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WITH DOUG JOHNSON

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555 My Theology

In a recent conversation, I was contemplating a concept called “my theology”.  To be honest, I am not sure what that even means.

It’s not that I do not understand the concept, it is that I am not totally sure how to describe it.

As I got out of bed and grabbed a cup of coffee, I thought that I might take a crack at it.

Here is what I know:

John 1 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 

Just as sure as Genesis 1 is the start of the Bible, John 1 is too.  And some 2000 years ago, Jesus walked the earth with a common man.  And this common man, John, wrote one of the greatest literary works of all time, and in it He claimed to be Jesus’ favorite.

John 3 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 

15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 

Jesus showed up in the night not too long after that to meet a Religious scholar named Nicodemus.  And in one of the most incredible conversations in human history, Jesus connects to the Old Testament scriptures WHILE opening up a door for all of man kind, saying that God loves the world so much that He is going to give His only Son, who was with Him in the beginning, so that WE, you and I, will no longer have to be sitting ducks for Hell.

Luke 4 20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Jesus then goes into the synagogue, reads a scripture from Isaiah, and then declares Himself God, surely setting Himself up to be killed.  And in this activity, He breaks every political rule. He angers people in power, stops His day for people who are outcast, hangs out with unqualified and broken people, and lives out His days as a homeless itinerant preacher.

John 18 35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”

36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”

37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.

Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

Jesus, is arrested, brought before a man named Pontius Pilate, and somehow avoids even defending Himself.  He is exposed to an unfair trial and treated as a common criminal.  Pilate KNOWS that He is not guilty, yet fears the repercussions of what that might cost him.  And so he allows Him to be turned over to a mob that will beat, mock, accuse, and execute Him.

John 19 30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

In His final action before dying, Jesus says something that translates to “it is paid in full”, a statement that business people use to say that a loan is paid.  To many, it must have been a crazy last statement of a man taking His last breath.

But to me, it makes perfect sense.

Acts 16 29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

Not long after that, a man named Paul, who is traveling the region to punish, humiliate, and kill the followers of Jesus, changes teams.  He converts.  And in his conversion he has conversations like the one in Acts 16, where even his jailer can come and be saved.

To me, this is the craziest set of writings that I have ever read.

The most powerful man dies.

The King doesn’t rule, he submits to people who don’t have the ability to lead.

The champions of His story are former opponents who have converted.

None of it makes sense.

And yet, it does.

Our world is broken.

The people in it are broken.

The system is broken.

None of it makes any sense.

Until you read John, and then Ecclesiastes, and then Romans, and then Acts, and then …….

The reality is … it makes so much sense that I will chase it.  And I certainly surrender to Jesus … He … is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me.

And that … is my theology.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J

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551 There’s A Hope In Front Of Me

I can’t stand what we did to ourselves…And I can’t stand what the devil does to us as a result of it.

We sin.  And he attacks.  He gets us on the ground and he kicks and kicks and kicks until he has us broken and bloody.

Romans 3:23 says that we all fall short of the glory of God.  And with that falling short, we exist in a broken world.  That will never change.  And there is nothing that we can do about it.

I am glad that is not the end of the story.

Since we were sitting ducks for hell and all of the things that go with it, God made a decision.

He sent Jesus.

And Jesus came as a Lamb so that He could come back as a Lion.

Romans 5 15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!

Romans 8 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

His grace is enough.  It is enough to bind the enemy’s plan, it is enough to overcome our sin, and it is enough to raise us from the dead.  And we can be assured that this Jesus … this Lamb of God … is also the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.  And we, are More Than Conquerors.

He is the Holy One.

And He is coming to rescue His bride and bring justice for those who were pushed into the pit.

These are not just words in a book  …  They are the hope of ages.

They are not unattainable wishes … We HOLD these promises.

We are not the victims … We are More Than Conquerors.

So do what you have to do.

Cry.

Mourn.

Sit in sadness.

But get up.

And when you get up … throw haymakers.  Swing for the knockout and go for blood.  You are not called to lay on the ground and take a beating.

You are called to get up and fight.

And FIGHT you will … because Jesus took on the gates of hell so that you could be free.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J

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541 He Intervened

2000 years ago, He made a choice.

Again.

He made a choice to be the substitute.

And it wasn’t like it was the only time to make the choice.  But it was the final time to make the choice.

Not understanding time, I do not know how long He had to think about doing this.  But I have a feeling He got to think for a VERY long time.  And, that alone, must have been difficult.

But to walk it out?  It is unfathomable.

Romans 5 6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 

While we were still sinners.

We have so much to be grateful for.

And we owe it all to Him.

In the middle of our awkward attempt at life, He intervened.

And He intervened in a moment where it would have been very difficult.

He intervened when we were UGLY … and DISLOYAL … and NASTY.  He intervened when we could not have been easy to save.

He intervened when we had hearts of PURE STONE.  Ezekiel 36 says that He gives us a new heart.

He intervened when we were spiritually inadequate.  Genesis 14 says He will bless us and replenish us.

He intervened when we were closest to death and outnumbered by our enemies.  Psalm 23 says that He will comfort us in the midst of death.

He intervened when we were held captive by the evil ruler of hell.  Matthew 16 says that even the gates of hell will not stand.

And He intervened to defeat the enemy for all time.  Revelation 19 says that He will ride a white horse … and that our enemies shall not prosper.

And He intervened from beyond time.  Revelation 22 says that He is the beginning … and the end.

As you celebrate Easter this 2026, let us not be calloused, or broken, or unaware.

Let us be fully aware of what He did … knowing even in the midst of this that we have NOT A CLUE.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J

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503 Sooner Or Later

  • Moses wanted to surrender to inadequacy.

Exodus 2 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” 

  • Nathanael just wanted to be noticed.

John 1 48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” 49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”

  • The leper did not want to be broken anymore.

Matthew 8 2 A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” 3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cured of his leprosy. 

  • Nicodemus knew at the heart of his ministry that he was misguided.

John 3 3 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council.  2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

And like all of these situations, we are all facing surrender.  Our reality is this:

Sooner Or Later We Are All Going 

To Have To Surrender To Something

Inadequate.

Unnoticed.

Broken.

Misguided.

What is your story?

If you are like me, it is a long laundry list of obstacles.

But the reality for all of us is this:

We can surrender to Jesus or lose to the rest.

And our surrender is not a detriment.

It is the greatest option that we could ever have.

So cry out to the King of the Universe … And give everything you have to Him.  He is worthy.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J

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500 The Word Of God

There are few things greater than the power of choice.  We get to CHOOSE.  We can choose what fades away, or we can choose what lasts FOREVER.  We can choose something that FILLS OUR HEARTS and something that FILTERS out the pollutants that we encounter every day.  In our choice, we get PROTECTION, PROVISION, and VISION.

Today … I CHOOSE it.  And I encourage you to CHOOSE it too.

The Word of God gives us CHOICE

Luke 11 28 But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” 

The Word of God lasts FOREVER

Isaiah 40 8 The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.

Matthew 24 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

The Word of God FILLS OUR HEARTS

Colossians 3 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

The Word of God FILTERS 

2 Timothy 3 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

John 17 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

The Word of God PROTECTS

Hebrews 4 12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

The Word of God PROVIDES

Matthew 4 4 But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

The Word of God SEES

Psalm 119 105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

The bottom line is this:  Our lifeblood.  Our hope.  Our very existence is tied to this word and this God.

Thank you Jesus.

And as Peter spoke out to you:

“Lord, where would I go?  You ALONE hold the keys to eternal life.”

Amen and Amen.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J

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490 Saved For A Purpose

Jesus is seeking you out in the same way that He sought out a rejected woman at a well some 2000 years ago.

And when you understand this very important truth, you understand that you are saved for a purpose.

John 4

4 Now he had to go through Samaria.

6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour. 

7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)

9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans. ) 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” 11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 

12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?” 13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” 16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” 

17 “I have no husband,” she replied. 

18 Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” 19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” 21 Jesus declared, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 

23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”

25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” 26 Then Jesus declared, “I who speak to you am he.” 27 Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?” 

28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ ?” 

30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him.

38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”

39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers. 42 They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.” 

My point of emphasis on this passage of scripture is NOT about the fact that Jesus cut the humanistic ties with racism, misogyny, elitism, economic class, religious rules, and every other item that we, as humans, have created … Even though it could be.

My point of emphasis on this passage of scripture is NOT about forgiveness for all … Even though it could be.

My point of emphasis on this passage of scripture is NOT about the fact that Jesus claimed to be God … Even though it could be.

My point of emphasis on this passage of scripture is NOT about Jesus being the LIVING WATER … Even though it could be.

My point of emphasis is this:

YOU, just like the woman at the well, are saved for a purpose.

So if you lack Purpose, then check in with Jesus and connect with Him in a deeper way … because when He saves you He gives you purpose.

And if you are in need of saving, cry out to Him to be your Savior … He is worthy to save.  And He has such a great purpose for you.

He is worthy … and He wants to put something on your life that is bigger than anything you could ever imagine or even ask for.

YOU … were saved for a purpose.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J

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487 Be … Then What?

The Bible calls all of us as believers to many things.

And one of them is to be:  Above Reproach

As we read below:

1 Timothy 3 1 Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. 2 Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. 5 (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. 7 He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.

There are many things in this verse that we must read:

Faithful

Temperate

Self-Controlled

Respectable

Hospitable

Able To Teach

Not Given To Drunkenness

Not Violent But Gentle

Not Quarrelsome

Not A Lover Of Money

Must Manage His Family Well

Must Have A Good Reputation

Now, if you are A Recent Convert … what I have to say now is not for you.  You are to seek God, and pray, and learn His word, and meet with other SOLID BELIEVERS, and grow in your faith.

But most of us … we grow out of that … and now it is time to step up and do the very thing that that verse above requires.  It is time for us to walk into the calling that God has for us.  As a coach, I would say:  “Get Your Butt Going!”

  1.  You Are Called To Greater Things

Do not underestimate your influence, do not downplay it, and do not lazily disregard it.  Walk into your calling!

1 Peter 2 9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

  1.  This Is Not An Optional Mandate

He calls us to ministry.  It is not our job to “regulate” the pastor.  We are not to sit in the back pew and say “he needs to do this and this and this …”  Nonsense.  We are to stand up and lead.  Start your ministry today, or at least tomorrow or Monday or have a plan.  And aim big!  The world is full of the lost.

Matthew 28 18 But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. 

19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 

24 “Then the man who had received the one talent came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ 26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. 28 ” ‘Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29 For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

  1.  The Gold Standard

Follow the playbook in your ministry.  The playbook is written in your Bible.  And Jesus … He is the Gold Standard.

Proverbs 17 3 The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heart. 

So yes,

Be Above Reproach

Be:

Faithful

Temperate

Self-Controlled

Respectable

Hospitable

Able To Teach

Not Given To Drunkenness

Not Violent But Gentle

Not Quarrelsome

Not A Lover Of Money

Must Manage His Family Well

But then what?

Get Your Butt Going!!

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J

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486 God Intended It For Good

One of the greatest verses in the Bible is Genesis 50:20.

After getting sold into slavery, falsely accused, thrown into prison, and then promoted to Governor of Egypt, Joseph’s life comes full circle.

And the grace of God falls onto his brothers in an incredible way as he tells them:

Genesis 50 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

In an incredible story of what God does…redemption…Joseph’s life saves an estimated 70 Israelites and a million people.  And Joseph’s ability to move past what happened and forgive is incredibly significant.

Slavery.  Slander.  Prison.  When we get in a tough situation, a trial, or we are simply trying to fight through things, we must ask?

Where Is My Focus?

When David walked up on the Goliath situation, he heard from everyone about the giant.  Goliath.  Goliath.  Goliath.  But David was not focused on Goliath, nor the weapons that they used to fight.  He was focused on God.  And God gave David a weapon that was far greater than what Goliath had.  The sling that God had him use to fight wolves and lions was far greater than anything Goliath could bring.

Where Is My Focus?  It should be on God … not the giant.  Because God has the weapons we need to defeat the giant.

What Will You Get There?

Hope … and Faith.  Hebrews 11 says that Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what you do not see.  Hope is one of the most important things we can have.  When our hope is not there, our thoughts go in the wrong direction.  But hope gives us the motivation to get up and walk, to move forward, to begin to dream.

What Will You Get There?  Hope … And Faith Is Being Sure Of What You Hope For.

God is bigger than the walls in front of us.

He is bigger than our failures and our mistakes.

He is bigger than our mortality.

Jesus Christ became one of us so that we could know that He has walked in our shoes, that He has been tempted, and that He has experienced loss.

And we can hold on to this promise … that what was intended to harm us God can use for good.

WALK in the covering of Jesus … His love never fails.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J

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483 The Bible Is Not A Boot

As I drove home from a meeting with an incredible man today, I was convicted in my car and I believe God put this thought on my heart:  

“The Bible IS NOT a boot.”

Amen.

The Bible should never be used to kick someone, to hurt someone, to drive a point home.

It is NOT OUR PLACE.

I am saved by the grace of a God who loves me too much to let me die in the midst of my sin … and my sin is great.

Thankfully I say to you … “My God is not done with me yet!”

Wow, that feels so good to say:

“My God is NOT DONE with me yet!”

In a world of darkness and evil and falling short, I am the greatest of these … the pride, and unforgiveness, and impurity, and vengeance, and hard-heartedness that can well up in me is beyond description.  And it is destructive.  And yet, I can find it, and identify it, in me.  In God’s love letter written to all of us, for this day, on January 28, 2025, Paul said it best:

1 Timothy 1 15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

The Bible Is NOT A Boot.

Because if it were, I would be getting kicked in the face right now by a God who could kick me a good distance.  But that is not His way.  And as I meditate on that verse above today, I am so grateful.  For I am “the Chief of sinners” and I would be happy to argue with Paul about it.

And chances are … you are “the Chief of sinners” too.

And so what does God tell us to do?

How are we to introduce others to Jesus?

How can we properly communicate this gospel?

Here are a few thoughts:

The Bible is a Message Of Reconciliation:

2 Corinthians 5 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 

20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 

The Bible is a message of love:

John 3 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

The Bible is a message of our need to have a Savior:

Romans 8 1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. 

The Bible is a lot of things.

It is a book of instruction.

It is a book of wisdom.

It is a book of history.

It is a book of LOVE and GRACE and FORGIVENESS …

It is a book about Jesus.

There are a lot of ways to describe it.

But one thing that it is not:  The Bible Is NOT A Boot

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J

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