Ballpoints 5-28-25 The Flames Will Not Hurt You As I am writing this, this week is the five-year anniversary of our life-changing house fire. The flames took our home (we had lived there since 1988) on May 20, 2020. Amy and I were in the back yard when we heard the approach of fire trucks. Our son Jonathan, home from Law School, was studying upstairs when he smelled smoke. As flames surged from our bedroom, he called the fire department. We stood with the mayor of our town, in the rain, as the brave men and women fought to save our home. As the fire came under control, a young firefighter exited the house, walked up to me, and handed me my worn, treasured Bible that I had studied since I was 18. He simply said, "I knew I had to save this." The upstairs of our historic house was destroyed. Most of our clothing and belongings were gone. It took 4 1/2 years to complete our home. We finally moved back in just before Thanksgiving 2024. During those years, we saw God do miracle after miracle. Thousands of people prayed for us and one friend organized a GoFundMe campaign that helped us while we recovered. We received calls and donations from many of our Amway friends (including Doug DeVos) and were given support from Sam Rodriguez, the head of the NHCLC, the largest Hispanic Christian organization in the United States. We became closer as a family and our relationship with God deepened daily. The past four years were among the happiest we have ever known. All of this confirms one the great promises in God's word, found in Isaiah 43:2b, "...When you walk through the fire you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze." We can abundantly affirm that this verse is totally true. Whatever fire you face, trust God. His promise is just as true for you. Go to www.choosegreatness.com today for more insight into living a great life. You can watch Ron’s show, “Choose Greatness: Your Key to a Happier Life” on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9hhhg3gJWYP8auB02aoerA/videos Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ronball/ (fb)

Ballpoints 5-21-25 Big Belief Several years ago I was speaking to 3,000 people at a sales training conference in Atlanta. The crowd overflowed with excitement and positive energy. The purpose of the meeting was to provide opportunity and skill development for new business owners. When I finished, I walked down the steps at the side of the stage and was intercepted by a small group of young people. A young man (very sharp) introduced himself and asked if I could speak with someone. I agreed and he turned to a young woman at the back of the group and addressed her in Spanish. The group parted to allow the woman to move to the front. The young man translated as she told her story. Rosa lived in San Jose, California and had received an invitation to attend the conference in Atlanta. She was a Christian and when she prayed, she felt she had to come. She explained that she was 27, had a 4-year-old daughter and lived with her mother. She worked as a server in a restaurant. She said she did not have enough money for the trip, so she sold her TV, bor-rowed her mother's car and drove 35 hours (2,430 miles) to Atlanta. She said that as she sat in the conference she was suddenly filled with a Big Belief. She knew she want-ed to start a business and decided to use what she learned at the conference to begin. By this time, everyone was crying (including me). I promised to pray for her and the group promised to help her. I heard from Rosa two years later. She had developed a profitable marketing business. She was success-ful enough to rent her own apartment and help her mother. She was dating a young man from her church and enthusiastic about her future. All of this born out of her BIG BELIEF. What are you willing to believe God for? What are you willing to do to make your big belief come true? The Bible says in Romans 15:13, "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit". NKJV Go to www.choosegreatness.com today for more insight into living a great life. You can watch Ron’s show, “Choose Greatness: Your Key to a Happier Life” on our YouTube Chan-nel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9hhhg3gJWYP8auB02aoerA/videos Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ronball/ (fb)