Fearlessly Courageous
Desk of Dennis Piller
7 24 2026
Once I raised a family… I still am…and made a million mistakes.
Once I couldn’t wait to pray.
Once I couldn’t put my Bible down.
And yes… Once I couldn’t imagine becoming cynical… or distant… or unforgiving… or allowing disappointments to slowly harden my heart.
If tonight I had one final opportunity to leave my children and great grandchildren a few paragraphs, I wouldn’t ask them to remember my accomplishments. I wouldn’t remind them of the business I built, the sermons I taught, the people I influenced, or the dreams I chased.
I would tell them to remember another Once.
Once… upon a hill called Calvary.
One perfect Lamb.
One perfect sacrifice.
One Savior.
One empty tomb.
One act of obedience that forever changed eternity... for everyone!
I pray…even today, that they will remember that Jesus came Once to show us the Father. Then He stretched out His hands and willingly paid for every one of my failures… every careless word… every selfish decision… every compromise… every “Once” that still brings regret when I remember them. He carried them all to the cross and answered them with mercy.
And the beautiful mystery is this: His Once is greater than all of mine.
My failures happened Once.
My sins happened once.
My worst decisions happened once… And yes there were many.
But His forgiveness never stopped.
The cross was One moment in history, yet its grace still reaches broken people every single day.
So when your mind drifts backward to the “Once” that still haunts you, don’t stop there.
Keep walking until you reach another hill. Because there you’ll discover that your story
was never meant to be defined by your worst “Once.”
It was meant to be redeemed by His.
Calvary happened once……and that was enough.
For me.
For you.
For everyone who will come.
And one life completely surrendered to Christ can echo through generations long after our own “Once” has become someone else’s testimony of God’s amazing grace.
Never…never…forget His Once!
“What part of this hit home for you this morning? What are you carrying today that needs prayer? If you’d like, send me a prayer request here. Let’s invite the Holy Spirit in together. (where two are gathered.) You are not walking alone. Just hit reply…
I read every response.”
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Broken and Spilled out. Steve Green
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pklUAB4E4nA
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