From:
Date: October 21, 2019
Subject: It's October 21; Good Morning Union
“Caleb had a different spirit.” Numbers 14:24
Still looking at the Old Testament story over break and still being blessed by God’s Word as I give Him a chance to direct my thoughts and therefore my life. I still highly recommend the spiritual discipline of spending SOME time every day in God’s word. Life can get very confusing very quickly if I don’t have an anchor grounded in something. I choose to believe that my best anchor is in His word!
So, what’s the “different spirit” that I saw this morning. If it’s important to God, it’s clear in His word (have I ever said that before!?) Here’s the whole verse, “Caleb had a different spirit and followed Me wholeheartedly.” I’m not sure if the “different spirit” WAS that he followed God wholeheartedly, or if this “different spirit” is what motivated him to follow God wholeheartedly. Either way there was something about Caleb that caused him, or motivated him, to “follow God wholeheartedly,” and that “following wholeheartedly” was the distinguishing character quality that allowed God to safely bring him through the 40 years of wandering and into the land God had promised. Only 2 adults, Caleb and his friend Joshua, got to see the fulfillment of God’s promise. 2 out of a million+; that’s like winning the spiritual lottery, except this is not by chance; it’s by choice—a conscious choice!
The differentiating quality that made Caleb a winner appears to me to be that “different spirit;” that “following God wholeheartedly,” and THAT caused me to ask myself this morning, what “spirit” is leading my life? What, if anything, have I chosen to give myself to “wholeheartedly?” My level of commitment, as with Caleb, appears to be somehow correlated to my “spirit” and my “wholeheartedness” in deciding WHO or what I choose to give myself to, spirit and heart. Caleb won, and I do too, when it’s God’s Spirit that guides me and I choose to give myself “wholeheartedly” to THAT Spirit and nothing else.
Have a wholeheartedly great day giving yourself to His Spirit,
Pastor Rich
Quote for the day: “It is an awful thing for me to see people who profess to be Christians lifeless, powerless, and in a place where their lives are so parallel to unbelievers' lives that it is difficult to tell which place they are in, whether in the flesh or in the Spirit." - Smith Wigglesworth
PS I’m (Pastor Guadalupe) inviting YOU into my joy and reflection on the lessons this season (Autumn) can teach us about life, death and God. So join in the Leaf Peeper 
Challenge for a chance to win some cash as you glean spiritual lessons, travel around Lincoln looking for the best color and embrace the beauty of the season.
#LeafPeeperChallenger #YoungAd
Leaf Peeper Challenge
1. Use your cell phone camera
2. Capture Fall foliage in Lincoln, NE
Submit by Thursday,October 24th 12pm to 978-333-1209.
-Up to 5 submissions per person allowed
-Tell me what Autumn teaches you about life, death, or God.
You only have to do this one time, regardless of the number of entries submitted
3. Winner will be announced Thursday evening. Time TBA
-1st place winner $50
-2nd & 3rd winners $25 each.