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The Lakota Sioux call them the Paha Sapa. We call them the Black Hills. The people who live in Keystone, South Dakota, call them their backyard. If you have ever visited Mt. Rushmore and the Black Hills, you probably drove by or through Keystone. But the Keystone you drive through now isn't where Keystone used to be - not since the flood of 1972. It was devastating. Back then, Keystone was in the valley by a lazy little creek which suddenly became a raging flood one day in 1972, roaring through that valley, destroying the town, and claiming many lives in the area. Well, it was then that the folks of Keystone decided to make a change. When they rebuilt their business district and many of their homes, it wasn't on the ground they had always been on. No, the flood changed all that. They moved up the mountain to higher ground.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Living Where It's Safe."

Life's floods come in many forms; those major crises or disasters that carry away a lot of what we had been depending on. An illness, or maybe a death can do that, a divorce can do it, a disaster, a broken relationship, the loss of your job. There are a lot of upheavals that come rushing in and they change the landscape of our life forever. And they make you think, maybe for the first time, about where is the best place to build the rest of my life.

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Psalm 46: "God is our refuge and strength; an ever present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea" - here come the floods - "though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging" (verses 1-3). We're talking here about life's major upheavals - everything you used to count on getting washed away.

But remember, "God is our refuge and strength," so we don't have to fear those things. Why? Because when you've lost everything, you haven't lost everything! Not if you have a deep, personal love relationship with the God who never leaves, never lets go of those who belong to Him.

The Psalm goes on to say, "The Lord Almighty is with us, come and see the works of the Lord" (verses 7-8). And then a simple statement that may explain the reason the flood was allowed to happen, so you would finally, "Be still and know that I am God" (verse 10). Maybe, for all practical purposes, you've been "God" in your life. You've been controlling things; you've been living life your way. And you've been building your life around someone or something here on earth - something or someone that the flood may be washing away, or maybe it already has.

God's message to you through all of your stress and your pain is, "It's time to move to higher ground." Having seen how fragile, how losable all your earth stuff is, are you ready to build on something you can never lose, no matter what hits you? You were created to build your life on the One who gave you your life - God Himself. But the Bible says we've built it on ourselves. And it took the brutal death of God's Son, Jesus on the cross, to pay the death penalty for all of our "I'll be God" choices.

The folks in Keystone, South Dakota, would never have considered moving to higher ground until that flood hit. And maybe you would have never considered turning your life over to Jesus Christ, but now the floods have hit. And you now know that nothing earth can offer you will give you what your heart is so hungry for. Isn't it time to move up the hill? It's the hill where Jesus died for you so you could finally have something that's called "ever-lasting"?

If that's what you want, would you tell Jesus you're done running your life and you want to put your trust in the One who died for your sin? Check out our website today, it will help you know how to be sure yo

Read: Luke 15:4-7; 19:10

“Mom!” Nia ran into the kitchen. “My lamb is gone! I’m sure I latched the door after I fed him, but it’s open now and Wooly is gone.”

“Oh dear,” said Mom. “We’d better go look for him.”

They started off, calling Wooly’s name as they searched the ditch and fields along the road. “Look,” Nia said as they approached a house not far from their own. “Mr. and Mrs. Harris are working in their garden. Let’s ask if they’ve seen Wooly.” Mom nodded, and they headed over to ask their neighbors if they had seen the lamb.

“No, we haven’t seen him,” said Mrs. Harris. “But we’ll help you look for him.” So she and her husband joined the search, leaving their work unfinished.

Mr. Harris was the one who finally found Wooly behind a neighbor’s barn, and Nia happily took her lamb home. After making sure he couldn’t get out again, she went to thank Mr. and Mrs. Harris for their help.

“I’m sorry you had to leave the work you were doing,” Nia said. “Can I help you finish it?”

“No, no, we’ll finish it tomorrow,” said Mrs. Harris. “I’m just glad we were able to find your lost sheep.”

Mr. Harris nodded. “Nia, do you remember the parable Jesus told about lost sheep? Pastor Roy talked about it at church last week.”

“Yeah,” said Nia. “The shepherd left all the sheep that were safe and went out to search for one little lamb that was missing.”

"That's right,” said Mr. Harris. “And did you know that people are like lost sheep?”

Nia nodded. “And Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He left heaven and gave His life to find us and save us.”

“Right again,” said Mr. Harris. “I hope our search for Wooly will help us remember we were all lost sheep once and should never be too busy to hunt for other lost sheep—other people who don’t know Jesus.”

Nia thought about that. “I have a new friend at school who doesn’t know Jesus. That means she’s just as lost as Wooly was. I’m going to ask Jesus to help me tell her about Him so she can be found, just like I was!”

“Good for you,” said Mrs. Harris. “We’ll be praying for her—and for you.”

–Nancy I. Merical

How about you? Do you know any lost sheep? The Bible says anyone who doesn’t know Jesus is lost. But there’s good news! Jesus came to find and save the lost. He found you when you put your faith in Him, and He wants you to point other lost sheep to Him so they can be found too. You can do that by praying for them and sharing what Jesus has done for you. Do all you can to help bring others to Jesus.

Today's Key Verse: Your Father in heaven does not want any of these little children to be lost. Matthew 18:14 (ERV)

Today's Key Thought: Tell others about Jesus

How often have you attained something worldly and found it completely fulfilled all your hopes and dreams? Even if it did satisfy in the moment, how long before another desire began to capture your attention? Learn to shift your focus to the eternal things that really matter.

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The two men conquered human flight, but the Wright brothers’ journey to success was never easy. Despite countless failures, ridicule, money woes, and serious injury to one of them, the brothers weren’t stopped by the trials they faced. As Orville Wright observed, “No bird soars in a calm.” The idea, according to biographer David McCullough, means that adversity can “often be exactly what you need to give you a lift higher.” Said McCullough, “Their joy was not getting to the top of the mountain. Their joy was climbing the mountain.”

The apostle Peter taught a similar spiritual principle to the persecuted early church. He told them, “Do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you” (1 Peter 4:12). This wasn’t a denial of suffering’s pain. Peter knew that hope in Christ grows our trust in God.

This is especially true when we suffer for being a believer in Jesus, as those early Christians did. Peter wrote to them, “Rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed” (v. 13). He went on, “If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you” (v. 14).

As the Wright Brothers’ character was hailed by their biographer, may others see God’s loving character at work in us. He uses our adversity to raise us to new heights.

Segment 1

• The political shifts in Minnesota across recent decades have been cataclysmic.

• Anti-ICE protesters storm a church mid-service, with cameras rolling.

• Peter’s letters on sanctified suffering suddenly read like tomorrow’s news — are you prepared?

Segment 2

• How would you handle political protestors storming the doors of your church?

• Our suffering must be grounded in our salvation: what Christ has done for us.

• Focusing on Jesus and His work – like the pastor of that church did – is the only way to weather the coming storm.

Segment 3

• We must think about how scary-good AI is getting.

• We are creatures that are made to work – and we should not offload all of our work to machines.

• There are elements of the human experience that will never be able to be replicated by robots.

Segment 4

• AI is the next in a line of extreme technological advancements that humanity has faced.

• Where will things be with AI and automation a decade from now?

• Do we need to prepare ourselves for pastors that aren’t strictly human?

___

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We are often pushed right to the edge of our time, our capacity, and especially, our finances. Every hour gets scheduled. Every dollar gets spent. Before we know it, we’re living without space to breathe. On the next Faith & Finance Live, Rob West talks about creating space for what matters most. Discover why margin is essential for wise stewardship. Then, it’s on to your calls. That’s Faith & Finance Live, biblical wisdom for your financial decisions. That’s weekdays at 4pm Eastern/3pm Central on Moody Radio.

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In a world that values pluralism and diversity, how do we balance cultural inclusion with biblical truth? Dr. John explores Isaiah 43:8-13, where God calls the nations to account and declares there is only one true God. While we celebrate diversity and inclusion in society, the church must remain unwavering in its loyalty to Jesus Christ alone—the only Savior who can deliver us from judgment. Israel was called to witness this truth to the nations, and today, Christians carry that same responsibility to share the hope found only in Christ.

God and the World's Idols: What are you really worshipping? In this series through Isaiah 40–44, Dr. John Neufeld explores one of Scripture's most powerful confrontations between the living God and the idols humanity creates. Writing to a nation facing exile and questioning whether their God has abandoned them, Isaiah paints a stunning portrait of who God truly is — His wisdom that needs no counsel, His power that never grows weary, His sovereignty over history itself.

Listen to today's Laugh Again with Phil Callaway, "Tombstones and Grace." Enjoy!