July 2026 Newsletter

 

Psalm 33:12

Quotes of the month

A grateful heart does not need a perfect life to find peace. It simply learns to appreciate what is present instead of constantly focusing on what is absent.

The Gratitude website

Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.

Psalm 20:7

God will steer the boat, but you must row.

Fishermen of memes website

Forgiveness is a beautiful idea until one has something to forgive.

C.S. Lewis

It is treason against the King of Kings to tone down the Word of the Lord.

Charles Spurgeon

What years we have wasted in feeding our own insatiable self-pride, when only His will truly matters.

Thomas Kelly, A Testament of Devotion

The Ten Commandments

             by God

(editor’s note: We should all memorize these, and not just know them, but put them into action, especially the 4^th Commandment)

Thou shalt have no other gods before me

Thou shalt not make any graven images

Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain

Remember the Sabbath Day, and keep it holy

Honor thy father and thy mother

Thou shalt not kill

Thou shalt not commit adultery

Thou shalt not steal

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house nor anything that is thy neighbor’s

What is the meaning of 2 Corinthians 6:14? Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers.

When Paul was preaching to the people of Corinth and told them not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers, he was reaching back to the farm image of Deuteronomy 22:10, where an ox and a donkey were never to pull the same plow. Two different natures tug in different directions – nothing but strain results.

The command is broad: marriage, business partnerships, close-knit friendships, ministry teams – any binding relationship that requires shared goals and values.

Jesus invites His followers to take His yoke (Matthew 11:29). When we accept that gentle yoke, we cannot at the same time strap ourselves to someone moving the opposite way.

1 Corinthians 15:33 warns, “Bad company corrupts good character.”

Prolonged entanglement with unbelief risks moral drift, compromised witness, and spiritual fatigue.

Be Silent and Listen

by Alistair Begg

Woe to him who says to a wooden thing, Awake; to a silent stone, Arise! Can this teach? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in it. But the Lord is in His holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before Him.

Habakkuk 2:19-20

The world around Habakkuk was in a state of turmoil and appeared to be past the point of recovery. His own heart was deeply unsettled, prompting him to ask God why He was permitting all that was happening (Habakkuk 1:2-3). The prophet longed for something to be done. He longed for answers. He longed for change. And God said to Habakkuk, Remember that I still reign. Remember who I am, and who you are. God was still present “in His holy temple,” sovereignly ruling over all the earth. He had already ordained the means by which His will would be achieved. Recognizing this was a call to humility and silence for Habakkuk. Though he had his questions and complaints, and though he was permitted to raise those with God, most of all he needed to choose to listen to what God said and think about His words.

We see this call to silence throughout Scripture. God says through the psalmist, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). In the New Testament, when Jesus stood before Peter, James, and John on the Mount of Transfiguration in His heavenly glory and Peter, in his fear, said the first thing that came into his head, this was the divine call the disciples heard: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him” (Matthew 17:5).

When times are hard, some of us by character respond as activists: the problem needs to be overcome, and so we throw ourselves into working for a solution. Others of us respond as pessimists: the problem cannot be overcome, so we simply buckle under it or waste time on activities to escape it. In both cases, our response is prompted by an absence of being still before God to listen to and think about His words. We live in a world of constant noise: words, words, words – the babble of the pundits, professors, and politicians. But if we will not listen to God, we will end up relying on an idol that cannot speak (Habakkuk 2:18-19). Idols cannot truly speak about our lives or the circumstances in our world.

When days of difficulty are upon us, Habakkuk reminds us, “Let all the earth keep silence before Him.” We do not have all the answers, and neither do the experts. It is not wrong to ask questions or pursue solutions, but it is wrong if this comes at the expense of simply being still and hearing God’s word to listen to God’s voice. Whatever is going on around us, what we most need is to remember that the Lord is in His holy temple, directing history from His throne for the good of His people. That is the foundation upon which we can build a framework for understanding what God is doing in the world around us.

Do you feel as though the nations are raging and the kingdoms tottering? Are the mountains moving and the waves mounting up (Psalm 46:2-3, 6)? Be still, know that God is God, and listen to Him. 

The Search for Secret Knowledge: Why I Found the Greatest Healing in the Words, "Be Opened."

(contributed by a friend of mine, DEH)

The endless search for hidden knowledge stems from a universal human desire for healing, peace, purpose, freedom, and spiritual experience. Although there is no single statistic that captures how much Americans spend annually on gurus, energy healing, and spiritual practices, the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health reports that Americans spend more than $30 billion each year out of pocket on complementary health approaches, including billions on self-help materials and related services. Humanity's longing for healing and transformation is undeniable. Christians are invited to ask a deeper question: Is the healing our souls seek found in an ever-expanding spiritual marketplace, or in the One who looked to heaven, sighed deeply, and said, "Ephphatha"—"Be opened" (Mark 7:34)?

In my younger years, I became fascinated with world religions and spirituality after taking a World Religions course while studying psychology as an undergraduate. That curiosity led me into Native American studies, Buddhism, with many visits to a local temple, Taoism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and eventually into Reiki, Shamanic Reiki, and nervous system energy work. Throughout every stage of that journey, I maintained a daily prayer life. I continually brought these pursuits before God, asking Him to search my heart. My exploration was never intended to replace faith or worship, but rather to understand healing of the mind, body, and soul.

After more than three decades of studying diverse traditions, however, something always seemed to be missing. Perhaps part of that realization came from seeing that many healing systems are available only to those who can afford expensive courses, certifications, retreats, and private sessions with self-proclaimed gurus. In today's economy, where the cost of living continues to outpace many families' incomes, countless people are left longing for healing that remains financially out of reach. This is not intended to condemn every religion, spiritual practice, or healing modality. Matters of faith are deeply personal. Instead, I simply offer another perspective—one that emerged only after decades of searching.

Time and again, my journey kept leading me back to Christianity.

Despite twelve years of Catholic education—and even spending a year taking classes at an Anglican Seminary — I somehow overlooked one remarkable passage. In Mark 7:34, Jesus looked toward heaven, sighed deeply, and spoke a single Aramaic word:

"Ephphatha."

"Be opened."

When I stumbled upon this passage, I was astonished that I had never truly noticed it before. I sat quietly reflecting on those words and began asking myself: What did Jesus really mean? Is this simply the account of one miraculous healing, or does it reveal something deeper about the way Christ heals every human heart?

Perhaps our greatest need is not another teacher, another technique, another certification, or another spiritual experience. Perhaps what we need most is exactly what Jesus spoke over the deaf man that day: "Be opened."

Opened to hear God's voice above the noise of competing philosophies.

Opened to receive the peace that cannot be purchased.

Opened to discover that the deepest healing begins not with hidden knowledge but with a relationship with Christ Himself.

For more than thirty years I searched through traditions, philosophies, and healing practices, believing that somewhere there might be one more piece of wisdom waiting to be discovered. What I found instead was not another path, but Jesus.

Jesus never charged admission to healing. He never reserved God's love for those who could afford another level of training or another spiritual initiation. His invitation remains as open today as it was on the shores of Galilee.

Perhaps the words "Ephphatha—Be opened" are not merely a command spoken to one man nearly two thousand years ago. Perhaps they are an invitation Christ still speaks today—to open our ears to His truth, our hearts to His grace, and our lives to the healing that only He can provide.

NEWS NOTES

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Thank you, thank you. Frank Paul.

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copyright@TheSeedSower2026

The Sower of Seeds

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(Disclaimer:  What you are reading is all me, with the exception of some articles I include by other Christian authors, but I always give them credit and their own byline.

 I enjoy writing and creating. So I use no AI writing assist programs, nor will I ever going forward. Thank you.)