Author: kelley

One of my favorite verses in the Bible is in the book of Genesis, chapter 50 and verse 20. It is at the very end of the book of Genesis, after Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers. If you remember the story, Joseph remains faithful and is promoted even while in captivity. In the end, he helps his brothers survive a famine and offers them forgiveness. How powerful that is! Joseph was kind and comforting to ones who had been cruel to him. He remembered their treatment, and he forgave them anyway…. Amazing! Then the Bible says that Joseph told them, what you meant for evil, God has turned around for good. On that day, many people were alive and safe, because of Joseph’s ability to give them food and comfort. One of the most extraordinary things in the Bible is how God can bring good out of terrible situations. Joseph could have gotten stuck in the past, and treated his brothers just like they treated him. But he chose a higher path! He chose forgiveness. Joseph is such a great example of a pure heart, in the midst of unbelievable adversity. He looked beyond the present, and God used his gift of influence to save his family. The lesson learned is…. learn from the past, but don’t let it hold you there. God will use you when you remember God’s faithfulness and walk on…..demonstrating love and forgiveness even for people or situations that make trouble for you.

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Hi this is Dorette with an encouraging word for kids today. We are talking about overcoming challenges, and looking at the life of David, who as a young boy faced a lion and a bear, and then a giant. I know you are bold and courageous, and whatever God has put in your heart you will be able to accomplish. Be encouraged today!

Eword for Kidz
Do you know that remembering yesterday’s victories gives you courage for tomorrow’s challenges? I don’t know how often you think about it, but confidence comes when you remember success. I want you to think about something that you are really good at. Ok, I know you are probably really good at teasing your sister, or making excuses, but that’s not what I am talking about. Are you good at math, or video games, or singing, or sports? When you make it to first base in a soft ball game, the next time you are up to bat, you will remember that you got to the base once before, so you can do it again. When you face a math test that is challenging, do you know that when you remember the good grade you got before, it gives you courage to do well this time? When you remember the past success, it can make you more successful. David was a guy in the Bible who did just that. He was facing a real giant, and instead of being fearful, running away, and being defeated, he faced the giant head on, and then took his head off! He said, I come to you in the name of the Lord, and I’ve faced a lion and a bear and they were no big deal, and neither are you. I’m sure there was some fear that tried to creep into David’s mind, but he faced the giant with confidence, and won battle. How can that help you? You can do the same thing. Remember when God has helped you before, and believe that you will do well again!

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How often do you take a moment and just thank God for being faithful to you? We should make it a daily habit. I was having a “can’t figure out what is going on with my laptop” moment this morning, and was disgruntled, frustrated, and a little bit snippy because I couldn’t get it to do what I needed it to do. In a moment like now, I’m not thinking of God’s faithfulness, or how much joy God has brought to my life. My mind is way far from that. But thanking God for His faithfulness is where it ought to be. I have a great computer, thank God, I have a mind that is sharp (computers and most things technical are a bit of a mystery to me!), and a house that is comfortable, kids that love me even when I snip at them, and a very blessed life. This little blip on my computer screen is a very minor difficulty. A habit is something that we do over and over again, in fact, we do it so much that it becomes a natural response. Can we make our natural response in those frustrating moments, a time for gratitude instead? We can when we mix our natural with God’s super….We can live supernaturally, our response doesn’t have to be like the world’s response. So next time, I’ll do better. I’m speaking words of blessing over my blessed, wonderful, helpful, useful, efficient computer! I hope you’ll speak words of blessing over difficulties in your life too.

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Can you imagine what it would be like to be Samson from the Bible? His choices had led to his captivity and his final days were filled with regret. He did some foolish things that he was paying for. If you know the story well, after being tempted and teased by Delilah, Samson had given the secret of his strength away. He was led away by his capturers, was blinded and put in prison to rot. The secret he was hiding was that never since his birth had his hair ever been cut. While the prison guards thought he was rotting away, His hair was growing back day by day. Although he certainly had a past, he had known and had served God before in his life. His last great act of heroism came with his own demise. While the party went on, he was brought out for entertainment. During his imprisonment, his strength had returned and he toppled the structure where the party was happening, and many evil lives were destroyed. Even if we feel we have wasted our lives up to this point, today, things can turn around for you. Bad choices don’t have to determine our tomorrow. We can make good choices today. Broken dreams can become dreams coming true when we determine to do what is right despite our present circumstances. Our choices today will affect tomorrow. Let’s do the right thing now! Obedience to God’s Word always puts us on the pathway to God’s protection and provision.

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Have you noticed in your car how much smaller the rear view mirror is than your front window? It would be really hard to drive looking in the rear view mirror. In fact, our pace would be much slower, and if you went for any great distance, you would get a pain in the neck! God didn’t create us to live in the past! What the rear view mirror is designed to do is to see who is coming up from behind you! Sometimes while driving, we need to be aware that someone behind us is not slowing down, or that they are trying to pass us. Rear view mirrors can give us needed insight and information. They can also be a glimpse of the past…..the good, the bad and the ugly! Being a positive kind of person, most of my past memories are good. I forget anything bad. Lots of people dwell in, live in, and dwell on the past, so much that they miss the present. And many people only remember the worst instead of remembering how God brought them out and blessed them in the process. We shouldn’t live in yesterday by looking in the rear view mirror. We remember past victories, but we live in the present, fully aware, fully conscious, awake and alive to what God wants to do in and through us TODAY. So be encouraged, your past does not determine your future! While little glimpses every once in a while in your rear view mirror can keep you headed the right direction, your future is much bigger and brighter than your past ever was!

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Amazing Grace Fellowship began with a group of 13 people and our family of 4 at the time, who were committed to building a great church that is reaching the lost, building the body of Christ, and preparing people for ministry, 24 years ago today, on May 15, 1988. The ministry mission statement of Helping People and Training People to Help Others encompasses the vision of Amazing Grace. We not only wanted to serve, we wanted to teach and train people to be well equipped to serve others. AGF is here to make a difference! The first 5 ½ years, AGF met at the Y. We were a church on the move! That meant everything was moved in and out each week. The current property on Eastland was purchased and AGF was built at the current location in 1993. The prime property of 60 acres across the street from the church was purchased in 1999 and developed to incorporate and the Master Plan of a large facility for all of Amazing Grace Fellowship’s outreaches including a Bible School and a educational facility on 40 acres. A large addition with a Children’s Wing, a Fellowship Wing, and a Large Youth Church was finished in 2006. The flags of many nations fly in the AGF sanctuary as a reminder of our mandate, not only locally, but to the nations of the world as well. AGF media features the weekly TV show called REAL LIFE on the CBS station KMVT each Sunday Morning at 9:00 AM. KAGF at 105.5 FM is our radio outreach and features teaching and music, 24 hours a day. Great teaching from world- renowned ministries are offered each day, with local daily programming from my husband, Pastor Lynn Schaal, the staff at AGF, and 4 times a day with me sharing an Encouraging Word for your day. Each day the station features several hours of Hispanic programming bringing Christian radio programs to the Spanish population in our area.

It is encouraging to be involved with something that you know God has birthed and anointed. He wants people to know Him, to be found in Him, to grow in Him and to produce fruit for Him. Each individual life matters, and that is what ministry is all about. To be a part of encouraging the body of Christ through this local church for 24 years, is not just a mile marker, it is a living testimony to the goodness of God. Thanks for helping us celebrate Amazing Grace Fellowship’s 24th birthday, today!

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Hi, this is Dorette Schaal with an encouraging word for your day. It is a good thing to remember where you have come from so that you can see God’s faithfulness and know that God’s grace has always been with you. Looking back to small beginnings keeps you grounded, and it is a great confidence builder. Celebrating past victories gives you the courage to conquer tomorrow’s challenges. I love looking back to remember, and I love to look forward and dream. Why not do both! Be encouraged today that your future looks bright!
Do you make it a habit to speak blessings over the people who have influenced, taught or helped you in your past? It shouldn’t be hard to remember people in your life who have mentored you, given you wisdom and direction, discipled you , or pastored you. We all have people in our lives who have made an effort to help us grow…in God, in parenting, in education, in our vocation, or just in living life! Have you taken time to thank God for them, and speak blessing over them? Let’s not take those important people for granted! You are who you are because of them! The word blessing comes from the Greek words eulogia, a compound word of eu and logos. Eu means good and describes something that is wonderful or very pleasurable! The Greek word logos is the English word for words. To speak a blessing is to speak wonderful, pleasurable words about or to someone. As you remember the past, why not do something in the present, maybe even today, to show your appreciation. Words are powerful! Remember that the power of life and death is in the tongue. Speak life words! Today, why not, encourage someone you know with some pleasurable words of blessing.

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