Category: Uncategorized (Page 2 of 5)

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.

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.

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.

Somewhere between who you were and who you will become is where you are right now. It often feels like what you’re going through is the worst (or best) that life will ever be, but I assure you it’s not.

There is so much more!

The middle ground is a place of metamorphosis where you are consistently growing into your purpose. Right here in the middle is a place where it is easy to forget that you have yet to reach your full potential. In our humanity, we worry about what’s right in front of us, neglecting to shift our focus to see the whole picture. We must understand that there’s much more to this life than what lies before our eyes.” I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.” – Revelation 1:8.

Alpha: The first letter in the Greek alphabet, answering to A, and used to denote first or beginning (Webster Dictionary 1928).

Omega: The name of the last letter of the Greek alphabet, as Alpha, A, is the first. Hence in Scripture, Alpha and omega denote the first and last, the beginning and the ending. (Webster Dictionary 1928).

God calling Himself “the Alpha and the Omega” is like calling Himself “the A to the Z” if John were writing his gospel in 2022. It doesn’t make much sense in our terms, but this ancient merism (figure of speech) communicates the Sovereignty of God. He is the first and the last. There was no one before Him, and there will never be anyone above Him. He knew our end from the beginning, long before we could ever know it. He was there at the beginning of time and will remain long after we leave this earth. He ultimately has the last say in all things.

I don’t know about you, but this gives me overwhelming peace. I have comfort in knowing that Jesus can see the big picture when I feel like my tiny world is too overwhelming. No matter the situation I face, I can rest assured knowing that He already knows the outcome and His plans for me are good! “For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,’ says the LORD, ‘plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” – Jeremiah 29:11.

We read of seemingly hopeless moments in scripture, but our God comes to the rescue when we’ve reached the end of our ropes. I think about the Israelites as they crossed the desert with the Egyptians on their tails. When their oppressors came after them, they saw one of two options: plunge to their death in the red sea or return to slavery. Yet a simple act of obedience from Moses made room for God to show up, parting the waters for them to cross over in safety. The Lord even caused the sea to overtake the Egyptians, defeating this enemy once and for all. Or, when God told Abraham to take his son, Isacc, up the mountain to offer a burnt sacrifice to the Lord, Abraham faithfully obeyed the Lord. Remember, God’s people offered animal sacrifices for forgiveness of their sins in that day.

On one occasion, God instructed Abraham to offer his own son rather than one of his livestock. He obeyed the Lord, and, at the last minute, as Abraham lifted his knife in obedience, God provided a ram for them to sacrifice, sparing Abraham’s only son, Isaac. I also think of the story of Esther where, in faith, she confronts her husband (the king), who his adviser, Haman, had deceived the king into ordering the death of all Jews. She was unsure if her boldness would lead to her demise or if the king would honor her plea. Because no one, not even his wife, was supposed to go before the king unsummoned. But God caused the king to favor Esther. He changed the king’s heart and, as a result,  spared an entire generation of Israelites from certain death. I also think of Gideon, the subject of my previous teaching.

God whittled his army of 32,000 fighting men down to a mere 300. And when it was time for battle, these 300 hand-picked of the Lord were victorious over their enemy’s army of over 100,000! And these are just a few of many Bible stories I could recount that evidence God’s pattern of timely rescue. The common threads weaving each together? Faith and obedience; the two go hand-in-hand. Each one had faith to obey, and because of their obedience, God blessed them. You may be in a place where your situation feels hopeless but be encouraged and remember: the God of the Bible is the same God of today. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” – Hebrews 13:8.

God will never leave nor forsake you. He sees you right where you are, and, as Revelation 1:8 assures us, He is the beginning and the end. God knows exactly how your situation is going to end.

There is peace in knowing that God holds us in the palm of His hand, even when that feels uncomfortable. Learning this unwavering trust in Jesus builds the kind of faith that believes without seeing. This kind of faith is outlined in Hebrews 11. It’s described as “…the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen…” –Hebrews 11:1. We must trust in Jesus in the face of every uncertainty as He rebuilds us from the inside out. The more we trust Him, the more He proves Himself trustworthy, not that Jesus needs to do that. He knows our weakness, so He does this out of His great love for us.

Subsequently, the more He proves Himself, the more we trust Him! Faith builds in you as you learn to see beyond your present circumstance, whether good or bad. If only the characters we read of in the Bible could have taken a step back to see the outcome of their courageous acts. Maybe they would have been fearless in their initial approach. Perhaps that’s one thing we are supposed to learn from these ancient accounts.

These Biblical accounts teach us that God always came through for His people. So being the same yesterday, today, and forever, why wouldn’t He do the same for you now?

Like the people of these biblical accounts of old, I pray we all have the faith to trust God so completely, so wholeheartedly, that no matter what comes, we have peace. We can put the full weight of our trust in the God whose plans are not to harm us. The only Sovereign God who knows our outcome and His.

Whether life is going great or not, no matter where you find yourself today, Jesus is available to you. God is personally invested in you. His gift to us is salvation, through His Son, Jesus. And, through this salvation, we receive His perfect peace, His Prince of Peace, Jesus. It may not be easy, but God will help you fix your eyes on Him as He has the vantage point of seeing beyond all that you can. Trust Him to lead you exactly where you need to go. Call on the name of Jesus today, repent of your sins and be saved. “And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” -Acts 2:21.

“I planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. He who plants and he who waters are one in purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor.” –1 Corinthians 3:6-8.

As previously mentioned, Sonsofthesea is thrilled to announce we have been led to make room for guest teachers; these “new nets,” fellow fishers of men, will be joining their voices to ours in bringing you a timely Word from the Lord. Their hearts, like ours, sold out to Jesus and in sharing His inerrant Word of Truth with “who so ever will.” Watch for them, family, and be sure to read their bio’s!

That said, it is our honor to introduce our newest guest teacher, Pastor Samuel Cordeiro. We three, Kendra, Stephanie, and I, have the privilege of calling our Associate Pastor, Sam Cordeiro, our friend. Yet he is so much more. Pastor Sam is a mentor and leader both at Highland City Church and within our community. Pastor Sam is also a husband, dad, lover of God’s Word, and an intrical part of the Highland City Church worship team.

So please join us in welcoming Pastor Samuel Cordeiro!

Be on the lookout. Pastor Sam’s first post will go live on Saturday, April 16^th, 2022, just in time for Resurrection Sunday.

Until then, head over to our website and check out his bio. And remember, keep watch for upcoming announcements regarding these new “fishers of men” God has called to teach and partner with Sonsofthesea!

And don’t forget to sign up to receive our weekly teachings. Visit our website, Sonsofthesea.org, fill in your preferred email, and hit “subscribe.” Easy! Each Saturday, you will receive a new teaching delivered directly to your inbox.

As always, may God bless you and keep you. And know, we are grateful and humbled that you choose to follow us—as we continue to follow Christ Jesus. We invite anyone searching for sound, Bible-based teaching to join our Sonsofthesea family! We have been a Christ-centered online presence since 2016.

If we have fully surrendered the ministry God has entrusted into our care, it is sure to experience flux. That ebb and flow of gathering in and letting go; tides of reaping, expanding, catching. And, subsequently, of letting go. Tides that draw away, release, demand our letting go of. Tides that require every ounce of our faith. We must trust God, no matter what happens. Releasing back into His Sovereign hands every-thing, everyone, He has so graciously entrusted to us. Making room for the new, we draw in, accept, welcome, and cherish each “new thing” our God is doing in, and through us and the ministry He has entrusted to us. And, equally, thank Him and bless His Holy name for what He requires us to release into His Sovereign care. “For all my father’s house were but men doomed to death before my lord the king, but you set your servant among those who eat at your table. What further right have I, then, to cry to the king?”–2 Samuel 19:28.

Sonsofthesea family, our beloved sister and fellow fisher of men, Stephanie Rogers, is taking a sabbatical from full-time teaching. Stephanie will remain connected to Sonsofthesea—to you, as a guest teacher however, until further notice. We know family morphs and moves, and so in love, we shift and move along with them—encouraging, supporting, and uplifting. Stephanie is family. And so, by faith, we release to God what is God’s, and with great anticipation, await her release to return to full-time teaching.

And speaking of guest teaching, we here at Sonsofthesea are thrilled to announce we have been led in this new season to make room for guest teachers. These “new nets,” fellow fishers of men, who will be joining their voices to ours in bringing you a timely Word from the Lord. Their hearts, like ours, sold out to Jesus and in sharing His inerrant Word of Truth with “who so ever will.” Watch for them, family, and be sure to read their bio’s! And so it is our honor to introduce our first guest teacher, Pastor Maria Braga. We three, Kendra, Stephanie, and I, have the distinction of calling Maria Braga our pastor. Yet she is so much more. Pastor Maria is a friend, mentor, mom, lover of God’s Word, and mighty Prayer Warrior. Please join us in welcoming her! Her first post will go live on Saturday, January 29, 2022. But in the meantime, head over to our website and check out her bio. And remember, keep watch for upcoming announcements regarding the “new fishers of men” God is calling to teach, and partner with Sonsofthesea! And don’t forget to sign up to receive our weekly teachings. Visit our website, Sonsofthesea.org, fill in your preferred email, and hit “subscribe.” Easy! Each Saturday, you will receive a new teaching delivered directly to your inbox.

As always, may God bless you and keep you. And please know, all of here at Sonsofthesea are so grateful and humbled that you choose to follow us—as we follow Christ Jesus. We invite anyone searching for sound, Bible-based teaching to join our Sonsofthesea family! We have been a Christ-centered online presence since 2016.

Blessings, friends!

This is a reminder to mark your calendar. We will be returning from our sabbatical refreshed and renewed next Saturday, December 4^th, at our new posting time of 3 p.m., so don’t forget to check your inbox! And, if you’re new to Sonsofthesea, we welcome you! Please go directly to our website, sonsofthesea.org, and sign up to receive our latest blog posts. Each new teaching will be delivered straight to your inbox every Saturday. Simple, right!

Moving forward, be assured we continue to remain passionately committed to faithfully serving you, sharing with you the uncompromised Word of the Lord.

Also, friends, in the not-so-distant future, be on the lookout for an exciting announcement concerning our expansion. We can’t wait to share with you all that God is doing in this, His ministry. So, until December 4^th, then, may our faithful God continue to watch over you and bless you, keeping you safe as you dwell in the shelter of the Secret Place of the Most High.

How blessed we are brothers and sisters, to be living in the days the prophets, psalmists, and apostles, longed to see—the soon return of our Lord and King, Jesus! “And he said to them, These are the words which I spoke to you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me” Luke24:44.

Greetings, Dear friends, and new followers,

On behalf of our ministry partner, Highland City Church, and each of us here at Sonsofthesea, we pray you enjoy a peaceful and joy-filled Thanksgiving season! One filled with the company of beloved family and friends, old, and new alike. One centered around lavishing our loving and merciful Lord with the myriad of thanks and praise He so richly deserves. And please note, we will be setting aside the remainder of November to rest and seek the Lord, but as always, we cover you and your family in our prayers. “Thank you” for your faithfulness in continuing to follow us as we follow Christ, our Lord. Remember to check your inbox on December 4th, or, for new followers, go directly to our website, sonsofthesea.org, before December 4th, and signup to receive our weekly teachings automatically. Simple! Beginning in December, our new posting time will be 3 p.m. EST. Until then beloved friends, “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace” Numbers 6:24-26.