Forged Together

06/14/2026

A Taste of Heaven

Deuteronomy 11:20-21
20 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, 21 so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.

Do you have a longing for heaven and wonder what it is like? Have you ever thought what it is like to be in the presence of the Honored one, Jesus Christ?

I have pondered what that may be like and feel I had a taste of heaven and in the presence of Christ. Paul talks about the struggle of living we versus dying as there are pros and cons, but it is far better to be in the place where the guest of honor, Christ is.

About six weeks again I have received an invitation to celebrate on of my friend’s 70th birthday. I was so excited that I went a month in advance of his birthday not paying close attention to the invitation but used it as an opportunity to get the feeling for the area and where I was going. Yesterday though was this celebration that reminded me of the experience of going to heaven.

Let me explain. There are many days we desire heaven that we don’t know the invitation so we try to visit through our hopes and dreams and want to taste the presence thereof. When we actually get to that day, it exceeds our expectations and assumptions.

The party I expected certain other people to be there only to find out that those I expected were not invited and those who came were those from all over the country, different connections and walks of life and some who knew the guest of honor since they were children. As I sat at a table with two other people I met a lady who knew the guest of honor for 60 years and another man from Chicago who met him years ago because of the impact of his faith and another who was witnessed to at the gym. As I looked around I realized the guest of honor had a personal impact on each person there last night.

I met this man from a men’s bible study where the two men of us struck it off. As I was talking to him he specifically said to me that I was the only one who was invited from the Bible study because I was the only one to have and desire a relationship with him as the others didn’t make the effort over time. It made me feel blessed and seen.

God calls us into relationship with Him. He wants to invite us to enjoy His presence and share in the goodness to celebrate Him as we dine with Him and share in the presence of others of like mind. He wants to invite us into a party not about one but to share in one. He doesn’t want us to come too early but wants us to be ready and long for that day to dine with Him and celebrate together in the presence of the honored.

The party in the presence of Heaven is not about a destination rather an eternal event. He wants us to savor every minute and every flavor of what is in front of us. He sits us at tables of others we may not know to share different perspectives to reflect His character. This doesn’t come as a future date rather it is a date that starts with today.

Isaiah 43:18-19 says it well.

18
“Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
19
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.

God doesn’t desire us to just be present. He desires for us to leave behind those things that hinder us so we can taste the goodness of His presence.

I honestly have only experienced a parallel of the presence of heaven to see the goodness of God in my life a couple times through someone I know. When you see it and understand that you have been chosen and seen to partake in the presence of the guest of honor, you get to taste a glimpse of heaven. It is a humbling experience.

It reminds me very much of Christ’s invitation. You chose me? You saw every broken piece in my life and failures yet you could have chose others, but instead you chose me knowing those things about me. You seated me at a table full of Your goodness to partake in your presence! It makes you feel small, valued, seen and humbled especially when it is Him who we celebrate only for us to share in the celebration as He reflects it back on to us and says “welcome home my good and faithful servant!”

05/27/2026

Who are the Three in Your Circle

Daniel 1:6-10

6 Among those who were chosen were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 7 The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.

8 But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. 9 Now God had caused the official to show favor and compassion to Daniel, 10 but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your[c] food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you.”

I was listening to the song “Another One” from this afternoon and started thinking about the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and their most famous story about the fiery furnace, but something was hitting me wrong about the story because it felt like we lost the meaning of the story. Here is what I mean. God is NOT going to put you in a furnace fire first without learning about Him controlling the flames. Faith is not just inherent, automatic or pure luck. We celebrate the magnificent miracles of God but miss the smaller ones that led up to the biggest ones even being possible and lack an understanding and value in relationships and prayer.

Here is something I didn’t even learn in church in my 54 years on this earth as the focus has always been on the biggest miracles and not the background behind it all. Most people don’t even know that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were not their birth names rather the names given to them as prisoners. These three young men had a fourth in the group who we call by his birth name as Daniel and not Belshazzar. First I find it odd that only one of the four we refer to in the church by their God given name and the other three we refer to by their pagan names.

Our very first introduction to these four young men probably between 12-18 years old is found in Daniel 1. The very first introduction is when these four bucked the system asking to only eat vegetables rather than the rich foods from the king’s table. This is where the book of Daniel is simplified and very important elements are ignored. The guard over these four says to Daniel “you are going to get me killed by your request as you will look weak and unhealthy.” In the end they were healthier than the others.

This interaction is super important for two reasons. The first thing is these four young men made a stand to not allow anything on their lips defile their bodies and in turn God gave them health. The response by the guard was equally important when you look at all the other stories leading to the firey furnace or the lions den. Due to the actions of these four men taking a stand what could have been death to one now became life to that one (don’t forget this as it builds).

One day King Nebuchadnezzar has a terrifying dream. He makes an insane ask of all of the wisest people in the land including fortune tellers and magicians. He asks them to tell him what he dreamed and what the meaning was. Because they couldn’t tell him his dream he put out a decree to have every advisor killed, which included the four. Daniel heard about this and came back to Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and the four of them prayed God would reveal this to them. Daniel has a vision about the dream and he tells Nebuchadnezzar what the dream was and the meaning. Daniel and Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego save a group of people and are all four promoted. What is never talked about is Daniel had prayer partners that petitioned God for answers in live and death circumstances before the furnace and the lions. It was the first time they were personally threatened with death and God showed up. As a result of four young God fearing men praying for God’s protection, hundreds if not thousands were saved by the actions of a few. This is the concept of the harvest and blessings found in the gospels where it talks about being blessed a hundred fold (Mark 10:29-31). This is where we see that concept in practice.

Here is where things get crazy. When the Furnace and the Lion’s Den come into play, these four have been not only spared but put in management and oversight of masses of people throughout the land. Where their testimony started with the salvation of one guard, it led to the salvation of a group of people, but it didn’t stop there as they had a round three for their testimony and legacy. These four had already experienced God’s protection and blessing once before, NOW they have the ability to reach the masses. When they should have died due to fire or lions, God preserved them and because the miracle was on full display and their faith is now unwavering even more, the harvest reaches out to the community due to what God has done in their preservation.

So I bring all of this up for one question; who is in your circle to see God move? When I went to counseling after my divorce, I was ask who the three closest people were to me to keep my sight on Christ so I may not faultier. When we establish these four people, they can help us see a victory in the hardest times. More importantly our testimony becomes our legacy which changes the dynamics of the lives of others. (Ecclesiastes 4:10)

If we are expecting God to do massive miracles in our lives it requires us to find the prayer partners that will help us grow our faith. In doing so we see God build momentum in our testimony and the residual is for others to be impacted and saved by our story. When that starts to happen God elevates us but the next test may seem as it may take our lives, but it requires to go back to that support group and petition God only to see that God not only answers your prayers but blesses more in multiplication and the cycle keeps growing between test, deliverance and salvation. Imagine if those four didn’t take a stand against what entered their mouth and affected their bodies. Would we have the stories of Daniel and the Lion’s Den or Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and the fiery furnace?

More importantly is your testimony making an impact by taking a stand against those things you let in your life and watching God move or are you compromising what God can do? If God is not moving, it is not too late to start. Take a stand against those things that are defiling your mouth, body and heart and find 3 other people to keep you accountable and watch what God does. You may have a testimony and live a life like these four boys who refused compromise.

The official live video for "Another One" by Elevation Worship featuring Chris Brown."Another One" is available now: https://elevationworship.link/AnotherOne...

05/02/2026

Malachi 3:3
New King James Version
3 He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver;
He will purify the sons of Levi,
And [a]purge them as gold and silver,
That they may offer to the Lord
An offering in righteousness.

Does God have you in the fire refining you in the process? The question is not how long will it take? The question is “Can God’s image be reflected through you in the process?”

1.1K likes, 27 comments. "As a Refiner of Silver"

04/05/2026

Forged Together is about growing stronger godly families and relationships. What is broken, restored. What is missing, whole. Where there is sorrow there is joy.

During the Nixon era, a few people from his administration was jailed for their scandal with Watergate. One such person was named Charles Colson. Chuck was named the “Hatchet Man” as he was a heartless man that would tear people apart and not think twice about it. He ended up serving 18 months in federal prison and found God, radically changing his life.

While in prison Chuck saw something that bothered him about the incarnation system; the cutting off of the family from the incarcerated leading to the next generation ending up in jail. For the rest of his life, he devoted his time to reducing the incarceration rate by increasing access from those in jail to their children but also taught fathers and mothers how to value and care for their role as parents through Prison Fellowship and Angel Tree. It has been one of the largest and successful organizations to do this.

Over the recent years, God Behind Bars has been more intentional about things to allow incarcerated individuals an opportunity they may not have had when they were younger and interact that with their kids from Father and Daughter dances to mothers celebrating Easter with their kids. The idea is to bring the kids into an environment where the parent and the child is not distracted from the reason their parent is behind bars with hopes of making memories and incentives for them to make proper decisions upon release.

This is the FIRST time incarcerated mothers inside Federal Prison Camp Alderson traded prison uniforms for Easter dresses to reunite with their children. In ...

04/05/2026

A God of Detail and Precision

Jeremiah 1:5
New International Version
5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew[a] you,
before you were born I set you apart;
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

“Jesus is RISEN!”

I think we, as Christians tend to overlook the reality and character of God.

As I was sitting in my men’s group this week, one of the leaders said something that got me to think. He was talking about how everything that happened to Jesus lining up to His crucifixion was exact. He then talked about the blood loss of Jesus before He was even hung on the cross and it took me back to this verse (oddly enough).

Matthew 13:55
King James Version
55 Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?

We give very little credit to Joseph, Jesus’s father, as he was not His biological parent, but this is the factor which leads to Jesus’s crucifixion that is so important. Carpenters during this time were a very important trade yet looked down upon due to the physical requirements of the time. They not only built buildings but carved stone, wood and built tools. It required get physical strength to be a carpenter, which brings me to the crucifixion.

When Jesus was arrested He was flogged or beaten relentlessly. Some estimates say that He lost 1/3 of His blood or 2 liters just from the flogging. Most people who would have been beaten to this point would have gone through anaphylactic shock and passed out due to the blood loss, but not Jesus.

Scripture tells us He carried His cross with the help of another after starting to stumble for over a mile. By the time He got to His destination He bled out nearly 50%. When this happens the body goes into a preservation state to where the blood and water separate so the organs do not fail and why the verse says “blood and water flowed from Jesus’s side.” (John 19:34).

So who was it that Jesus didn’t pass out after the beating was done? I truly believe that God was so detailed that He allowed Jesus to be raised by a father who instilled a trade that brought great strength to Jesus in his later life. (Luke 2:52).

God doesn’t operate in generality. God operates in specific details. He knows the timing, the cause and effects, the influence He needs to make things work and the details He put within us. It is not by coincidence that several details we know about Jesus were not used in specific circumstances leading to His last days and ascension.

If God did that much detail in Jesus life, how details has He done on your behalf that He cared enough to illustrate that through the death of His son?

God loves you more than you can imagine to paint every step and work it for your good. (Romans 8:28).

04/01/2026

Fulfillment in Famine

John 6:35
New International Version
35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

As I was doing the “death scroll” this morning, I came across an interesting video from a content creator named “Off the Kirb.” Kirby was talking about how the pyramids were made and how they align both geographically and constellationally. One thing he mentioned about the creation of the pyramids was how they were created for the purpose to store grain in a time of famine and one of the most famous stories that align with this is the story of Joseph from Genesis 38-47.

At the time of Joseph he was sold into slavery but elevated in position even after adversity. The timing of his elevation could not have been more perfect and as such, God gave him great wisdom to stave off starvation from a famine. If this is true, Joseph was an arbiter of the bread of life physically preserving something that people can make bread in order to sustain themselves in the middle of a famine.

As I was reflecting on this, I could not help but think of two specific illustrations Jesus said about bread. The first being in John 6:35 where He likens Himself to bread sustaining one’s life during a spiritual famine. The second illustration He shows about bread is during the Passover feast before His death with His disciples.

Luke 22:18-20
English Standard Version
18 For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.[a]

He broke the break in symbolism to His death and blessed the wine as representing His blood being poured out. Here is where things get crazy. In Genesis 40, Joseph was in prison with the butler (the wine taster) and the baker. The butler was supposed to be reinstated to a high place while the baker was to be broken in half and give his life in 3 days.

As we continue through this Holy Week, May we not forget the grain that elevated Joseph to a higher place during a physical famine and more importantly the Holiness of Jesus being the bread of life during a spiritual famine who was elevated to a higher place in the middle of being broken. Jesus did not come to give us stuff. Rather He came to give us life in our state of famine and hunger.

What is it that you are hungry for?

03/12/2026

I have NO CONTROL over yesterday!
1 Kings 18:41-46

41 And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.” 42 So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees.

43 “Go and look toward the sea,” he told his servant. And he went up and looked.

“There is nothing there,” he said.

Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.”

44 The seventh time the servant reported, “A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.”

So Elijah said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’”

45 Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain started falling and Ahab rode off to Jezreel. 46 The power of the Lord came on Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.

Man it has been a famine, a dry season, but I have no control over yesterday.

Good morning God. As I wake up, I am reminded of Elijah in the time of a drought. He was no stranger to God’s miracles. In fact after killing Jezebel’s priests he goes to King Ahab and tells him to enjoy life as the drought is about to end. The thing that is interesting is Elijah did not join him. He went mountain climbing and shoved his head between his legs and face to the ground in prayer. This is a symbol or going on a journey to seek God increases a dry place all the while others are enjoying blessings.

This can be super defeating. You find everyone else being blessed, yet you are required to keep climbing, keep stumbling, keep going in a journey of being without. You get to the top and keep praying that God removes the lack. The funny thing is Elijah was the cause of the dry famine to wake up Ahab, yet after seven years he tells Ahab to enjoy life while he continues to walk in a famine. Why? The famine was less about Ahab and more about Elijah trusting God and showing the people of Israel who God is even in the dry times.

Elijah, in all of his fatigue tells his servant to go check if he sees a cloud. Six times the servant comes back and says “I see nothing” and each time Elijah puts his head to the ground crying out to agod to change the dynamics of that dry place. After six times, I can’t imagine how discouraged Elijah must have felt that there was no movement. You keep praying and expecting but no change. What do you do? Do you send out your servant to keep looking? How many more times do you need to send him out? Is God hearing my prayers.

So Elijah sends the servant out a seventh time and prays. The servant comes back and says “I see a cloud coming out of the sea the size of a man’s hand.” What do you do? Do you celebrate the change or complain about the size of the change? Elijah celebrates the little change knowing that can grow. And so it did bringing a monsoon. He warned the servant to tell Ahad to get moving or you are going to get stuck by the rain.

It is a funny thing to think that one can get stuck by their blessings. God wants us to be blessed but He also requires us to be prepared and manage the blessings He gives correctly and have a proper perspective of how that blessing may look.

I have been in a famine for some time. As I look back, the famine happened after God did a miracle. The last two times I made the most money of my life have led to those times of famine. You can’t control the losses. You can’t control the famine. All you can to is go climb to the high place and seek God. We keep getting a no to the relief of our famine, but there is something nagging inside that says “maybe the next time I check, things will change.” At the same time another voice says “what if it doesn’t?” What if it doesn’t, can I still seek and trust God in the middle? Can I wait in anticipation?

As I was writing this and reading 1 Kings and this account, a large rain fell. I had to reflect on this story from those two angles about praising God in the middle of the famine BUT also celebrating when a little cloud comes my way after the struggle. I cannot do anything about yesterday but I can celebrate the little job that comes my way and be diligent to manage it correctly as it is some rain on the famine. I may not have walked my daughter down the aisle for her wedding, but I can celebrate and pray for my little grandson.

Yes the famine is real, but so is the cloud. We may feel exhausted waiting on God to show up in a season of famine, but don’t focus so much on the drought that you miss out or undermine the little clouds of rain as you may get stuck by the blessings God is preparing to give you.

God thank you for my grandsons.
Thank you for my kids and my extended kids.
Thank you for the little jobs
Thank you for this day
Thank you for the little clouds.

“I can see a cloud , heavy with rain.
And it looks like salvation is heading my way.
I can hear a sound, and it sounds like rain
And it looks like provision is heading my way.
I can see a cloud, heavy with rain
And it looks like healing and it’s heading my way.”

The official live video for "New Thing Coming" by Elevation Worship featuring Tiffany Hudson and Steven Furtick. "New Thing Coming" is available now on the a...

12/01/2025

“There’s plenty of grass.”

John 6:1-14
New International Version
Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

6 Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), 2 and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick. 3 Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. 4 The Jewish Passover Festival was near.

5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

7 Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages[a] to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”

8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, 9 “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”

10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). 11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

12 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

14 After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

This year has been beyond stressful, but as I was checking messages this morning, a video popped up. The video was from Dallas Jenkins speak about what he felt was a failure introducing “The Chosen.” A stranger reached out to him and said “You were not called to feed the 5,000 rather youwere to bring the loaves and fish.” This really god me to think about my finances and the struggles i have had this year.

As I read the story of the feeding of the 5,000, I couldn’t help but ask if I was like Philip. Most people don’t know the characteristics of most of the disciples other than Peter, Matthew, John or the “Son’s of Thunder.” Here is the interesting thing, Philip was a perfectionist . This is a guy who was good at math and details. He was a very smart guy yet at the same time, much like myself; a worrier. He would worry about the mechanics of things and how they worked and needed a solution before a decision was made. He needed to know that things were going to work before being comfortable to make a decision otherwise he was consumed by stress.

Jesus knowing all of this, turns to Philip and asks “how much food do you think it would take to feed all of these people?” Philip is standing there literally calculating the cost and says to Jesus “this doesn’t compute as it would take a half a year’s salary for each personto have just a bite let alone feed them.” Then Simon says “here’s a boy with some fish and a couple loaves of bread.” Philip had to be thinking “Jesus we just had this conversation yet you are good with this little amount ? It won’t even make a dent into this problem!”

What Jesus does and says next, most people miss. He tells the Disciples to have the crowd to sit downin a grassy field. When I saw this, I stopped because it reminded me of something.

Psalm 23:1-3

23 The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not [a]want.
2 He makes me to lie down in [b]green pastures;
He leads me beside the [c]still waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

Before Jesus could feed the crowd, He had to lead them to a green, lush field. Why? Because He saw the stress consuming Philip and others that the first miracle He performed was not the feeding but the peace to restore their souls . You see, if fear is the author of a situation you cannot enjoy the blessings God is about to give you to feed you. Later in Psalm 23 the psalmist says “he prepares a table in the presence of my enemies.” Before God can feed and bless us, He needs to bring “peace” to us so even when the enemy is present, we can enjoy the bounty God spreads out before us.

So if you are like me, take a lesson from Philip. Find that place of peace and allow God to settle you into a place where you can accept the provision God is about to put out before you . Allowing it to be a learning experience so when the enemy tries again to steal your peace and joy, you can focus on the banquet God has already provided and continues to provide.

God allow me to appreciate the green fieldsof your peace so I can savor those things you have put before me with full gratitude. In Jesus name.

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11/24/2025

Faith My Eyes

Hebrews 11:1
11 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

You how things are about to go when God speaks to you through a dream. The dream had more to do with the context of faith than the details of things within.

Here is what God showed me in this dream.

I had a maintenance service business and met a client who was a friend that recently had a set of twins. (I know this friend in real life is too old to have children of her own at this stage of life). Yet she called me over to look at some things in the house that needed taken care of, but as I was there these babies needed help. It felt so real and strange to hold this little boy in my hands as I talked to her looking around the house as it was a natural blessing.

The client or mother of this child is talking to a couple people and said something that caught my attention. She referred to these two twin babies as blind. I was so caught off guard that I heard myself say “who told you that” quoting Genesis 3:11.

They tried to explain to me then one person shared something about me and why I would speak against those things men would claim in faith. They shared that before my daughter was born the doctor assumed my first born child would be a boy and it was predominantly males in my family. As I prayed about the situation even as my dad challenged me, I declared in faith that my first child was a daughter and so it came to be.

AS this baby was nestled in my arms I was speaking life over this child and health. Then I heard this same person who shared my story say “there is no doubt in my mind that God would listen to him and this child would see again.”

Then I woke up.

One of my favorite songs on faith happens to be from Brandon Heath called “Give Me Your Eyes.” In the video he goes through an airport where you assume everyone is just going through the motions but understanding through God’s eyes there is a bigger story going on.

Faith is a funny thing. It doesn’t start as a concept or multi step pattern but a place of surrender of what may be true to bring the spiritual realm into the physical. It requires one to speak “what is not as if it is.” (Romans 4:17). It is the place to know that God is more than enough in a situation to turn it 180 degrees.

It is easy to accept things the way they are, but it is not necessary to accept everything as it is. Even Jesus, the one who healed the sick and lame and rose people from the dead, said YOU will do greater things than Me. (John 14:12-14). So if there is something that doesn’t seem right, invite God into the situation and speak life over it. Watch God give you sight to things you were once blind to!

“Give Me Your Eyes" available now everywhere you consume music: iTunes: http://smarturl.it/BHWhatIfWeItunes?IQid=vevoSpotify: http://smarturl.it/BHWhatIfWeSp...