Discover Hope

Here’s a question for you. Do you open your Christmas gifts before Christmas day? When I was a boy, our Christmas Tree was set up and decorated shortly after Thanksgiving. Although I appreciated the garnished evergreen tree, what I truly envisioned was the joy I would experience come Christmas morning, as I opened the gifts!…

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor…Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:9, 12). People ask me why I go to Eastern Europe. This is my answer: Caring for the souls of our pastors/leaders is…

Things are not always as they appear. There is an area of town where I live with beautiful, expensive homes. People who live in these luxurious surroundings drive expensive cars. By all appearance, they are successful. Many are. However, appearance can be deceptive. It’s known that some people who live in these homes are on…

“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord! O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy! If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities [sin], O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared [revered].” – Psalm…

“For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish.” – Jeremiah 31:25 (ESV) Twenty days ago, I boarded a flight that would take me to Karakalpakstan. I was tired before I left! My plans, which had included time to rest before leaving, were pre-empted by several unplanned and unexpected interruptions.…

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” – James 1:2-3 (ESV) She was unable to conceal the tear sliding down her cheek. Then, exhaling a deep sigh, she said, “It’s difficult to stay strong when my faith is…

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not…

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven…” “…A time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.” – Ecclesiastes 3:1, 8 (ESV). “This too will pass!” The expression commonly follows a heavy sigh prompted by weariness. The utterance reveals an…

“On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” – John 20:19 (ESV). Reading John’s account of what it was like for Christ’s disciples after…

“Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” – 1 Peter 4:9-10 (ESV) This week I attended two incredible church services in the only “registered church” in Nuuk, Karakalpakstan, led by Pastor A and Pastor J. The…