Category Archives: Christian Habits

Spring Training Fundamentals

30 Tuesday Mar 2021

Posted by in Baseball, Christian Habits, grow, Padres Baseball

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Baseball is back! Opening Day is scheduled for April 1, and while I had my doubts with it falling on April Fool’s Day, I’m so excited for the Padres to finally kick-off the 2021 season! We came close last year, but THIS year … this is the year! Just like every other team, the Padres went through Spring Training for the past six weeks. During this time, they worked on the fundamentals of baseball that prepared us for the year we win The World Series!

Baseball Fundamentals

Rich image of professional baseball player, Fernando Tatis Jr., executing fundamentals of hitting a baseball.

Back when I used to play for the St. Louis Cardinals, we took Spring Training very seriously. And every year we’d look forward to our Farm Director’s (I spent my 10 professional seasons in the minor league ‘farm’ system) speech that starts off the season. (The Farm Director is who tells you whether you’re going up or down the farm system levels.) 

He’d start his speech with the most basic fundamentals, saying, “Gentlemen, this is a baseball. It’s 9 inches in circumference. It’s 5 ounces, made of cowhide, and it has 108 red stitches strung around it … ”

Oh yeah, he’d go into detail! Next, he’d say, “Men, this is a baseball glove …” Then, he’d explain, “This is a baseball bat …” No matter who you are on the team, you attend Spring Training and you get back to the basics. I can imagine the Padres locker room … you have people like Fernando Tatis Jr who recently signed a $340million contract for the next 14-years listening to a similar speech. With money like that, it would be easy for anyone to forget the most basic principles of the game.

You throw the ball. 
You catch the ball. 
And you hit the ball. 

But our Farm Director would finish by saying, “And men, the team that does that the best will win the World Championship!”

Christian Fundamentals

Rich image of Seven Steps class at Skyline Church that teaches about Christian fundamentals and more

Can you tell me why 300 million dollar players enter Spring Training to do the same drills we did in Little League? Or why players like Tatis even have coaches?!

Because the fundamentals are the essentials! It’s the same in the Christian faith. There are basic habits that shape our faith that have to be present for us to experience what it’s like to be a Champion for Christ. At Skyline Church, we discuss these habits in our Seven Steps for Spiritual Growth Class. If you’ve been in the faith very long, you know that a devotional time lays the groundwork for God to move in your life. You’ve also experienced that the habit of prayer is in essence primary to growing in relationship with God. You know that regular giving is pivotal in transforming your heart. In addition to what we do privately, we get together as Christians regularly!

It’s essential! Because no matter how long you’ve been in the faith, we all need to consistently get back to the basics. And while we don’t have a $340 million contract, as years tack on, we too can get comfortable in our faith and neglect to participate in the fundamentals of our faith.

We have devotional time.
We pray!
We give!
And we gather!

Ladies and gentlemen … the believers that do this the best are what I call a Champion for Christ!

Commitment

I’ll finish with this …  when I was a young guy, I liked going out on Saturday night.  Even as I became a Christian I lived in that tension of half-hearted commitment. I had one foot “in the world” and one foot “in Christianity.” That never works. There came a point when I started leaving gatherings with my friends and teammates to go to church. They wanted to know why I was doing this “church” thing so often. I had a decision to make. And, it may seem shallow, but I didn’t have the theological answers at the time. So, I just said, “It makes me feel good.” 

There’s going to come a time where you have to choose between your old habits and some new Christian habits. Some habits may be bad habits that you always knew you needed to let go of. But there are also going to be some “okay” habits that aren’t necessarily bad, but they are prohibiting you from becoming a Champion for Christ. No one makes it to the Major Leagues without sacrificing something. You may sacrifice staying out late with friends to go to church, eating out to give more, sleeping in to have a devotional time … we all have secondary pleasures that get in the way of our primary goals from time to time.

It’s in these moments, that we need to prioritize our commitments and decide what our main goal is. In these moments we need to get back to the basics and practice the fundamentals. 

Applying The Fundamentals

Ask yourself today, what is your main objective in life? Have you decided to prioritize your relationship with God above all else in life? Are you executing the fundamentals of your objective regularly? If you will apply the fundamentals you can bet you’ll be a Champion for Christ.



*Read more blogs and articles from Dr. Jeremy McGarity at JeremyMcGarity.com!

Keep Praying!

16 Monday Nov 2020

Posted by in Challenge, Christian Habits, Prayer

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What have YOU been praying for in this season? Every week, I sit down to pray with many others at our church to pray over our people and their prayer requests. One prayer request that is very common comes from people looking to God for wisdom and direction. 

As you grow in your spiritual walk, over time you will become more and more certain of when a thought is either yours, from God, or from Satan. That’s right, Satan throws his two cents in there too! Differentiating God’s and Satan’s voice is easier than you think!

When the enemy tries to talk to you, it’s called temptation.
When God talks to you, it’s called inspiration. 

That leave’s our voice in the mix. And I don’t know about you, but sometimes I mix up my desires and God’s will. A lot of people do this because we want to do what we want to do, and we hope God agrees with it. The better way to go about discerning between God’s voice and our own voice is to simply ask, “God, what do you want me to do?” 

Now it’s not a big deal if you’re just trying to figure out where to eat after service. But, it’s an issue if you’re talking about who you’re going to marry, a career change, or a big move. We can trust that God has our best interests in mind, and He wants to speak to us!

Here are three ways you can double-check to see if you’re on track to hearing God clearly!

  1. Does it agree with the Bible? Your situation is not a surprise to God. He’s known it and He’s seen it before. He’s given us His Word to help us line up truth against lies. It says in Luke 21:33, that “Heaven and earth will pass away but my words will never pass away.” God will never give you an idea or tell you to do something that contradicts His Word.
     
    When you’re wondering if a thought or idea is from God, the best place to start is always His Word. It is the primary way He has chosen to communicate with us. Many people tend to use it as a last resort, your prayer life will take on new meaning when you go to the Bible first.
  2. Will it help my growth as a Christian? The reality is that we have a ton of freedom in Christ! But in that freedom, we want to be growing in a direction that makes us more like Jesus Christ. Let’s look at 1 Corinthians 6:12.

    You say, “I am allowed to do anything” – but not everything is good for you. And even though “I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a slave to anything.

    If you’re struggling with a decision that doesn’t go against the Bible but it may not be helpful to your walk with Jesus Christ it’s important to check it up against this test.  Seek God’s wisdom even for something that isn’t bad for you … but may not be wise either. 
  3. The Jerk Test. Ideas from God don’t cause people to act like jerks. So, if someone ever tells you that “God told them to do this or that ” and they’re acting like a complete jerk, then you know that idea did not come from God. God isn’t going to tell you to do something if it makes you act like a jerk. There are a lot of things going on in our world that people blame on God, yet Scripture reminds us in Proverbs 19:3

“People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the LORD.” Don’t use the “God told me” card and then act the opposite of Jesus Christ.

I want to encourage you to continue praying! Continue reaching out to your small group, mentors, and church family. I’m certain that God wants to direct, guide, and show you what He has for you in this life. He’s got plans for you even if we in San Diego are in the purple tier, red tier, or have torn down the tiers, God has a plan and He will come through for you. Keep praying, keep hoping, keep on keeping on!

I want to continue praying for you too. Send your prayer requests by filling out a Connection Card at SkylineChurch.org. Or download our APP and send in your request there. AND, if you believe God has answered your prayers and given you the wisdom to make a decision, we want to celebrate with you! Fill out the same connection card and tell us about your Praise Reports! 

God bless you, friend! May God give you wisdom as you prayerfully seek to be more like Jesus Christ. 

I’m DONE

29 Wednesday Apr 2020

Posted by in Christian Habits, Church Leadership, emergency room, Politics

≈ 57 Comments

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What in the Pandemic World is ACTUALLY going on?

Alright, I’ll admit it, I’M DONE. I’ve been a good soldier, taking precautions and leading others to do the same. This Coronavirus, Covid-19, Pandemic, Social Distancing, Face Masks, Quarantine, long lines at Costco and other stores, no church gatherings, no gatherings at all for that matter, unless it’s Costco or Home Depot or other Big Box stores, hmm… I was shoulder to shoulder with people in these places, but I can’t worship at my church? I can’t stand shoulder to shoulder in church but as long as I’m at certain stores, no problem? Oh, but not small businesses (the backbone of our economy) just certain large stores. Even with the signs that say keep your six feet of distance, there was no way to keep six feet from people when there were well over 500 people buzzing around these big box stores.

What are we to do and what are we to actually believe? How long will we allow our freedom of religion and our freedom of speech to be trampled on? What started out as a “safety” measure has turned into a sacrifice measure. The sacrificing of our freedoms. I’ve been doing my research and I hope you have too. What I am about to share with you is only the tip of the iceberg, I could write a book about the atrocities being committed through this supposed crisis. I would encourage you to do your own research, check my facts, and find more facts yourself. I am not an alarmist, but I am a person who believes in our Constitution and in our founding father’s principles for laying the groundwork of our great country including freedom, truth and justice. And I hate to see people being taken advantage of and right now seven weeks into this quarantine, there is no question in my mind, we are being taken advantage of.

This “pandemic” in my opinion, and in the opinion of many others, has been blown WAY out of proportion. Is this virus serious? Yes, is it serious enough to shut down our nation? NO. Don’t get me wrong, we still need to be cautious and take care of the most vulnerable. However, the bottom line is, something else is happening. I do not know what that something is, but it is clear, the extreme measures that have been taken are NOT necessary. Some believe China manufactured this as a bioweapon. Some believe the democrats are behind this as a last-ditch effort to get Trump out of office. When their impeachment failed miserably, they had no other options. It is said, they wanted to crash the economy, blame it on Trump, and get new leadership in place on Nov. 3rd at the next presidential election. You can see articles ad nauseam on this and many other theories. That is an argument for another time.

Initially, these extreme measures we have all experienced were, perhaps, necessary. Now, however, we have treatments, we have tests, we have the ability to at least manage the virus. Yet, we are told to continue to “shelter in place” with no thought to the mental, emotional, financial, and physical trauma this has caused and continues to cause people each day our country is CLOSED. I spoke with a local law enforcement official yesterday and he told me crime has skyrocketed the last week and a half. People can only take so much. It is time to open our country. The effects of the supposed cure (shelter in place) are now worse than the pandemic itself. Suicides, alcoholism, abuse, sexual abuse, domestic violence are all up across the nation. We are not meant to be caged up like animals. 

Let’s take a look at some of the things I’ve found. There are plenty of statistics through research that confirm what I’m saying and I’ve provided links for you to see what I’m talking about. However, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Google and other platforms have been taking down videos and articles from doctors and other experts with statistics disproving the numbers that counties are claiming are Covid-19 related deaths. So, if the link does not work, let me know, it may have been censored and taken down. There are multiple reports, including recently on Fox News with Tucker Carlson, that Doctors are being pressured to claim deaths as Covid-19 even if they are not (see link from San Antonio news). I had to dig for this link because YouTube (where I first saw the video) took this video down, because it did not agree with what YouTube believes. Since when do they muzzle free speech? The answer is NOW. Same with Facebook, Twitter, and Google. Many reputable fact finders have been shut down on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Free speech? Only if you agree with these Social Media outlets which have a liberal and even communistic worldview. 

Taking the Covid-19 from a strictly data-driven perspective, let’s see how it shapes up against our annual flu season. Statistically speaking, the numbers don’t lie, unless those reporting the numbers lie about the numbers which has been the case with Covid-19. Let’s take a look at some data. Flu deaths vary from year to year, but according to Johns Hopkins University (see link) that range can be anywhere from 12,000 to 61,000 in the United States per year. The worldwide number of deaths from the Flu vary from year to year anywhere between 291,000 to 646,000.              

Currently, total deaths from Covid-19, and remember this is with the inflated numbers of doctors and hospitals reporting non Covid-19 deaths as Covid-19 deaths, so we know these numbers are hyper-inflated. According to Johns Hopkins University and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) total worldwide deaths from Covid-19 are, as of April 29: 225,927. This inflated number, currently represents the LOW end of a typical flu season, yet we are quarantined! In the United States, currently, as of April 29 the CDC estimates that there have been between 24,000 and 62,000 Flu related deaths. Covid-19 inflated deaths in the US stand at 60,207 as of April 29. Now, we grieve for those who have friends and family members who have died from the flu or Covid or any other disease. We do not take this lightly. 

However, these numbers are in line with a typical flu season. While the Coronavirus is not the flu, it is a different virus as I understand it, most comparisons are comparing it to the flu because of some similarities in the nature of the viral disease. It is time to open our country. The chance of dying from Covid-19 in California (again, this is with the inflated numbers) is 0.03. Huh? 0.03 … You’re more likely to win it big with a scratch off ticket (I do not recommend buying scratch offs), the point is you have very long odds at winning the lottery, yet your odds of dying from Covid-19 are longer. However, we remain locked down, the economy is in the toilet, people are literally going crazy stuck in their homes and we are doing NOTHING about it. 

In the beginning, it may have been wise to shelter at home and avoid contact with people. We simply did not know the facts about this virus. However, now, we know, we have a lot of information, and a lot of disinformation. As the stay at home mandate lingers on it is becoming clearer that it may actually be a fear tactic being used in an attempt to gain control of the population and limit our freedoms. Fear is an incredibly effective control tactic. So far, it’s worked for seven weeks. I do not know what “they” intend to try to control in the long run, but currently, they are controlling our lives, our freedom of expression, our worship, and our futures. It is time to put pressure on our politicians to open our county, state, and country. Once again, Texas is leading the way in exhibiting a willingness to be American and show the way to freedom (see link below). Just another reason why so many California companies and California residents have made their way to Texas over the last decade (link below). 

So, what do we do now? The first step is inundating our local government with calls, emails, letters, messages, etc. and let them know you want our county, state, and nation OPEN. The next step is peaceful protest. There are many protests being organized right now, you can find them near you by a simple search (if these have not been taken down by google, twitter, facebook or other sites). Just make sure you know what exactly is being protested before joining one. There are protests for and against this lockdown so make sure you’re at the right one. I want you to know, as your pastor, and also for those that do not go to Skyline, I will be doing everything I can do to make sure our voices are heard. We will be together again soon, gathering, singing, praising, learning, growing and doing all God has called us to do in His Name. Although these stressful and anxious times can be overwhelming, you have the ultimate source to take your fears, worries and concerns to. Our Lord Jesus Christ has promised to let His peace rest on us as we draw near to Him. Trust Him, He will get us through this. God bless you and God Bless America.

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/coronavirus-disease-2019-vs-the-flu

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/burden/2018-2019.html

https://www.theepochtimes.com/the-ccp-method-chinese-communist-partys-global-agenda_3329428.html

https://news4sanantonio.com/news/coronavirus/accelerated-urgent-care-provides-statistical-update-on-covid-19

https://www.foxnews.com/shows/tucker-carlson-tonight

https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/reopening-texas-begins-may1-governor-says/287-45ff1dcd-dd78-4419-af21-0d9edfd558d4

https://www.southstarcommunities.com/blog/companies-leave-california-bound-for-texas

The Most Important Answer

08 Wednesday Apr 2020

Posted by in Christian Habits, Decisions For Christ, Holiday, Oikos

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Why is it that over 3 billion people are celebrating this week around the globe? As we turn our attention to Holy Week, the most important week in Christianity, I’m confident there are some of you reading this who may not understand the significance of Holy Week. Or, you have someone in your Oikos (relational network) who could use a link to this blog because they just don’t “get what it’s all about.”  There are also those who would say they are Christian, but they are not sure about Jesus entirely and they are apathetic about the pursuit of the full truth in Christ. 

And, there are those out there that would say they are agnostic, which is a person that believes nothing is known or can be known about God. While the agnostic or apathetic belief system may be a convenient one, it certainly will not get you the answer to the most important question. When it comes to your faith or the lack thereof: What you believe about Jesus is the most important thing in your life. It has implications for this life and the life to come.

Briefly, let me give you an overview of Holy Week. Our attention turns to this miraculous week on Palm Sunday, one week before Easter Sunday, the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey (Matthew 21:5-9) as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords as predicted in Zechariah 9:9, some FIVE centuries before it actually happened: 

Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey— riding on a donkey’s colt.
Continuing into Holy Week leads us to Thursday, traditionally known as Maundy Thursday. Jesus uses the setting of the Last Supper to be an example by washing the disciples feet before the meal. It reminds us of when Jesus said  “I have come to serve, not to be served” Mark 10:45. Maundy Thursday also signifies the remembrance of the Last Supper, the final meal Jesus had with the disciples before he would be arrested later that night.  Maundy comes from the latin, mandatum meaning “Commandment” which comes from Jesus’ words on that Holy Thursday, in John 13:34, “A new commandment I give you: Love one another.” 

Good Friday is typically a more sepulchral or subdued time where we as Christians reflect on all that Christ did for us in taking our sins on himself and suffering the punishment and death we deserved on the cross. This is a time of worship, communion, reflection and prayer in churches (online this year) and homes across the world.

Then Sunday, that life-changing, world changing day when Jesus Christ rose from the grave and proved he is who he said he is…God in the flesh, forgiver of sins, giver of hope, purpose and life.

So, why are over 3 billion people celebrating this week? They have figured out the answer to the most important question in life when it comes to Jesus Christ. 

The most important thing you have to figure out about Jesus is this … 
Is He God or is He a fraud? 
Let me give you an example: If I said, “Hi, my name’s Jeremy and I teach the Bible and it IS going to help you,” … you could probably buy that. You may even say (if I paid you enough) that, “Hey, Jeremy’s a good teacher.” But if I said, Hey my name’s Jeremy, I teach the Bible, because, by the way, “I’m God,” … you’d have a decision to make! Am I who I say I am, or am I a fraud? Because a “good teacher” in their right mind, would never say that they are God. Yet Jesus did say that. 
Colossians 1:15 claims that Jesus said, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the father.” That’s an audacious statement! He claimed to be God many times, even in John 10:30 when he said, “I and the Father are one.“
So, Jesus, although he was a good teacher, he never claimed to be just a good teacher. He actually claimed he was God! That leaves humanity with a decision to make, is Jesus who he said he is or is he a fraud? 

If you’ve been around Christianity you’ll recall this argument. It’s the Liar, Lunatic or Lord argument, and I’ve added another “L”, Likable. It goes like this, Jesus is either a Liar … a Lunatic … or he is the Lord. For many people, they may say, “Well, I don’t think he is a Liar, or I don’t think he is a Lunatic, but I can’t say he’s the Lord.  But I would say he is likable. He taught good things, moral things, he was gentle, he helped people, yeah, he’s likable.” 

But, here’s the problem, Jesus doesn’t leave us with the option of “Likable.” Although he certainly is, he said, “I am God, and when you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father.” That leaves you with a decision to make.  He is either a Liar, a Lunatic, or he is the Lord of the universe that over 3 billion people are celebrating this week.  The answer to that question in your life, is the most important one you will ever give.

I want to encourage you if you’re apathetic or agnostic or even an honest atheist, to dig, do your own research on Jesus, dig into the claims of Christ. Who knows, you just might find what you’ve been looking for all along; Peace, purpose, happiness, and what over 3 billion people are celebrating this week, salvation in Jesus Christ.

If you want more information please tune in to our Live Good Friday service this Friday (April 10) at 7:00pm PST and our Easter Sunday services at 9:00am, 10:30am, 3:00pm, and 5:00pm PST, all available on http://www.skylinechurch.org.
God bless you, happy Holy Week, and keep your head up, we’re going to get through this Coronavirus together.

Jeremy

And if you’re interested in getting baptized, let me know by filling out our Connection Card. Just check Baptism in the Next Steps section and we’ll get connected!

Process

14 Wednesday Aug 2019

Posted by in Challenge, Christian Habits, Exercise, Holiday, mission, patience, Resources & Articles, vision

≈ 1 Comment

low angle grayscale photo of empty brick stairs

Photo by Ravi Kant on Pexels.com

Process: a series of progressive and interdependent steps by which an end result is attained.

It’s all about the process. Why? Because the right process will produce the right results, your process will determine your success. It’s not all about the event. To be sure, the process leads to an event. The success of that event will be determined by the commitment to the process of becoming a successful event. Too many people have destination disease. It’s the problem of when and then thinking. When I make this much money, then I’ll…. when I lose this much weight, then I’ll… when I become the boss, then I’ll…. destination disease leaves us stuck in neutral and making no progress at all.

The right process allows a step by step approach to reaching our goals and dreams. Questions to ask: 1) Is it the right process? 2) Does it, will it, can it produce the intended result? The reality is your current systems and processes are producing EXACTLY what they are set up to produce. If you are coming up short in your goals or expectations it is because your process is set up to achieve exactly that result. Change your process, change your result. Or, if it is the right process, but the commitment has been lacking, change your commitment to the process.

Most people are committed enough (to whatever their end goal may be) to hope for the right, intended, or desired result. But, as we know, “hope don’t pay the bills.” Hard work does. The hard work, the grind, the tilling of the hard soil is the process. Committing to the right process allows the desired result to be possible and even inevitable.

The first thing that must be determined is what “end” do you want? What are you aiming at, what do you want the end result to be? No one can or at least no one should determine that for you. You are uniquely created by God and your unique design is purposeful (Psalm 139). It is up to you to determine what you want your end result to be.

For example, let’s say you want to lose 20 pounds. There is an entire process to losing 20 pounds. You would have to commit to the process of changing your diet and adding regular exercise in order to attain your end result. On the surface, it sounds relatively simple and agreeable to make better choices in those two areas. However, that is NOT the process for reaching your desired and intended result. The process would consist of several things including but not limited to,

a) Scheduling your workouts on the calendar. The time, place, and the particular workout you are planning to do. If you don’t write it in the calendar, several things can easily take priority and you will not get your workout in.

b) Waking up earlier to be able to get your workout in. Or, getting off work and getting your run or workout in (studies show it is more difficult later in the day, not impossible, just more difficult). Either way, your commitment to the process will make the difference.

c) Scheduling what foods you’re going to eat that will help you achieve your end result.

d) Taking the time to buy the right foods and prepare them before the day or as many nutritionist suggest, mapping out your meals for the entire week.

e) Keeping the goal of a 20 pound lighter you in front of you…every day. Because motivation is paramount to staying committed to the process. As Zig Ziglar once said, “Motivation is like showering, you need it daily because it wears off.”

You can apply this to anything in life. Do you want to be a better spouse, co-worker, disciple, athlete, student? Whatever it is, commit to the process of becoming better in those areas and you will get there.

There are no shortcuts to the goal. Even if the progress is slow, it is progress and is better than the alternative of standing still. Because you’re never really stagnant, everyday, you are either moving toward your goal or farther away from it. You are moving toward the person you want to be or farther from it. You are either on the path or you are off of it. Choose to commit and take a small step today by beginning the process.

In summary:

  1. Know what you’re aiming at, take the time to know what your target is… as the great theologian 😊 Yogi Berra once said, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end up somewhere else.“
  2. Develop and/or learn and understand the process to get you there. Def: a series of progressive and interdependent steps by which an end result is attained. Develop your steps that are reachable, no matter how small, but are moving you toward your goal and the end result will be attained.
  3. Commit to the process… through the challenges, discouragements, ups and downs. Your commitment to the process will make all the difference.

It will take patience, there will be times you want to give up, but your commitment to the process will get you to your goal.  It takes 50 years for an Oak Tree to mature and develop root systems that can withstand a hurricane. It only takes a mushroom 24 hours to grow to its full capacity but then it’s gone in a day or two.  What do you want to be, an Oak or a Mushroom?

“Not that I have already… already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. ” Philippians 3:12-14

The Apostle Paul could be considered the greatest Christian to have ever lived, as the main writer of the New Testament, he has impacted countless lives, and yet, even Paul had not yet arrived, but he was committed to the process.

Be encouraged, you’ve got a lot of people rooting for you.

Your friend,

Jeremy