Pizza Ranch Serves

I remember I received something special from my grandpa, if you’ve been in my office you’ve seen them. I have on display of trinkets on my bookshelves. Probably a third of what I actually have ownership of (I displayed

People need encouragement. To verify this, all we have to do is ask a pastor, Chaplin, counselor…or even a parent.

The world tells us to indulge ourselves in whatever we want. Whatever makes us happy. To live for self. To say whatever we want…even if it’s hurtful. And we better not stand for anything in the Bible because it will offend folks. And if we do, we could be considered a terrible person. The problem for Christians is that the Bible says something very different. From front to back it’s very clear. We are to: 1) serve and love God and others, and 2) walk by the Holy Spirit.

In the Old Testiment the Isrealite nation observed the Day of Atonement. Let's take a look at what that entailed and how it has changed for followers of Christ today.

The benefits of accepting Christ as our Savior are vast. It’s a free gift for all who want it. When we give our life to Christ, we receive much more than just eternal life. We are more than just sinners saved by grace. These things are wonderful, and I am excited about them, but there’s so much more to it.

Desiring to be in God’s presence should be a longing for all those following Him. What is wonderful is that Jesus and others have taught us to pray and that we have God’s revelation readily accessible in scripture for many of us.

Have you ever struggled with being obedient to God? There are lots of reasons we can struggle with obedience: Fear, Pride, Laziness, Procrastination, Lack of Trust in God, Impatient with God’s timing, Busyness.

This morning, after sharing a personal life story, about how God is sad when his children turn from him. It reminded me of the Parable of the Prodigal Son from Luke 15: 11-32.

I’m an Enneagram 1, which is “The Perfectionist”. Some characteristic traits are being conscientious & ethical, having a strong sense of right & wrong, always striving to improve things but fear making mistakes and well-organized, orderly and detail ordered. Now you know exactly who I am because this is me to a T 😊

This morning we’re looking at Mark 4:1-21, which is about the parable of the soils. Most often this parable is seen as a salvation passage. In other words, Christians are the result of seeds falling on good soil. BUT, we’re going to look at it from a different perspective today. We’re going to look at it as a daily experience for each of us who claim Christ in our life.

This week on pizzaranchserves.com there have been posts on gratitude, and they have really hit me. Ephesians 5:20 talks about having gratitude to God in everything. It’s a key verse in the Book of Ephesians so, it’s not just a good idea. The Lord is instructing us to do this, to make gratitude an intentional habit. Gratitude is an act of obedience.

Sometimes God has to put us in the most lowly, vulnerable positions before we are ready to hear and see what he has prepared for us. Last year I experienced that as I battled through a series of struggles with Depression. At one point my negative thoughts overwhelmed me and I imagined that the world would be better off without me in it. Thankfully, I was honest with my husband and he took me to the local Emergency Room where I received compassionate care that placed me with the professionals who would best help me through my lowest point. It was during a hospitalization that I spent hours and hours in God's Word and began to feel Him once again.