Daily Signs of Hope

A place to find Hope

Category: love (Page 7 of 9)

How Many Times Should We Forgive Someone?

July 27, 2020 / / 0 Comments

I have been watching the movement of Representative John Lewis from his hometown to the Capitol Rotunda, to be put on display.

This man was a furious warrior fighting for the black community. He marched with Martin Luther King. He was beaten many times, and was arrested 40 times for his support for the black community.

No man, since Martin Luther King, has done more for civil rights in our country.

He spent over 16 years in Congress.

Was he a Democrat or a Republican? DOESN’T MATTER!

He fought for what was right.

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We need to find more leaders like him. Dedicated to helping others and fighting for what is right.

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I am switching to some negative things to bring up another point.

Portland, Oregon has had 60 straight days of rioting. There are many fires, many beatings, many arrests, and many people hurt badly. Many of those hurt are police officers, trying to keep the peace.

The Federal Government has come to help. We will see how that works out.

There is widespread rioting in many other big cities. Interesting in that all of those cities are run by Democrats.

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So, should we forgive those who are rioting? If so, how many times should we forgive?

Jesus told a parable about forgiving. It started when Peter asked him how many times should he forgive? Seven times? (That was four more times than the Jewish acceptable number.)

Jesus rebuked him and said, “No! 70×7!” That is 490 times. (Matthew 18: 21-34.)

Some things to remember:

  1. As longs as there are issues, there is an opportunity for forgiveness.
  2. Our God is a forgiving God. (How many times have you asked Him to forgive you?)
  3. Forgiving others is a must to be a part of God’s Kingdom.
  4. We must mirror God’s love and forgiveness.

Some other thoughts:

  1. God has help mend any hearts that are broken.
  2. My sin was great, but God’s love was greater.
  3. For God so loved the world that He sent his only son, so that we may have eternal life.
  4. Pray for our leaders in the nation, and in your home state, to make decisions that are for the good of the people, and not themselves.

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Think on these things, and be at peace knowing that God is watching over you and protects you.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forskaen.

You are never unloved.

And above all, never, ever, give up!

Finding Encouragement in Discouraging Times

July 21, 2020 / / 0 Comments

We have had a rough road to ride on for the last several months. The COVID-19 virus is causing havoc on our country. It seems to be getting worse then getting better.

The rioting, burning of businesses, shootings, beatings, that are going on in our big cities is not only frightening, but very sad.

It seems the all these cities are run by democrats. Don’t know if that means something.

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Encouragement for the discouraged.

The Pastor of my church had a message on this. The title was From Brokenness to Blessings.

He said he understands all of us who are fearful, and frustrated. We have battles every day, and to have this be on top of it all is hard, at best.

What are his answers?

  1. God guarantees victory. Pretty simplistic right? However, we often forget that. We forget that God is in charge and He won’t give us more that we can handle.
  2. The best is yet to come. Hard to see that right now, but I bet we look back at this a few years from now and feel we are so blessed at that moment.

Do not go into hiding.

We do not need to hide in our basements. We need to be out there helping those who are overcome with fear, and depression. This is the perfect time to show our love for them.

We have the love of God in our hearts. We need to let others know how that feels.

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How do we hold on?

How are you doing? Are you having trouble getting up every morning because the world is crazy right now? Do you dread turning on the TV, because there is so much negativity? Are you struggling because the virus is closing down your work?

You certainly are not alone.

I feel your pain.

I am in total lock down. Haven’t been in retail store in four months. No restaurants. Only drive up, and take out. Can’t see my children. I text them and call them a lot.

Why am I in lock down? I am afraid I have three underlying problems with my health. If I was to get the virus, I am gone.

Am I crying and frustrated? At times I am close, but I am suppose to be the father figure, and show strength and perseverance.

Again, God is with you. Jesus is with you. They are just a prayer away.

Lean on them for your strength. They are you fortress. They are your protectors.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

If You Found Proof that There was a Heaven How Would you Change?

July 8, 2020 / / 0 Comments

How do we really know there is a Heaven? We read and hear about it all the time.

I have read the now famous book by Don Piper Called, 90 Minutes in Heaven. I have two copies in my library. One is signed by the author who wrote the book for Don, Cecil Murphy. I met him at a writer’s Conference. He was a really nice guy, and enjoyed talking to me. I was curious as to why he will help with a book like this. I wondered if it changed his a own life.

He answered both of my questions with, Because I totally believe there is a Heaven and we needed to get the word out.

If you haven’t read this book I encourage you to get it. It is a real eye opener.

Pastor Don Piper was on the way home from a conference. He was hit by a semi truck. He was pronounced dead at the scene. However, a pastor friend was there praying for him even though they kept telling him it was too late.

The Pastor had been praying for 90 minutes when, Don came back to life. He was overjoyed and excited which amazed the EMT’s. He was excited That he saw Heaven while he was “Dead.”

Don’s life was hurtful, at best, during his recovery, but he kept telling people what he had seen. The rest of the story is found in his book.

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I saw a movie last night that was inspirational. It is call, Heaven is Real.

It is about a little boy who had a ruptured appendix and had to have emergency surgery.

His parents were told that he may not make it. The father, who is a Pastor, went to the hospital chapel and appealed to God to help. He shouted, Are you going to take my little boy away from me?

The mother was out of control in the waiting room. She too thought they were going to lose their son.

Then the doctor came in and said had he made it and to please come to be by his side. The relieved parents ran to their son and hugged him and held him close.

While he was recuperating he started telling he parents he was in Heaven. They decided he was just a little child of seven, and could be making this up.

However, as time went by he told them about things he couldn’t have ever known about. He talked about seeing his sister. He mom said that your sister is alive. He said, “No my other sister. “ The wife had a miscarriage before the little boy was even born. He even told them it was a girl, and the parents didn’t know what sex the child was. They asked him what was her name, and he said,”You never named her because she wasn’t born.”

Then the boy told his dad that he had seen Grandpa The dad said he died before you were born. The dad ran to get a picture of his father and showed it to the boy, and asked if that was who he saw. The boy said no, because he didn’t have glasses.

The father went up into the attic to find some old family pictures and found one of his dad when he was young. He took it bad to his son, and asked Is this who you saw? The boy said “YES!” People aren’t old in Heaven daddy. They all look young.

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These two events makes it very clear to me there is a Heaven.

Do you need proof? Are you skeptical? I can understand that. If you believe there is no Heaven, then you life has an end and you will rot in a grave. (I am so sorry that I am so abrupt here, but that would be the truth if you are right.)

The answers are in the Bible. Heaven is described. It is mention many times by Jesus. The Lord’s Prayer has it in it.

Some people fear this is a heaven. Others fear there is not a heaven.

Where are you? Do you fit into one of these groups, or are you like me and know for sure there is a Heaven and know you have eternal life, because of Jesus dying on the cross and coming back to life? Just like what happened in these two stories.

Take an inventory of where you are and take the right path.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

We Need to Spread Love, Not Hate

July 3, 2020 / / 0 Comments

How can we exist will all the turmoil going on around us? The Pandemic is growing fast again, with even other strands coming with it that are much more contagious.

We still have huge unrest in our country. Rioting, arson, tearing down statues, killings, Looting, and terror.

Where do we go for help? What can we do to overcome this?

We have a ugly new problem raising in our country. It is the “Karen’s,” that are causing it. They verbally attack black people with hateful words and even have pointed guns at them.

They have no concept of love. They only know hate.

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What the world needs now is love, sweet love! Where do they get it?

Well… it is simple to figure out of you are a Christian. We are suppose to be the poster child’s for love, right? Unfortunately that is not completely true. There are people right in my home church who seem to love to degrade others.

I am very saddened by this. I can not understand how someone can hate so much. They must hate themselves.

What we need to do is put God first in our lives. We need to try to live a life like Jesus. He never sinned. He never was mean to anyone. He loved everyone.

Speaking of posters child’s. We should be a poster child that shows love to everyone. What a difference that would make in our world today.

If you are struggling with thinking about wrong things, take an inventory of your life, and see where it is coming from. Push the negatives out of your mind and feel it with love and understanding.

Love is not just a four letter word. It is the word that changes the world.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

Have You Ever Lost Something Precious to You?

June 30, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Had a wonderful message this morning from my online church. The theme was not to forget those who are not saved.

Pastor Chris started out with a question. Have any of you lost something that was precious to you?

He shared a story about his three year old son who went missing while they were at a restaurant. The Pastor panicked when a waitress asked them if they were missing a child. They realized that they were. She said “There is a boy out in the drive through in front of the cars.”

Pastor Chris leaped over a barrier to the drive through and sure enough. There was his son, with not a care in the world, admiring the flowers along the drive through.

He ran to him grabbed him and held him his arms. He kissed him and was too relieved to be angry.

What if a driver was looking down when they pulled out and didn’t see the boy???

They saved their precious child.

I have had not one, but to things have I lost that are precious to me.

The first one was my four year old son. We were at Disney Land. We were walking through all the hundreds of people when my wife said “Where is KC?”

He was gone! I couldn’t see him in the mass of humanity. We panicked and rushed to the “lost child,” center. They put out a plea to our son that said, “KC, your parents are lost. Please come to the center.” They gave him very clear directions. Nothing! We felt the fear of losing our son.

I told my wife that I was going out to our car to get something. (Forgot what it was.)

KC was only about four years old at the time. I couldn’t imagine him finding us in that mass of humanity.

I got near the car and there was KC. He was sitting there and waiting for us! How my son found our car out of the thousands that were parked, I do not know to this day, but we had our precious one back. I picked him and told him how much I loved him. I too was too relieved to be angry.

The second precious thing that was lost was my wedding ring. It, of course, means a great deal to me.

I woke up one morning. Walked to the den where I always put my watch and ring, and the ring wasn’t there. I did the whole house search routine. Nothing.

I remember that I had stayed at a buddies house after a late football game. I called him and told him about my ring. He told me he would look in the room where I slept. Nothing.

I have been searching for that ring ever since. I have never found it. When I do though, there will be great rejoicing like when I found my son.

What the Pastor’s message told us about, was the parable about the one sheep that was missing out of the flock. The Shepard left all 99 sheep and hunted for that one sheep. When he found it he rejoiced. He even went back to his town and told everyone about his blessing.

Yes, we have to think…leave the 99 and try to find one?

What is taught here, is that we may have some lost sheep in our neighborhoods, at work, even at church. We need to reach out those few and try to save them.

Then we can rejoice, and be blessed, because that one person has become one of the flock.

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If you are down and out. Reach out for help. Don’t wallow in your own self pity. None wants to come to your pity party. Seek help. Pray to God for His love, and His guidance. He will be there to see you through your storms.

Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

How Can we be Humble Through the Pandemic, and Rioting?

June 22, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Pandemic, rioting, businesses being burnt, statues being tore down, people being killed, and much more. So what can we do to counter all of this?

I have been thinking of this for several months. It was overwhelming for me, and I did not have good answers.

I watched my church message online yesterday, and they shared some ideas.

The first quote I heard was, “Nothing is impossible with God on your side.” That got me in a better mood.

Then they spoke of being humble. What? I am suppose to be humble when the world is crashing around me?

Then they hit me with a verse that woke me up! “Everyone who exalts himself will humbled, he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Matthew 5:4-6.

They mentioned that we need to stop going on rabbit trails. They are scattered and often lead to nowhere. I was doing that. I was running around trying to understand what was happening.

Then our Pastor give us four things to help us be humble:

  1. Love God more than yourself. We need to know who is in charge and lean on Him during the storms.
  2. Love others by serving them for God’s glory. When we reach out and help, not only does the person we help feel good, but so do we.
  3. Ask God to fill you with His Holy Spirit. I often take this for granted. We need the Holy Spirit to guide us at hard times.
  4. We need to hang out with people who are also pursuing a God fearing life. Just being in a group of believers can give us a lot of confidence, and love.

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Are you fearful of what is happening? Are your storms getting to hard to face? Do you want to stay in bed all day to avoid the world?

You certainly are not alone.

I feel your pain, and I suggest you totally depend on God as your fortress. he is stronger than any Pandemic, He will hug you during the rioting. He will give you wisdom to understand. He has told us many times:

“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10

Pretty clear there. We just need to rely on Him to protect us and guide us.

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Remember:

You are not alone.

You are not forsaken.

You are not unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

Your’e A Speck in Life, But God Loves You

February 14, 2020 / / 0 Comments

The Universe is Huge and You Are Part of it

This may confuse you and make you wonder. We are just a speck, of a speck, of a speck, and even smaller.

The truth is, that as you look up into the skies you see literally billions of stars. Each star is created by God.

Let’s check on our own little planet.

I live in Oregon, and as I go on walks, I can see snow capped mountains, mainly Mount Hood. It is very beautiful to see. God created it. I drive to the Oregon coast and see a vast ocean. God created it.

Also think on this:

God created our earth, but did it with very sharp precision.Think of the placement of our planet. If we were a little closer to the sun we would all burn to death. If the earth was a little farther away from the sun we would freeze. God put it in the perfect spot for us to exist.

He created much more.

He created all the animals; all the plants, and all the people like you and me. He even gave you your first breath.

You are the pinnacle of his creations. Yes, you are a tiny speck compared to all the wonders He created and yet you are the joy of His life. There was no one like you before you were born, and there will be no one like you after you are gone.

Even your DNA is your own.

You have your own DNA and fingerprints. To top all of that, He has plans for each and every one of us. Yes, the universe is huge but we still don’t grasp that.

We all still sin.

Knowing all of this, we tend to still wander. We know there is a God, but we sway and falter, because Go gave us the freedom to choose.

God still loves you.

We must remember that God loves us very much. He created each of us in His own image. When you are facing fear, depression, and trials know that God controls everything. He is there for you.

He is the creator and there is nothing else else we should be worshiping.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all….never, ever, give up!

Why Can’t we All Just Get Along

February 7, 2020 / / 0 Comments

One of the hardest things for me to face is how the United States is so divided. It breaks my heart to see this happening, and I am not sure how to correct it.

The recent happens in Congress has even the most loyal Americans cringing.

Our country is so divided. What can we do to try to heal our wounds?

It is easy to say everything will be OK, but not everyone agrees with that.

There are people protesting and causing riots. There are people who boycott businesses they disagree with.

I have all kinds of suggestions, but people have to follow through to make them work:

  1. Pray for our leaders. This is a tough one for many, because they hate our leaders. To me it doesn’t matter what party is in charge I will be praying for the president.
  2. Don’t believe much of the news you see. The fake news is running rampant now.
  3. Take care of your own nest. Make sure your family is happy. They are your inner circle.
  4. Spend time at your church meeting people who agree with your beliefs are. That sounds kind of silly doesn’t it? However, we need to make friendships with the right people. The people of your church may be the pillar you need to lean on.
  5. Speaking of church, I have also seen people coming to the services, and leaving with a blank look on their faces. They didn’t hear anything. They just come to show people they are “Christians.”

I exercise at least twice a week. I do the treadmill for one half hour. It gets me going, and the rest of the day I am eager to do things. Talking more about # 5 above, It is great to be in good physical shape, but it is even better to be in good spiritual shape.

Thoughts:

  1. God has work plans for you. Even if you are a senior citizen like me. Serve God just as hard as the others. God will use you no matter what you age is.
  2. We only on this planet called earth for a short time. Use you time wisely.
  3. People are so afraid of failure. I can’t tell all the times I failed and grew more because of them. Do not fear failure.

Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all… never, ever, give up!

Looking Back at the Holidays

January 8, 2020 / / 0 Comments

The holidays are past, but I have had time to reflect and thought I would share some thoughts.

We should have joy around the holidays, but some don’t think so. They have to face their relatives.

From that I learned that we need to have a family mentality.

We need need to be related by faith, family, caring. If we do that and more, we are a family that is glorious.

Yes, we have some relatives that we have differences with. When they come to visit it seems like they know what buttons to push to make us angry.

How do we deal with that?

Even if there is a problem with one of the relatives, we need to know that they have needs just like we do. We need to calmly sit with them and seek out the problems and try to find ways to help.

This should cause a miracle. They will be glad someone cares, and they will look at you in a whole new way.

I Have learned to pray for them.

I am so angry sometimes that this is very hard. If I can just spend 30 seconds praying for them that would be a good start. Then stretch it out to 35 seconds, and so on. I realized the more I prayed for them the less I was angry. It should be like daily exercise. The more you pray the stronger you become.

Try this out and let me know how it goes. Show me other ways I can reach out to those I sometimes find unpleasant.

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There is much happening causing me to roll fast on finishing my second book, “Signs of Hope for the Military: In an Out of the trenches of Life.” All I have left are a few interviews with veterans who have been in the trenches. Their stories will warm your heart. They will cause you to cry, and wanting to help them.

You can go to http://www.dougbolton.com to see the progress.

You should always remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

Top 10 Ways to Survive in 2020

January 3, 2020 / / 0 Comments

I have been off the air for several months. I have many excuses, but none that I can say are valid!

Starting today I will be trying to post every day. You will have to be helping me by subscribing. If you do, all future posts will directly to your inbox.

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My first post of the new year concentrates on the year ahead. What will it bring? What am I going to do to grow and improve.?

  1. Do not have any new year’s resolutions. This one of the most overrated acts a person can cling to. Just plan your goals and hit the street running.
  2. I need to find ways to reach out to those in need more than I did last year. People who need help are not hard to find. They are everywhere.
  3. Don’t expect everything to go smoothly. Life doesn’t seem to go that way. You may have some storms hit. Be ready for them and be strong.
  4. Be a good listener. Sometimes silence is very important. People want to share and not be judged.
  5. Don’t get caught up into today’s politics. We live in a very hostile environment right now. Don’t believe almost all you hear.
  6. Always make your family your top priority. They should always come first.
  7. Have a year where you are much closer to God. He is in charge, and He is watching over you.
  8. Try to have your health as a top priority. I am really concentrating on this one this year.
  9. Respectively disagree with those who oppose your views. Doesn’t have to be a shouting match.
  10. Live each day as if it is your last. ENJOY!

In Closing

I hope you have enjoyed the first post of 2020. I will be back tomorrow with more in depth thoughts and ramblings.

Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

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