Which one do you want? Like by people or loved by God?
Well, I know the answer already. You choose to be loved by God over being liked by people; each of us does. However, is that how you live?
In some way, each of us wants people to like us. We live at a time when we can write things online and people “Like” or “make it a favorite.”
Do you remember Ananias and Sapphira?
I am sure we remember how Ananias lied to the apostles regarding the money given and how he immediately died. We remember Sapphira arriving shortly afterward and lying to the apostles, as she agreed with her husband. We remember how she died too. (Acts 5.1-11)
However, why would they agree to lie? Did they think more people would like them because of their actions?
I am going out on a limb and say that Ananias and Sapphira saw something you and I might forget; they saw Barnabas. Acts chapter 4 closes with the account of Barnabas and his heart of true giving. Barnabas, the son of encouragement, sold a field and laid the proceeds at the apostles’ feet. (Acts 4.36-37)
Following the account of the generosity of Barnabas is the deathly account of Ananias and Sapphira. As Barnabas did a great thing, Ananias and Sapphira chose to sin. Did Ananias and Sapphira choose to lie because they wanted to be liked as well as Barnabas?
The world may never know. However, do you choose to be liked by men or loved by God?
Just a thought,

Family, friends, acquaintances, and readers,
Thank you for making 2022 a momentous year. I have said this many times, but this year has been one of the best I have ever had. Throughout the year, there have been boundless opportunities. Each opportunity was an open door to abundance. I am thankful for each open door, but I am also thankful for you.
Wise men have said you are the sum of your five closest friends. Technology has brought us closer than in years past. Over 2022, we have established relationships, restored relationships, and strengthened others.
To those I have been friends with for a while now, I thank you for your support, encouragement, and love over the time we have known each other. To my new friends, I thank you for making this journey together. It is my prayer we will all, new friends, and old friends, learn to walk in simplicity, but in hope of a brighter future.
I am not a prophet, but the future is bright. I genuinely believe this is the greatest time to be alive and we have much to look forward to in the years to come. To this end, I welcome your moments of encouragement and strength as we walk together.
Over the past year, being one of the best, I have discovered the road is easier when you take a moment to breathe and renew your hope. Our hope is great, and the best days are ahead of us if we move with vigor, courage, and steadfastness.
2023 can be one of the best years in which we have ever lived… but we must want it and act on it.
The coming year will be like all the others: blessings mixed with opportunity. We must know where to look. It is upon us to open our eyes to see through the storm and find the light. While the chaos of the world will continue, we can find the anchor of the soul.
What will we need in 2023?
You! In this world, we need you, but we also need an improved version of you. While the “10-year-ago” version of you was good, we need the 2023 Growing Stronger You. The world needs the version of you that is growing stronger.
The world needs great people. I believe that 98.7% are good people. There are 1.3% of people who make things difficult, and we need to move past them to the 98.7%. We must find those looking to grow better and become united. We must find this unity in a hope greater than us.
Those growing stronger in 2023 will need open eyes. Your open eyes will allow you to look beyond the circumstances of the moment and to the greater life ahead. The future is bright. We must not allow the present, nor the past cannot distract our eyes.
With open eyes comes a strong mind. What goes into our minds settles in our hearts and comes out in our actions. Our actions follow the strong beliefs of our mind and the emotions of the heart. Our minds contain our core beliefs. As we walk this 2023 journey, we need people of strong mind and strong beliefs.
As I said previously, I am not a prophet, but I am an observer. In the next year, people will search. They will search for mental health, physical health, emotional health, and spiritual health. The past several years have been weary for many. Their minds need enrichment beyond what the past offered. Instead, they will search with forward focused eyes.
People have a longing. Their longing is for better times and brighter days. When we strengthen our minds, renew our hope, and cast our eyes on the future, we will become a shining light in the world. The brightness of hope will overshadow the challenges of the present.
The hope we have is not “seen hope.” It is a hope that is not seen. If we see the hope for which we aspire, then it is not hope. Hope in the present is only a wish. The hope the world needs is beyond this present age. It is the faith we have in the future, knowing that things will be better.
This coming year, I challenge you.
I challenge you to make things better than last year.
I challenge you to reach your potential and not settle for average.
You are a limited edition who can reach unlimited heights.
Thanks for listening.
Let us close this year in the next few days and use the momentum of 2022 to crush 2023.
Thank you for being my family, my friends, my acquaintances, and my readers.
May you be blessed!

This year, the 110th anniversary of the Titanic’s dreadful night fell on “Good Friday,” April 15th. The date of April 15th is better known as Tax Day, so the reminder of the Titanic is often overlooked. However, it is one of the great lessons of the past two hundred years.
On April 10, 1912, the RMS Titanic left Southampton, UK on April 10, 1912, on its maiden voyage to New York City, USA. After stopping at Cherbourg, France and Queenstown, Ireland, the captain turned the ship toward New York.
As the RMS Titanic approached Newfoundland, the Titanic hit an iceberg at 11:40 pm on April 14, 1912. The ship SS Mesaba had given warning to the RMS Titanic of drifting ice along the path, but Capitan Edward Smith ignored the warnings. A little later, the Titanic stuck an iceberg, buckling the seams in the hull and creating a series of holes below the waterline.
The RMS Titanic was considered to be unsinkable. The name Titanic comes from the gods or the Titans of Greek mythology. However, the term “unsinkable,” when applied to the Titanic, referenced the watertight compartments in the hull. The compartments were designed to seal in case of a hole in the hull.
While the watertight compartments were designed to seal, the interior walls were not designed to hold all the water. As a result, when the outer seams busted, allowing water into five of the compartments. When the bow of the ship dipped forward, the water spilled from one compartment to another. The result was the ship continuing to fill with water, and finally sink to the bottom of the ocean.
What can we learn from this tragedy? Remember Proverbs 16.18, “Pride goes before destruction, and haughty spirit before a fall.” We must be aware and beware of the situations around us and heed the warnings of others, yet we fall.
Are you heeding the warnings?
Just a thought,

Who is leading you?
John Maxwell made the statement that, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” I believe he is correct.
Leadership is going to, and already is a major topic across the globe and people are realizing it more and more every day. In a recent newsletter from a friend in another country, this statement was said,
“And everything is blamed on the same Ukraine war, even though we know the primary problem is our inept leaders.”
Leaders do not provide excuses, they provide solutions.
Who is leading you today?
The church needs spiritual leaders to rise and shepherd the flock of God. We need leaders who are actively seeking solutions to guide our congregations, by the word of God, into the future.
We need leaders/shepherds who will not shirk from their spiritual duties and becoming entrapped in the world excuses. We need those leaders to seek the solutions found in the word of God and bring that message to others.
We need leaders/shepherds to be in the front leading people. They do not need to inhabit a pew, but they need to be in leading.
Just my thoughts,
