All posts filed under: Playlists

Is Your Love The Enduring Kind?

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We recently started our third round of our in house Biblical counseling training called Equipped to Counsel. It is really exciting to spend nearly a year with people looking at how God’s truth changes people. I know His truth has changed me and I’m sure you can speak of how it has changed you, too. One of the things that we try to get across to our trainees is the idea of sacrificial love, or agape love. We’ve been looking at 1 Corinthians 13:7 as part of our sermon series. One of the parts of that verse says, “Love endures all things” (ESV). The NLT says, “endures through every circumstance.” To be honest, I think this is one of the truths hard for people to believe in counseling. On the surface we believe it. “I can endure anything,” we tell ourselves. “I’ve been through childbirth,” or “I survived (fill in the blank).” But real, sacrificial, agape love endures every situation, no matter how hard, or what the consequences may be. When someone comes for counsel …

What Is Your Heart Rooted In?

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About a year ago, Bailey, my then girlfriend, and I went apple picking, just like any young millennial couple living in Georgia would do. We drove up to Ellijay, grabbed a bag, and picked apples. The real reason we were there was because I planned to propose. It didn’t happen. Give me some slack, I was a college kid working as an intern. Anyway, we took home 20 pounds of apples. But do you want to know what we didn’t bring home? Oranges. The entire time we were there, we only saw apples. Not a single orange, peach, grape… nothing, but apples. This isn’t a surprise. We were in an apple orchard. Down to the root, the trees had the identity of apple trees. Sure, there were different types of apples, but at the end of the day they were all apple trees. The fruit of these trees gave them the trees their identity. And the same is true for us, Church. Jesus said, “A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is …

Are You Clinging to a Cape or The Cross?

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Have you ever prayed and prayed for something and then actually got what you prayed for? I have. And as a result of the answered prayer my life has become much more difficult. I got what I wanted but it really hasn’t looked like I thought it would.  I used to be a great parent… or at least I thought I was before I had kids. As my boys have grown I have learned lots and lots of lessons about being a mom. However, none of those lessons have adequately prepared me for the challenge of being a foster/adoptive mom. I came into this believing I was Supermom. God had granted my prayer and I was going to be the perfect mom for these two kids. I believed my love would be all they needed to overcome any obstacle and they would quickly forget about any part of their past. Yeah… no. That’s not at all how things have transpired. Most of the time now, I show up 10 minutes late in a full sweat, …

Looking For Joy Won’t Make You Happy

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I live out in the country, down a dirt road and then a little farther. I grew up here and I have a lot of history here. My grandparents’ parents bought this land and used to run a mill from the creek that runs through our property. I would spend hours playing in the woods and splashing in the creek. I always noticed the trees next to the creek were much bigger and sturdier than any others on our land. And it’s something that’s still true today. As an adult, it is very easy to see why. The trees next to the creek have a steady, never ending supply of water. All throughout history people have settled around rivers and lakes to have easy access to one of the most vital things: water. It’s no wonder, then, that God would use this as a metaphor for growth in our spiritual lives as well. Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners or join in …

Will You Wither or Glory Under the Heat?

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These are some entries written in one man’s “journal.” They may sound like yours. I’ve been surrounded and battered by troubles… I’m not sure what to do… I’ve been spiritually terrorized… I’ve been thrown down… Even if you don’t write in a journal you’ve probably said similar things to yourself. Maybe even out loud. We’ve all felt the heat of circumstances beyond our control. Some of us wither under the heat. Some of us react in hurtful ways—towards others, towards ourselves, towards God. And some of us come through it glorify the Lord Jesus Christ. What makes the difference? The Apostle Paul wrote those “journal entries” above. You can find them in 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 (The Message). But he, in today’s jargon, did not put a period where God had put a comma. If you look in your Bible you will see that each of the above entries (even if worded differently) is followed by a comma. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not …

A Little Faith and a Full Net

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About this time a year ago in my daily reading plan, I got caught up in this small detail in scripture, tucked away in the middle of John 21: “Bring some of the fish you just caught,” Jesus told them. So Simon Peter got up and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish – 153 of them. Even though there were so many, the net was not torn. – John 21:10-11, HCSB I recently came upon it again in another reading plan, and I have to say it resonates with me greatly. There is something about this time of year that is prompting the Holy Spirit to lead me to this verse. I believe it has something to do with the “long-stretch” of the year I am in. New Year’s resolutions have pretty much faded and the hot pace of summer life is merging into the grind of early fall, as kids go back to school and I am pretty much living week to week, rolling with the punches as they come. It is …

Are You Ready for the Change God Has For You?

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On May 15, 1991 my world changed forever. I sat with my family and friends, preparing to board a plane for the first time since I was an infant. My family was leaving everything we had ever known, and we were going to Thailand. My parents were answering God’s call to be missionaries. We had spent the last two years raising support and making plans. Our stuff had been packed and shipped in 55 gallon barrels more than a month earlier. That day we stepped out into the unknown. I was unsure of what my future looked like. As a 12 year old, everything I knew as normal was about to change. I had an aunt, uncle, and two cousins who lived there already. We knew we had our family to depend on, but we didn’t know what other friendships we would have once we got there. After being in the air for 24+ hours and a 12 hour train ride, we set foot in our new hometown. My cousin began to introduce me to …

The Wedding You Don’t Want To Miss

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Weddings. They come in all shapes, sizes, and forms. Some take months to plan; some are spur-of-the-moment. Some are loud and filled with laughter; others are more reserved and reflective. But there is a common factor in most weddings: tears. Bridesmaids cry (I think I understand this one). Brides cry (I don’t understand this). Grooms cry (Well, at least one that I know of, but Shannon cries at anything!). Mothers-of-the-bride cry (I’ve heard it is because daughters tend to marry a man like their father; I don’t agree.). And fathers-of-the-bride cry; sometimes visibly, often only in the soul (I totally understand this). There is a special bond between most dads and daughters. A wedding marks the day all that changes. When the pastor asks, “Who gives this woman to be married to this man?,” the father of the bride says, “Her mother and I.”  He then literally an figuratively steps back to place his daughter’s hand into the hand of the groom. The father is no longer the most important man in her life, someone …

New Patches For Old Mistakes or New Creations?

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Legacy: consequence, effect, by-product, result, repercussion There are a lot of men who creep Into the world to eat and sleep, And know no reason why they’re born Save only to consume the corn, Devour the cattle, bread and fish, And leave behind an empty dish; And if their tombstones, when they die, Were not to flatter or to lie, There’s nothing better can be said Than that they’ve eaten up their bread, Drunk up their drink, and gone to bed. -Author Unknown What will be the by-product of your life? What ripples will you make in the pond? When you leave this world, what will the record say about the 1.75 cubic feet of space you used up every day for 25, 50, 75 years or more? What will be the repercussion of your life? No matter what stage of life you are living out, now is the time to make mid-course corrections. Jesus, in response to the Pharisees’ criticism about not practicing religion the proper way, said, “…who would patch old clothing with …

Do You Know Who Jesus Says You Are?

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-written by Betsie Richards My favorite name is “BetBet.” If you know me, you know that’s what my niece and nephew call me and I love it. I’ve heard it yelled across ponds, parking lots, dining rooms, ball fields (sooooo many ball fields), and even a classroom or two. When I hear it, I don’t have to guess who someone is looking for. “BetBet” isn’t all I’m known as. Some people know me as “Betsie, who sings at Southern Hills,” others as “Betsie, from Carrollton Ear Nose and Throat,” and dear to my heart are those who still know me as “Betsie, Beedie’s grandaughter.” Those are a lot of good ways to be identified. There have been times, however, when I’ve been identified in a much more negative manner. I can sometimes be identified as “Betsie, the bitter woman” or “Betsie, the unkind.” As much as it hurts to admit, there have been times I could be identified as “Betsie, the liar.” I think Peter would understand that last one. Luke 22:54-62 tells us of …