Grudges

Grudges

"Grudge" is one of those words that defines itself. Its very
sound betrays its meaning.

Say it out loud, slowly: "Grr-uuud-ge."
It starts with a growl. "Grr…" Like a bear with bad breath
coming out of hibernation or a mangy mongrel defending his
bone in an alley. "Grr…"

Being near a resentful person and petting a growling dog
are equally enjoyable.

Don't you just love being next to people who are nursing a
grudge? Isn't it a delight to listen to them singing their songs of woe?
They are soooo optimistic, so full of hope! They are just bubbling with life.

You know better. You know as well as I that if they are bubbling with
anything it is anger. And if they are full of anything, it is poisonous
barbs of condemnation for all the people who have hurt them.
Grudge bearers and anger animals are a lot alike. Both are irritable.
Both are explosive. Both can be rabid. Someone needs to make a sign that
Can be worn around the neck of the resentful: "Beware of the Grrrudge Bearer."

It is not enough to accuse, the other person's character must be attacked. It's
insufficient to point a finger, a rifle must be aimed. Slander is slung.
Names are called. Circles are drawn. Walls are built. And enemies are made….

Is this the way you are coping with your hurts?
(The Devotional Bible)

Lesson for today:

Think about and discuss with a loved one, the ways your life has been
affected by a grudge.

In Christ,
Rick

God Is Our Refuge And Strength

Psalm 46:1  "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble."   O what a familiar verse!  I have read this verse many times, and have read it without truly understanding the words and message.  What is a refuge?  According to the dictionary, a refuge is a place of shelter, protection, and safety.  The origin of the word describes the act of turning or fleeing from something.  Many times in our language we see or hear the word refuge along with the word storm, and it indicates a safe place to flee from the storm. The word strength refers to the ability to withstand stress and great pressure. And to be ever-present, means that God is always ready.  To combine these thoughts, we know that God is always ready to help us to withstand the stresses and pressures of life, and to offer us the shelter and protection we need to survive the storms. Several verses later in Psalm 46:10 it says to "Be still and know that I am God."   Dear Friend, do you have trouble today?  The bible has promised us that God is our ever-present help in time of need and trouble.  He is always ready to help us.  He has promised us that He is our refuge and shelter from the storms of life.  He has also instructed us to be still and know that He alone is our God.  Take a few moments today to thank God for his continuous love, and ever-present help in our lives.  He alone is worthy, and He alone deserves our praise and thanksgiving.   Dave Henry

The Woman at the Well

John 4:7-15 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?" His disciples had gone into the town to buy food. The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" For Jews do not associate with Samaritans. Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." "Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?" Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water." What a familiar story, and what a great message in these verses! As I read these verses once again, I was reminded of the beautiful song, "Fill My Cup, Lord" written by Pastor Richard Blanchard many years ago. Like the woman at the well I was seeking For things that could not satisfy; And then I heard my Savior speaking: "Draw from My well that never shall run dry." CHORUS: Fill my cup, Lord, I lift it up, Lord! Come and quench this thirsting of my soul; Bread of heaven, feed me 'til I want no more- Fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole! There are millions in this world who are craving The pleasure earthly things afford; But none can match the wondrous treasure That I find in Jesus Christ my Lord. So, my brother, if the things this world gave you Leave hungers that won't pass away, My blessed Lord will come and save you, If you kneel to Him and humbly pray. Dear Friend, do you thirst for the living water that God provides? He has so richly promised us that we will never thirst again for the things of this world if we thirst for His kingdom and all He has to offer. Take a few minutes right now to thank Him for the living water that only comes from Him. Dave Henry

Jesus washes our feet

Jesus washes our feet

I don't understand how God can be so kind to us, but He is. He kneels before us, takes our feet in His hands, and washes them. Please understand that in washing the disciples' feet, Jesus is washing ours. You and I are in this story. We are at the table. That's us being cleansed, not from our dirt, but from our sins…

Don't miss the meaning here. To place our feet in the basin of Jesus is to place the filthiest parts of our lives into His hands. In the ancient East, people's feet were caked with dirt and mud. The servant of the feast saw to it that the feet were cleaned. Jesus is assuming the role of servant. (John 13:4-17) He will wash the grimiest part of your life, if you let Him. The water of the Servant comes only when we confess that we are dirty.

We tend to be proud like Peter and resist. "I'm not that dirty, Jesus. Just sprinkle a few drops on me and I'll be fine." What a lie! "If we say we have no sin, we are fooling ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:8). We will never be cleansed until we admit that we are dirty. We will not be pure until we confess we are filthy. And we will never be able to wash the feet of those who have hurt us until we allow Jesus, the one we have hurt, to wash our feet.

You see, that is the secret of forgiveness. You will never forgive anyone more than God has already forgiven you. Only by letting Him wash you feet can you have the strength to wash those of another.
(Excerpt from A Gentle Thunder by Max Lucado)

Will you be the one to be the servant to others, or do you find yourself not able to clean the dirt off of your neighbor? Off of your friend? Off of yourself? Let Jesus wash you clean today. Be the servant of your guests, neighbors, and fellow man/woman.

In Christ,
Rick

Who do you say Jesus is?

"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Simon Peter
answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."- Matthew
16:15-16

If Jesus were to come up and ask you this question, what would your
answer be? Would it be the same as Simon Peter? Or would it be
something else? Would you know who He is? When we were at the
campground on Tuesday, before we played, the speaker asked the
question "Do you REALLY KNOW that you are going to heaven when you
die?" He asked us to raise our hands if we knew for sure and as I
quickly raised my hand, I started thinking about this... "Do I REALLY
KNOW that I am going to heaven?" I believe I do, but when you begin
to question yourself, it makes you think about it a little. If you
are truly saved, then you should know, but it is always good to take a
step back and examine your relationship with Him. As I examine my
relationship with Him, I realize that I do know! Deep in my heart, I
know I will be seeing my God in heaven when that time comes!! I
praise Him everyday for my salvation!! Thank you Lord!!

Dave L

Who's in Control Here?

As you all probably know, we took a trip to  Connersville, IN last week. We got our big fancy RV and we parked it right out front for everyone to see. We were the first to arrive and went through and checked our sound before anyone else was there. We played a little bit of our set for the sound check and didn't play it all, and we went back to the RV and didn't talk to a single person. WAKE UP CALL!! we didn't even place high enough to get a trophy while we were all sure we'd walk away with that 1st place trophy. The other guys in the band may disagree or have different opinions from me but that's ok, I think we just got waaaay too arrogant about it. We let this big event get to our heads and decided to take this into our own hands and do it for ourselves rather than letting God take control of it and do it for HIS glory. This was the perfect attention getter that we aren't doing this alone because if we were, we'd fall flat on our faces everytime. I think the best thing that could have happened to us actually did happen, we lost, and that's what we needed to get us to realize we are't alone in this. *Still Serving An Awesome God* - Tyler

What God Requires Of Us

(NIV) Micah 6:8 "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Many years ago, I memorized this verse and can recite it today. I challenge you to memorize it also. What an awesome reminder in this verse for us each and every day to live our lives as God requires. Circumstances, temptations, and situations in life cause us to drift from God. He has encouraged us to walk daily with Him, and to be merciful, and to be humble, and to be true and right and just. Dear Friend, do you act justly and love mercy? To act justly requires a constant dedication and commitment to be fair and right in all we do, regardless of the circumstances. To love mercy, we must withhold deserved punishment to others as God has so richly offered His mercy to us. We can be true, and right, and just, if and only if we walk hand in hand, and walk humbly with our God who loves each and every one of us so much! Dave Henry

Keep Climbing!

Isn't it amazing how when you push things they just do not move, but
when you let God have control things will move along very fast. It's
like a person is on a mission to prove something or someone wrong.
And we just for a moment set aside the things that really matter. I
made a comment about how playing music for me wasn't about the money,
or the fame. It's about making a difference and changing peoples
lives. The impact that you can have one someone is incredible through
music. Our music connects with people, they are at a position in
their lives where the words in the songs we sing say exactly what they
are going through. To see the emotion on the faces of each and every
person listening is amazing. God chose 5 men to stand together and
share His message. They journey God has taken us on has been amazing!
New places and new people. I pray that we (RTW) will always let God
be in control, and let Him move us from place to place. And allow us
to use His message to reach those in need.

Tomorrow night we are at the Benwood Campground. Playing for about 90
campers age 9-18 and 30 adults for JeKeNSA Summer Camp. Anyone is
welcome to attend. I pray that God has already hand picked each
person He wants to be there and allows us(RTW) to rock the house!!

Thank you to all who support us and what we are doing in this
community. If only one live changes from our obedience to God's
calling, it has been time well spent.

Have a great Monday!

Love you all,
Jonny

Always Faithful

Always Faithful by Dr. Warren Wiersbe

Read Psalm 78:9-20

The children of Ephraim mentioned in Psalm 78 failed the Lord, and they failed their fellow Israelites when their help was badly needed. "The children of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle. They did not keep the covenant of God; they refused to walk in His law, and forgot His works and His wonders that He had shown them" (vv. 9-11).

What a tragedy it is when people fail in their warfare. Jesus warned us about those who look back and do not fulfill the will of God (Luke 9:62). If we are looking back, we cannot plow ahead. And if we look back, we cannot fight as we ought. Yes, there is a spiritual battle going on, and we need every soldier. But something was wrong with these warriors. They were unfaithful. Even though they were armed, they turned back in the day of battle.

Something was wrong with their walk. "They did not keep the covenant of God; they refused to walk in His law" (v. 10). That's where failure always starts. God wanted them to walk in His law that He might help them win the battle, but they would not obey Him.

Finally, they forgot what God had done for them. "And forgot His works and His wonders that He had shown them" (v. 11). Can you imagine forgetting a miracle? If a miracle took place in your life today, you would talk about it until the day the Lord called you home. You'd call a press conference! Think of the miracles God did for His people. But they forgot them. The Ephraimites were undependable on the battlefield because they forgot what He had done for them. They turned against the law of God, and they turned from the works of the Lord. Consequently, they were unable to help in His work.

Faith and trust in our Lord God is the armor and sword for the battle of daily living and all things!

In Christ, Rick

The Rich Man

There once was a rich man. He had a giant palace, bars of gold stacked high, and everything you could ever dream of. He never needed anything in this life, but he had one thing troubling him. One day he was thinking. "I have everything I could want. Except! I don't have eternal life. I want to live forever with all of my wonderful things. How can I do that?" He had heard about this man named Jesus who could perform miracles. People were saying that he was the Son of God. They also said that he knew how you could get eternal life. "I will go and ask him!" The rich man decided. So, he went out to find Jesus. When he found Him, he dropped to his knees and bowed. "Oh great teacher!" he said. "Please tell me how I can have eternal life!" Jesus then told the man all about the Ten Commandments. He told him all about each one, and then he told him about another one. Jesus said, "You must love your neighbor as you love yourself. If you follow these Ten Commandments, and this rule, you can get into the kingdom of Heaven. Have you done all that I said?" "Yes," the man said. "I have always followed the Ten Commandments. I have always been faithful to God. I have always lived a good life. Thank you!" The man turned to go, but Jesus had a funny feeling. "Wait." He said to the man. Then, Jesus looked into his eyes. He looked deeply into his soul. He could tell that there was something wrong.  "There is one more thing you must do," Jesus said. The young man had a bad feeling about this. "What is it?" he asked. Jesus said, "You must sell everything that you own, all of your riches and treasures. Then, you must give that money to the poor. If you do this, you will have treasures in Heaven. If you do not do this, you cannot have the eternal life you wish for." "Then it will not be," the man said sadly. "Because I will not part with my treasures. They mean everything to me. I'm sorry, master." Jesus told him that God would always forgive him if he had a change of heart. The young man went away sadly. He knew that he could never have eternal life. When he had gone, Jesus' students asked him, "Why could that man not have eternal life?" Jesus told them, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." Are you the rich man? I was tested yesterday on this topic. I had everything going just as I had planned and was on top of it all. Just as I thought that, a concert came up that threw everything off. I had to decide whether to give up my "riches" if you will, and follow Jesus just as he told the rich man. He has blessed me all the more from deciding to follow Him. *I Serve An Awesome God* -Tyler

Jesus Is All The World to Me!

Colossians 3:16 "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singining psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God." The following hymn, "Jesus is All The World to Me" was written by Will Thompson over 100 years ago and is filled with such devotion and thankfulness for all that God has done for us! I remember hearing my Grandma Pauline singing this song in church many years ago, and she sang this song with such reflection and devotion to her Savior for His amazing provision on her life! Do you know the song? Can you echo those words today? 1. Jesus is all the world to me, my life, my joy, my all; he is my strength from day to day, without him I would fall. When I am sad, to him I go, no other one can cheer me so; when I am sad, he makes me glad, he's my friend. 2. Jesus is all the world to me, my friend in trials sore; I go to him for blessings, and he gives them o'er and o'er. He sends the sunshine and the rain, he sends the harvest's golden grain; sunshine and rain, harvest of grain, he's my friend. 3. Jesus is all the world to me, and true to him I'll be; O how could I this friend deny, when he's so true to me? Following him I know I'm right, he watches o'er me day and night; following him by day and night, he's my friend. 4. Jesus is all the world to me, I want no better friend; I trust him now, I'll trust him when life's fleeting days shall end. Beautiful life with such a friend, beautiful life that has no end; eternal life, eternal joy, he's my friend. Dear Friend, can you truly say that Jesus is all the world to you? He alone is worthy of all our praise! Read the words and sing a love song back to Him for all He has done for you. Dave Henry

Hospitality of Others!

Dee and I had the opportunity to get away for the weekend.  We went expecting nothing more than a couple days of relaxation.  We returned fulfilled by the generosity of others!  When we arrived, we were blessed to cross paths with a beautiful woman named Ruth.  She greeted us like family and treated us just the same during our stay.  As we visited places and enjoyed the sights around us we continued to be blessed by Ruth and others.  As we prepare to head home this morning, we realize that God put these people in our path to show us his grace and how we should care for others.  Even a simple smile or hello makes a difference.  People you pass on the elevator or in the lobby will return your greeting if you extend one.  God puts opportunities for us to make a difference in front of us every day.  Don't miss your chance to bless someone else!  Did I mention.... Ruth is a preacher too.  She had such spirit that I bet her sermons Rock the House.  Put a smile on your face and pep in your step.... go out and bless the world today. Busy week ahead preparing for the Colgate Country Showdown in Connersville, IN.  The boys and I will be busy rehearsing.  We are playing two of our original songs, "Rescue Me" and "The Story".  Please begin to pray for us as we start this journey.  Pray that the people hear the message and are blessed along the way.  Our hope is that God's plan takes us on to share our music with the state of Indiana too. Have a great Monday.  Love you all. Jonny... and Dee

Come To The Father.

If my people,
Called by my name.
They would humble,
Humble seek and pray.
If they would turn,
Turn from their sin,
I will hear them and I will forgive.
I will heal,
Heal their land.

This is taken from the RTW song, "Come To The Father" is based on 2 Chronicles 7:14. This passage from the Bible says that we must give ourselves to the Lord. We must seek Him out and talk to Him daily, and He will make all things well for us. That doesn't mean that there won't be trials or pain in this life. We are so caught up in our Earthly lives and have forgotten the reason we are here. We live to give God glory. Humble yourself before the Lord and He will heal your heart. He will make all things new.

In Christ,
Rick

Back in the Ring!!!

Ahh! What a relaxing weekend, we had an amazing time with the family.
Watched the fireworks on the lake and just had a wonderful time.
Back at work today and rehearsal tonight. We are preparing to
compete. Taking the boys to Connersville, Indiana. This is the place
I finished second two years ago in the competition. So, the boys and
I have a lot of work to do. We will be judged on everything we do.
They even watch us while we are just hanging out. Should be an
awesome event. Connersville puts on a great show.

Dee and I have been working on some new stuff for our set. Keep a
look out for our next show!
Don't miss it.

I read this inspiration today and wanted to share it with everyone.
It goes right in line with what we as a band have been working
towards.....

Put all you are into what you do. The results you get from your
efforts depend largely on the passion and purpose you put into those
efforts. The difference between outstanding success and mediocrity is
not so much in what you do. The difference comes from why you do it,
and how solidly your effort is connected to authentic, meaningful
purpose. What if you can't find a reason to put the very best of
yourself into the effort? Then you're probably better off doing
something else. You will get out of life what you put into it. So get
yourself in a position where you can joyfully and enthusiastically
give your very best to every effort. Be completely honest with
yourself about how you truly want life to be. Don't borrow anyone
else's dream, because nothing can motivate you to do your best like
your very own sincere vision. Find that vision, understand it, focus
on it, feel it and put its power into all you do.
That's what will create truly outstanding results.

-- Ralph Marston

I encourage you all today to get "back in the ring" and do your very
best to fulfill your calling!!!
Don't give up! Don't be afraid of greatness!!

Have a great Monday I mean Tuesday!!!!!!

Love you all!!!

Jonny

A Verse for Today

Micah 6:8  "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."   Do you have a bible verse that you cling to when you need strength and wisdom for the day?  Micah 6:8 is that special verse for me.  This is a verse that I have memorized many years ago, and and often recite it throughout the day when I need a special dose of heavenly strength. Dear Friend, is it the desire of your heart to 'act justly and to love mercy' today?  Are you walking humbly with your God today?   Dave Henry

Adoption...

Can you imagine prospective adoptive parents saying, "We'd like to adopt this child, but first we want to know a few things. Does he have a house to live in? Does he have any money? Does he have a car or really cool clothes?"

No adoption agency in their right mind would sit still long enough to listen to that. They would say, "Wait a minute. You don't understand. You don't adopt the child because of what he has; you adopt him because of what he needs. He needs a home, he needs love."

The same is true with God. He doesn't adopt us because of we have. He doesn't give us His name because of our wit or wallet or good attitude. Adoption is something we receive, not something we earn.

We are welcome in God's house because we have been adopted by the owner, the parent. God has adopted you. God sought you, found you, signed the papers in blood and brought you home. It would be enough if God just cleansed your name, but He does more. He gives you a name. It would be enough if God just set you free, but He does more. He takes you home. God adopted you simply because He wanted to. You were in His good will and pleasure. Knowing full well the trouble you would be and the price He would pay, He signed His name next to yours, changed His name to your and adopted you and took you home!

In Christ,
Rick