Hope-Full Living

What a powerful phrase, “The kindness of God” is! Mephibosheth, part of the discredited family of Saul, and his son Jonathan, were people David showed the kindness of God. Because David had such love for his “brother” Jonathan, he wanted to share that same love with Jonathan’s descendants. So, he did, honoring the lame Mephibosheth with the kindness of hospitality and security. What about you? You...

Wait a minute. I’m not sure I really want to do that. The calling that I have received is to be a servant. To minister to other people. Maybe even wash feet. That takes time, energy, and commitment. “Live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” It doesn’t get much clearer. He says it plainly. In a humble spirit, love one another. With gentleness and patience show compassion to those I set...

I was created by God who put me on this earth. The question is why am I living? Do you have an answer? Here is one that I found in Acts 4:13 “When they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized they had been with Jesus.” I pictured Peter and John as reflectors of Jesus, and that made me think of a mirror. I wal...

Some of you are retired, or soon to be retired, church workers, still serving as able. Others are faithful laypeople, willing workers in the harvest field. And then there are those on the sidelines, no longer able to even attend church due to frailty and illness. I wonder if the disciples weren’t taken aback by Jesus’ words in Matthew 8. He doesn’t give them a pep talk about how important they are...

Almost every day, I take my grandson for a stroller walk around the neighborhood. Neighbors working in their yard, sitting on their porch, or walking by stop, and we catch up on each other’s lives. As we do, God puts it upon my heart to pray for them. Some may be recovering from surgery, expecting a visit from loved ones, or planning to travel. When I get home, I add them to my prayer list. The ne...

BFF stands for Best Friends Forever. It’s a term of endearment for selected close friends. Some of our friends have come and gone, but a few have remained through our sad and glad times. God’s Word gives us examples of special friends. We’ve learned about David and Jonathan, Ruth and Naomi, and Jesus’ friends, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Jesus gives us purpose to be a friend who helps and encourage...

In our elder years, church members loose spouses, loved ones, even their children. A program called “Grief Share” has been formed to comfort individuals in grief or sorrow. The participants mentor each other through a two-hour class for thirteen weeks, sharing their sadness. A workbook guides the class discussions including a 30-minute video on different stages of grief. Living grief, because of m...

My friend Deb is a retired nurse who looks out for everyone. The “gift of helps” is woven into her nature. Recently, Deb took on a new assignment. Seeking a more purposeful way to spend some of her retirement hours, she began training as a mentor at a pregnancy resource center. I am confident that God will use her training, life experiences, and compassion to guide women into life-affirming choice...

One day you are helping with the youth group, and the next they are helping you. As I get into the November of my life, I have tried to figure out how to work graciously and effectively with the changes from helper to helpee. I have rediscovered Barnabas. He was a giver, a friend, and most importantly, an encourager. We all need encouragement — a prayer, a note, a phone call, an invitation to come...

My nephew is a grown man now, married, with school-aged children. While we’ve bonded since he was quite young, we share mostly secular news and tourist activities. Before he came to town on business, God prepared me to connect on a deeper, spiritual level. Within about ten minutes of picking him up I asked, “How is your prayer life?” His wide eyes and slight gasp conveyed his surprise! I explained...

God can and does use people of all ages, including those the world considers old and useless, to do his work. Moses was eighty years old when God called him to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. He spent the next forty years on this journey (Exodus 2 & 3). Abraham and Sarah were, respectively, one hundred and ninety years of age when Sarah gave birth to Isaac, fulfilling God’s promise that...

Laryngitis hit me on the exact days we attended a family event. For a chronic talker like me, the effort to withhold my words rivaled my throat pain. Yet, as I practiced patience, I also discovered the joy of listening. I noticed smiles that accompanied stories and saw sorrow behind spoken struggles. Forced to remain silent, I learned more about my loved ones than I would have otherwise. Jesus rem...

My sister, jokingly, accuses me of sending greeting cards to strangers and baking cookies for someone almost every day. Neither is true, of course, but I do admit to being a card sender and a cookie baker. I like to send Christian cards for all occasions — birthdays, illness, sympathy, or just “thinking of you.” I hope it conveys caring, comfort, and shares God’s love with the recipient. I like to...

I visited many people in Care Centers for over 40 years. Not infrequently, I heard “corrupting talk” aimed at other residents, the skilled staff, the cooks, even the cleaning people. One doesn’t have to live in such a facility to hear, or utter, “corrupting talk.” Wherever we are, we have many opportunities to speak words of love and forgiveness that build up another. Martin Luther encouraged us t...

My wife and I live in a retirement community. Recently, one of our residents was rushed to the hospital. She was in the ICU for nearly a week, and then came back to our rehab center. When we visited her in the hospital, I said to her,” Don’t worry about anything. We emptied your refrigerator for you. We also sub-rented your apartment for you.” You should have seen her smile. It was priceless! On m...

As a secretary at three different churches, I’ve come across many older Christians. I’ve noticed something about each of them. They all seem to have a worry-free sort of existence. Oh, it’s not that they do not have problems or health issues, because I know many of them do. However, those pale in comparison to the knowledge and assurance they have about our Savior. These older members have been th...

Visiting a hospital, I noticed this phrase: “On purpose. For purpose.” Two words came to mind — intention and impact — and I wondered, “Do I live with intention and does what I do make an impact? But that was all about me, so I flipped the script: “How can God use me to live with intention for positive impact?” We may think our days of impact are behind us. If it were all about us, that would be t...

Problem-solving is my nature. So, when a relative, friend, or acquaintance comes to me with an issue, I want to resolve it. If I’m presented with a challenge, I focus on meeting it. Sometimes my approach brings positive results and helps. Other times, my tenaciousness simply exhausts and overwhelms. As I get older, I better understand that. Now, instead of responding in a flurry of action, I take...

Paul knew the plan personally. As a messenger for Christ, he knew of the “gift” of salvation the he had been given, tied to God’s grace (Ephesians 2:8-9). Paul also knew that a response was called for. These were the “good works” that were intended to serve others. This, too, was in Christ’s mission. What is noteworthy is there is no age limit for this work. Retirement is not referenced in the Bib...

Growing up, I was frequently asked the question “Did you hear me? And as a parent, I likewise asked the same question. That really isn’t a new question either because that word “hear” occurs almost 2,000 times in Scripture. Perhaps you, too, learned “God is Love” as your first Bible passage committed to memory. And we may, at times, not acknowledge or feel his love, but his love IS steadfast and e...

Even when I know there’s no power during a blackout, I’ll walk into a room and flip the light switch, and of course, nothing happens. When the power comes back on, I gratefully notice each time I turn on a lamp, am aware that the refrigerator is running, or take a hot shower. That’s the case for a day or so, and then I take our power for granted again. Sadly, I’m afraid that’s the way I sometimes...

The subject for discussion was inspiration. My Grandson asked, “Grandpa, what inspires you?” My immediate answer was, “Jeopardy, the Olympics, a good trumpet player, and John O’Leary’s podcasts.” After some thought, I told him that my faith, given to me as a gift at baptism, is my most cherished inspiration. This beautiful sacrament not only brought me into the family of God but assures me of forg...

About 25 graduates of the class of 1966 from Concordia Teachers College, River Forest stay in touch. Recently, one of the men told us that in December 2023, they found his body full of cancer. The scan was all black. He had cancer in most of his bones and all around his organs despite treatments. They gave him 2 months to a year to live. After six months of treatments, each night he asked God to t...

It’s not easy learning to be an old person. One of our jobs is to make others glad that we are still around. That especially includes our family members or caregivers who help care for our needs, which only increase as we age. Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” I’m sure that we would much rather be “givers” than “receivers.” But for others to have the opportunity to give lov...

My wife often says, “You ask too many questions!” She is right, but I enjoy listening to people’s responses. Jesus also liked to ask questions. In fact, some Biblical scholars say Jesus asked over three hundred questions in the New Testament. Questions such as, “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” or “Who do you say that I am?” Jesus was also questioned. T...