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Sermon on the Sand - Fishermen's Village, Punta Gorda, 1200 West Retta Esplanade, Punta Gorda, FL (2026)

09/10/2026

Devotionals with Pastor Bill (9/10/26)

The woman with the issue of blood touched Jesus and was healed.

Luke 8:43-48 And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any,44 Came behind Him, and touched the border of His garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched.
45 And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with Him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? 46 And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue (power to heal) is gone out of me. 47 And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before Him, she declared unto Him before all the people for what cause she had touched Him, and how she was healed immediately.
48 And He said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.

At the tomb Jesus said don’t touch me because He had not ascended to the Father!

John 20;11-17 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put Him.” 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. 15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get Him.”
16 Jesus said to her,
“Mary.”
She turned toward Him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).
17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that He had said these things to her.

Interesting to note, Our relationship with God was broken in the Garden, and here Mary assumes that Jesus in the bodily form was a Gardener when He was now headed off to the Father to make the blood sacrifice for your and my sin.

Then Jesus told Thomas to touch me with your finger in my hand and your hand in my side!

John 20:24-29 24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus one of the Twelve), was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in His hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”
26 A week later His disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then He said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Some additional insights: When news of Lazareth's death came and Jesus was going there, Thomas, known as doubting Thomas prior to the encounter following the resurrection, says this: John 11:16 Then Thomas (also known as Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with HIM.”
That does not seem like a doubter, that sounds like: I am seeking proof and miss the LORD!

Additionally, we never see Thomas touch Jesus, but just HIS presence and simple words were enough to convince him of the King of Kings and Lord of Lord's was alive!

Lastly, Jesus states that those who believe in HIS sacrifice and resurrection and have not seen HIM physically are Supremely blessed and that Thomas was just blessed.

Just one touch for the master and all is better, healed, changed, made right, and problem solved.

Mathew11:28-29 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

09/09/2026

Devotionals by Pastor Bill (9/9/26)

“This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living.” Romans 13:11–12

The setting of Acts 12 is pretty bleak. Peter was in prison, chained to two Roman soldiers. King Herod had already executed James, Peter’s fellow apostle, for his Christian ministry. It was the night before Peter’s trial, where, in all likelihood, he, too, would be found “guilty” and executed. And what was Peter doing in what may have been the last few hours of his life? “He was sleeping.”

He was probably the only Christian in Jerusalem asleep that night. Everyone else was praying fervently for his release. So why was Peter asleep? Because he trusted in the Lord.
This isn’t the only instance of Peter sleeping in the Bible.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, on the night of Jesus’ arrest, Jesus said to Peter, James, and John, “Stay here and keep watch with me”
Matthew 26:38

Jesus went off to pray, came back, and found them sleeping. “For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!” Jesus said Mathew 26:41

Jesus went off again, came back, and found them sleeping again. And then it happened a third time.

In Luke 9, Jesus took the same three men to a mountain to pray. While they were there, Jesus was transfigured. Moses appeared on one side of Him; Elijah appeared on the other. And Peter? “Peter and the others had fallen asleep.”
Luke 9:32

Peter woke up and “blurted out, ‘It’s wonderful for us to be here! Let’s make three shelters as memorials - one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’”
Luke 9:33

Makes you wonder whether Elijah turned to Jesus and asked, “Who is that? Is he with You?” Or whether Jesus rolled His eyes and said, “Yes, he’s with Me.”

But in Acts 12, Peter slept a good sleep. He was at rest with the peace of God in his heart. And nothing, not even the threat of death, could rob him of that peace. But the time for rest was over. The time for action had come. With the help of an angel, Peter walked out of prison and resumed his ministry.

Paul touched on this theme of a time for rest and a time for action in Romans 13 when he said, “This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.”

His warning is addressed to all Christians. We need to be wide awake because time is short. We’ve never been closer to the return of Jesus than we are right now.

In our society that’s dependent on sleeping pills and tranquilizers, we can take a lesson from Peter on how to trust God. There’s a time to rest and be at peace with Him. But there’s also a time to wake up, to be bold in our faith, and to allow our faith to lead us out of our comfort zone - our sleeping zone.

09/08/2026

Devotionals by Pastor Bill Frank (9/8/26)

One important work of angels is to stop people from doing things God doesn’t want us to do.

Obviously, it’s important and serious work, usually done without our realizing it. Sometimes, though, it can take an unexpectedly humorous turn. That’s what happened in the story of Balaam and his donkey found in Numbers 22.

Balaam was sort of a prophet for hire—more P-R-O-F-I-T than P-R-O-P-H-E-T.
Balak, the king of Moab, hired him to curse the children of Israel. Balaam set out on his donkey to do the very thing that God didn’t want him to do. So, God dispatched an angel. The angel’s job was to stop Balaam from cursing the people of Israel.

The angel positioned himself in the middle of the road Balaam was traveling and drew his sword. He was prepared to stop the prophet by any means necessary. Balaam’s donkey saw the angel, but the prophet didn’t. The donkey veered off the road into a field.

The prophet beat the donkey until it returned to the road. The angel moved to a narrow part of the road between two vineyard walls. The donkey tried to go around and pinned Balaam’s foot against the wall. Balaam got angry and beat the donkey again.

The angel moved once more to a spot in the road too narrow for the donkey to get around. So the donkey simply lay down. Enraged, Balaam beat the donkey yet again. And that’s when the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth. The ensuing conversation went something like this:

“What have I done to deserve your beating me three times?”

“You made me look like a fool! If I had a sword, I’d kill you!”

“You’ve ridden me all your life. Have I done anything like this before?”

“Well, no.”

“‘Why did you beat your donkey those three times?’ the angel of the Lord demanded. ‘Look, I have come to block your way because you are stubbornly resisting me. Three times the donkey saw me and shied away; otherwise, I would certainly have killed you by now and spared the donkey.’”
Numbers 22:32–33

Meanwhile, the angel was still standing there, visible to the donkey, invisible to Balaam. He finally made himself visible to Balaam. He said to Balaam, “Why did you beat your donkey those three times? . . . Look, I have come to block your way because you are stubbornly resisting me. Three times the donkey saw me and shied away; otherwise, I would certainly have killed you by now and spared the donkey”.
Numbers 22:32–33

His words must have unnerved Balaam. The prophet realized that the angel had come to stop him from doing something seriously wrong.

What are the takeaway lessons from this story?

Number one: Don’t talk to donkeys.

Number two: When God is trying to stop you, don’t keep going in the same direction. How many times have we been headed for destruction when God changed our course by sending an angel to stop us?

Number three: if God chose to “yes a donkey”can He not also use you who are far MORE value than an animal?

09/07/2026

Devotionals by Pastor Bill Frank (9/7/26)

During the Industrial Revolution, average laborers worked 12-hour days and 7-day weeks in unsafe conditions.

Children as young as five often worked in dangerous mills and factories. To protest these conditions, unions grew more prominent and organized rallies and strikes.

The First Labor Day Parade
On September 5, 1882, about 10,000 workers took unpaid time off to march in New York City. The Central Labor Union and the Knights of Labor organized this first parade. The idea of a workingmen's holiday spread quickly to other industrial centers. Oregon became the first state to pass a law recognizing the holiday on February 21, 1887.

So there is the background of the how and the why!

The question that must be asked is when is Labor Day for the work of Christ?

Oh, it must be CHRISTmas! We all take off world wise and celebrate! NO, back in the 50s to the 70s every store gas station grocery store would close for the whole day!

So what happened? MONEY became the idol to celebrate and not the God also many in many additional holidays like Resurrection Sunday( not Easter)!!

I respect those establishments that chose to honor the Lord and abide by His commands to rest on a Sabbath!

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” ‭‭
Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭23‬-‭24‬ ‭

So what about the medical professionals that are needed to care for the ill and wounded? As long as there is a day in a week that can be set aside to honor Him, then I believe the Lord is honored because HE does look at the heart and why we do what we do!

So is there a national Labor Day for the work of the Lord? I do not believe so! Jesus taught on the Sabbath but also went into the mountain alone to pray to refresh His Spirit!

The goal is to do our best to walk-in truth, talk with holy righteous words, think with a humble mind like Christ & live a life as close as possible like Jesus lived!

Happy Labor Day!

09/06/2026

🏝️Join us Sunday at Sermon on the Sand ⛵️
Sunday September 6, 2026

📍 Fishermen's Village | 1200 W. Retta Esplanade, Punta Gorda
🕗 8:00 AM this Sunday
✅ Free • Outdoors • Open to ALL

🎶 Worship led by Daniel Candia 🎶

Sunday Song #1 ~ 9/6/26
O Praise the Name

Verse 1
I cast my mind to Calvary
Where Jesus bled and died for me
I see His wounds, His hands, His feet
My Saviour on that cursed tree
His body bound and drenched in tears
They laid Him down in Joseph's tomb
The entrance sealed by heavy stone
Messiah still and all alone

Chorus
O praise the Name of the Lord our God
O praise His Name forevermore
For endless days we will sing Your praise
Oh Lord oh Lord our God

Verse 2
Then on the third at break of dawn
The Son of heaven rose again
O trampled death where is your sting
The angels roar for Christ the King
O trampled death where is your sting
The angels roar for Christ the King

Chorus
O praise the Name of the Lord our God
O praise His Name forevermore
For endless days we will sing Your praise
Oh Lord oh Lord our God

Verse 3
He shall return in robes of white
The blazing sun shall pierce the night
And I will rise among the saints
My gaze transfixed on Jesus' face

Sunday Song #2 ~ 9/6/26
10,000 Reasons

Bless the Lord O my soul
O my soul
Worship his holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I'll worship your holy name

The sun comes up
It's a new day dawning
It's time to sing your song again
Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me
Let me be singing when the evening comes

Bless the Lord O my soul
O my soul
Worship his holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I'll worship your holy name

You're rich in love and you're slow to anger
Your name is great and your heart is kind
For all your goodness I will keep on singing
10, 000 reasons for my heart to find

Bless the Lord O my soul
O my soul
Worship his holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I'll worship your holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I'll worship your holy name

And on that day when my strength is failing
The end draws near and my time has come
Still my soul will sing your praise unending
10, 000 years and then forever more

Sunday Song #3 ~ 9/6/26
O Come to the Altar

Are you hurting and broken within?
Overwhelmed by the weight of your sin?
Jesus is calling
Have you come to the end of yourself?
Do you thirst for a drink from the well?
Jesus is calling

O come to the altar
The Father's arms are open wide
Forgiveness was bought with
The precious blood of Jesus Christ

Leave behind your regrets and mistakes
Come today, there's no reason to wait
Jesus is calling
Bring your sorrows and trade them for joy
From the ashes, a new life is born
Jesus is calling

O come to the altar
The Father's arms are open wide
Forgiveness was bought with
The precious blood of Jesus Christ
Forgiveness was bought with
The precious blood of Jesus Christ

Oh, what a Savior
Isn't He wonderful?
Sing hallelujah, Christ is risen
Bow down before Him
For He is Lord of all
Sing hallelujah, Christ is risen

Sunday Song #4 ~ 9/6/26
Holy is the Lord

Verse
We stand and lift up our hands
For the joy of the Lord is our strength
We bow down and worship Him now
How great, how awesome is He
And together we sing

Chorus
Holy is the Lord, God Almighty
The earth is filled with His glory
Holy is the Lord, God Almighty
The earth is filled with His glory
The earth is filled with His glory

Verse
We stand and lift up our hands
For the joy of the Lord is our strength
We bow down and worship Him now
How great, how awesome is He
And together we sing
everyone sing

Chorus
Holy is the Lord, God Almighty
The earth is filled with His glory
Holy is the Lord, God Almighty
The earth is filled with His glory
The earth is filled with His glory

Bridge
it's rising up all around
It's the anthem of the Lord's renown
It's rising up all around
It's the anthem of the Lord's renown

09/05/2026

⚔️ Obedience: The Key to Spiritual Warfare

Join us tomorrow morning as Pastor Bill Frank brings the Word on what it really means to walk in obedience - and how it equips us for the battles we face.

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
2 Timothy 4:7

Come as you are and join us waterfront at Fishermen’s Village! 🌅

📍 1200 W. Retta Esplanade, Punta Gorda, FL
⏰ Sunday, 8:00 AM

09/05/2026

Devotionals by Pastor Bill (9/5/26)

Ever since Adam and Eve, families have been messy. Even the best of families encounter stress and complications. Our deepest hurts often involve our deepest loves. The Lord knows all about that. His own earthly family - the Church - can be messy too. What do we do when things are not going well?

We cannot control other people, but we can bring our own lives under the Spirit’s control. We can ask Him for patience, for influence, for the ability to minister grace to grief. We can leave our deepest burdens with Him, remembering the words of Luke 18:1, that we “always ought to pray and not lose heart.”

In building a successful family, you must put God at the head of it - the center of everything. Ask God to take control, and let it begin with allowing Him total control over your own life first and foremost!

Ask for greater measures of the fruit of the Spirit, qualities like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. We must draw on God’s grace and rely on His timely intervention. The Lord is certainly more able than we are - “exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.”

In a Christian home, there’s something special. It’s called grace.

“I pray that out of his glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬-‭21‬

09/04/2026

Devotionals by Pastor Bill (9/4/26)

Life passes quickly, although it doesn’t always seem that way. When you’re young, life seems to move at a snail’s pace. I vividly remember being in elementary school, bored beyond comprehension. I was just waiting for the clock to strike the right number so that I could get up for recess or go home. It seemed like I was in elementary school for thirty years. Every day seemed to take forever.

Now weeks fly by in an instant. Another month comes and goes. And before you know it, a new year has arrived.

Billy Graham was once asked what the greatest surprise of his life was. He replied, “The brevity of it.”

“Look here, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.’ How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog - it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.”
James 4:13–14

Researchers tell us that the reason life seems to go faster when you’re older is that you’re not having as many new experiences. You get into routines. You go to the same restaurant, you sit at the same table, you order the same thing off the menu. Apparently, variety is not just the spice of life; it’s also the slow-er of time.

James compared life on this earth to a morning fog: “How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog - it’s here for a little while, then it’s gone”. James 4:14

But he didn’t mourn life’s shortness. Instead, he urged believers to embrace the challenge of living a meaningful, fulfilling, godly life - a life that matters - all the while realizing that that life could end at any moment. He continued, “What you ought to say is, ‘If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.’ Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil.” James 5:15–16

He was talking about living with a sense of urgency. That’s not the same as rushing into things. There’s certainly nothing wrong with methodical thinking or long-range planning. The mistake comes in taking for granted that we have the time to do what needs to be done. The mistake comes in assuming that we know how things will play out.

God has surrounded us with opportunities. To unlock the power of prayer in our lives. To take deep dives into His Word and come away with a greater understanding of Him and His will. To share the amazing truth of Christ with people who don’t know Him. To use the gifts He’s given us. To make a difference in the lives of people in need.

No matter how many years God allows us to live, we don’t have enough time to become complacent about seizing those opportunities. We don’t have enough time to procrastinate.
A comedian simply said “Get-er Done!”

09/03/2026

Devotionals by Pastor Bill 9/3/26

And [King David] appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord, to commemorate, to thank, and to praise the Lord God of Israel.
1 Chronicles 16:4

Children usually approach their parents to request something. Less frequently, it is to thank their parents. What would a parent do if their child came to breakfast and say, WOW, I am so thankful for a comfy bed, this house and now this amazing meal?

And the same happens in our relationship with God. We normally approach Him with requests rather than to give thanks. But based on the infinite reasons we have to be thankful, prayers of thanksgiving should far outnumber our prayers of petition.

PRAYER SHOULD BEGIN WITH PRAISE NOT PROBLEMS!!!

When King David brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem for the first time, he appointed some of the Levites “to minister before the ark of the Lord, to commemorate, to thank, and to praise the Lord God of Israel.” They were a permanent choir of leaders whose assignment was to offer thanks and praise to God. That choir of worship leaders were the forerunners of the choirs we have in our churches today - worship leaders who lead the congregation in songs of praise and thanksgiving.

When Joshua was given marching orders to conquer the city of Jericho, the priest led the march and then on the 7th Day shouted.
We are walking by Faith and should be shouting the victory prior to the prayer, during our prayer, and closing our prayer, then stand in faith in the God who cares is & will answer our Prayer according to HIS WILL!

How often do you dedicate a portion of your prayer life to giving thanks to God for the benefits and blessings of knowing Him? To the amazing peace that transcends every encounter we can or will face.

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Begin the practice of allocating more time in prayer to giving thanks.

No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks.
Psalm 136 1 Give thanks to the Lord, for HE is good.
His love endures forever. 2 Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever.
4 To Him who alone does great wonders,
His love endures forever.

Sermon on the Sand - Fishermen's Village, Punta Gorda

09/10/2026

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