Do you feel like a has-been? Are you afraid that you will forever be just a wannabe? Do you feel like a failure? I have good news for you. There’s plenty of grace for has-beens and wannabees. In God’s eyes and in the ways that really matter you always are a star and you will be cherished forever and ever. Don’t take my word on it but see what the Bible has to say about God’s love for you. Scripture…
Do you know it is possible to hope even when there is no hope? I was stunned by this discovery as I was once again reading the fourth chapter of the letter to Romans. That’s where Paul reminds us of Abraham as an example of faith. How Abraham did not focus on his impotence but on God’s competence. Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping (NLT). Hoping against hope, he believed (NRSV). For Abraham, human reason…
Are you feeling the effects of Monday? Are you in need of a fresh supply of hope and encouragement? If yes, let’s turn our eyes on God. That’s where our help comes, day after day. God will never let us down. I’m homesick—longing for your salvation; I’m waiting for your word of hope. My eyes grow heavy watching for some sign of your promise; how long must I wait for your comfort? There’s smoke in my eyes—they burn and water,…
Hope is not dead. Hope is very much alive. No matter what the world wants you to think. No matter what you are experiencing. No matter what is going on in your life. Sure, we must accept finite disappointment but never lose infinite hope like Martin Luther King, Jr. put it. Hope is not dead. How do I know this? Because the Bible tells so. Hope is not dead because the tomb was empty. Hope is not dead because Jesus…
Are you in a place where hope is in short supply? Are you about to lose your way? Are you struggling to survive? Take a deep breath. No matter how dark your future looks like… No matter how rough the wilderness around you is… No matter how desperate you feel… There’s always grace. Even in the wilderness. You might doubt it, especially when the circumstances speak otherwise. But with God anything is possible. With God we do find grace even…
Robust peace might sound a bit odd first. That’s because we’ve learned to think of peace as of lack of something. Peace is a lack of hurry or lack of pestering people. The peace the world ever is able to give is this kind of peace: a removal from busyness or a subtraction of something from our lives. But this kind of peace is not lasting and it diminishes our lives. This kind of peace is not robust peace. This…
I love Easter for so many reasons. My husband and I were engaged on Easter and our first-born son was baptized on Easter. I also love ending the Lenten season and celebrating Life. And who wouldn’t love chocolate eggs? They’re not only delicious but beautifully symbolize the new life we’ve been given. These reasons are all very nice – even blessed – but there are even far better reasons. They were saying to each other, “The Lord really has risen!…
We all know times when we have felt like being in a cold, moldy, dark tunnel. It feels that in that place in time there is no way out. But with the words of Anne Lammott “hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: You don’t give up.” You don’t give up and you cling to the…
Do you feel rejected? Are you afraid that you have failed so miserably that there is no hope? Do you think your past makes you unlovable? I have good news for you. Because of Christ you are never out of reach of grace. Because of Christ you have hope everlasting. Because of Christ restoration is possible. For every single person on this green earth. No exception. All because of Christ. The servant grew up before God—a scrawny seedling, a scrubby…
I am utterly thankful that the Bible includes Lamentations. Just as life in general spiritual life is not always sunshine and smooth sailing. When life is heavy and hard to take, you don’t need to hide from God. Actually, that is exactly when you most need Christ. With the words of Jesus: “Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? I’m here inviting the sin-sick, not the spiritually-fit.” (Mark 2:17, MSG) God sent his only son to the world…
