17‭-‬18 "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." Today bask in the glory of God. Set aside some time to become aware of His presence surrounding you and within you. Reflect and radiate Hisglory to the world and although sometimes we may not feel it, or even see it, we can rest in the truth that day by day, little by little, step by step, we aremoving from glory to glory. The late Billy Graham said, "…I don’t know the future, but I do know this: the best is yet to be! Heaven awaits us, and that will be far, far more glorious than anything we can ever imagine." Have a good contemplating the Lord's glory. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Matthew records the account of Jesus in Gethsemane shortly before He was arrested and crucified. "Then he said to them, ‘My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.’ Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.’" (Matthew 26:38-‬39) Many of us know what it is like to experience loss, pain and the emptiness that surrounds it. Imagine what Jesus was going through in the garden, speaking to the Father, knowing total separation from the Father was around the corner. He was about to take the weight of pain and sin of the whole world on His shoulders. Notwithstanding what Jesus was feeling at that moment, we read about the most stunning surrender ever "not my will, but yours"; showing His devotion to the Father. There is no higher love than this. The only conclusion we can come to is that His motive behind His journey from the garden to the cross, was love. Deep, unwavering love. Walk in His love as we go into the new week. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. There is always more. Much more. More of God that we haven’t fully known or experienced—of His love, His compassion, His kindness. Our cry should simply be: "Stir a passion in my heart, God." A passion for Him, a passion for His kingdom. All of this starts at the feet of Jesus. In His presence, in worship, admiring His beauty and wonder. In worship we have our vision enlarged and our hearts connect with the heart of God, catching something of the passion that burns in Him. We need that passion to consume us and, in the overflow, from that place of abundance, allow it to touch all those around us. Today, may this be our prayer and our priority; “Stir a passion in my heart, let it overflow” Have a wonderful time of worship today. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Risk! Some people thrive on it, while others avoid it. A significant amount of risk is involved in trusting God in all things, relationships, choices, and decisions. Risk, after all, is part of the very nature of faith: • Putting our belief in God whom we can’t see but still experience. • Putting our faith in His promise to work all things to our good, even if we don't understand what must happen to get us from where we are to where we hope to be. • Putting our faith in the love of God to transform us in ways we can’t even begin to imagine or expect. In Matthew 14 we read about a big risk-taker. Jesus was walking on the sea to the disciples. They were afraid, thinking it was a ghost. At Jesus's invitation, Peter stepped out of the boat and walked on water. Peter was willing to leave the boat and begin walking toward Jesus. Peter took a risk by stepping out in faith. What we see as a risk, could be the very situation God uses to strengthen our faith. What we think holds the potential for loss or damage, God may very well be using to strengthen our characters. What we view as taking a chance, very possibly could be what God will use to carry us closer to fulfilling our purpose and reaching our full potential. Take the risk by trusting God as you exercise your faith by stepping into His purpose for your life. Blessings. Mike and Daphne