Marion Gaskins

Matthew 14:22-34   (New King James Version) " Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.    And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray.  Now when evening came, He was alone there.  But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.   Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.   And when the disciples saw Him  walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear.   But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying,  “Be of good   cheer!    It is I; do not be afraid.”    And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”   So He said,  “Come.”  And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the w...

The Book of Jeremiah     The Message Translation Chapter 1 1  1-4  " The Message of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah of the family of priests who lived in Anathoth in the country of Benjamin.  God ’s Message began to come to him during the thirteenth year that Josiah son of Amos reigned over Judah. It continued to come to him during the time Jehoiakim son of Josiah reigned over Judah. And it continued to come to him clear down to the fifth month of the eleventh year of the reign of Zedekiah son of Josiah over Judah, the year that Jerusalem was taken into exile. This is what  God  said: 5  “Before I shaped you in the womb,      I knew all about you. Before you saw the light of day,      I had holy plans for you: A prophet to the nations—      that’s what I had in mind for you.” 6   But I said, “Hold it, Master  God ! Look at me.      I don’t know...

The Parable of the Young Mother The young mother placed her foot upon the path of life. “Is the way long?” she asked…and her guide said, “Yes, and the way is hard. You’ll be old before you reach the end of it, but the end is better than the beginning.” The young mother was happy, and she just couldn’t believe anything would ever be better than these years. So she played with her children and gathered flowers with them along the way, and bathed them in the clear streams. The sun shone down upon them and life was good. The young mother said, “Nothing will ever be better than this.” But the night came…and the storm. The children shook with fear and cold. But the mother drew them to her and placed her arms around them with her coat. The children said, “Mother, we’re not afraid for you’re here and no harm can come to us.” That night the mother looked up at the stars and said, “This is better than the brightness of the day, for I have taught my children courage.” The n...

Remember the saying, "Sticks and stones may break my bone, but words will never hurt me"? Well, news flash........words can hurt! “Gracious words are a honeycomb,  sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”   (Proverbs 16:24) What a powerful scripture!  YOUR WORDS MATTER Power of death and life are in the tongue Those who love it will eat its fruit What’s said may not seem so very wrong In fact it may even seem cute Indeed, It only takes a spark remember,  to start a forest fire Careless words, just like an ember ignite, sending word-flames higher. By our speech we can ruin a person’s world Peace and calm all at a loss  Release destruction, with angry words unfurled Turning harmony into chaos You can tame a tiger, but you can’t tame a tongue Truly, it never has been done The same small member with which praise to God is sung Is used to undermine and destroy someone Cursing and blessings from the ...

The bottom line is that retail stores fill their shelves with items that are trending; merchandise that consumers are most interested in; products most requested and those that generate large profits. With this in mind, have you been in a "Christian" bookstore  (a store that sells resources for Christ-followers) of late?                                              ( Please note - I have absolutely nothing against Christian bookstores.  My opinion is about the Christian culture of today, as I view it.)                                                                           Sadly, you will notice shelf after shelf of books that focus on the believer's "own" happine...

Sunday, August 26, 2018 Do you have a  vision ?     What are you passionate about?     What is your all-consuming desire? What do  “feel”  deep in your heart that God has called and gifted you to do? (Yes, when your  vision  is truly of God, you will  “feel”  it.") Habakkuk 2:2 Then the  Lord  answered me and said: “Write the vision And make  it  plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it."                                                             Habakkuk 2:3   "For  the vision  is  yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will  not lie. Though it tarries,  wait for it; Because it will  surely come,   It will not tarry." ..... “it will su...