DAY 1. UPHILL CLIMB Do you remember your first day doing something you’re now good at? Or the first day of that diet, or that sport? Starting is not always easy. When we begin the path of restoration, it can feel like an uphill climb. It might even feel exhausting to imagine it. Whether you’ve been distant from God, whether reading His Word stopped being a priority, whether you’ve spent time in the dark and murky waters of sin, or even if you seem to be doing everything a Christian would do but your heart feels far from Him—let me remind you that there is only one way, and that is to follow Christ. Nothing outside of Him will ever fill our hearts. Even if the way forward feels steep, there is good news: we don’t have to walk it alone. The Father is waiting with open arms, ready to restore your heart, your life, or even your faith—no matter how fragile it may feel today. Today is a good day to ask the Spirit of God for guidance on the road to restoration. In Philippians 1:6, Paul reminds us that the One who began the GOOD work in you will carry it on to completion—when?—on the day Jesus Christ returns. God has given us a gift: GRACE. Grace lightens the load. Receive the grace the Lord offers you personally, so you can fully return to fellowship with Him. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been away—today, the Father rejoices to see you come back. In the days ahead, I’d like to talk to you about the new beginning God offers. I pray that He opens our hearts, that He speaks to you in a direct and personal way—and also in a practical one. And remember: it’s NEVER too late to begin again and live from now on by and for the Lord.

https://www.facebook.com/100081922839542/posts/917581740982579/?mibextid=rS40aB7S9Ucbxw6v According to his sister, Martin Luther King didn’t just pop up out of nowhere; he was born and raised in a family steeped in love, racial pride and dignity. Women’s history is part of American history.

Celebration Without Competition — The Heart of True Friendship “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV) Family… Celebrating friends without competition means being able to witness someone else’s growth, success, healing, favor, or opportunity… without turning their moment into a comparison about your own life. Their win doesn’t feel like your loss. Their elevation doesn’t mean your demotion. And their blessing doesn’t make you question whether God forgot about you. Because competition in friendship usually shows up when someone else’s breakthrough touches an area where we feel delayed, unseen, or insecure. But healthy friendship comes from a different heart posture. It comes from identity. When you know who you are and you trust God with your life, you can celebrate someone else fully without feeling threatened. You can clap without checking the scoreboard. You can honor what God is doing for them without questioning what He’s doing for you. Because real celebration isn’t tested in public… It’s tested in private. What do you feel after you congratulate them? Is your heart at peace… or quietly wrestling with comparison? Celebrating friends without competition means your private heart posture matches your public response. You’re not performing support. You’re actually offering it. And it also means understanding that God is not limited. Your friend’s blessing is not evidence of your lack. Her open door doesn’t mean yours is closed. Her visibility doesn’t erase your value. And her favor doesn’t reduce your future. When God is at the center, you understand that He is not operating on shortage. So you don’t keep score in friendship. You don’t track who got married first, who succeeded first, who is more visible, or whose life looks better from the outside. Because friendship is not a competition. It’s a connection. And sometimes the real test of your heart comes when your friend receives the exact thing you’ve been praying for.

God Is ‘Good’ If you’ve been around church culture any length of time, you’ve probably heard this scripture countless times. It reminds us that God is the master artist behind all the details of our lives – no matter how messy they may seem – bringing them all together in an ultimate display of good. Our familiarity with it though, can sometimes undermine the weight of its meaning. When God speaks of making all things work together ‘for good’, what is this ‘good’ and how does He do it? What does our ‘designed purpose’ have to do with His intent to weave our lives in such a way? Ultimately we know as Christians that our purpose is to become more Christ-like. We’ll live that out in all kinds of different arenas, but the intended sum of all our actions and attention is that we’ll express His image in us more and more each day. So when God weaves the details of lives together ‘for good’, it means He makes sure the direction of every single one of our footsteps, sidesteps and detours, ultimately furthers that journey. In my life, I’ve seen God’s ‘good’ plan mean the end of friendships that’d had their season and the building of new ones. I’ve seen it bear peace through pain, and allow for celebration in the aftermath of heartache. Whenever you read that verse, let it remind you of God’s restorative power, and His ability to bring your life into line with His love, peace and enduring presence. Written by LAURA BENNETT

https://www.facebook.com/100066491657791/posts/1266961905530186/?mibextid=rS40aB7S9Ucbxw6v Mother Hale took in unwanted crack babies and loved them into wholeness. Her expanded home became a national model for healthcare services for abandoned infants. Can you tell how Ubuntu fits into this scenario? Explain what you think about this.