Leary Baptist Student and Family Ministry

05/02/2019

John 15:1. I AM the true vine.

So when you go through tough times and need support or to talk you usually go find your best friend. But maybe later you discover that your best friend did not keep your conversation private and told others. OUCH!

Maybe you have been in a relationship for a while and it has been great. You guys support each other, talk, have fun and encourage each other. He takes you out to a great restaurant one night and you get all excited because he is going to ask you to marry him. You get there and instead he confesses that he fell for someone else and wants to break up but remain friends. OUCH!!!!

Well of course your hurt and mad. Maybe you fuss and yell at the Lord and ask.....how could you let this happen! Why! Even the “I hate you!” You stop praying and wander from the Lord.

Later in life you look back and realize that you were stalled in life, that that person you fell for was actually holding you back. That that friend was actually not a good friend. You realize that once they were out of your life you grew, you are happier now than you were, you could now see why the Lord let that happen. Now your closer than ever to the Lord.

The dead branches were cut away so you could grow. So instead of being mad, ask the Lord to show you how this will help you to grow! Jesus is the true vine and he will grow you! This means the dead branches will be cut away!

Stay in the Lord! Pray! Have faith!

04/30/2019

There are “I AM” statements in John. Have you paid attention to them? Have you truely read them? There are 7. What are they? List them in comments.

09/26/2018

As parents with a growing baby, we encourage that baby daily. We encourage it to do things like hold its own bottle, say new words and walk among many other new experiences.

As a child in school, we are encouraged daily to learn new things such as math, reading, science, how to get along with friends and so many other things.

As a person goes through life he/she is encouraged by parents and family members. Encouraged to learn from different experiences. As bad things happen we are encouraged to deal with them, learn from them and keep going through life.

As adults, we have friends and family that encourage us as life moves us along. We are encouraged in things such as attaching a new day, speaking to that new person that we feel an attraction to, or encouraged to experience something new.

On Sunday we go to church and we are encouraged in our walk with the Lord. But only on Sunday? Is that enough?

Hebrews 3:13 But encourage one another daily as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.

Think for a moment about "as long as it is called today. For as long as I have been alive it has always been today and I am sure it will keep going as today. We are told to encourage always yet most are only encouraged on Sunday at church. If they go to church that is. If they do not then when are they encouraged?

We must reach out to others on every "today" and encourage them. We are not able to get through this life here on the devils playground without encouragement.

Reach out to someone and talk to them about God. Remind them that God has not abandoned them when they are having a hard day. Remind them to encourage others when they are having a great day. Give someone a hug from God. Share a bible verse. There are so many ways to encourage someone to stay in Gods light, and God tells us to be an encourager on every day called Today.

How will you be an encourager today?

09/24/2018

In rereading Hebrews 2:1-3 I started wondering about driftwood. We all run across it when we go to the beach but have you really thought about it? Websters definition is: Driftwood: wood floating on water or cast ashore by it.

Driftwood is wood that is so weak that it has fallen off a tree or has been blown off. Why was it weak? It quit feeding and splintered. Without feeding it continued to grow weak until it finally broke away and fell in the water. There in the water it just floated around until such time as it was cast away.

We have a choice in this world. We can choose to be that piece of wood. We can grow weak and if we do not heal we will continue to splinter and grow weak till next thing we know, a storm comes along and we are now just floating on the water and eventually we will be cast ashore to just lie there dead.

Or we can feed and heal and grow stronger. If this is our choice, we will grow stronger and put out gorgeous leaves and grow so beautiful. We will reach for the sky and be big and strong and be able to withstand the storms. We won't be breaking off in the storms and floating away!

So pray, read your Bible, ask for forgiveness, talk to God and listen. Chose to be the tree and not the driftwood.

12/08/2017

This sums it up: Our time on this earth is temporary. Our time after this earth is eternal, never ending. There are two never ending paths, The one full of joy, happiness, and beauty with God and the other one full of sorrow, pain and darkness without God. What path are you following? Are you building your riches for Heaven? Or for here on Earth? For heaven leads to God. For here on earth DOES NOT. The choice is yours.

11/13/2017

In this time of life, everyone struggles with the way of the Lord vs the way of the world. Read Psalm 37 and study it. Find encouragement in it and go forward for God!!!!!

10/26/2017

How to stop a bully 101!

09/19/2017

Take 8.25 minutes and just LISTEN!!!

07/31/2017

07/28/2017

Something to think about:
- How does this quote make you feel?
- What does it cost you to experience God's love?
- What does it cost God to give His unfailing love to you?