Hope-Full Living

Are you one who sings? An ancient quote says, “The one who sings prays twice.” I’ve recently been singing daily because my infant grandson is soothed to sleep, and song is a fun way to keep our conversation going. The Bible is full of happy and sad songs. God invites us to join the never-ending song of salvation. May singing be an outpouring of your heart as it was for Jesus the night he was betra...

How is your body holding up these days? Not always a comfortable question for an octogenarian like me. Senior adults properly tend to their physical life in Christ — exercise, a healthy diet, doctors’ appointments, and a safe place to live. Still, age takes its toll and limits our activities. Paul takes a different approach to his physically challenging missionary life which includes persecution,...

“When older people get together, the first 15 minutes is an organ recital.” We laugh because we know it’s true. As we age, our health diminishes, and we find ourselves talking about time in doctors’ offices, CT scans, MRI machines and other diagnostic indignities. Continuing physical concerns increasingly demand our attention (and worry, time, discomfort, and money.) Jesus is most concerned about...

In the past seven years I have had the “pleasure” of biking across six states to raise money for a mission organization. If I didn’t train for it, I wouldn’t be able to do it. It takes hundreds of hours of discipline, training, eating right, and conditioning. In this passage, Paul says that he disciplined his body and kept it under control so that he wouldn’t lose faith. It is a good lesson to us...

While it’s not exactly a Bible phrase, get a grip is a modern-day way of expressing vital words of encouragement from scripture, such as hold fast and stand firm. So, in troubled times, on what are we to get a grip? Certainly not anything or any person on earth. Today’s verse urges us to “hold fast to the confession of our hope.” That hope encompasses all of God’s promises, through the saving work...

One short phrase often frightens (or offends!) us. Using that phrase on others may drive them to tears — tears of contrition or tears of rage. The phrase? “You are a sinner.” They are words that nobody wants to hear. Yet God has given us ears to hear and soul and mind to respond. The question is “Have you the faith and humility to accept that truth and repent?” An even more important question is “...

God created animals, fish, and birds, but he didn’t assign their names. Whatever Adam called them is what we call them today: lion, tiger, humpback whale, bluebird, all these names and more came from Adam. God created humans with the ability to think, reason, and problem solve, but he wanted Adam to see his ability also. When we use our brain to serve God’s purposes, we also glorify God. Our old n...

Job loss, relocation, or health issues; life seasons come with challenges. We pray for insight or a solution. If nothing else, relief. Perhaps God delays or seems silent. We can lose hope until we remember God acts consistently with his character. His sovereign hand works with wisdom and love, in ways he deems best. When we rest in God’s truth and remain faithful, even when we don’t feel like it,...

A knock on the exam room door in my doctor’s clinic announced his arrival. His polite greeting followed as he began my annual physical that day. I thought about the events that had occurred earlier that morning. These included my showering, dressing, and driving to his office. I suddenly realized that the independence that I had enjoyed for years, and taken for granted, was a gift from God. St. Pa...

Very early on in my spiritual development I came across the words of Paul: “For when I am weak, then I am strong.” I have rehearsed those words countless times, in my times of weakness. When I focused on my circumstance, I would become depressed. When I came face-to-face with my dire situation, I felt helpless. However, when I redirected my focus away from me, away from my condition, away from my...

In our first reading, Jesus forgave the paralytic’s sins before he healed him. But that’s not why his friends lowered him through the roof. Why did Jesus start with the spiritual, and then move to the physical? For a little while, the paralytic was still paralyzed, but for now he was forgiven in a life-changing way. Wouldn’t that be enough? In our second reading, the rich young man was nearly a di...

There it is, smack-dab in front of me — my baptismal certificate. A few years ago, my husband gathered our family’s baptismal certificates, had them professionally framed and gave them back to us. Mine hangs on the wall above my desk. What wonders are described within that little frame! Constantly I am reminded I am God’s child. I am forgiven. The Holy Spirit dwells in me. I’m washed clean and bor...

Many of the Gospel readings selected for the lectionary series for this church year come from the Book of Mark. Mark seems to be a man of urgency. He uses the word “immediately” (from the Greek eutheos) no less than forty times in his book. He reports that this is the way Jesus operated. No tardiness. No delay. Just be about his “Father’s business.” What an example for us! The Lord has given us ma...

“How many legs does a dog have if you call the tail a leg? Four. Calling a tail a leg doesn’t make it one.” - Abraham Lincoln. Today many “tails” are being called “legs” and people are falling for it. This foolishness brings pain and regret. The greatest folly is observing others and believing we are good, so the odds are in our favor when we approach the pearly gates. This is self- righteously ju...

Just when I think that I don’t have the energy to make breakfast, a friend calls to ask me to do a favor. When I feel useless, a neighbor asks for my advice on something. If I dwell on my health problems, I am humbled by a person who has more serious ones than I do. When I am tempted to sin, my conscience helps me resist it. On days that I doubt I achieved much in life, someone compliments me on s...

As a retired pastor, I want to pray for the pastors in my area, as Paul told Timothy, “I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day.” I used to pray for them by saying “Be with them, Lord,” but now I have become more specific: Monday — guidance, as pastors develop their sermons and Bible classes. Tuesday — patience, as pastors guide church councils, elders, and other committees. Wednesday...

For students, it is “spring fever” time. Why did you study? Was your mind enriched because of parental expectations, examples of close friends, a special person’s encouragement, a love of learning, a dollar for each “A”? It is good to encourage everyone, including ourselves, to study. The more known about areas of life, the better people can interact. An interest in God’s creation is stimulated. P...

It’s not pretty. Caring for what St. Paul describes as my aging “temple of the Holy Spirit” is messy. Working out is sweaty, exhausting, and boring. Perhaps that’s the reason Paul had an expansive view of the Lord’s Temple in you and me. When we physically “live in Christ,” Jesus is within us. That means instead of merely going to the gym, our Christian identity empowers us to simultaneously striv...

When my husband asked me if I’d listened to a particular podcast, I told him no. Although the program contained accurate news and cultural information, the steady diet of troublesome news was causing me to feel depressed and hopeless. I want to stay informed about current events, but I also want to choose my news sources wisely and listen to just enough to know how to pray for our world without dr...

Our world has become too isolating. We interact with computers, robo calls, and message machines rather than with people. Where can individuals find help when they are overwhelmed? When our Heavenly Father sent his son, Jesus, “He became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). Jesus sought out people who were lonely and needed help; (Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman, the lame man) he sat with them an...

Those of us who grew up in the 1950s remember a game show called “I’ve Got a Secret.” Every week, celebrity panels hosted by Garry Moore tried to guess the secret of a mystery guest. The apostle Paul presented a similar challenge to the Philippian Christians. His “secret” for contentment in every circumstance? “I can do all things through him (Christ) who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). Today,...

Many Christians in our society today are acting more like thermometers than thermostats. They are reflecting the spiritual and moral climate of their surroundings, so they can fit in with the beliefs and values of people around them, and not offend anyone or cause a stir. Too few of us are like thermostats — letting the Holy Spirit use us to help change the spiritual and moral environment in which...

My favorite days are “dancing days!” I attend a fitness dance class at a local church. The hour of fun music and exercise goes by too quickly! Besides the physical benefits, studies have shown that dancing helps reduce our chances of developing dementia. Our classes end with prayer, which often includes personal requests. Coffee and “Chuckle Time” with good friends complete my joy-filled morning....

I still remember my grandmother saying to me, “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop!” A beautiful part of Christianity is the fact that “faith is absorbed and witnessed in ways that include our minds (God’s word), our souls (baptism), and our physical bodies (work). Since Adam and Eve, mankind has worked and toiled. God gives us things to do so that our minds and bodies stay active, focused on Chri...

Jesus cried when Lazarus died. He asked his Father, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me.” He knew he was going to save the world by dying for mankind. He came from a beautiful Heaven to earth to live among us as a man/God. Jesus showed us how to be Spiritual by showing us how to pray. “Our Father which art in Heaven.” Jesus prayed to his Father to heal those when he performed mira...