Avoiding Conflict: Never Take a Dog by the Ears…

Hey there BCU Fam!

For this post, because of the informal format, please tune into the podcast recording (click here or on the BCU avatar below) and refer to the written post for the highlights. We pray the rebroadcast blesses and encourages you. If so, please thumbs up AND leave a comment! Thank you and enjoy the post!

Podcast highlights:

  • After a productive day, we stopped to get ice cream at a local parlor.
  • This is a popular place, so the line was pretty long and moving at a snail’s pace.
  • One of the staff members was free to assist the line, but was distracted, talkative and disrespectful.
  • The staff member’s comments led to a very loud and embarrassing verbal altercation with a patron.
  • The Lord used this experience to remind and teach me a couple of lessons.

KJV Scripture References:

James 1:19-20

19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.

Proverbs 26:17

 17 He that passeth by, and meddleth with strife belonging not to him, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears.

I Peter 4:15

 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters.

6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

Psalm 19:14

14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.

BCU Fam, as I thought about what happened, the manager was correct in waiting until she was unctioned to ask “Robin” to take a break. Manager quietly apologized for the wait and as we talked, we agreed Robin needed formal training on how to conduct themselves professionally with guests, and refraining for jumping into unrelated conversations.

I thank the Lord for helping me (unconsciously) to walk out Proverbs 26:17——I was not led to interfere and should not have anyway——-because it was NOT my strife. Unless the Lord tells us otherwise, when strife comes up, we should stay out of it and maintain a posture of prayer for the Lord to intervene. Now that’s where the Lord reminded me that I could have done better.

I was so busy (now that I think about it, distracted is more like it) watching the events unfold, I did not have the presence of mind to pray. The distraction is likely a topic for another podcast, but, I will say this is why we need to have a consistent prayer life, so that God intervenes for us, even when we don’t think to pray in the moment. So, I received that correction and with His grace, will apply what He taught me. What a merciful God we serve! Let’s pray!

Father, in the name of Jesus, as many of us are peacemakers, as we should be, thank you for reminding us that our responsibility is to pursue peace and resolution with the strife and conflict in our own lives. We ask you to help us successfully manage the strife that belongs to us, and unless otherwise prompted, help is to stay out of “other men’s matters”, and to remain prayerful for the parties involved. Thank you for hearing our plea and blessing us to follow Your directions accordingly. In Jesus name, we pray and thank you! Amen!

As a reminder, if you have not subscribed to BlenCouragesU.com, please do so! It’s free and a good place to get the encouragement, inspiration and information based the Word of God! Additionally, you can also see what we are up to on Facebook, X,and Instagram.

Also, if you so inclined, join us for our Thursday Night Bible Study––we are LIVE on YouTube 8:05EST/7:05CST. You can also listen in and subscribe to the podcast on whatever platform BCU is available on. Some of those platforms are Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify, and many more of your favorite podcast platforms!

Thank you SO much for stopping by! May God bless, keep and make His face to shine upon you as you #StayOnTheWall!

Love,

BCU

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The Taskmaster vs. The Master

Here there BCU Family!

I typically record our content in an informal “podcast on the go” format. Many times, the Lord gives me subject matter as I am driving or waiting, so I record on the spot! You can access the podcast here, or click on the avatar below, as you refer to the show notes below for the highlights. We pray the content blesses and encourages you. If so, please thumbs up AND leave a comment! Thank you and enjoy the podcast!

Podcast highlights:

  • Earlier in my career, I had a leader who was a “micro-manager”, strict ruler and rule-follower.
  • There was a time I needed to ask this person for a favor that was outside of the established policy.
  • While the request was a “long shot”, the Lord worked things out (to His glory), and used this experience to refine me, my work, and my prayer life.

KJV Scripture references:

Colossians 3:23-24

23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.

Proverbs 21:1

The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: He turneth it whithersoever He will.

Mark 9:23

Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

BCUFam, when it comes to work, I know there are tasks, people and times that can really challenge us! That’s where we need to remember that our work is really as unto the Lord rather than people. If we work according to how God instructs us, He will reward us accordingly—-and we know when God gives rewards, [whether tangible or not, or on this side of Heaven or not], they are always good!

Also, I am reminded that God can move on the heart of ANYONE! Some of you know people who are hardened and not much moves them——but I know a Man WHO CAN!!!! Continue praying on those impossible situations and see how the Lord moves on your behalf! Watch him work it out and give you peace while you wait! The answer may be different from what you expected, but because God’s ways are perfect, His answers are perfect. Amen? Amen! Let’s pray!

Father, in the name of Jesus, as we come before You today, we thank You for Your goodness, grace, mercy, power and kindness! We thank You for the opportunity to come before You and make our requests know to You, and the peace of God that passes all understanding will guard our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7). There are some things we have been praying for, some situations on our hearts and minds, some impossible challenges that we want to leave with You, Jesus, knowing You have the best resolution, because You are God, You are good and You are able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all we can ask or think according to the power that works in us (Ephesians 3:20).Thank You for the victory according to Your timing, will and way, in Jesus name we pray and thank You, Amen!

As a reminder, if you have not subscribed to BlenCouragesU.com, please do so! It’s free and a good place to get the encouragement, inspiration and information based the Word of God! Additionally, you can also see what we are up to on Facebook, X, and Instagram. Also, if you so inclined, join us Thursday nights––we are LIVE on YouTube 8:05EST/7:05CST. You can also listen in and subscribe to the podcast on Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, Pandora, and Spotify!

Thank you SO much for stopping by! God bless, keep and make His face to shine upon you as you #StayOnTheWall!

Love,

BCU

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The client, Jesus and waiting….

Hey there BCU Fam!

For this post, because of the informal format, please tune into the podcast recording (click here or on the BCU avatar below) and refer to the written post for the highlights. We pray the post blesses and encourages you. If so, please thumbs up AND leave a comment! Thank you and enjoy the post!

Podcast highlights:

  • I have been an instructor for many years—–teaching many types of classes and people on a regular basis.
  • In my “housekeeping” portions of class, I verbally and visually outline the criterion to receive credit for the session.
  • One student escalated a request to receive their class credit almost immediately after class concluded.
  • The Lord used this situation as a test for my response to the individual, and to teach me lesson about listening, waiting and trusting what He says.

Scripture references:

James 1:19-20

19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.

Isaiah 40:31

31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Proverbs 30:5

5 Every word of God is pure: He is a shield unto them that put their trust in Him.

Proverbs 3:6

6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Psalm 34:19

19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.

Isaiah 65:24

24 And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.

Hebrews 13:5

5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

Numbers 23:19

19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

BCUFam, I can relate to the client in terms of anxiousness and concern about waiting for a promise. When we feel that way, rather than lean to our own understanding, we can to go back to what the Word of God says and trust He will take care of whatever the situation is. Amen? Amen! Let’s pray!

Father, in the name of Jesus, we come before You, thanking and praising you for Your Word once again! We thank You for the encouragement, the admonishment, and for the correction. Please forgive us for the times we ran ahead of You, and tried to do Your work. Bless us to rest assured that your have heard our cry, and for believing that when You say something is going to come to pass, that it will. Bless us not be be anxious or agitated in our spirit——–and if we do feel that way, please help us to cling to You all the more, knowing that You are able to do exceedingly and abundantly above ALL we can ask or think according to the power that works in us.  We thank You for the rest You give us, knowing that You are taking care of us, Your plan is perfect, Your will will be done and Your name will be praised! In Jesus name we pray, Amen!

As a reminder, if you have not subscribed to BlenCouragesU.com, please do so! It’s free and a good place to get the encouragement, inspiration and information based the Word of God! Additionally, you can also see what we are up to on Facebook, X, and Instagram.

Also, if you so inclined, join us for our Thursday Night Bible Study––we are LIVE on YouTube 8:05EST/7:05CST. You can also listen in and subscribe to the podcast on whatever platform BCU is available on. Some of those platforms are Amazon Music, AnchorFm, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify,  Stitcher Radio , and many more of your favorite podcast platforms!

Thank you SO much for stopping by! May God bless, keep and make His face to shine upon you as you #StayOnTheWall!

Love,

BCU

BlenCouragesULeave a comment

Taking a dog by the ears

Hey there BCU Fam!

For this post, because of the informal format, please tune into the podcast recording (click here or on the BCU avatar below) and refer to the written post for the highlights. We pray the post blesses and encourages you. If so, please thumbs up AND leave a comment! Thank you and enjoy the post!

Podcast highlights:

  • After a productive day, we stopped to get ice cream at one of the local parlors.
  • This evening, the long was pretty long and moving super slowly.
  • One of the staff members was free to assist the line, but was distracted, talkative and disrespectful.
  • The staff member’s comments led to a very loud and embarrassing verbal altercation with a patron.
  • The Lord used this experience to remind and teach me a couple of lessons.

James 1:19-20

19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.

Proverbs 26:17

 17 He that passeth by, and meddleth with strife belonging not to him, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears.

I Peter 4:15

 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters.

6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

Psalm 19:14

14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.

BCU Fam, as I thought about what happened, the manager was correct in waiting until she was unctioned to ask “Robin” to take a break. Manager quietly apologized for the wait and as we talked, we agreed Robin needed formal training on how to conduct themselves professionally with guests, and refraining for jumping into unrelated conversations.

I thank the Lord for helping me (unconsciously) to walk out Proverbs 26:17——I was not led to interfere and should not have anyway——-because it was NOT my strife. Unless the Lord tells us otherwise, when strife comes up, we should stay out of it and maintain a posture of prayer for the Lord to intervene. Now that’s where the Lord reminded me that I could have done better. I was so busy (now that I think about it, distracted is more like it) watching the events unfold, I did not have the presence of mind to pray. The distraction is likely a topic for another podcast, but, I will say this is why we need to have a consistent prayer life, so that God intervenes for us, even when we don’t think to pray in the moment. So, I received that correction and with His grace, will apply what He taught me. What a merciful God we serve! Let’s pray.

Father, in the name of Jesus, as many of us are peacemakers, as we should be, thank you for reminding us that our responsibility is to pursue peace and resolution with the strife and conflict in our own lives. We ask you to help us successfully manage the strife that belongs to us, and unless otherwise prompted, help is to stay out of “other men’s matters”, and to remain prayerful for the parties involved. Thank you for hearing our plea and blessing us to follow Your directions accordingly. In Jesus name, we pray and thank you! Amen!

As a reminder, if you have not subscribed to BlenCouragesU.com, please do so! It’s free and a good place to get the encouragement, inspiration and information based the Word of God! Additionally, you can also see what we are up to on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Also, if you so inclined, join us for our Thursday Night Bible Study––we are LIVE on YouTube 8:05EST/7:05CST. You can also listen in and subscribe to the podcast on whatever platform BCU is available on. Some of those platforms are Amazon Music, AnchorFm, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify,  Stitcher Radio , and many more of your favorite podcast platforms!

Thank you SO much for stopping by! May God bless, keep and make His face to shine upon you as you #StayOnTheWall!

Love,

BCU

BlenCouragesULeave a comment

Despise not the chastening of the Lord

Hey there BCU Fam!

For this post, because of the informal format, please tune into the podcast recording (click here or on the BCU avatar below) and refer to the written post for the highlights. We pray the post blesses and encourages you. If so, please thumbs up AND leave a comment! Thank you and enjoy the post!

Podcast highlights:

  • Recently, I had a conversation with my best friend, Kenya, who is a decorated nurse, and dedicated wife, mother, student, teacher, and minister of the gospel.
  • At work, an unintentional miscommunication came up between Kenya and a nursing student that initially strained the relationship.
  • The Lord used this circumstance as a teaching moment for Kenya, the student, the staff, and many others.
  • With permission, Kenya urged me to share the story and lesson with the BCUFam.

Hebrews 12:5-11

5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:

6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.

9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?

10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.

11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

Romans 12:10

10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;

John 13:34-35

34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Psalm 61:1-2

Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer.

2 From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

Psalm 63:1

O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;

Proverbs 16:3

3 Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.

Psalm 19:14

14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.

BCU Fam, this testimony was such a blessing on several levels. Many times, the people of God testify about the good things (money, cars, homes, et cetera), that God provides, and there is nothing wrong with that at all–He us a supplier of needs, will take care of His people and we NEED to hear that. What’s more valuable and less popular are these testimonies——-where we confess our faults to one another and share the lessons and correction without shame or concern about who will judge us.

Frankly, we should be more concerned with the Lord judging us. 1 Corinthians 11:31-32 tells us, if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. In other words, the Lord lets us know where we missed the mark, so we can correct ourselves NOW (with His help), so we don’t have to be condemned LATER. Kenya was tender to the Holy Spirit’s correction and obeyed what He said, so she’s all set. And she shared this story with us as a reminder for us to do the same thing. Let’s pray!

Father, in the name of Jesus, we thank you for our sister Kenya sharing her testimony and experience with us freely. Thank You for the correction and chastening that You give us here, Lord, so we can see You in peace when we leave this present world and hear “well done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter thou into the joy of the Lord.”

Bless us to be without spot, wrinkle or blemish in all interactions with people, so that You are glorified, honored and praised every time. Help us to see when we are not honoring You in our communication and blessing us to correct our behavior going forward without justification, but rather in humility and gratefulness. Thank You for the mind to want to please You in all of our ways. We thank You for hearing our plea, for Your patience and unfailing love towards us. In Jesus name, we pray, Amen!

As a reminder, if you have not subscribed to BlenCouragesU.com, please do so! It’s free and a good place to get the encouragement, inspiration and information based the Word of God! Additionally, you can also see what we are up to on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Also, if you so inclined, join us for our Thursday Night Bible Study––we are LIVE on YouTube 8:05EST/7:05CST. You can also listen in and subscribe to the podcast on whatever platform BCU is available on. Some of those platforms are Amazon Music, AnchorFm, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify,  Stitcher Radio , and many more of your favorite podcast platforms!

Thank you SO much for stopping by! May God bless, keep and make His face to shine upon you as you #StayOnTheWall!

Love,

BCU

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