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I used to write curriculum for a publisher who provided Bible study resources. I wrote for teens, adults and teachers of these age groups. It was something I enjoyed, as it allowed me to exercise my creativity while producing resources that impacted people with the powerful truth of God’s Word. This work was not an easy endeavor, because I was doing it as a "side hustle" while conducting my full-time career in education and ministry. So, there were many late nights, or weekends, that I would be working hard to meet a publication deadline. It always felt good to hit the “save” button and complete a project…send it off to the publisher and rest until the next assignment came. I learned a vital lesson, however, on one occasion, as I was working hard to complete an assignment. Nearing the end of the particular series I was writing, I was just about to call it quits for the night. In the process of shutting down my computer...and I can't tell you what I did wrong...I lost all of the work I had spent hours creating. I don’t need to tell you, I was all kinds of crazy at that moment...in disbelief, angry, flabbergasted, sad, frustrated...it was a flood of emotions. The bad news...there was no option to recover the lost material. I searched for recovery methods, I sought advice, I googled advice. I found no rescue. The only choice I had, was to reboot and start over. All of that work…study, development of the studies, teaching methods and ideas…all of it was gone. I just turned off the computer and went to bed. However, the lesson I learned?...save your work often...I discovered auto-save and that never happened again. 
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 This week's podcast features Christian music artist, Billy Ballenger. Billy shares his story that showcases the hope that comes to the hopeless through the miraculous work of Jesus Christ. His story will amaze you as he talks with Jasman of the twists and turns that his life has taken and how, from the back yard of a young kid with a dream that God placed in his heart, he has come full circle, speaking to public high school students about how to make wise choices in life. God has opened the door for his testimony and the message of hope to be broadcast through his music, as he has shared the stage on world tour with artists like David Crowder, Building 429, Andy Mineo, New Song and the band RED. He has toured nationally and internationally, as he has shared his music and message with audiences across the United States, China, Russia and Canada. (Billy's media: Instagram, Facebook, Website) As a companion to his podcast, we are reposting this blog post on HOPE. Take the time to listen to the podcast here and then check out the blog post below that focuses on the theme of hope. As Billy points out: Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life. Proverbs 13:12  I stood at the end of a road that used to lead to one of the most popular resort areas on Mindanao, Philippines. This road was well traveled because it led to the mountain resorts that Filipinos and international tourists would flock to in search of relaxation, leisure and escape from the heat, in the mountains near New Bataan. But, this day, the road was not traveled by tourists and people on holiday. Instead, it was a dead end, as the roadway literally disappeared into a sea of boulders (some the size of an automobile), tree trunks, mud and debris. There was an earie quiet as people stood, or slowly milled around among the scattered items that had been left in the aftermath of the raging avalanche of water that had devastated this region just a month earlier.
19th Century Evangelist, D.L. Moody, told of a ship making its way into Cleveland Harbor by night. The harbor pilot was at the wheel as the captain looked on. Looking toward the harbor, the captain saw the light of the harbor lighthouse, but he saw none of the shore lights that normally serve to guide the vessels safely into port. The captain asked the pilot, "Are you sure this is Cleveland Harbor?" The pilot assured him that it was. The captain inquired: "Where are the lower lights, then?" To which the pilot replied, "Gone out, sir." "Can you make the harbor, then?", asked the captain. The pilot's response was, "We must, or perish." Perish, they did. For that night, the pilot missed the channel of the harbor, struck the rocks along the mouth of the harbor entrance and the ship sank, losing a number of lives. There is said to be a harbor in Italy which requires the navigation of a narrow and treacherous channel for ships to pass safely from the Mediterranean Sea into the harbor to dock. At night, especially, these lights are used to help the pilot and/or captain find his way to safe port. In this port, there are three lights that are said to need to be aligned, to appear as one, in order to assure the ship's helmsman that he is safely on the correct course to the intended destination. There is a reason those lights are there...and that reason is a matter of life and death.  Photo by Tracy Olson from FreeImages
Join me this week for a vlog installment posted below.
Thank you for hanging out in the P365 community and viewing the vlog!
You can click this link to read the blog post from last week: Mapping Our Journey, Part 2: Sharing Your Story Click here to listen to this week's podcast episode: Your Story Has Purpose, with Amanda Schaefer If you find value in the content in this post, or throughout our community, consider liking and sharing this post, and visiting our social media accounts to engage as well. We are grateful that you're here and want to connect. Please consider sharing your thoughts and feedback in the comments. This is part 2 of 2, in the series "Mapping Our Journey." You can read part 1 here. Sitting around a campfire, watching the flames dance and the sparks rise into the night sky, you find yourself mesmerized by the flickering colors and the glow of the embers. Whether you're roasting a hotdog on a stick, toasting a marshmallow for s'mores, or just relaxing in the warmth of the burning logs, one or two things are bound to happen at some point. Either someone will start a song, perhaps with guitar accompaniment, or someone will tell a story. Growing up, camping as a kid, teenager, and into adulthood, I've come to love these experiences of sitting around a fire at night and basking in the glow. I've enjoyed playing my guitar or mandolin along with others and singing familiar songs. I've listened as someone has told a story...maybe a scary story or an account of a childhood memory, or just a story of a hunting trip when they bagged the big one. Those stories are usually entertaining and captivating.  Photo by Angelique Downing from Burst |
AuthorWith over forty years of ministry experience, Randy Kinnick continues to live a life of pursuing the purpose for which he was created. Whether teaching God's Word to adults, coaching youth and young adults in finding their purpose, or caring for the hurting and abused in Southeast Asia, the adventure has taken him around the world in ways he could have never dreamed. The adventure continues! Archives
February 2023
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