Category - Uncategorized

Growing Older

July 2, 2026
mkhudsonsr
Uncategorized

How the years have flown by since this picture was taken of Pat and me! Many times over the years,I have heard that you have to be tough to get old. And I would nod and smile in agreement. Little did I know just how right this statement was, because even though I feel young mentally, my body is rebelling and reminding me that it has a lot of miles on it. So the statement about being tough is not only true; it is reality.

One of the hardest aspects of getting older is realizing that what you thought you had figured out, you realize you really don’t understand fully. I have more questions at this age than I do answers. I understand some things better, and other things I realize I will never understand.

So what does this mean for me?

1. That which I do understand, I will teach.

2. That which I do not understand, I will trust the Lord.

3. Rejoice that the Lord has given me another day to be with my family and friends.

The older I get, the more I realize I cannot figure it all out. Many things are beyond my comprehension. I do not know why God allows some things to happen. And because of this, it does not drive me away from the Lord, but closer to Him because I trust in His sovereignty and love. His sovereignty because He is the Creator of all things, all belongs to Him, and He sits on the throne and has a plan for your life and mine. His love because He is my Heavenly Father who sent His Son, Jesus Christ, who gave His life on the cross so I can know that great salvation found in Him.

Older I get, the more I walk by faith and not by sight! Older I get, the more I trust in Him because He knows what is best for me. Older I get, the more I love Him because He loves me first. Older I get, the more I realize the valleys can be long and hard, but there is always a way through by His grace, strength, and guidance. Older I get, I rest in the promise of the Lord, because when the way is dark and dreary, my hope is found in Christ’s love and presence.

Do I have days of doubt? Yes! Do I have days of struggles? Yes! Those days I am so glad the Lord is patient and long-suffering with me.

Matthew 5:45 KJV “That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”

Psalm 115:3 KJV “But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.”

Feed them and they will come!

February 28, 2026
mkhudsonsr
Uncategorized

Feed them, they will come!

What an amazing reaction! If you put out food they want to eat, they will show up! I remember back to one day when Pat and I had just finished supper with the kids and Mother called that she had some leftover shrimp scampi she had made. So, I got up from the table and ate my second supper that night. Love shrimp scampi!

If you put out the right birdseed, the birds will show up to eat! The same is true for the church. If you feed the congregation with solid, biblical truths, then those who are hungry for the Word of God will show up!

When I would hear about someone fixing a casserole, automatically my thoughts would go back to when I was a teenager and on Saturday nights we would have casserole. Now, that casserole was not made from fresh ingredients like many make today. No, it was from all the leftovers throughout the week put into a casserole because we were not going to waste any food. Did it taste as good as new ingredients? Not going to answer because my mother will probably read this post and I do not want to get into trouble.

See, church is like the dinner table. For those who are hungry, they will come if you feed them the Word of God. However, if all you feed them is leftovers, then the congregation will suffer. This is why the pastor, Sunday school teachers, and small group leaders need to be consistent in the Word of God so they can teach with a fresh outlook and understanding of the Word of God. Quit giving leftovers! Get back into the Word and feed the flock.

If you feed them, those who are hungry will come to listen and feed on God’s precious word.

Acts 20:28 KJV “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.”

Make the most!

February 26, 2026
mkhudsonsr
Uncategorized

Yesterday I saw a bluejay with the broken leg at my bird feeder. He was still eating and resting like nothing happened! He knew how to make the most of his situation.

Just like that bluejay, we all have something broken in our lives. It could be something physical, like a health issue, or something emotional or mental. It might be a relationship problem, a financial situation, or even a broken heart.

The end of the year is coming up, and it doesn’t mean everything will be perfect in 2026. But we can take that brokenness into the new year and know that there’s someone who can fix it. Jesus is the only one who can heal the brokenhearted and set the captive free.

So, this New Year make a goal to have a bigger, deeper, and more intimate relationship with Jesus Christ in 2026.

Isaiah 61:1-2 KJV “Isaiah 61:1 ¶ The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;Isaiah 61:2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;”

John 8:36 KJV “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”

Influence

July 9, 2025
mkhudsonsr
Christian Living, Uncategorized

My next-door neighbor gave Pat and me a beautiful plant that began blooming shortly after we received it. Beautiful blooms, but they are very small. Some would classify them as tiny. But, even in their small size, their beauty lightens up the surrounding.

Just like individuals, some have an enormous influence over many individuals, while others have a smaller influence. It is not the size of the influence that matters, but the quality. You can either brighten a room when you enter or darken it with your presence?

Just because a person does not have a significant influence or social outreach, their inward beauty can have a tremendous impact on those whom they come in contact with daily. I remember one individual whose influence, attitude, and words would brighten any room regardless of where it was located. She carried a smile and a kind word wherever she went. Did she have a huge social influence? No, she didn’t. But, those who were around her say the beauty in her heart and life when she came around lifted others up.

Maybe today, you think that you don’t really matter because you don’t have a huge social media following or large group of friends. But when you have the precious love of Jesus in your heart, you will brighten the rooms you enter. Remember, it is not how big the bloom is, but how it brightens the surrounding area. Let your love and care brighten those you come in contact with each day.

1 John 3:18 KJV “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.”

1 Timothy 4:12 KJV “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”

Trusting God!

August 12, 2024
mkhudsonsr
Uncategorized

What is really trusting God?

Most of us know how the week is going to go because, many times, this week will be just like the last week. We will do the same things, eat the same foods, talk to the same people, and have the same schedule we had last week. Our life is like a rut you have gotten into, doing the same things over and over. Unfortunately, it also includes making the same mistakes over and over.

But life can change in a hurry and what we think we are going to do can be altered in a moment.

Really, our future is like this picture. As we look ahead, everything blends together so we do not know what is coming around the next corner. Time is going by, but the future is uncertain.

However, the only thing that is certain is the Lord and His guidance on our lives. This is where faith comes in. Faith is trusting God for what lies ahead. Faith is trusting my Heavenly Father that He is going to take care of me as I travel this journey of life.

Future is uncertain and foggy but the Lord is the only constant in our life we can really upon.

Trust in the Lord and He will see you through.

Proverbs 3:5-10 KJV “3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 3:6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. 3:7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. 3:8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. 3:9 Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: 3:10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.”

Stand Out!

December 27, 2021
mkhudsonsr
Uncategorized

Standing out!

I captured this photo yesterday in my backyard. Interesting because all the leaves look exactly the same as the other leaves. None of the leaves stand out. They are all about the same size, color, shape, and location. Nothing unusual or out of the ordinary. They look alike.

Our world is like this. Billions of people who look different up close, but as a group, many features are the same. In this kind of world, how do you stand out? How do you stand out when you are one in several billion?

The problem is this; I am asking the wrong question. The question is not how to stand out but “Am I doing what God has called me to do?”

Each leaf on the fern has a purpose. The leaves perform three major functions: manufacture of food, interchange of gases between the atmosphere and the plant body, and evaporation of water. They know what to do and they do it.

TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram are social medias where individuals try to stand out from the surrounding crowd. They are searching for fame and fortune. Some have achieved this, but it does not last. Fame is fleeting as well as fortune. Here today and gone tomorrow.

We need to learn from the leaf and fulfill the purpose God has intended for us: to live our lives to glorify Christ. When we are following God’s will for our lives, then we stand out to the Lord.

Quit trying to impress the crowd; strive to please the Lord! And when we walk in faith, then our lives are pleasing to Him.

Growing Deeper in 2022

December 23, 2021
mkhudsonsr
Bible Study, Christian Living, Growing Deeper, Uncategorized

Growing Deeper

Several years ago, one of my favorite trees in our yard came crashing down. Beautiful, full of shade, tall, and magnificent presence it brought to our yard. How much I enjoyed the shade it provide!

Just looking at this tree, you would think it was healthy, strong, and would last a lifetime. But, when the storm rolled through, I watched it slowly teeter over and fall. One thing I notice as soon as it fell was the depth of the root system. For a tree that large, the roots system was shallow. It was out of proportion to the size and height of the tree. No one would suspect how shallow the roots were.

As Christians, we need to examine our roots and see if they are growing deep and strong in our faith. Without depth, we will not survive when the storms of life come.

Jesus warned us about this in His sermon on the Mount.

Matthew 7:24–27 ESV “7:24 ¶ “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

7:25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.

7:26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.

7:27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.””

In 2022 our emphasis is Growing Deeper. Growing Deeper in Christ through the study of God’s Word.

I encourage you to begin the New Year right by taking time to study God’s Word. Be in church on January 2 as we grow deeper in Christ.

Bro. Michael

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