Pizza Ranch Serves

Every so often we come across something in life that gets us thinking deeper. This past weekend I had this happen to me. I heard a verse that I've read and heard about thousands of times,

I love the stories of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the way in which he chose to act and serve for the cause of others. His quotes are some of my favorites and I have them hanging in various places within my office as reminders to me to continue to live a life of service to others. This Thursday's Thought is one of my favorites of his. . . "Everybody can be great. . .because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love."

It's been amazing to see how communities come together to support one another when there is a need. Recently our Financial Statement Coordinator, Darsha Van Den Top, initiated a book drive at the Support Center to help give back to the Rock Valley School and Public Library after the recent flooding damaged and/or took out the majority of their books. She was able to bring to them over 900 books that were collected! Great job Darsha and our Pizza Ranch team for making an impact!

Love in Action 9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Romans 12:9-13

I was recently reading a European legend about a great kingdom whose roadway to the capital city was obstructed by a large boulder setting in the middle of the roadway not far from the gates of the city. Many travelers were forced to detour around it, and many complained about it's presence and how something should be done about it. Finally, a man came along who was different.

A common saying tossed around in Christian circles is “fix your eyes on Jesus”. But what exactly does it mean to fix our eyes on Jesus? A great example of this can be found in Matthew 14:22-33 which is the story of Jesus walking on the water.

I was talking with one of my friends about how I had always kind of resented the idea of calling little girls princesses because princesses aren’t that special. Princesses didn’t do anything to earn their title or their privilege, they were just born into a lucky position and praised for it. My friend then humbled me with an amazing response....

Since 2013, Making Waves for Children has been an annual event that hosts families undergoing treatment at Sanford Children’s Hospital to the Iowa Great Lakes chain of lakes for 2 days of fun, completely FREE of charge! Families are provided with lodging, meals, & entertainment. Pizza Ranch in Spirit Lake has been a sponsor of this event in years past and this year provided the noon meal on the second day for all the families. They pulled together volunteers from a number of area Pizza Ranchs to help provide the Country’s Best Chicken and pizza to all the event attendees.

One passage that convicted me recently is the story of Miriam & Aaron speaking against Moses found in Numbers 12.

1 Corinthians 13 is commonly nicknamed “The Love Chapter”. Often read at weddings, this chapter talks all about the nature of love. But before we jump into this famous chapter on love, let’s take a look at 1 John 4:16, “...God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.”

God loves us so much that He created us to be in a loving relationship with us. Our sin separated us from that same…

One of the plants I keep at my office desk is a vine-like plant called Alternanthera Ficoidea. If you are not a plant person, let me introduce you to the plant’s common nickname – Joseph’s Coat. The plant received the nickname Joseph’s Coat by scientists and plant lovers alike because while it is a green vine-like plant, when exposed to proper sunlight it can grow to display, purple, pink, orange, or red in its leaves depending on the plant’s subspecies. But the beauty of this plant only comes out when it spends time in the sunlight. This got me thinking about a famous quote by C.S. Lewis: