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Laughter.

April 20, 2024 / / 0 Comments

Pastor Maria Braga

“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” –Proverbs 17:22.

Remember to keep your heart happy so that you will experience good health (strong bones). How encouraging! God’s Word tells us if we allow our Spirit to stay broken, we will experience sickness. We are Spirit, soul, and body; when the soul is wounded, the body manifests the soul’s condition, and we will tend to reflect those feelings. “That’s just how life is.” But the Truth goes deeper than that. It’s a Spirit thing. By the time the soul and the body begin to experience symptoms, the cause of those symptoms has been happening in the Spirit for a while, but we couldn’t see it.

Laughter is medicine. Nowadays, people are often sad, hurt, wounded, and walking around hopeless, ready, and waiting for the next sad episode, and the symptoms that appear as a result are not part of God’s design for them.

Yes, we all will have moments of sorrow and sadness when we get hurt, lose a loved one, or experience some similar situation; however, we are designed to overcome these things by giving them to the Lord in prayer, trusting that God will strengthen us to overcome these overwhelming times. Of course, the believer knows this, yet even the believer sometimes forgets. On the other hand, the unbeliever might not understand the language of the Spirit because that person has not yet been born again. “The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.” –1 Cor.2:14.

I remember how laughter was such a steady part of my childhood.

We laughed till we had belly aches. Sometimes, all it took was my cousin taking off her shoe to show us her toe coming through a hole in her sock in the middle of mass. While everyone else was quiet, listening to the priest, we would all burst out in laughter, and of course, we all got in trouble. But even that, as silly as it might be, was a moment I would never forget; for days afterward, every time we saw each other, we would somehow talk about the hole in her sock and laugh again.

Society has become so weighty and political that we have allowed life’s simple joys to be robbed of us.

Let’s return to our first love. “Remember the old days. Consider the years of all generations. Ask your father, and he will inform you and your elders, and they will tell you.” –Deut. 32:7.

Fear has crept into us, and offence has taken up residence amid the believer and unbeliever alike. We have become distracted naturally and spiritually. “I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.” –Rev 2:2-7.

I am journeying through the Bible again, and this time, I am much more aware of the humor in this Holy Book. There are so many stories filled with pieces of humor!

To me, Hamon and the Gallows are humorous. Hamon built the gallows to hang Mordecai and he asked the King for everything he thought he deserved, which, in turn, Mordecai ended up getting because God’s favor was on him. Hamon led Mordecai on foot while Mordecai rode the King’s horse. Mordecai was honored, while Hamon ended up hanging on the gallows he had constructed to kill his enemy! I find humor in just picturing Hamon in my mind receiving the retribution he intended for another, and it teaches me so much.

Then there’s the talking donkey with Balaam and Balak. “Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth, and it said to Balaam, “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?” Balaam answered the donkey, “You have made a fool of me! If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now.” The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?” –Numbers 22:28-30.

Jesus went to weddings and had dinners with His friends; Jesus had so much fun and was often found around celebrative moments that even the religious leaders called Him a gluten and a drunkard. There are many other moments throughout Scripture where we witness the Lord’s joy and the happy moments Jesus experienced.

 When we live wounded and sad, we tend to fixate on the weighty issues of life; they become huge mountains we cannot remove, making us unhappy. But Jesus said, “… Truly, I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain: Move from here to there; and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

We forget we need God’s help to live happy lives; we need Him living in us. When we forget we have His help and try to fix things ourselves, we get tired and worn down. We may even deepen our problem as our natural mind makes an already big mountain seem even bigger.

We must trust Jesus to move our mountain, not just with our lips but entirely—with our hearts.

Today’s stress will not fix tomorrow’s troubles. We must have a Source, a well from which to draw, and that is Jesus and the Holy Spirit of God in us.

Matthew 6:34 says,” Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Remember to laugh! Why? It is medicine for the bones, brings joy into your heart, and laughter offers healing. Find reasons to laugh. To create fun and laughter. Memorize Scripture and recite them to yourself when sad memories appear, and watch what happens. We must learn to keep reaching forward instead of holding onto what is behind us, reminding ourselves that we are only sojourners in this land, just passing through. Heaven is our home.

Lord, teach us to number our days and live each day filled with your abundance. Since my days are numbered, I want to live each day as if it were my last, filled with laughter, joy, and goodness. ” Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure.” –Psalm 39:4-5.

We all know that we didn’t come to stay here. One day, we will depart. And for those who have a relationship with Jesus, we long to hear the words: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

We cannot hear these Words unless we obey God’s Word in time, which means we must have a genuine relationship with Jesus. “Jesus said to him, “I am the [only] Way [to God] and the [real] Truth and the [real] Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” —John 14:6.

Living a relaxed, laughter-filled life is choosing to live God’s Peace. Like everything else in life, we must choose to live happily or live and die with a broken heart. Many saints will enter heaven, hoping they have a few more days to live happily. Let’s take God at His Word and enjoy this day.

Father, in the name of Jesus, fill us with this promised Joy. Remind us to laugh and enjoy each day; it is Your gift to us. Teach us, Lord, to be in your Word and learn from you. Amen. And if you do not know Jesus personally, you can now, today. You can experience the joy only He offers those who believe in Him. Here’s how: “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” –Romans 10:9-10.

The Living Bridge.

March 9, 2024 /

“And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.” –Ezekiel 36:27.

Not all of us are called to be engineers, to build bridges, footbridges, or skywalks, structures that connect two fixed points and enable us to move freely between them. And because this isn’t our calling, we may not fully understand the purpose and intrinsic necessity of each component used in their construction. Not, certainly, to the same level of understanding as the engineer. For instance, do you know the purpose behind an engineer’s use of a cap or girder? What they are? How about a pile, arch, cantilever, or cutwater? What about tensile strength? Neither do I. But what you and I likely have in common with the one who does know the answers to these questions is this: we have driven across a bridge, walked across a footbridge, or skywalk—structures they’ve built to connect one fixed part of something to its other.

The Holy Spirit also pointed out how He uses visible, relatable examples, like bridges, to connect one fixed part of a thing to its other, first to get our attention and then connect it to some spiritual Truth. Much like Jesus did when using parables. He used what people were familiar with to help teach them greater spiritual Truths. “The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance.” –Matthew 13:10-12.

Holy Spirit spoke about how no tonnage of adverse pressure heaped upon God’s Living Word has or will ever change or weaken it, causing it to buckle or lose strength. How nothing, no man’s opinion, no commentary or culture, no theologian’s best-intended musings, has, nor can negate the seamless, indestructible connection between the Old Testament and the New.

This made perfect sense to me as pointing to Jesus, God’s Living Word, is Holy Spirit’s primary purpose.

From Genesis to Revelation, Jesus is the Immutable Living Bridge, the Master Engineer who connects the two seamlessly. “Jesus Christ is [eternally changeless, always] the same yesterday and today and forever.” –Hebrews 13:8. And He is the only way for any of us to get back into right relationship with the Father. “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” –John 14:6.

According to Great River Greenway, an abatement’s purpose is to connect the deck of a bridge (what we travel across) to the ground beneath it, helping support its weight horizontally and vertically. There’s so much theology lodged in these two simple sentences that it would take a whole other teaching on the Cross or the only way we get to the Father, salvation, and so much more.

But that will have to wait for another day. Right now, I’ll stay focused on today’s assignment instead.

In keeping with the engineering lingo, Jesus is the abutment seen in both the Old and New Testaments—starting in Eden, with the bloody skins God used to cover Adam and Eve, and ending in the Book of Revelation with His assuring the world of His return—He is both Alpha and Omega.

“For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.” –1 Corinthians 3:11. Jesus is the Immutable God who connects all happenings outside of time as we understand them to our earthly lives, then loops them and eventually us back into eternity again, completing the circle.

As I started typing, I began to understand where Holy Spirit was leading us today, straight to the seamless joining of the tenable Truth connecting today’s Old Testament Word to its New Testament other, Jesus. “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” – Philippians 2:13.

Within two verses, we witness one seamless connection—a unifying footbridge affording us a panoramic view encompassing both perspectives. From Zechariah, found in the Old Testament, to Philippians, seen in the New, we witness the masterful merging of the whole counsel of God—just one of the many unifying connections spanning God’s Inerrant Word. From beginning to end, everything directs us towards Jesus.

Everything as we understand it, from our world to our faith, is found and held together in Him and by Him. “And He Himself existed and is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. [His is the controlling, cohesive force of the universe.]” –Colossians 1:17.

As witnessed in today’s verse, Holy Spirit allowed the prophet a hint of His power and authority, an innate knowing that something more was yet to come. Unbeknownst to Zechariah, God was constructing a massive bridge that would begin with Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem and then reach the ends of the world, wherever that is.

How? By the same power that enabled twelve ordinary men to take all Jesus shared with them and use it to continue to build a bridge that would allow countless many back to Him all that they too may have new life. “But you will receive power and ability when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be My witnesses [to tell people about Me] both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and even to the ends of the earth.” –Acts 1:8.

These men were the first to receive and carry the full weight of what the Trinity had conceived and agreed upon somewhere outside of time as we understand it. Dead men being given new Life. “But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.” –Matthew 13:16-17.

And, thanks be to God because He ensured they would be bastions of strength and tenable ability. Countless people still today are using the foundation they, following the example of their Master, laid down their lives to afford us—the ability to choose life in Christ Jesus. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms. For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love He predestined us for adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will.” –Ephesians 1:4.

Friend, if you have yet to cross the bridge that leads to Life—Jesus, I urge you to do it today. He is the only Way to the Father and life eternal. “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” –John 14:6.

Mountain View

October 7, 2023 /

Matthew Botelho

“Now if you will listen to Me and carefully keep My covenant, you will be My own possession out of the peoples, although all the earth is Mine, and you will be My kingdom of priests and My holy nation. These are the words that you are to say to the Israelites. “–Exodus 19:5-6.

I love visiting the White Mountains in New Hampshire. There is something so inspiring about gazing upon God’s majestic creation. Even as a child, I felt a draw to it. I still do today. That same feeling of awe continues to come over me. As I grew, I noticed the mountain scenes changed as the seasons changed. I saw that the mountain would be bright green due to its abundance of trees in summer, while in Autumn, these same trees changed color—bright yellow, orange and red as if the mountain itself was on fire. Then, when winter came, and the trees were bare, brown bark and white snowfall became the color of the day. Still, each season is as beautiful as the next.

And though the appearance of my beloved mountain changes with the seasons, my steadfast God never will. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” –Hebrews 13:8.

Our God never changes. His word is and always will be eternal: “For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, But My kindness shall not depart from you. Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed, Says the Lord, who has mercy on you.” –Isaiah 54:10

Some may reject this Truth—reject God, while others, like you and me, have received the eternal gift of salvation that gave birth to our relationship with His son, Christ Jesus.

The God of the Old Testament is the same as in the New Testament. Jesus is the bridge connecting one to the other. It is His grace afforded us by His shed Blood having laid down His sinless Life, a Living sacrifice, on the Cross at Calvery.

If you have given your life to Jesus, you have been ransomed, washed clean of your sins. “The council of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart from generation to generation.” –Psalm 33:11.

God of the Old Testament is loving, but punishment came when His people failed to listen and follow His instructions. Remember, though merciful and kind, God is also Holy and a Just Judge. God cannot dwell where sin exists. The Scriptures remind us that the wages of sin are death—eternal separation from God. And since His Word is the same yesterday, today, and forever, the same is true today.

So, if you choose not to live for God and instead live outside His will, your actions will have consequences. Maybe not in this life, but indeed in the life to come. 

Today’s Scripture verse is just one of the promises God made to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai.

God spoke to Moses in the wilderness and gave him charge over the Israelites. He instructed Moses on what His people needed to do to prepare to meet Him on Sanai. “And the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I come to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and believe you forever.” So Moses told the words of the people to the Lord. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes.” – Exodus 19:9-10.   

Without being washed by His Word, outside of God’s covering, you and I are unclean in God’s sight—just as the Israelites were.

God told Moses His people needed to consecrate themselves.

Consecrate means to set apart, make holy, and dedicate to God. So Moses told the people to wash their clothes and clean themselves.

It had been a long journey from Egypt to the Sinai. Maybe the people were still covered in the dirt of Egypt, an unholy place. And perhaps that made these people God loved a stench in His nostrils. Remember, we serve a Holy God. There is no sin in Him. “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.” –1 John 1:5.

Being Holy, God has set impassable bounds for us. “You shall set bounds for the people all around saying, “Take heed to yourselves that you do not go up to the mountain or touch its base. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death.” –Exodus 19:12.

God has chosen the Israelites to be His chosen people, but He still sees sin in them.

And God sees the sin in our lives. We, too, must be washed in the Water of His Word, made clean by His shed Blood. Water alone is no substitute. It will not wash away our sins. It may clean our outer garments, but our souls will still be stainted. Only Jesus can rid us of our sins. Our merits or any good deed we might do cannot accomplish it.

Psalm 25:3-4 makes this clear: “Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully.”

At first glance, there seems to be no way a man could ever approach such a Holy God.

The view up this mountain appears distorted. God has set boundaries. Without the washing away of our sins, we cannot have fellowship with Him. We will never be in right standing with God, yet He has set eternity before us.

God has made a way where there was no way. “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.” –Ecclesiastes 3:11.

The path ascending to Sinai was blocked, but God made a way for all men to follow Him. He made the Way long before Moses was ever born. God knew that only someone holy like Him could stand in His presence. Someone who knew Him and shared His heart and Blood. Someone who would go down to the earth and bring all men to Himself. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” –John 3:16.

In Matthew 4:23-25, Jesus starts His ministry in Galilee. He is healing every kind of sickness and disease.

He is preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. Great multitudes of people follow Him across Galilee, from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan. God is healing the people He loves. He is walking with them and teaching them. This unobstructed access to Himself was what was missing at Sinai. God is Holy, indeed, and His Word is Holy, yet this did not stop a Holy God from coming into a sinful world in the likeness of men. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we behold His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” –John 1:14.

Just as Moses did once, Jesus, the Son of God, walked up a mountain and sat with His disciples.

Jesus did not place barriers between Him and them. He did not tell the people they could not follow Him because they were unclean. Jesus is 100 percent man and 100 percent God. Yet He sat with whosoever would draw near to Him and blessed them in hearing the most excellent sermon ever shared—the Sermon on the Mount.

What a beautiful, unobstructed view of God’s love and compassion for all of us who proclaim Jesus as Lord. 

Which mountain view do you want? I pray it is the one that allows you to ascend the mountain with Jesus and sit at His feet.

You are not too far gone, my friend. No one is. All it takes to become a child of God is one sincere confession of faith—asking Jesus to be Lord over your life. Draw close to Him and receive His salvation by repenting of your sins. If you have done this, get ready to catch some incredible views. Amen. “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” –Romans 10:9-10.

Welcome, Adam!

September 28, 2023 /

Blessings family! Please join us in welcoming Adam Nichols, God’s newest fisher of men, to our growing Sonsofthesea family. As Overseer of this ministry, I am confident God has chosen Adam to spread His Pure Word with authority and passionate conviction. As you read Adam’s teachings, you’ll no doubt experience that Adam is a sold-out, devoted follower of Jesus. A man whose fiery love for his Lord is evident when you meet him. Beginning in October, you can expect to read what the Lord shares with him in the third week of each month, God willing. And though Adam is new to you, most of us at Sonsofthesea are privileged to serve alongside our brother weekly at Highland City Church, this ministry’s partner and spiritual covering. I trust Abba to use Adam’s servant’s heart to bless and minister to yours. To read more about Adam, click on his “about me” tab.

Congratulations, Kendra and Rob!

August 4, 2023 /

There are bittersweet moments in life and ministry. This announcement is one of them. For those of you who have been following Kendra’s teachings and being fed by them, I am overjoyed to share that she and her husband, Rob had a healthy, beautiful baby girl this Monday, July 24th. The bitter in this sweet announcement is that Kendra will now be on a well-deserved sabbatical over the next three months. Please, keep her and her growing family in your prayers. And don’t forget to include her beloved dog, Daisy, when you pray! On behalf of Kendra and all of us here at Sonsofthesea, thank you for following us as we continue to follow after Christ!

Exciting News!

April 19, 2023 /

Exciting News! Cries of the Heart; A Walk Through The Psalms devotional is now available at Amazon.com!

Click the link below to order now! It’s as easy as One, Two, Three!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BZQTQYFT?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420

This Ressurection season and beyond, join us in lifting up the name of Jesus as Sonsofthesea and its ministry partner, Highland City Church, share inspiration and hope straight from God’s Word. And in today’s world, who doesn’t need the hope only God can offer?

Scroll Down To Learn More…

This Easter and beyond, Cries of the Heart; A Walk Through The Psalms invites its readers to journey through the Book of Psalms, where they will catch a fresh glimpse of God’s unchanging Word. Page after page, Logos becoming Rhema, that well-loved and familiar Scripture understood differently now as three distinct voices unite in a singular purpose: to offer their reader unique inspirations that will guide them straight toward the heart of God.

Each devotional feeding you hope in sweet, heaping spoonfuls, strengthening and refreshing your spirit. And, in today’s dark and often hope-less world, whether male or female, who doesn’t need the Light and strength only God’s Word offers?  

Follow the Authors International Blog Ministry for further inspiration and encouragement in your Christian walk. New teachings are posted weekly at Sonsofthesea.org. Sign up today!

HARVESTING HOPE: That Your Joy Maybe Fulfilled.

October 29, 2022 /
Elda Othello-Wrightington

There is time and a season for everything. The most challenging seasons bring a lot of weight, pain, and questions. Yet they also bring unforgettable moments of God’s Faithfulness. Psalm 126:5-6 reminds us, “Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.”

This has been a challenging season for me. In August, I had a miscarriage. Words cannot explain the utter emptiness I felt due to it. I actually felt numb. What made matters worse was how hard it was for me to worship. Anyone who knows me knows I love to worship and praise the Lord. Well, that first Sunday, when the worship team started playing, my hands went up, yet I felt absolutely nothing. For the very first time in my life, I couldn’t feel God. What I felt instead was numb and disconnected from my Daddy God.

Feeling disconnected from God scared me. It brought even more tears on top of that shed due to the trauma of my miscarriage. Hopelessness settled in my mind and slowly made its way into my broken heart. “Yet this I call to mind and there I have hope” –Lamentations 3:21. So one morning, I grabbed my bible, not really expecting anything but secretly hoping that maybe, just maybe, this would help me connect with God. And let me tell you, God spoke!

The Lord took me to the Book of Lamentations, Chapter Three. And did not my soul lament as the prophet Jerimiah’s did? It sure did. But the Truth of God’s faithfulness in this passage, for me, began the process of healing and gleaning. Lamentations 3:22-23 says, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassion never fails. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” As believers, even during the most challenging moments in our lives, we can pull from God’s faithfulness, His Living Word, to help us cultivate hope. The passage goes on to say. “For men are not cast off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his love” –Lamentations 3:31-32.

God is a promise keeper. Despite the Israelite’s faithlessness and obedience, God still had a plan.

Someone reading this may be experiencing some level of grief. You’ve lost someone. Maybe something you were a part of for an awfully long time has ended. Things are changing, and you, too, find yourself lamenting. If you’re that person and haven’t accepted Jesus into your heart, I want to invite you to do so now. How? As always, your help, direction, the surety of every promise God has given you is found in His Living Word.

Romans 10:9-10 are the Words you’ll need to start your walk with the Lord today. They assure you of this simple Truth: “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” I encourage you to open your mouth and declare Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Believe in your heart; honestly believe, with child-like faith, that if what you just prayed was sincere, you have been saved, freed from sin and eternal death. Galatians 3:22 reads, “But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.”

We have to have faith to have access to the promises of God. And that faith allows us to cultivate hope (and I’m not talking about faith in ourselves because, let’s be honest, sometimes faith in ourselves or others is not enough).

We must be connected to Jesus, for he is the author and finisher of our faith. “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” –Hebrews 12:2.

If you just decided to accept Jesus as your personal Savior, I’ll let you in on more good news!

You are now carrying something inside of you. And that something is God’s seed, His Living Word. It lives inside of you now! “Galatians 3:22 reads, “But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.” Hold on to God’s faithfulness. It will help you have hope, even in your tears and waiting. How? By remembering what God has done for you in the past. Remembering what His Word says about you.

There is hope, even if it is as small as a mustard seed, for the Word of God says, “Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches” –Matthew 13:32.

You might wonder, how can I continue cultivating hope for the harvest? To me, sowing in tears means never giving up on God, even when you want to give up on yourself, your future, or others. God’s plans are better than we can imagine simply because He is. He knows our beginning from our end, and His plan for us is good. “For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for well-being and not for trouble, to give you a future and a hope” –Jeremiah 29:11.

So, one of the first ways to cultivate hope is to sow God’s Word into your heart.

May your heart be the tender ground where Its seeds are sown. Then, as a result, I hope you become grounded in God’s Word and His promises.

Even in our weeping, it is possible to harvest hope. We can weep and read the Word. We can weep and trust his promises. We can weep and know that every tear will reap joy in its season.Seed time and harvest are inevitable. However, what we produce results from how much hope we have and how we choose to respond to God.

So I leave you with this love note written to me from God. I’ll share it as a word of encouragement to you all.

I’m here. Stop doubting me. I know how much you care for me, and I know so many things don’t make sense. I am working in you, and I am not punishing you for anything. No one can understand the mystery of my ways because it’s designed that way. Giving up is never the answer. There is no death in my world. Your loss is not a loss to me. I am touching you with my love even if you don’t feel my touch. Be anxious for nothing. You can’t feel me because you need to relax. I can, and I will do what is best for you. Stop doubting if I am with you or if I hear you. Things are not always what they seem. —God.

John 15:11 NLT “I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!

Welcome, Elda!

October 27, 2022 /

Once again, God has provided! We are blessed and overjoyed to introduce our beloved sister in Christ and the most recent guest author, Elda Othello Wrightington.

Sonsofthesea is privileged to welcome this mighty woman of God! Elda gave us a resounding “absolutely” when asked to join us as a guest teacher. Not only is she a powerful Intercessor and Elder in her church, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a kinder, more tender heart. Elda is also the author of the children’s book “These Hands Were Made For So Much More.” Check it out today at https://www.madeformorebooks.org

She is in love with Jesus and boldly, yet with compassion, walks out her faith daily. I know she will bless you as she has and continues to bless all who know and love her. And I trust in the days to come; God will continue to use her to bring you a Word in season.

“Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen” –Hebrews 13:20-21.

Elda, in her own words…

I love words. Words have the power to influence so many. No wonder words are the beginning of everything. God spoke, and it was so! I am excited to partner with Sons of the Sea. My name is Elda Othello Wrightington. I was born in the Bahamas to parents of Haitian descent and raised in Miami, Florida, from age five into my mid-twenties. I have lived in New England for almost nine years and have been married for four. I can honestly say I am still not used to the cold weather. My motto for life comes from Paul’s teaching “I became all things to all people so that I may win some” -1 Corinthians 9:22. My way of interacting with everyone I meet has always been, “meet people where they are, love them, and be willing to walk alongside them to help them grow.” I get to practice this every day in my mission field, the field of mental health. I am a licensed mental health counselor working with youth who have experienced significant trauma.

With over ten years of experience, I count every day as an opportunity to listen, inspire, encourage, provide support, and, of course, psychoeducation on how to work through life’s challenges and stressors. Every so often, I get to share words of faith with the many I serve. I attend Highland City Church and serve there as an Elder and a prayer leader. I hope the words I write will inspire, encourage, and transform the many readers of Sons of the Sea.

A New Net.

August 26, 2022 /
A New Season

Pruning is meant to make room for something, an increase, “the new.” New fruit and growth. And it is in this season we find ourselves—a season filled with pain and joy. Birthing usually involves both; ask any mom! It’s a taking from to bring forth something new and unique.

That said, sonsofthesea is delighted and blessed to welcome our beloved brother, fellow worshipper, and lover of God, Matthew Botelho.

Brother Matt will join us full-time beginning on Saturday, August 27, 2022 when his first teaching “Crossroads” will go live. Our Pastors, Kendra, and I, along with the entire Sonsofthesea family, are excited and blessed to welcome this mighty man of God. We’re all looking ahead, moving forward as one, fishing for men.

Please read on to hear more about Brother Matthew Botelho in his own words:

Greetings everyone! My name is Matthew Botelho, and I live here in Southern Massachusetts. I have been the husband to a wonderful woman of God for the past 17 years and a father to two amazing and energetic boys. I met my wife while we worked together at a local animal shelter, and I genuinely believe there are no coincidences in the Kingdom of God. God knew my help mate would be found in a place where our common passion would bring us together.

Now, our passion and hearts belong to the Lord and serving people.

What an incredible ten years we’ve had, serving God, and allowing Him to shift us and move us on to greater things! Our family has been honored to serve at Highland City Church for the past year. My wife serves as a greeter in our Welcome Ministry, a position she fills with so much grace. As for myself, I have been called to minister in our Prayer Ministry, a role that one should not take lightly. We are called to pray for one another and carry each other’s burdens. To be in one voice, Amen! (James 5:14-16, Galatians 6:2)

In my spare time, and please remember that I am a dad and spare time is scarce, I spend that growing and going deeper in God’s Word. I also enjoy playing guitar to our Lord. But you can mostly find me with my family, enjoying every moment I have with them. May the Lord bless every one of you. Amen.

To everything, there is a season…

August 5, 2022 /
MaryEllen Montville

Dear friends, brothers, and sisters, in Proverbs 16:9, Scripture informs us, “A man’s mind plans his way [as he journeys through life], But the LORD directs his steps and establishes them.”

As sonsofthesea is God’s ministry, the Lord has removed our sister, Stephanie Rogers, from this ministry, so I have released her in obedience. Doctrinal beliefs no longer allow us to serve together as one. Maintaining unity in the Body of Christ and within this ministry with which God has entrusted me is essential for its growth. “I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought” –1 Corinthians 1:10.

Our parting was peaceable and mutual, maintaining the bonds of brotherly love, and our team thanked our sister for serving alongside us for a time.

Kendra, our pastors, and I pray over every seed the Lord has sowed through Stephanie’s teachings over these past months. And as we release her, we bless her. Asking that God cover, protect, lead and guide Stephanie as she stepped out into her new season. Please, friends, we ask that you cover this ministry in prayer as we fast and pray, seeking the Lord’s wisdom and guidance, moving confidently forward in all God has for us; the work of spreading God’s Word.

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