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Lori Cline - Greatest Hits
Follow the Feature: Discovering the True Treasure of the Cross
In the episode of Lori Cline's Greatest Hits, Lori shares the story of searching for treasure on Oak Island to illustrate how, just as we follow clues to find hidden treasure, we are called to follow the unchanging "feature" of the cross to discover the true meaning of Easter and who Jesus really is. "Interested in becoming a devoted follower of Christ?" Go to follow.lifeword.org
By: Lori Cline
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Sep 11, 2025
Show
The Lori Cline Show
Duration
00:04:56 min.
00:04:56 min.
Lori Cline - Greatest Hits
To Mars and Back
This transcript reflects on the awe-inspiring discoveries of space exploration, emphasizing that while the universe is vast and magnificent, the Creator who made it all knows, loves, and values each of us personally. "Interested in becoming a devoted follower of Christ?" Go to follow.lifeword.org
By: Lori Cline
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Sep 09, 2025
Show
The Lori Cline Show
Duration
00:04:25 min.
00:04:25 min.
Lori Cline - Greatest Hits
When Christians Bite: Choosing Compassion Over Division in the Body of Christ
In this episode of Lori Cline's Greatest Hits, today Lori encourages Christians to avoid tearing each other down with harsh words and divisiveness, reminding us instead to embody compassion, kindness, and unity so the world sees Christ’s love through us. "Interested in becoming a devoted follower of Christ?" Go to follow.lifeword.org
By: Lori Cline
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Sep 04, 2025
Show
The Lori Cline Show
Duration
00:04:09 min.
00:04:09 min.
Lori Cline - Greatest Hits
Going Against the Current: Choosing the Ancient Path of Faith
Today on this episode of Lori Cline's Greatest Hits, Lori shares how following Jesus often means going against the easy flow of culture, requiring daily self-denial and perseverance along a challenging but ultimately life-giving path. "Interested in becoming a devoted follower of Christ?" Go to follow.lifeword.org
By: Lori Cline
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Sep 02, 2025
Show
The Lori Cline Show
Duration
00:04:04 min.
00:04:04 min.
Lori Cline - Greatest Hits
Lori Cline's Greatest Hits: Dead or Alive?
In this episode of Lori Cline's Greatest Hits, Lori uses the example of what makes something physically alive or dead to explain that, through faith in Jesus, we can move from being spiritually dead to truly alive, growing and producing the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. "Interested in becoming a devoted follower of Christ?" Go to follow.lifeword.org
By: Lori Cline
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Aug 28, 2025
Show
The Lori Cline Show
Duration
00:03:53 min.
00:03:53 min.
Lori Cline - Greatest Hits
Lori Cline's Greatest Hits: How Do You View the World?
Today on Lori Cline's Greatest Hits, Lori shares how our worldview shapes every aspect of our lives, and having a biblical worldview means using God's unchanging truth as our guide rather than relying on personal opinions or cultural filters. "Interested in becoming a devoted follower of Christ?" Go to follow.lifeword.org
By: Lori Cline
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Aug 26, 2025
Show
The Lori Cline Show
Duration
04:34:39 min.
04:34:39 min.
Lori Cline - Greatest Hits
Lori Cline's Greatest Hits: Does God Really Care About My Choices?
In this episode of Lori Cline's Greatest Hits, Lori shares how God cares about the choices we make, and the way we show our love for Him is through choosing to follow His guidance and commandments in our everyday decisions. "Interested in becoming a devoted follower of Christ?" Go to follow.lifeword.org
By: Lori Cline
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Aug 19, 2025
Show
The Lori Cline Show
Duration
00:04:18 min.
00:04:18 min.
Lori Cline - Greatest Hits
Lori Cline's Greatest Hits: What Is the Bible to You?
In this episode of Lori Cline's Greatest Hits, Lori reflects on the personal and foundational significance of the Bible, urging listeners to rediscover its truth for themselves amidst a culture that increasingly questions its authority and relevance. "Interested in becoming a devoted follower of Christ?" Go to follow.lifeword.org
By: Lori Cline
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Aug 14, 2025
Show
The Lori Cline Show
Duration
00:05:04 min.
00:05:04 min.
Lori Cline - Greatest Hits
Lori Cline's Greatest Hits: Too Much of a Good Thing?
Today on Lori Cline's Greatest Hits, Lori explores how even good things can become harmful when taken in excess, and emphasizes the importance of wisdom and self-restraint in our daily lives. "Interested in becoming a devoted follower of Christ?" Go to follow.lifeword.org
By: Lori Cline
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Aug 12, 2025
Show
The Lori Cline Show
Duration
00:04:18 min.
00:04:18 min.
Lori Cline - Greatest Hits
Lori Cline's Greatest Hits: Do We Test God’s Patience?
In this episode of Lori Cline's Greatest Hits, Lori explores the challenge of patience in everyday life, using personal stories and biblical wisdom to encourage listeners to reflect on God's patience and grace, especially when their own patience is tested. "Interested in becoming a devoted follower of Christ?" Go to follow.lifeword.org
By: Lori Cline
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Aug 12, 2025
Show
The Lori Cline Show
Duration
00:05:39 min.
00:05:39 min.
Lori Cline - Greatest Hits
Lori Cline's Greatest Hits: Move out
Today on Lori Cline's Greatest Hits, Lori uses the story of the Israelites' exodus from Egypt to encourage listeners to let go of what holds them back and trust that God will guide them into a new and better chapter of life. "Interested in becoming a devoted follower of Christ?" Go to follow.lifeword.org
By: Lori Cline
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Aug 07, 2025
Show
The Lori Cline Show
Duration
00:04:46 min.
00:04:46 min.
Lori Cline - Greatest Hits
Lori Cline's Greatest Hits - Becoming Beautiful
In this episode of Lori Cline's Greatest Hits, Lori explores how our lives, like art, are most beautiful and meaningful when they truthfully reflect who we are and allow God, the Creator, to shape us—even through broken and contrasting moments—into something uniquely full of hope and inspiration. "Interested in becoming a devoted follower of Christ?" Go to follow.lifeword.org
By: Lori Cline
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Aug 05, 2025
Show
The Lori Cline Show
Duration
00:04:07 min.
00:04:07 min.
Lori Cline - Greatest Hits
What Shade Of Bitter Are You?
Today on Lori Cline's Greatest Hits, Lori emphasizes that while we may focus on outward appearances, what truly matters is letting go of bitterness and choosing to be “colored by love,” allowing kindness, forgiveness, and grace to shape how we interact with others. "Interested in becoming a devoted follower of Christ?" Go to follow.lifeword.org
By: Lori Cline
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Jul 31, 2025
Show
The Lori Cline Show
Duration
00:04:27 min.
00:04:27 min.
Lori Cline - Greatest Hits
Fight Like Jesus
Today on Lori Cline's Greatest Hits, this episode explores how Jesus fought temptation in the wilderness by standing firm on scripture, encouraging listeners to use God’s word as their weapon to resist the devil and overcome their own battles. "Interested in becoming a devoted follower of Christ?" Go to follow.lifeword.org
By: Lori Cline
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Jul 29, 2025
Show
The Lori Cline Show
Duration
00:03:41 min.
00:03:41 min.
Lori Cline - Greatest Hits
The World of Illusion
In this episode of Lori Cline's Greatest Hits, Lori emphasizes that we must not be deceived by the illusions and narratives shaped by culture, but instead seek truth, remember who the real enemy is, and walk in love and faith anchored in God's Word. "Interested in becoming a devoted follower of Christ?" Go to follow.lifeword.org
By: Lori Cline
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Jul 24, 2025
Show
The Lori Cline Show
Duration
00:04:44 min.
00:04:44 min.
Lori Cline - Greatest Hits
Can Good and Evil Coexist?
To on Lori Cline's greatest hits, Lori shares how Jesus’ parable of the weeds teaches us that while good and evil grow together in the world, we should focus on cultivating truth and righteousness in our own hearts, trusting that God will ultimately separate and judge at the proper time. "Interested in becoming a devoted follower of Christ?" Go to follow.lifeword.org
By: Lori Cline
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Jul 22, 2025
Show
The Lori Cline Show
Duration
00:03:51 min.
00:03:51 min.
Lori Cline - Greatest Hits
Why We Need to Let the Sun Shine In
In this episode of Lori cline's Greatest Hits, Lori discusses the popularity and importance of vitamin D for immunity, especially during the pandemic, and draws parallels between the physical benefits of sunlight and the spiritual significance of God's healing light. "Interested in becoming a devoted follower of Christ?" Go to follow.lifeword.org
By: Lori Cline
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Jul 17, 2025
Show
The Lori Cline Show
Duration
00:03:41 min.
00:03:41 min.
Lori Cline - Greatest Hits
Someone May Need This From You Today
Welcome to Lori Cline's Greatest Hits. Today Lori emphasizes that while our needs may vary, God knows them all and meets us with comfort, encouraging us to share that same comfort and compassion with others in our lives. "Interested in becoming a devoted follower of Christ?" Go to follow.lifeword.org
By: Lori Cline
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Jul 15, 2025
Show
The Lori Cline Show
Duration
00:04:11 min.
00:04:11 min.
Lori Cline - Greatest Hits
From the Mouths of Babes
Welcome to Lori Cline's Greatest Hits. Today Lori reflects on the wisdom and perspective she gains from her children, sharing how childlike faith reminds us that, although we cannot see God, His presence is still real and evident all around us. "Interested in becoming a devoted follower of Christ?" Go to follow.lifeword.org
By: Lori Cline
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Jul 10, 2025
Show
The Lori Cline Show
Duration
00:04:33 min.
00:04:33 min.
Lori Cline - Greatest Hits
Don't Put Your Head in the Sand
Welcome to Lori Cline's Greatest Hits - Today Lori encourages listeners to stop ignoring the things they know they should address, take responsibility for their actions or inactions, and actively move forward in alignment with God's guidance to experience the blessings He has prepared for them. "Interested in becoming a devoted follower of Christ?" Go to follow.lifeword.org
By: Lori Cline
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Jul 08, 2025
Show
The Lori Cline Show
Duration
00:04:36 min.
00:04:36 min.
Lori Cline - Greatest Hits
Be Sure This is Clean
Today on Lori Cline's Greatest Hits Lori uses the practices of physical cleanliness during a pandemic to highlight that, while outward actions matter, true spiritual cleanliness comes only from being changed by the grace of Jesus on the inside. "Interested in becoming a devoted follower of Christ?" Go to follow.lifeword.org
By: Lori Cline
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Jul 03, 2025
Show
The Lori Cline Show
Duration
00:04:22 min.
00:04:22 min.
Lori Cline - Greatest Hits
Keep the Fire Going
Today on Lori Cline's Greatest Hits Lori uses the experience of tending to a backyard fire pit to illustrate the importance of keeping the "fire" of faith alive through daily devotion and continual surrender to God. "Interested in becoming a devoted follower of Christ?" Go to follow.lifeword.org
By: Lori Cline
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Jul 01, 2025
Show
The Lori Cline Show
Duration
00:04:28 min.
00:04:28 min.
Lori Cline - Greatest Hits
Are There Cracks in Your Foundation?
Welcome to Lori Cline's Greatest Hits. Today Lori asks the question, "When you buy a house, what is one of the most important things you need to have inspected?" The foundation. A solid foundation is vital for the safety, appearance and value of a home. Everything is built on the foundation. It is the same for us as people. Interested in becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org
By: Lori Cline
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Jun 26, 2025
Show
The Lori Cline Show
Duration
00:05:10 min.
00:05:10 min.
Lori Cline - Greatest Hits
What To Do When You Are stuck in a Muddy Pit
Welcome to Lori Cline's Greatest Hits: Join Lori as she asks the question - At any point over the past year, have you felt like you were trying to walk through quicksand? I have used that reference more than once to, in some way, describe what I was feeling as uncertainty surrounded me, yet life still kept moving forward. Many days would actually be best described as stuck in the mud. "Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org" #loriclinegreatesthits
By: Lori Cline
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Jun 24, 2025
Show
The Lori Cline Show
Duration
00:04:10 min.
00:04:10 min.
Lori Cline - Greatest Hits
Lori Cline's Greatest Hits: What's Really Making You Sick?
It is important to diagnose the spiritual problems we have so that we can have healing. Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
By: Lori Cline
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Jun 19, 2025
Show
The Lori Cline Show
Duration
00:04:11 min.
00:04:11 min.
Lori Cline - Greatest Hits
Lori Cline's Greatest Hits: Truth & Lies
It can be easy to lie to ourselves just as much as we lie to others. Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
By: Lori Cline
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Jun 17, 2025
Show
The Lori Cline Show
Duration
00:04:07 min.
00:04:07 min.
Lori Cline - Greatest Hits
Lori Cline's Greatest Hits: How Good Are You Really?
We can never be good enough to earn our salvation, but Jesus died to give it to us.
#theloriclineshow
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
Are you a dog person or a cat person?
We are dog people, but I will say I love ALL animals.
We ADORE our pets, don’t we? In 2020, the pet industry hit a record sales of 103 Billion dollars. We often care for and love on our pets way more than we do people! It’s true.
We have two dogs, Roxy and Ruby. We love them dearly. They’re good dogs, until they’re not. They’re potty trained to go outside. They can sit, lay down and play fetch. But… they are animals. Animals often do bad things. Roxy likes to eat lizards, baby rabbits and turtles. She will also play with frogs and chipmunks until they die. She loves to go on adventures in the woods beyond our yard if her invisible fence collar is not working. No matter how mean you sound trying to get her to come back, she will stop, look at you, turn back around and keep on walking. So naughty.
Ruby loves to eat ANYTHING she can get her little teeth on. She has chewed up shoes, books, pens, shirts, a brand new backpack and so much more. Once she chewed up the leather corners of my Bible, but I guess I really couldn’t be mad because she was feeding on the word, right? I had to do that.
Here’s my point, dogs are good, until they’re not. They can also be really bad.
Do we sometimes describe people the same way? He’s a good person. She’s a good person. They do good things. They give, serve, love and are kind. Those ARE good things, but what about all the times he or she may NOT be a good person or may NOT do good things? We don’t like to focus on that do we? The reason we don’t is because we don’t want to come face to face with the true condition of our human heart, which IS, we are DEAD in our SIN, apart from Christ. See Ephesians ch 2.
What God created in the beginning was good, but then a choice was made.
Genesis 2:17
You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.
God’s words to Adam and Eve in the garden were not unclear. When you eat from it, you WILL certainly die. Everything was good, until it wasn’t.
Dr David Jeremiah describes it this way, “Satan was the original violator of the righteousness of God, but sin entered the world through Adam and death entered the world through sin.”
While we are responsible for our own choices and sin, we are born into the family of a fallen human race. Adam’s sin brought death to the world and there is not enough good any man or woman can do to wipe that away.
Romans 3:23 says “ALL” have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Here’s the good news,
2 Corinthians 5:21
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
It may be difficult for you to see yourself as a sinner and you may do a lot of good things, but the Bible makes it so clear, you could never be good enough to be made right with a holy God apart from the perfect sacrifice of Jesus on a cross. Without Him, you are dead IN your sin.
That’s the truth.
Take an inventory as you think about how good you really are. Go to Exodus 20 and brush up on the ten commandments. Next, go to the words of Jesus who then took those laws much deeper in Matthew chapter five. Scroll on down to the parts about murder, lust and envy in your heart and then the part about loving our enemies.
The truth is we are all sinners, in need of a savior. Thank God, where sin abounded, grace abounded much more. I’m SO thankful for amazing grace that is greater than all my sin.
I’m Lori Cline.
By: Lori Cline
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Apr 29, 2025
Show
The Lori Cline Show
Duration
00:04:24 min.
00:04:24 min.
Lori Cline - Greatest Hits
Lori Cline's Greatest Hits: The Church Beyond Easter Sunday
Because of the resurrection, the church should be working in one accord with joy.
#theloriclineshow
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
What is the number one most attended church day of the year? Easter Sunday!
Did you go to church on Easter? According to research MANY of you probably did.
If you have little ones, you may still have decorated eggs in your fridge, but for the most part the flurry of Easter is behind us. The worship services, brunches, new dresses, ham and potato salad lunches, family photos and all things Easter have been checked off and sadly for many they won’t darken the doors of the church or think much about it until next Easter.
According to Gallup, a conservative estimate is that thousands of U.S. churches are closing each year. Back in 1937 when they first measured U.S. church membership, 73% of the U.S. were members of a house of worship. Today, that number is below 50%!
While the world around us is changing, the great commission hasn’t changed.
Following Pentecost, as the early church was exploding in Acts 2, the functions of the church established then haven’t changed. What’s changed?
What about church beyond Easter Sunday?
Many believers have left the building or have even left the faith. Just look around or have an honest conversation with someone about church. You’ll quickly discover a vast array of reasons why people choose to not gather with the body of Christ.
Some have what I call the quickly spreading ‘itching ears’ virus as described in 2 Timothy 4:3. People will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead they gather around those saying what their ears itch to hear.
People eject because sound doctrine usually leads me to conviction over the sin in my life. Conviction and repentance don’t seem to be a popular topic.
A few other reasons we’ve seen from the long list of why people eject from gathering together are church wounds, a fallen leader, this virus, complacency, consumerism, religious, political and social division and simply not being able to reconcile the suffering and brokenness of this world.
I hear you. I get it. I’ve seen it and experienced it. It gets messy. So why does it matter that we are connected to the body, I’m not talking about a building, I’m talking about an ekklesia, beyond Easter Sunday?
We need each another. The body needs every part. See 1 Corinthians 12. The body can’t function FULLY without each member strengthening the other and working together as one. Over and over we see the importance of digging into relationships, pursuing unity in the body, not ejecting, speaking the truth in love and working together for the mission we are all called to fulfill. God’s people coming together become His hands and feet carrying out His plan to show this broken and messy world God’s way, God’s love, God’s grace, God’s mercy and the truth of His coming kingdom.
Hebrews 10:23-25
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
The early church of Acts beyond resurrection day and beyond Jesus ascending to the heavens was FULL of joy! Jesus was ALIVE! There were over 500 eye witnesses! The early church leaders were there! They saw it with their own eyes! This changed EVERYTHING! So why NOW church are we so stale? Why have we lost our JOY? Why are we being tossed about by every wind of doctrine?
Ekklesia, it’s time to speak the truth. It’s time to quit playing church and be the church. It’s time to grow up in maturity and we can’t do that alone. It’s time to gather. It’s time to move as one. We are here for such a time as this.
Jesus is STILL alive and our mission remains the same.
That’s the truth.
Will you gather beyond Easter Sunday?
It’s not about dressing up. It’s not about checking off your church attendance box. It’s not about a building, it’s about being connected to the living, breathing body of Christ, doing your part that only you can do, so together we can be a city on a hill shining bright to a very dark world around us and beyond.
I’m Lori Cline.
By: Lori Cline
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Apr 24, 2025
Show
The Lori Cline Show
Duration
00:05:28 min.
00:05:28 min.
Lori Cline - Greatest Hits
Lori Cline's Greatest Hits: Pray Till You Pray
We are often guilty of being distracted with our life and not spending time in prayer with God.
#theloriclineshow
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
Have you ever been invited over to a friends house for coffee and after you walk in, you get your mug, sit down expecting a conversation to begin, but instead your friend does EVERYTHING BUT talk to you? It wouldn’t be much of a visit now would it? It would be a bit odd honestly. You expect to connect, talk about life, share joys and struggles but instead your friends attention is on their phone, then they fold some laundry, binge watch some TV, read a book… all while you’re just sitting there! RUDE right?
Maybe you try to initiate a conversation, but after a while you realize it’s not gonna happen, so you decide to leave.
So what happened? The stage was set. An invitation was extended. Time was set aside. The coffee was hot and the chairs were warm and comfy. Then nothing. No connection or conversation. Barely a greeting and how are you before distractions robbed the moments that could have been. We would hope to never do that to a friend.
But, sadly many of us are guilty of being the distracted one when it comes to spending time with God in prayer. We start our day with a quick ‘thank you Jesus for this day’ and off we go! At some point we might give a quick thanks for our lunch and dinner or shoot up a few quick prayers throughout the day about not being late or that something works out in our favor like a basketball game and then our heads hit the pillow after the kids are down and we’re so exhausted from the day we barely begin to thank God for the day and lift up needs we are aware of before we fall fast asleep. Sound familiar? I’m guilty.
It starts to feel like a drive through, fast food exchange instead of a sit down dinner, face to face kind of soul connection and heart exchange.
Prayer is not something simply reserved for meals and church buildings. It’s an amazing opportunity we have to sit with the Father. We can come boldly to the throne of grace, (Hebrews 4:16) that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. As we stop and begin the conversation we can lay our burdens down, talk about our struggles, share our joys, give thanks for everything we are and have, as well as take time to ask our questions and be honest with what we wrestle with.
Still why can it be so hard to do?
I discovered an old Puritan saying recently I think might help us all. Pray till you pray! Meaning, start somewhere and then get beyond the routine phrases and requests. Make time to sit in God’s presence and keep the conversation going until you find yourself in deep communication and communion with the Father. Maybe you get to a place you don’t say a word, but your heart is still, there are no distractions and you find yourself resting in the presence of God, ultimately trusting Him with everything in your life and all the things consuming your mind. Pray till you pray.
Amazing things happen when we pray. The Apostle Paul knew that first hand that’s why he wrote this to the church in Colossae…
Colossians 4:2
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.
I love this short and simple reminder from Paul to be intentional and devoted to taking time to pray. When we come to God daily with attentive hearts and a thankful spirit, no matter how chaotic the conversation may begin or where the location, we can press in, ignore the distractions and find rest and delight in God’s presence. As we do our hearts will open even more and the conversation may go deeper than we ever imagined.
That’s the truth.
Pray till you pray! It’s a conversation that’s long overdue.
I’m Lori Cline.
By: Lori Cline
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Apr 10, 2025
Show
The Lori Cline Show
Duration
00:04:39 min.
00:04:39 min.
Lori Cline - Greatest Hits
Lori Cline's Greatest Hits: A Whale Of A Thank You
When we see those who are struggling in life, we should be there for them as others were for us.
#theloriclineshow
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
Have you ever received a ‘whale of a’ thank you?
Well stop your scroll and let me tell you the coolest story that actually was a ‘whale of a’ thank you, because it was actually done by a whale! Seriously!
So let me start with explaining the phrase. Anytime you say a ‘whale of a’ anything, it means an exceedingly good example of a particular thing. So if you were doing a great job, it would be awesome to hear your boss say, ‘you’re doing a whale of a job’! Or if you went to a party you could say ‘I had a whale of a time’! Ok… you get it!
So there was an actual whale that in its whale way, said thank you and showed gratitude.
It actually happened back in 2005. It was in December, six miles from the Farallon Islands, a chain of rocky islands about 30 miles west of San Francisco, California. A 50-foot-long female humpback whale was spotted near the Farallon National Wildlife Refuge and it was entangled in crab fishing gear and nets.
This whale, estimated to weigh 50 tons, was on its usual migratory route between the Northern California coast and Baja California when it became entangled in the nylon ropes that link crab pots. A crab fisherman spotted it first and made the call for help. A team of divers and rescuers located the trapped whale and evaluated the situation.
These whales are huge, but the team seeing how badly this one was trapped, realized the only way to try and save it would be to have divers get in the water, swim up to it and cut the ropes. There were about 20 ropes, which each are 240 feet long with weights every 60 feet, so imagine the stress on this animal with these weights pulling it down, ropes digging into its skin, wrapped around its tail and even one in its mouth. It was a struggle for this humpback to stay above water simply to be able to breathe.
As the whale floated passively in the water, four divers took about an hour cutting away the ropes. The diver that cut away the rope from the mouth of the whale shared it was an epic moment in his life as he and the whale made eye contact while he freed her from the ropes.
Once the whale was free, it swam in circles and then this 50 ton humpback whale swam up to each diver, one by one, and nuzzled them gently, as if to say thank you, before swimming away.
I love this story for a few reasons.
First it reminds me how easy it is to get trapped in sin and the cares of this world and when we do sometimes the tangled mess we find ourselves in, we can’t get out of on our own. We need to welcome loving hearts who are willing to jump in the deep water with us.
Second I’m challenged to remember there are those around me close to drowning. Father, help ME see and hear the cries of help that may be around me and give me the courage to jump into the deep to lend a helping hand.
And third, when I am set free from the ropes that hold my heart in fear, worry or the heavy weight of lies that try to hold me down and keep me from breathing in deep and being all God wants me to be… I need to stop and give thanks to God for setting me free from those chains on a daily basis.
I Corinthians 15:57
But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
The victory and freedom we can walk in because of Jesus, is worth a whale of a thank you to God each and every day! That’s the truth.
Be encouraged. You’re not alone. God loves you so much. No matter where you may find yourself, in the water trapped, diving in to help or maybe you need to say thank you… through it all God gives us the victory.
I’m Lori Cline.
By: Lori Cline
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Apr 08, 2025
Show
The Lori Cline Show
Duration
00:04:39 min.
00:04:39 min.
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