Helping Our Returning Neighbors

08/30/2026

Happy Sunday!
You are “Forgiven”!

08/30/2026

Peter — Imprisoned for Preaching the Gospel
Peter was arrested and imprisoned because of his faith and ministry. While the church prayed earnestly for him, God sent an angel who miraculously freed Peter from his chains and led him safely out of the prison.

Scripture: Acts 12:3–11 (NKJV)

08/30/2026

8/30/26

Seek -> Find -> Follow

“And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13 (NKJV)

Daily Deep Dive Into Kingdom Living

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. ‘Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and keep My Sabbaths: I am the Lord your God. ‘Do not turn to idols, nor make for yourselves molded gods: I am the Lord your God.’” Leviticus 19:1-4 NKJV

If we believe God is holy and we worship Him, does that show in our lives every day? Does our walk match our talk? Chapter 19 addresses that question. If we understand what God is like, that He is holy, it should tell us what we should be like. In today’s passage, in the four verses cited, God says, “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy”, and then He states two more times, “I am the Lord your God.” Read Chapter 19 and note that God, being holy, expects us as believers to be holy in every area of our lives: in our home (vs. 3-4), in our worship (vs. 5-8), in our neighborhoods (vs. 9-10), in our work (vs. 11-13), and in our society (vs. 14-37).
In Matthew 22:35 we read about a lawyer coming to Jesus and asking Him a question to test Him. He asked, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” (Vs 36 NKJV). Jesus answered Him with these words (which we likely already know by memory): “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” As we have studied what the Israelites have been taught repeatedly so far in their journey to the Promised Land, we see the first part being central in all of God’s dealings with them. Chapter 19 in Leviticus brings us to what loving our neighbor as ourselves looks like. When we love our neighbor in that way, we are making God visible to them and are demonstrating His holiness.
D.L. Moody once said every Bible should be bound in shoe leather. What he was saying was there ought to be a practical application to everything we read in God’s Word. We as followers of God, walking with Him, bring God’s principles and law to our world through our actions. Our lifestyle should reflect what God teaches us in His Word. Our speech also should reflect His law and His love.
The Israelites came from a pagan society and were ultimately going to enter Canaan, another pagan society. The forms of worship in these pagan lands were completely counter to what God ordained. He chose the Israelites to represent Him in the world and to demonstrate to the world what living according to God’s principles involved. He told the Israelites to not copy what the pagans did in their worship of idols. They often cut themselves, wore their hair in ways that reflected their loyalty to their idols, and even sported tattoos that told of their idols as a form of worship. God told them to not imitate them and mix their idolatrous ways with God’s ways. The Israelites were to separate themselves from that sinful practice. They were to stand apart and remain devoted to God and not to some pagan religion.
When we look at the laws discussed in Chapter 19, we see them through the lens of our relationship with God, with others in our world, and even with things that would draw us away from focusing on God. God repeatedly said, “You must be holy, for I am holy.” How do we show that in how we live today? Do we blend in to much of the world around us that we no longer stand out as God’s people? A common criticism that the world directs at Christians is they don’t see us any different than they are. They see us quarreling, gossiping, indulging in worldly activities and things, not walking with God consistently. Because of this observation, there is no incentive to come to faith in God as it appears to them there is little change from life as they know it.
The takeaway that seems to thump me in the chest is the importance of sharing the love of Christ that He extends to me. Do I make an effort to demonstrate His love to those I encounter every day? Do I demonstrate that when driving and someone cuts me off or sits at a stoplight that turned green and is still messing with the phone? Do I get impatient when the line I am in doesn’t move as fast as I want it to? Do I find my tolerance to physical or emotional pain very limited as my comfort becomes more important to me than testifying about the faithfulness of God and what He uses to teach me more about Himself? Do I really want my Bible to be bound in shoe leather so I can demonstrate God’s Word every step I take?
Leviticus has always been a difficult book for me to read because I just didn’t open my eyes wide enough to grasp the message God is giving us. Repeatedly, He drives home the point that He is holy and as one who walks with Him, I must be holy as well. As a sinful man, I am not holy. However, because of God’s amazing and unfailing love that He extends to you and me through Jesus Christ, and understanding what His sacrifice on the cross really means to me, I have gotten a clearer picture of what it means to be holy as God is holy. We must walk by faith in Jesus to attain that holiness that God asks us to have. Dwell on what Jesus accomplished for you, something you cannot do yourself. By believing in Him, He makes us holy in God’s eyes and gives us the opportunities to demonstrate that holiness to our world.
When the world looks at you, at me, do they see Jesus? Keep that question before you as you go about your day. View the world around you through that lens. As believers in Jesus we should reflect Him in our character, our values, our interactions with others, and in our worship. What kind of Jesus do they see?

Father, You chose the Israelites to stand apart from the ways of the world, the pagan idol worship and all their sinful rituals, and demonstrate to the world what holiness means. Through their lives and culture, they were to represent You and send the message of Your holiness to the world. You ask each of us to do the same. If we believe in You and walk with You, we must represent You. That means we must live lives that reflect Your holiness in all aspects of our daily lives. We must continually bring honor to You and not to ourselves. We long to grow in relationship with You, Father, and we need Your help to avoid the schemes of the enemy who tries to take us away from You. We need Your forgiveness when we fail You Father. We need Your assurance that we can be the people You want us to be. Thank You for sending Jesus who through His sacrifice on the cross imputes holiness to us. Thank You Jesus for being such a special Friend and giving us the hope and promise of eternal life. Thank You Father. Thank You Holy Spirit. Amen.

08/29/2026

Join us to get men back to productive lives uplifting their family!

Second-chance hiring is more than an opportunity: it is a business win.

Across the Tampa-to-Arcadia-to-Naples corridor and throughout Florida, returning citizens are ready to work, grow, and contribute. They bring determination, resilience, and a deep commitment to building a better future.

At Helping Our Returning Neighbors (H.O.R.N.), we help prepare individuals for success through housing, job placement, job training, life-skills support, spiritual development, and accountability. We are building a reliable talent pipeline for employers who believe that a person’s past should not cancel their potential.

When businesses open the door to qualified returning citizens, they gain dedicated employees: and our communities gain stronger families, greater stability, and fewer cycles of recidivism.

Employers: Let’s talk about how your business can become part of the solution.

Supporters: Share this message, pray for returning citizens and their families, and help us expand second chances across our state.

Together, we can turn new beginnings into lasting success.

08/29/2026

⛓️ LIFE AFTER PRISON: PAUL’S STORY

Prison did not end Paul’s purpose.

Paul experienced chains, persecution, rejection, and imprisonment, but none of it could imprison the calling God placed on his life. Even while confined, Paul continued praying, encouraging believers, sharing the Gospel, and writing letters that would strengthen the Church for generations.

His chains became part of his testimony.

Paul reminds us that where we have been does not determine where God can take us. A prison record, a painful past, or a season of failure does not disqualify someone from being used by God.

God is still the God of redemption, restoration, and second chances.

You may have been behind prison walls, but those walls do not have to follow you into your future. When Christ transforms a life, the past becomes a testimony and the future becomes an opportunity to walk in purpose.

Your prison season does not have to be the end of your story. God can still use your life for His glory.

📖 “For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” — Acts 21:13 NKJV

08/29/2026

8/29/26

Seek -> Find -> Follow

“And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13 (NKJV)

Daily Deep Dive Into Kingdom Living

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘I am the Lord your God. According to the doings of the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, you shall not do; and according to the doings of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you, you shall not do; nor shall you walk in their ordinances. You shall observe My judgments and keep My ordinances, to walk in them: I am the Lord your God.’” Leviticus 18:1-4 (NKJV)

When we look at the heading of this chapter in the NKJV we read, “Laws of Sexual Morality.” We could also title this as “The Sanctity of Sex.” Notice in the verses cited today, twice God reminded the children of Israel who He was with the words, “I am the Lord your God.” Throughout this book of Leviticus, God emphasizes His holiness repeatedly. The children of Israel needed to learn this truth as it was to be the very foundation, the rock, on which this nation would be built.
He tells them that they should not live like the Egyptians lived, and when they arrive in Canaan, they were not to live like the Canaanites lived. These societies were evil and did not know God nor were even interested in learning to know Him. Their culture was idolatrous and much of their worship of their idols revolved around s*xual perversion. God chose the Israelites to be His people, to live according to His laws and statutes, and to be an example to the world what living according to the holy God involved. They were to be holy as He was holy. They were to demonstrate that holiness to the world. This necessitated being separate from the world’s ways and to not participate in their depravity and idolatry.
Chapter 18 then goes into a series of s*xual practices that were common among the pagan people. Reading the commands that tell the Israelites to not follow what the people do, to not participate in their depravity, to not worship their gods, and especially to not sacrifice their children to Molech, we get a picture of the moral bankruptcy of the Egyptians and the Canaanites.
When they lived in Egypt, they lived in a culture where the attitude was anything goes. The only requirement for them was to show up for the work making bricks. There were no rules that were designed to safeguard society. Immorality was standard. They were mistreated, malnourished physically and spiritually, and neglected. And this went on for 400 years.
Verses 6 to 18 describe many different s*xually-related scenarios that were essentially normal practice in that society. What they were doing was killing one another literally. God was telling them that the rules He was giving them demanded they must change their ways and be a people set apart to represent Him. Their way of living was to testify that God was the Lord.
God was also telling them they would encounter the same type of culture in Canaan. God had determined to rid the land of this sinfulness and He would go with the Israelites to expel all the people from the land and give that land to the Israelites so they could live as His chosen people and demonstrate to the world what it means to be blessed by God. They were to be different; they were to be holy. Verse 30 states: “Therefore you shall keep my ordinance, so that you do not commit any of these abominable customs which were committed before you, and that you do not defile yourselves by them: I am the Lord your God.” (NKJV)
As we read chapter 18, we can’t help but see that our society today is racing down that slippery slope leading to total depravity all centered around s*x. Our society already is s*x-saturated. Moral absolutes are being dismissed as old-fashioned and people believe we can violate moral standards and not suffer any consequences. Fulton J. Sheen once said: “The Victorians pretended s*x did not exist; the moderns pretend nothing else exists.”
God gave the rules to the Israelites and they apply to us today as well. We are created in His image and He knows what is best for us. He gives the rules we read today because He wanted the Israelites and us today to avoid the terrible consequences that come when His laws are violated. He chose Israel to be the channel through which His Son, Jesus, would come into the world. It was important that that channel be sanctified. The breakdown of marriage and adopting pagan practices could threaten God’s plan for their redemption and ours as well.
A Christian marriage should be a witness to the world of the love Christ has for us and for His church. If the marriage isn’t faithful, that witness is destroyed. When Phyllis and I lived in Fort Wayne, we had three other couples who were our closest friends. We spent a lot of time together, at church, out to eat, in our homes. When we spent the winters in Florida, the other three couples would come to spend time with us. At a time of one of our anniversaries, we calculated the years of marriage represented by our small group and the number was over 200. We don’t often encounter marriages that reach that 50-year mark anymore.
I wonder if the American church today is upholding God’s statement, “I am the Lord.” We see significant drifts of the church into aligning with secular ideologies and practices and then even cherry-picking scriptures to support that drift. Do these church leaders understand that God is holy and that He is the Lord? I wonder what God would say to these leaders today? I don’t think He would bless their progressive thinking that takes them out of His holy standards.
We have to realize that if God dealt with the Gentile nations who did not hear of His law, how much more accountable will God hold those who claim to know Him and possess His Word? Warren Wiersbe states, “There are dire consequences to s*xual sins, and the judgment is greatest where the light has been the brightest.” It seems we are viewing Romans 1:30-32 being played out in front of us today: “…who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.” (vs. 32 NKJV)
Chapter 18 ends with: “I am the Lord your God.” We can add to that statement: “Be holy, for I am holy.”

Father, chapter 18 is hard to read without reflecting on our world today and seeing many of the same practices that are actively taking place all around us. There are laws in our code today that criminalize these actions; however, they are not enforced for the most part. People have drifted away from you and are reverting back to the practices that were commonplace in the societies the Israelites were encountering in Egypt and would be in Canaan. Over and over, You remind them and us that You are the Lord. Father, through Your Holy Spirit remind us continually of that truth and help us to resist the temptations of sin that would pull us into the cesspit of depravity. Father, You are the Lord. We know that and we want to demonstrate that in our lives as we walk with You. Guide us Lord, teach us Your ways through Your Word. Thank You Father. Amen.

08/29/2026

Encouraging and challenging you to seek intimacy with God every day.

08/28/2026

Second-chance hiring is more than an opportunity: it is a business win.

Across the Tampa-to-Arcadia-to-Naples corridor and throughout Florida, returning citizens are ready to work, grow, and contribute. They bring determination, resilience, and a deep commitment to building a better future.

At Helping Our Returning Neighbors (H.O.R.N.), we help prepare individuals for success through housing, job placement, job training, life-skills support, spiritual development, and accountability. We are building a reliable talent pipeline for employers who believe that a person’s past should not cancel their potential.

When businesses open the door to qualified returning citizens, they gain dedicated employees: and our communities gain stronger families, greater stability, and fewer cycles of recidivism.

Employers: Let’s talk about how your business can become part of the solution.

Supporters: Share this message, pray for returning citizens and their families, and help us expand second chances across our state.

Together, we can turn new beginnings into lasting success.

08/28/2026

Congratulations!!

This recognition means even more to us because it’s not the first time. 💙

We’re so grateful to share that Hanley Homes Group has been voted Best of Florida for Real Estate Teams & Agents in both 2025 and 2026.

To be recognized once is an honor. To be recognized again is something we truly don’t take lightly.

To our clients, friends, neighbors, referral partners, and everyone who has supported our team along the way, thank you. Your trust, your encouragement, and your votes mean more than we can say.

Real estate is never just about houses to us. It’s about people, relationships, big life moments, and serving the community we’re proud to call home.

Thank you for allowing us to do what we love, and thank you for being part of this with us. We’re incredibly grateful for your support and proud to continue serving Southwest Florida. 🏆

08/28/2026