LIFE is a precious gift.

Life on earth as we know can be sprinkled with seasons and winds of mystery, drama, comedy, romance, and sometimes horror. None of us knows what a day may bring or what tomorrow will hold.

Life is unpredictable in its ebbs and flow of joy and sorrow, peace and conflict, comfort and pain, happiness and depression, helplessness and hope.

Life without hope is like a sailboat on the sea without a sail. The winds and waves take and toss you without consideration of your intended destination.

LIFE that Yeshua (Jesus) offers is abundant and provides a compass and a sail for the soul as we navigate the sea of life, no matter what the season or winds may bring today or tomorrow!

LIFE in Yeshua provides comfort, encouragement, help, hope, power, stability, salvation for whatever a season brings, and secures a promised eternal destination!

LIFE in Yeshua is peace!

LIFE is a precious gift to have as we sail through life, don’t leave earth without Him!

~From the desk of Pastor AZ Jones, Jr.

Have you ever felt too young—or too old—to do something important? Too small for a big job? Too inexperienced to contribute something meaningful? Too underqualified to make a real difference?

In the book of 1 Timothy, which is a God-inspired letter from Paul to his “son in the faith,” Timothy, Paul equips and encourages Timothy in things liked doctrine, leadership, and living out the ways of God. He writes:

“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.” 1 Timothy 4:12 NIV

If you’ve ever felt too young, remember that God has purposefully put you here, at this specific time in history. He wants to use your passion, drive, vision, energy, and ideas to magnify His glory. You see things from a unique vantage point, and that’s a great thing.

If you’ve ever felt too old, remember that God has purposefully put you here, at this specific time in history. He wants to use your learned wisdom, grit, leadership, discernment, and life experience to point others to Him. You see things from a unique vantage point, and that’s a great thing.

You are never too young or too old to be used by God.

No matter your age, God has empowered you to love Him and to love others, and to live a life that points people to Him. How can you do that? You can set an example—in the way you talk, in the way you act, in the way you love, in the way you live out your faith, and in your purity.

You can be the example! You can represent Him!

Source: YouVersion. (2025, June). www.youversion.com

In the U.S., about 12 million people over the age of 40 have vision impairment. This includes conditions such as digital eye strain, age-related macular degeneration, and dry eye, all of which are becoming increasingly prevalent. Adults and children can enhance eye health by implementing the following strategies:

1. Reduce Screen Time: Prolonged exposure to digital devices can lead to digital eye strain, which can lead to symptoms like dryness, blurred vision, and headaches. Take regular breaks from screens to lessen the strain on your eyes.

2. Adopt the 20-20-20 Rule: When using digital devices, every 20 minutes look at something 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. This simple practice helps to rest your eyes and reduce the discomfort associated with prolonged screen use.

3. Get Regular Eye Exams: Schedule comprehensive eye exams at least once every two years, or more frequently if you have existing eye conditions or a family history of eye diseases. Dilated eye exams can help detect vision loss early.

4. Optimize Lighting: Ensure that your workspace is well-lit to minimize glare and reduce eye strain. Opt for softer, indirect lighting when possible. When outdoors, wear sunglasses that block 99 to 100 percent of UVA and UVB radiation.

5. Adjust Screen Settings: Increase the contrast and adjust the brightness of your monitor to a comfortable level. This adjustment can lessen eye fatigue and make reading text on screens more comfortable.

6. Quit Smoking: Smoking increases your risk of diseases like macular degeneration and cataracts. If you smoke, you can call 800-QUIT-NOW (800-784-8669) to get help with quitting.

7. Maintain a Healthy Diet: Incorporate foods rich in vitamins and antioxidants, such as leafy greens, fish, and nuts, into your diet. Nutrients like lutein in tomatoes, zeaxanthin in kale, and omega-3 fatty acids found in fatty fish, support eye health and can help prevent age-related vision problems. When detected early, vision loss can often be prevented or delayed. Taking proactive steps today to care for your eyes can significantly reduce your risk of developing irreversible eye damage.

Source: Gallager. “Live Well Monthly: Resources for Better Wellbeing.”

The Sanneh Foundation gives thousands of kids a safe, healthy and FUN camp experience every summer by offering FREE pro sports camps throughout Minneapolis, St. Paul, and surrounding metro areas. Camps use sporting curriculum, while incorporating The Sanneh Foundation’s youth development expertise.

FREE Community Camps are about more than sports! The Sanneh Foundation understands the importance of shaping the development of youth beyond the field and actively works to incorporate guidance and information about health, education, drugs and alcohol, and cultural awareness and sensitivity. Camps promote an atmosphere of community through the universal excitement for sport. They offer camps for soccer, basketball, pickleball and golf!

For more information about the FREE Community Camps, click the link below.

When I think of hunger, I ponder not only our physical needs but our spiritual ones too. For instance, even though Jesus hadn’t eaten for forty days in the wilderness, he declined Satan’s invitation to turn the stones that He was surrounded by into bread. Quoting from the Hebrew Scriptures, Jesus said, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (Matthew 4:4).

In His discussion with his accuser, Jesus shared what Moses had said when he gave God’s people His laws. At that time, God was preparing His loved ones to take possession of the land He had promised to them, reminding them how He provided for them when they trudged through their forty years of wilderness. Each day God gave them a miracle of manna, food for their bellies. Then when they stood ready to enter into this new land, God didn’t want them to forget Him or how He’d provided for them in the past. Through Moses’ words, He connected their physical hunger with their need for God’s word: “He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord”(Deuteronomy 8:3).

God knows that we hunger for food, but that food won’t fully satisfy. Wanting to fill all of our needs fully and completely, He sent His very own Son to be our manna, the bread from heaven. We learn of this amazing provision when Jesus, having launched into public ministry after being tested by Satan, was speaking to hungry crowds. The people had reveled in being fed miraculously when Jesus fed the five thousand (see John 6:1–13) and were curious about Jesus’ miracles, so they came back for more (v. 26). But rather than meet only their physical hunger or their yearning to experience another miracle, Jesus wanted to satisfy their deepest needs. He said,“Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (vv. 32–33).

That piqued their interest, and they asked for this bread (v. 34). In response, Jesus shared one of the seven “I am” statements in John’s gospel, one that reveals how He fulfills all of our needs: “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (v. 35). Here Jesus shared that He is God’s bread from heaven, the manna that will truly satisfy. And that when the people believe in Him, they will never go hungry again.

Living Bread

We might want to hunger for Jesus, for God’s word. But we might struggle, feeling stale or distracted. How, we might wonder, can we hunger for the word of God? How can He meet our needs? Through God’s Spirit that dwells within us (1 Corinthians 3:16), God invites us to dine with Him, to enjoy the riches of His feast. We can, of course, accept or decline the invitation. But when we say yes, we enjoy the food that Jesus sets before us, that which fills our empty spaces. And we too then experience a miraculous multiplication, because after we eat we then hunger for more of the sustenance He will provide each day.

An Invitation

How about you? How’s your level of hunger these days—for God, for His word, for the bread of life? If you feel lacking, know that you need only to ask God for more. God assures us that He always hears us, that as a good Father He delights to respond to our requests. He will keep on feeding us with the bread that satisfies. The bread that never becomes stale or moldy. The bread that we too can share with others. Come and eat! The bread is fresh out of the oven!

~ Amy Boucher Pye

Source: https://godhearsher.org/blog/hunger-for-gods-word/