Category: Digging Deeper

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 

Colossians 3:14 (ESV)

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CHANGE THE STORY

 

Closing out this week, I want to circle back to the words from Monday, the kindness of my mom. 

 

My mom’s kindness in her hospital bed impacted those who cared for her.

 

The nurses, doctors and caretakers would each tell my sister and me what a kind woman my mom was, how brave she was, how sweet her soul was. Every time they spoke of her kindness it melted our hearts, but nothing melted it more than the love of her nurse on the second day of her stay.  

 

That nurse became attached to my mom. They shared stories, they laughed and cried over pictures.  My mom knew things about her life that even I was surprised she shared.  This nurse came back to the hospital hours before her shift started just because she knew my mom was being discharged on hospice care. She came back to tell my mom good-bye, to hug her neck and to tell her that she loved her.  It’s a moment I will never forget.  Out of such darkness that hung over us, my mom’s kindness and the nurse’s kindness is what helped carry us through. The kindness that she had was what I imagine Jesus was like.  In the midst of a battle, in the middle of fighting for her final days, she chose kindness, compassion and love.

 

I pray as you end your week, you reflect back on the kindness you were able to offer, and see the kindness that was given to you.

 

I pray that the kindness you shared helped change someone else’s story too. 

 

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Kelly Skelton is a Georgia native, raised in the south on Jesus, Georgia football and sweet tea.  She is her husbands’ biggest fan and her two daughters’ loudest cheerleaders.  She recently published her first children’s book titled, But God Had a Plan.  She stays active in the Dallas area as a  photographer, videographer, writer, and middle school teacher.

 

But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.

Galatians 5:22 (ESV)

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PLANT SEEDS OF KINDNESS

 

Seeds of kindness can harvest into something bigger than you could have imagined. God can use even the tiniest of moments of kindness to change someone’s heart, someone’s day, someone’s life, even someone’s eternity.

 

My grandmother was the epitome of kindness. In fact, even into her late 80’s before she went into assisted living, she was constantly inviting people into her home. It was not uncommon to show up for Sunday dinner and see a set of complete strangers that she had invited in, shared a Coke, a cookie and fellowshipped with. She was one that was never in a hurry, always paused to listen and always had the perfect scripture or example tucked away in her back pocket. She never missed an opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus. When reading through her old journals I read one example after another of people who stepped in to whom she offered the kindness of Jesus in ways she would have never boasted about or even shared.

 

One thing I’ve learned over and over in life, is that people will never forget how you made them feel. Lets make that memory something good, leaving behind a legacy of kindness.

 

I pray today, as you take on new and planned things, that you remember to plant seeds of kindness. And I pray that as your day goes on, God waters those and turns them into something so much more.

 

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Kelly Skelton is a Georgia native, raised in the south on Jesus, Georgia football and sweet tea.  She is her husbands’ biggest fan and her two daughters’ loudest cheerleaders.  She recently published her first children’s book titled, But God Had a Plan.  She stays active in the Dallas area as a  photographer, videographer, writer, and middle school teacher.

 

…”and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, charity.”

2 Peter 1:7 (ESV)

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SOME THINGS ARE UNFORGETTABLE

 

The most impactful moment of kindness in my life hit me in 2020. My family was frantic, scared and in quarantine.  The isolation was nothing short of traumatic.  It was so hard to celebrate the littlest of things, but I will never forget my birthday that year. I’ll never forget the image of my precious mother-in-law pulling into my driveway.  She walked up the stairs of my porch with groceries in her hands, flowers in a vase and birthday cookies peeking out of a bag.  I watched her walk up those stairs with gifts, tangible items that just ooze her kindness. We tried talking through the windows for a few minutes, we reached our hands out to each other, desperately wishing they could touch.  We poured tears together without saying a word.  We just stared through the glass, and the feeling of uncertainty hung thick in the air as she left my sweet birthday gifts on the porch and waved good-bye. 

 

I’ll never forget that act of kindness.  How she showed up for me and my family, because that’s who she is.  When my world felt like it was breaking, she brought me hope in the form of kindness.

 

Kindness should come natural to us. It should just pour out of us like it does my mother-in-law. As Christians, our actions should be different.  Our kindness should make us stand out.  It should make others wonder and want the joy that we harvest inside us.

 

I pray as you go through today, God reminds you of some of the kind moments that have been gifted to you. I pray those memories inspire you to offer kindness so freely to others today.

 

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Kelly Skelton is a Georgia native, raised in the south on Jesus, Georgia football and sweet tea.  She is her husbands’ biggest fan and her two daughters’ loudest cheerleaders.  She recently published her first children’s book titled, But God Had a Plan.  She stays active in the Dallas area as a  photographer, videographer, writer, and middle school teacher.

 

Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.

Proverbs 16:24 (ESV)

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PEOPLE NEVER FORGET HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL

 

I’ve been a teacher for 13 years. I’ve taught kindergarten through 8th grade at any given point during those years. It has been a blessing to listen and engage with students.  I’ve been their voice of reason, their school mom, the one they vent to and even occasionally cry with.  I’ve listened as they have lost puppies, gone through break ups, dealt with mean girls, and even listened as some have struggled with their beliefs. Some days exhaustion hits, lessons need to be completed, and time runs out at the end of the period.  But, there is one thing I have repeatedly learned, being present is often the greatest and most impactful form of kindness to someone else.

 

A decade ago, a student of mine was having a rough day. He had his heart broken and the math lesson was the farthest thing from his cares that day. His face showed all the emotions he was going through. My heart said that I needed to stop and check on him, so I walked away from the board mid lesson.  I sat down beside him and just listened.  But, what he remembered the most was that I told him we weren’t going to let this steal his smile today.

 

Sometimes the most impactful thing you can do is deter from what your plan was, listen to what God is asking you to do, and show kindness before moving forward. That same student a decade later still remembered that tiny moment. When he saw me out he came up to me and told me what an impact those words had on him. He hadn’t forgotten how I paused to make him smile.

 

The Bible says, “Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.”As Christians, kindness should be who we are. We should show kindness in everything we do.  You never know how impactful such a small moment could be.

 

I pray as you take on this day that you stay unhurried and un-rushed. That you can show up with kindness in all the big and small moments headed your way. I pray your kindness makes a bigger impact that you can witness years later.

 

I pray as you walk through your day, in your highs and lows, that you can show kindness.  Be present, listen, show up in the moments that God needs you too.  Wearing a smile on your face in the midst of a battle just may be a shining example that inspires someone else.

 

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Kelly Skelton is a Georgia native, raised in the south on Jesus, Georgia football and sweet tea.  She is her husbands’ biggest fan and her two daughters’ loudest cheerleaders.  She recently published her first children’s book titled, But God Had a Plan.  She stays active in the Dallas area as a  photographer, videographer, writer, and middle school teacher.

 

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

Colossians 3:14 (ESV)

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HOW DO YOU DEFINE KINDNESS?

 

For me, it is being present, being a listening ear, being a calm voice in the middle of someone’s storm. I think of small gestures, smiles and high fives.  I think of being the one who steps in when it feels like the world has turned its back. 

 

When I imagine kindness that Jesus showed as He walked the earth, I can’t help but picture a man with his hands constantly stretched out, a man that listened intently. I imagine a man that was judgement free as He helped and healed those He encountered.

 

One vivid image I have etched into my memory of kindness happened last summer. I watched as my mom  was given the gut-wrenching news that her breast cancer was back, and this time the prognosis was terminal. She had multiple tumors in her head, and her time here was more limited than we ever imagined. I stared at her  with tears streaming down my face as she lay stagnant in the dark hospital bed. The news of her prognosis was still washing over her, precious doctors and nurses continued to spill in and speak this overwhelming reality to her. All she did for those horrific hours was listen, soak it in and trust. She could have been filled with bitterness and anger.  She could have harvested resentment, lashed out or argued. After all, she’d already fought this fight and won just a few short years before.

But, she didn’t.  That’s not who she was and that was not who God was to her.

 

Instead, in those broken moments she spoke life into her nurses. She exuded joy, she smiled constantly, she inquired about her nurses’ lives.  With every shift change she started her kindness all over again.  She was fully invested in who they were, and less concerned with what she was going through. In those short days we spent in the hospital, my mom was the epitome of kindness to the crew that cared for her. She was a shining example of Jesus to them even in the midst of her darkest hours. After all, isn’t that what the Bible wants us to do? Are we ever really more like Jesus than when we are kind to others? You never know what impact a smile, small gesture, or kind words can have.

 

I pray as you walk through your day, in your highs and lows, that you can show kindness.  Be present, listen, show up in the moments that God needs you too.  Wearing a smile on your face in the midst of a battle just may be a shining example that inspires someone else.

 

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Kelly Skelton is a Georgia native, raised in the south on Jesus, Georgia football and sweet tea.  She is her husbands’ biggest fan and her two daughters’ loudest cheerleaders.  She recently published her first children’s book titled, But God Had a Plan.  She stays active in the Dallas area as a  photographer, videographer, writer, and middle school teacher.

 

¹⁵ When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” ¹⁶ He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” ¹⁷ He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.”

John 21:15-17 (ESV)

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DO YOU WANT TO BE RESTORED?

 

The story goes beyond what we covered on Sunday, but it was too good not to highlight. After breakfast, Jesus had a conversation with a still drenched Peter. I wonder if Peter was willing to jump out of the boat and swim as fast as he could to try and amend the mistakes he made before Jesus was crucified. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus told Peter that he would deny Jesus three time before the day was over. Peter adamantly denied this and then tried to prove it by cutting a guard’s ear off as they arrested Jesus. Three times Peter was asked about his association with Jesus, and he protested every accusation.

 

He knew where Jesus was heading. He knew that Jesus had been arrested and would soon be beaten at the least. Peter’s denials maybe came from a place of fear of the unknown; but, nevertheless, he denied Christ three times.

 

When you jump back in our passage for this week it makes you wonder about Peter’s motives for swimming like Michael Phelps. Regardless of why he did it, he now is sitting with Jesus and a pivotal conversation takes place. Jesus publicly begins to restore Peter. He asks him three separate times “Do you love me?” It probably sounded like a broken record, but Jesus was trying to make a point. As many times as you denied me, I want to restore you.

 

Jesus could have asked Peter if he was sorry or he would promise to never deny him again, but instead he focuses in on the heart. Do you love me? Jesus knew that Peter’s life, decisions, and obedience would all be an overflow of his love for God.

 

This interaction between Jesus and Peter is a profound display of grace and restoration. Despite Peter’s failures and denials, Jesus meets him with love and offers him a chance to prove his commitment to Jesus. It’s a reminder for us that no matter how many times we stumble, Jesus is always ready to welcome us back with open arms and restore us to a place of closeness with Him.

 

I’ll leave you this week with a quote from Pastor Bruce Frank. “What you do when you sin tells everything about how you understand the good news of Jesus. Provision has been made your sin, so to run from healing and grace is foolishness. You either run from God in shame or run to God in repentance.”

 

Where will you choose to run today?

 

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Sellers Hickman serves as College Pastor at NorthStar Church and loves cheering on his Ole Miss Rebels. He and his wife, Hannah, live in Dallas, Ga. with their one year old, Emery. He also serves as the chaplain for the KSU Men’s Basketball team.

 

⁹ When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. ¹⁰ Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” ¹¹ So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. ¹² Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. ¹³ Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. ¹⁴ This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

John 21:9-14 (ESV)

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COME AND HAVE BREAKFAST

 

Jesus begins to have breakfast with his disciples, with whom he has shared life with for multiple years. They have had countless meals together, but the last recorded meal between the disciples and Jesus was the Last Supper. What a turn of events to remember Jesus telling them using the bread and wine that His body would be torn and that His blood would be poured out. And now, here they are a few weeks later, sharing fish and bread. Do they flashback to the feeding of the 5,000 or the Last Supper?

 

Throughout Scripture the phrase “come and _______” carries massive implications. Jesus extends many invitations: come and see (John 1:39), come and rest (Matthew 11:28-29), come and inherit (Matthew 25:34-36), and finally, in our passage today, come and have breakfast. (Personally, I know which of the above I would choose! Who wouldn’t want to share an All-Star Special with Jesus?)

 

Why is Jesus so caught up with the invitation ‘to come’? Because He is a relational God. Jesus came to the earth so we could come to God. These examples are just his direct commands to come to him. There are many more examples of calling each disciple, inviting the little children, and bringing in the outcast. None of the disciples questioned who this man was. They all knew by this point that it was Jesus resurrected.

 

Jesus is calling you today as well. Maybe you need the invitation to just come and dine with Him. Friend, there is a feast waiting for you in Heaven. Maybe you are looking for the invitation to come and inherit the kingdom. All you must do is put your trust in Jesus and turn from your sins and you will have an inheritance that this world could not touch. Maybe you are drawn to the invitation of rest. This isn’t an invitation to take a nap, but to allow Jesus to carry the burdens in life that you were not created to carry. Or, maybe today you are reading this and have not put your faith in Jesus. I would urge you to come and see. The disciples in John 1 who are given this original invitation, they would come to know that they “have found the Messiah” (John 1:40). Their seeing led to believing… and then the other invitations to “come” were open to them as well.

 

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Sellers Hickman serves as College Pastor at NorthStar Church and loves cheering on his Ole Miss Rebels. He and his wife, Hannah, live in Dallas, Ga. with their one year old, Emery. He also serves as the chaplain for the KSU Men’s Basketball team.

 

⁷ That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. ⁸ The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off.

John 21:7-8 (ESV)

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DO YOU RUN TO JESUS?

 

If you’ve been with us over the past few weeks, we have highlighted John’s playful relationship with Peter. In this verse, John (the disciple whom Jesus loved) gets another “one up” on Peter. Peter cut the guard’s ear off, Peter ran to the tomb (but John beat him in the race), and now they are looking at this man on the shore, and John wants us to know that he was the first to recognize Jesus. One more humble brag from the author of this gospel.

 

Here is where the story turns for Peter. He is always quick to speak, act, or react. In true Peter fashion, he sees all the fish in the boat and knows that it will take a while to get them into the boat and get back to shore, so he jumps in and swims to Jesus! The passage doesn’t tell us what Peter and Jesus talked about, but we know that Peter got extra time with his Lord.

 

Recalling the state he saw Jesus in weeks ago as he hung on the cross, Peter wanted as much time with Jesus because he knew that he had lost him a few weeks ago. For you, would you be willing to jump in? Do we look at Jesus the same way? Are we willing to inconvenience ourselves, our comfort, and our schedule to spend time with our Savior?

 

I pray that this past week since Easter has been filled with joy and a new perspective about Jesus. Peter’s time with Jesus had become much more valuable knowing that he had lost him. Jesus cannot be taken from us, but we should have the same joy and excitement to be with Him every day as much as we are on Resurrection Sunday!

 

As we reflect on Peter’s eagerness to be with Jesus, let’s consider our own eagerness to spend time with Him. May we be like Peter, ready to leap into the presence of our Lord at any opportunity, recognizing the immeasurable value of communion with Him in our daily lives.

 

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Sellers Hickman serves as College Pastor at NorthStar Church and loves cheering on his Ole Miss Rebels. He and his wife, Hannah, live in Dallas, Ga. with their one year old, Emery. He also serves as the chaplain for the KSU Men’s Basketball team.

 

⁴ Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. ⁵ Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” ⁶ He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish.

John 21:4-6 (ESV)

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ILLOGICAL OBEDIENCE

 

These men are skilled fishermen. They have grown up on the water, making their living catching fish. They know every nuance of the trade; from the way the currents move to the subtle signs of a potential catch. Yet, for some reason, they followed this man’s advice. Simply by following him, they went from catching zero fish to not being able to haul all of the fish in.

 

This is a call back to when Jesus called the first set of disciples in Luke 5. Jesus asks if they have found any fish and they respond with a short “no.” I bet it was said with a cutting tone. “Who is this guy asking about our fish? Who does he think he is?” I almost hear Peter in this moment echoing his words in Luke 5:5, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing!” You can hear the exhaustion in his voice, still feeling the emotions of all he had been through the past few weeks as he experienced his rabbi being crucified.

 

I wonder how reluctant they were to drop their net on the other side? “Sure, we’ll give it a shot, but nothing will come of it! Let’s just drop it in to show him there aren’t any fish.”

 

Sometimes the commands of Jesus make very little sense in the world we live in. With the pressure to get ahead by any means necessary, to do whatever makes your heart happy, and to prioritize ourselves over anything or anybody else, it can seem as if the commands of Jesus would set us back. Why is obedience important? We must remember that God is not just our Savior, but also our Creator. He designed us and knows how our body best thrives within the parameters of his design.

 

Proverbs 3:5-8 speaks to the wisdom of trusting the Lord:

⁵ “Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
    and do not lean on your own understanding.
⁶ In all your ways acknowledge him,
    and he will make straight your paths.
⁷ Be not wise in your own eyes;
    fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
⁸ It will be healing to your flesh
    and refreshment to your bones.”

 

Friends, my hope for you today is this: that we would seek God with all that we have and would see that He is worth it! That we would trust Him even above our own desires. Let’s lean on His wisdom, even when it seems counterintuitive, knowing that His ways lead to true fulfillment and life to the fullest.

 

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Sellers Hickman serves as College Pastor at NorthStar Church and loves cheering on his Ole Miss Rebels. He and his wife, Hannah, live in Dallas, Ga. with their one year old, Emery. He also serves as the chaplain for the KSU Men’s Basketball team.

 

¹After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. ² Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. ³ Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

John 21:1-3 (ESV)

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WHAT DO YOU DO WITH DISAPPOINTMENT?

 

We all face disappoint, don’t we? Think back to the Easter message… Mary Magdalene’s dreams were shattered, but in the garden, Jesus appeared to her. She wasn’t the only one at the tomb that day. John had seen enough; he believed. Peter, on the other hand, left the tomb that day unsure of what to do with his crucified rabbi.

 

After appearing to Mary Magdalene, Jesus appears to all the disciples in the room they were hiding inside. He appeared again to Thomas so that he might believe since he wasn’t in the room the first time. Up to this point, all the disciples had laid eyes on their resurrected rabbi; but how did they respond to seeing this risen Savior? Peter… he goes fishing. Not the reaction you’d expect. If I saw a dead person walking, I am finding a camera crew, putting my lucky numbers into the lottery, or preparing for the Walking Dead.

 

Why did Peter go fishing? I can’t say with one hundred percent certainty, but I believe there are two possible reasons: Either he is resorting back to his comfort and what was familiar, or he is unsure what his life will look like, so he gets to work to make a living.

 

Neither of these responses are inherently wrong; but, after walking with Jesus and listening to his teaching for three years, why would anybody revert to fishing? In John 20:21 Jesus sends the disciples out to share the good news of what he’s done, but Peter hangs his “gone fishing” sign on the door.

 

When you face disappointment, do you return to old habits or question God’s goodness? These are typical reactions. We may return to old sin habits, activities that aren’t helpful for our walk, or to try to muster all of our strength to be self-reliant and forget God.

 

Peter tried to take a hard moment in his life and fix it all with his hands when Jesus had already fixed the situation! Just last chapter, Jesus encourages them to Live Sent and breathes on them the Holy Spirit. There is no better solution than this!

 

It’s easy to sit on this side of Scripture and think “Peter, get it together! How could this be your response?” But think back in your life; how have you reacted when face with difficult moments? When life’s disappointments hit, do you return to your old ways of seeking comfort and relying on yourself?

 

I know that this can easily be my response, but it shouldn’t be so.

 

A famous pastor who faced many hardships in his life, Charles Spurgeon, once said this: “I have learned to kiss the waves that throw me up against the Rock of Ages.” Life can always bring difficulties, but I pray that the response of our church is to recognize that the waves of hardship should encourage us to cling closer to the rock of our salvation, Jesus Christ.

 

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Sellers Hickman serves as College Pastor at NorthStar Church and loves cheering on his Ole Miss Rebels. He and his wife, Hannah, live in Dallas, Ga. with their one year old, Emery. He also serves as the chaplain for the KSU Men’s Basketball team.