Daily Signs of Hope

A place to find Hope

Tag: friends

Friends Are Extremely Important in Our lives

September 23, 2022 / / 0 Comments

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I have been feeling very weak lately. I am sure it is because I can’t exercise. I have a hernia that is too painful if I exercise. Seeing a doctor to see if he will do surgery on it.

I am going to spend a few days at the Oregon Coast. A friend has invited me to come and stay with him. This will be much needed relaxation.

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What would we do without friends? I mean close friends. You have some that are acquaintances, but a true close friend at hard to find. I have a few like my friend I am going to visit. He is a guy I can spill my guts to and never fear it will get to other people.

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Do you have close friends? If not, reach out and get to know new people. There will be a diamond in the rough there somewhere.

Close friends are vital for you and I to have.

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But, we have a friend in Jesus and the song goes. God is there for us as well. They love you and want what is best for you, so seek them out as your true best friends.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

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Is Your Life Just One Big Storm After Another?

September 14, 2021 / / 0 Comments

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In the book of Job from the Bible is a story of sadness, anger, tragedy, and death. Sound familiar?

God allowed Satan to do what ever he wanted to Job, but kill him. Job lost family, crops, cattle, friends, and many other things. He was tested to the max.

The outcome? Job never wavered. He stayed steadfast in loyalty to God.

I wonder what we would do if all that happened to one of us? We are in a time when many tragedies, and sadness are all around us.

There are so many reason to give up and die.

However, faith sees us through the worst of times. By the way… faith is not always wonderful. Our faith will be tested just like what happened to Job. We will think God has left us, and yet we know He is there for us 24/7.

Know that Satan never gives up. He will keep telling us that God doesn’t love us. He will cause many tragedies to come into our lives. Satan is doing exactly what he was doing to job.

Will we be loyal to God through all of it?

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Question God. Ask Him why so many things are going wrong for you. Jesus did that on the cross, “Why have you forsaken me?’ God listens and answers.

Never waver and stay true to God. Everything will be much better if you do.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never fosaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

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The New Virus is making Us be Locked Down Again

August 6, 2021 / / 0 Comments

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It has been quite a week for me. I am showing tremendous improvement with my problem of shortness of breath. My cardiologist gave me a new drug and it has completely changed my life. The shortness of breath has been cut down tremendously.

To be able to breath normal is a life changer for me.

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Factors that keeps me thinking positive, are:

  1. I know God is always there for me.
  2. I know that Jesus is only a prayer away.
  3. My health has improved greatly.
  4. My family has been so supportive.
  5. My wife takes such good care of me.
  6. I have many friends who care.

All of those add up to a life that is manageable.

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I am still grounded from being able to go to church in person. I have to be there through online. There are blessings in every wall we face. Because I am not able to go, the church has asked me to be a person who is there to answer questions on line. I am called a host, and people can ask for prayer, or just ask questions.

I have many wonderful experiences with that. I have been able to help people who need prayer, and I have made many new friends I wouldn’t have had if I wasn’t online with them.

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How are you doing? Are you on lock down again, because of the new virus? Do the days seem to drag on?

My suggestions:

  1. Take up a new hobby. Something you have always wanted to do, but didn’t have time.
  2. Get some new books to read. I have three waiting for me.
  3. Call friends just to talk.
  4. Go for walks in an area where there aren’t many people.
  5. A book to read? The Bible. It is true story with many happy moments.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

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Are Fathers Really Needed to be in Children’s Lives

June 10, 2021 / / 0 Comments

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With Father’s Day just around the corner, I got to thinking how important a fathers are.

The questions are coming up more often about the need of fathers in a home. The leading newspapers in the world are questioning that. The New York Times, and many others challenge the need for fathers in the home.

I didn’t have a father in my life. He was in my home town and never saw me much.

What did I miss?

A boy needs his father to be an example for him. A boy needs a dad to tell him, “Way to go champ.” A boy needs his father to have someone to talk about boy things.

The majority of the hardened criminals in the penitentiaries didn’t have a father.

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How about a little girl?

They need to know how to choose a man. Girls without a father in the home tend to more sexually active in an earlier age.

In both girls and boys need a sense of security and love.

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So how do we help these children?

There are uncles, grandfathers, even friends, who need to step up to the plate and help these children.

In my teaching career the amount of broken homes kept growing every year, until over half of my students only had one parent.

So in reality, I became father to them. They would cling, and want to be near me during class time. I had to discourage this as much as I could, but I did a lot of hugging.

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How is your home going?

Are you divorced? Are you the only parent in your home?

I really understand. I was divorced once myself. However, I did everything in my power to love my children, and spend as much time with them as I could.

I have remarried and my children love her very much. They call her their second mom.

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Don’t let the past decide your future. Yes, you have so much work ahead of you, but you can do it!!

How? God is there to be your guiding light. Also, use Jesus as an example of how you should act and respond.

It won’t be easy, but who is more important in your life than your own children?

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

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Please Remember What is Christmas Really All About

December 11, 2020 / / 0 Comments

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It has been a rollercoaster ride this whole week. I am beyond tired, but I am going to post anyway.

I have been “running,” all week. Not to the point where I can brag about my step totals, but just going, going, going!

I had two appointments to go to. A trip to the Oregon Coast. A trip to pick up groceries we had ordered, and much more.

It is called the “rat race,” and I am not able to keep up with it. I haven’t done all of my Christmas shopping yet, but I have to do it online. I am on lock down because of the virus. I have too many health problems. I would be a dead duck if I caught the virus.

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Poor me, poor me, poor me!!!

How do I even exist through all of this turmoil. Here are somethings I do to keep my sanity:

  1. Pray every day for God’s peace and comfort. REALLY helps me through the day.
  2. Think about my family, one person at a time.
  3. Call someone to cheer them up. Cheers me up too. Win! Win!
  4. Write my two blogs that reaches out to those who need help. (My other blog is www.dougbolton.com.)
  5. Read, read, read!
  6. Watch free movies. Only on Tuesdays, and Thursdays.
  7. Stop and take a big breath, and let the air out slowly. It is amazing how this helps.
  8. Go for a walk. Not able to do that much lately because of the weather, but I do work out twice a week.
  9. Just sit and think. Very relaxing, and I come up with many ideas by sitting and jolting down what I am thinking about.
  10. Make posts on Twitter, Facebook, Parlor, plus, another social that is only for veterans called, www.rallypoint.com. Check it out if you are a veteran. Made many friends there.

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We need to take a step back and remember what the season is really for. I hear some say they hate Christmas because of the hustle and bustle. They dread this holiday.

My thoughts are that getting Christmas presents for each other is a wonderful idea, but that is not what we are celebrating. We are celebrating the birth of Jesus. We are celebrating His coming onto our earth to save us.

Think about that during the rush. Thank Him for what He has done for you.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved,

And above all…..never, ever, give up!

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Worry and Doubt Can Drag you Down Like A Huge Magnate

December 2, 2020 / / 0 Comments

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Self-doubt can pull anyone down like a huge magnate. If we have doubt, we already have two strikes against us.

We need to know that God has our back, as they say in the military. He will not allow anything to come after us that we can not handle.

It is amazing what we can do when we know God wants us to use the abilities He has given us.

Paul said, “Take every thought captive.” He went on to say, “Demolish doubt!”

He is saying, do not let doubt get in your way for anything. Confront them, and get them out of your way.

More and More I keep myself focused on what I need to do for the Kingdom of Christ instead of letting my doubts sidetrack me.

Don’t let others control your mind-only Christ has that privilege.

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I have been racing around in circles the last few months.

Things are pretty confusing, with the election not figured out yet, and the pandemic roaring loudly.

I wonder who I should believe? I wonder what is store for my down the road? It can get overwhelming sometimes.

I have said this before, and will probably say many more times, GOD IS IN CHARGE!

I have to stop this fretting, and worrying.

In my first book, Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World, I had a chapter heading that said, Worry is the dark room where negatives are developed.

I have to be reminded of that often. I allow myself to sway away at times, and it is such a waste of time.

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General Flynn just suggested to President Trump that he should suspend the constitution and declare Marshal Law. I think that isn’t very sensible. It can only lead to s Civil War in my opinion. We need to find other solutions to straighten the mess in our government.

One obvious suggestion is prayer.

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I took part in a Zoom breakfast with eight of my Christian buddies.

We are all in our 70’s and 80’s, and can not go to restaurants.

The discussion was self-doubt, like I opened this post with. One of the guys put out a hypothetical thought. “Why do I pray when God already knows what I am going to ask for. Interesting!

God wants a conversation with us. We are His children. Wouldn’t you want your children to talk to you?

I talk to Him every day. Probably a boring prayer to some, but it is consistent. I pray for my health. I pray for my family. I pray for our nation. I pray for my friends. EVERY DAY!

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

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Don’t Let Doomsday Thoughts Overcome you

November 16, 2020 / / 0 Comments

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What a rare mood I’m in…..It’s almost like I have been trampled, disappointed, lost, and in mental pain.

How’s that for a lead in sentence?

It is hard, at best, to find very many positive things in our world these days.

I feel like I have bring run through the wringer a few times.

That reminds me of the old washing machine my mother had in her basement. There was a wringer on it to help squeezer the water out of your clothes. I always feared I would get my arm stuck in it.

I am sounding pretty negative here, when I am suppose to be sharing hope. I love the word hope, It is my favorite four letter word.

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Where can we find hope?

  1. There is hope when the sun comes up each day.
  2. There is hope when your child takes their first steps.
  3. There is hope when you get that job you wanted.
  4. There is hope when you accomplish something people thought you couldn’t.
  5. There is hope in our grandchildren.

I could gone on for several pages with hope. Hope is the key word in our lives.

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Now that I have picked myself up off the floor of despair, I feel like all the negativity is gone.

This is what I need to do every day. I need to think of the positive things in my life. My wife. My children. All my friends.

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I suggest you try this approach yourself. Every day sit down and think about all the great things that are happening in your life. You don’t need to write them down. Just sit and clear your mind of negative things for the day.

God is with you every step of your day, and while you sleep at night. He loves you and will protect you through all the turmoil we are seeing.

Never give in the the darkness of fear, and panic. There is a light ahead, and is our Lord Jesus Christ.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…Never, ever, give up!

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Words of Wisdom From Friends

June 8, 2020 / / 0 Comments

I watched a great message from my church online yesterday. It had some great wisdom from parables as it foundation. The first parable is from Matthew 4:26-29.

It speaks of a farmer who scatters his seed on the ground. It grows and he harvests it.

Another parable is later in Matthew 4. It is Matthew 4:30-32.

It talks about a tiny mustard seed growing to one being of the biggest trees around. Jesus is comparing The Kingdom of God to the seed.

When the seed is planted it starts growing, It keeps growing and growing until it is a magnificient tree. It gets so big that birds can make nests in it.

What these two parables infer is that we can plant seeds as well. If we do it in the right way, People will come to Christ as their savior. I often heard someone tell me, “You just planted a seed in that person.” I knew what they meant and I was glad.

As parents we need to plant seeds into our children, We need to let them know about God and His Son Jesus. As they grow up they will be like that mustard seed grown up into a beautiful person.

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I was thinking about sports the other day. We really miss it right? I was online at a breakfast last Tuesday when one of the members related the Bible is for people who love sports. He said that we all have a great playbook in the Bible. Everything is laid out for us to follow and be a winner. I loved that.

Another person said, “If you are teaching, you are learning.” I can relate to thta as well since a taught school for 22 years. We never stop learning not matter what our age is.

Yet another said, We spend too much time deciding if we want to or have to. There are things in life that aren’t pretty or rewarding, but they need to get done.

My favorite thing I heard was just one sentence: “See, feel, trust.” We need to know that God is always there for us. We need to trust His guidance.

Remember:

Your are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

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