60 Seconds of Hope with Horace McMillon

Send us Fan Mail When We’re Not As Okay As We Say ⸻ We don’t always admit when something is wrong… but Jesus does. “Now my soul is troubled.” (John 12:27) We usually want everyone to think we have it all together. We often tell ourselves we’re okay when we’re not. In the Gospel of John, Jesus shows us what it looks like to face difficult moments. He acknowledges what he feels and names it. He does...

Send us Fan Mail When We’re Not Seeing Results | A Prayer Loving God, When we are doing what we can and not seeing the results we hoped for, help us to remain grounded. In moments when our efforts feel ineffectual, remind us that our lives have impact beyond what we can see. You are the one who holds us, who forms us, and who sustains us. Give us the grace to be faithful in what is before us today...

Send us Fan Mail When It Feels Like Our Efforts Don’t Matter “I have labored in vain” — (from Isaiah 49:4) Sometimes it feels like we are just spinning our wheels. Even Isaiah—one of the great prophets in scripture—knew this tension. There are moments when we pour ourselves out for our families, our friends, our neighbors, our communities, and our work. We give what we have. We try to be faithful....

Send us Fan Mail When We’re Desperate For A Change | A Prayer Loving God, When we’re desperate for a change and starting to reach for anything, you see how quickly we look for answers, how easily we place our trust, how much we want things to be different. You know how tired we can be of carrying what we’ve been carrying, how ready we are for something—anything—to shift. Slow us down, and center o...

Send us Fan Mail When We’re Desperate For A Change “They spread their cloaks on the road.” — (from Matthew 21:8) When we are so desperate for a change that we’ll try almost anything… That’s where the crowds in Jerusalem were. They were tired of Roman occupation, injustice, and inequality. They were ready to be free. They were looking for someone to rescue them. And they hoped so much in this stran...

Send us Fan Mail When We Are Too Tired | A Prayer Loving God, When we are too tired to keep going, too worn down to show up the way we want to, you are still with us. You know the moments when we are willing but not able, when our strength runs out, and we just can’t. Help us to rest without shame. Help us to receive what we need. Remind us that this is not the end of our story. Recenter us in you...

Send us Fan Mail When We Are Too Tired “He came and found them sleeping.” (from Matthew 26:43) Sometimes we are just too tired to do what we know we should. Too tired to show up the way we want to. Too tired to be who we are trying to be. This is where the disciples were near the end of the Gospel of Matthew. They had given up everything. They had followed him everywhere. They had done the best th...

Send us Fan Mail When It All Feels Like Too Much | A Prayer Loving God, when it all feels like too much— too much to carry, too much to sort through, too much to hold— you know what that feels like. You know the weight we carry, the stress we don’t always name, the moments when we feel overwhelmed and unsure how to move forward. Help us to be honest about what we’re facing. Help us to be honest ab...

Send us Fan Mail Sometimes It Feels Like Just Too Much “My soul is deeply grieved…” (from Matthew 26:38) Sometimes it feels like it’s just too much— too much to carry, too much to process, too much to hold. Sometimes we feel overwhelmed by everything going on within us and around us. This is where Jesus is near the end of the Gospel of Matthew. He knows he is about to be betrayed. He knows his clo...

Send us Fan Mail A Prayer for When It Might Be Us Loving God, You know how quickly we look for someone to blame, how easily we protect ourselves, how often we hold tightly to our pride. You see the moments when things go wrong and we look everywhere but within. Give us the courage to be honest with ourselves— not with harshness or shame, but with humility and grace. Help us to recognize what is ou...

Send us Fan Mail When It’s Good To Question Ourselves “Surely not I, Lord?” ( Matthew 26:22 ) When something goes wrong, how quickly do we look for someone else to blame? That’s where the disciples were in the Gospel of Matthew. When Jesus told them one of them would betray him, they didn’t accuse one another or try to predict who it would be. Each one asked: “Surely not I, Lord?” They were willin...

Send us Fan Mail Prayer — When We’ve Been Discounted and Dismissed Loving God, You see us when we feel overlooked, when we’ve been dismissed, when we begin to wonder if we matter. You know the frustration of being passed over, the discouragement and disappointment we carry, and the times we are screaming on the inside but holding our tongues on the outside. Restore what has been worn down in us. H...

Send us Fan Mail When We’ve Been Discounted and Dismissed “The stone the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.” How many times have we been overlooked, marginalized, or dismissed? (Psalm 118:22) The psalmist first spoke these words for the people of Israel. They had lived through seasons of defeat, discouragement, and being counted out. The Gospel writers remembered these words when...

Send us Fan Mail A Prayer For When We Can’t Forgive Ourselves God of unwavering love, You know where we have fallen short— the moments we chose what was not right, the times we let ourselves down. You do not turn away from us. Your love remains, even here. Teach us to face what we have done without giving up on ourselves. Where we hold onto guilt, help us to release what no longer gives life. Wher...

Send us Fan Mail When We’ve Let Ourselves Down “What will you give me if I betray him to you?” — Matthew 26:15 Have you ever wanted something so much that you went along with something you knew wasn’t right? Maybe not just went along— but chose it. Participated in it. Justified it. This is where Judas finds himself. Matthew tells us he did it for money. But rarely is it only about money. Sometimes...

Send us Fan Mail A Prayer for When We Want to Encourage Others Loving God, you know how often we want to help, but do not always know what to say. We have spoken too quickly at times, and missed the chance to truly understand. We have meant to encourage, yet sometimes caused hurt. Teach us to listen before we speak. Give us hearts that are patient, spirits that are attentive, and minds that are op...

Send us Fan Mail When We Want To Encourage Others Have you ever wanted to encourage someone who was struggling, but did not know what to say? “The Lord GOD has given me a trained tongue, that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word.” — Isaiah 50:4 Sometimes we speak before we fully appreciate the weight our words can carry. Sometimes we mean to comfort, yet still cause hurt. The prophet re...

Send us Fan Mail A Prayer For When Hope Is Lost Loving God, there are moments when hope is gone, when what we long for will not come to pass, and the path ahead is unclear. In those moments, steady us. When we cannot see the outcome, teach us to trust your presence. When we feel discouraged, strengthen our resolve to keep walking in love. Give us courage to remain faithful. And when hope is gone,...

Send us Fan Mail What Faith Looks Like When Hope Is Gone “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” — John 11:16 What do we do when we’ve lost hope? Thomas was under no illusions. Jesus was a wanted man. And if they followed him back to Jerusalem, they would likely die with him. They weren’t going to overcome Rome. They weren’t going to win by force. Sometimes it becomes clear that our best will...

Send us Fan Mail A Prayer for When We Wonder If Anything We Do Matters Loving God, we look at our lives and at the world around us, and sometimes it all feels too much. We see what is broken, what is buried, what feels beyond repair. And we wonder if anything we do can really make a difference. But you call us, as you did then, to take away the stone. Not to do everything, but to do what is ours t...

Send us Fan Mail Does Anything We Do Matter? “Jesus said, ‘Take away the stone.’” — John 11:39 Does anything we do matter? Can we really make a difference? Lazarus was already dead, buried, and sealed in the tomb. What difference could it make if they removed the stone? When we look at our lives and at the problems of the world, it can all feel too much—too deep, too high, too overwhelming to face...

Send us Fan Mail A Prayer for a Fresh Start Loving God, we are often hard on ourselves and each other, quick to remember our failures. But you meet us with love that renews. Teach us to receive and share the love that does not keep score. Free us from what we carry that you have already released. Renew us in this moment. Help us to begin again— with gentleness toward ourselves and grace toward one...

Send us Fan Mail When We Are Ready for a Fresh Start “If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with you…” — Psalm 130:3–4 We can be hard on each other. And we can be hard on ourselves. Too often, people are remembered for their mistakes. Their reputations get defined by the worst things they have ever done. We can end up carrying the weight of our pas...

Send us Fan Mail A Prayer for the Power of Our Words Loving God, You have given us words that can discourage or encourage, that can tear down or build up. Help us become more aware of what we say and how we say it. When we are too quick to speak, slow us down. Give us wisdom. And in those moments when we feel overwhelmed, when we are about to collapse, give us words that strengthen and sustain. Gi...

Send us Fan Mail When We Speak Words of Hope Sometimes we don’t realize how much power our words carry— shaping the world around us and within us. Scripture “Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to these bones…’” — Ezekiel 37:4 Reflection What impact are our words having? On ourselves? On each other? Do we recognize their power? Are we speaking words that encourage— words that inform and inspire— words t...