Hope-Full Living

Earlier this year, my wife and I decided to move into an apartment. We needed to downsize, so we donated some of our belongings to our church's ministry called "Cross Border Partners." After I unloaded my car, I decided to walk around the facility. It was then that I understood what their ministry was all about. It was church members who volunteered to serve the needy by providing furniture and ho...

Facing my first Christmas alone was a struggle. The joy wasn't there. One evening my doorbell rang and I was greeted by a strange man holding some boxes. He said that he'd been asked to deliver them to me, and with a smile he quickly turned and left. Instructions were included telling me to open the first package marked #1 on December 1. I was to open a gift a day in the order they were marked and...

Christmas. The very word evokes love, giving, generosity, and sharing. Families gather together. Even countries seem to get along better this time of year. Gifts become a way to show others that we care. Yet, many families struggle to find the means to purchase even a small gift for their children. This was the situation I found myself in many years ago. Fortunately, a local agency asks others to...

As Christmas draws near, I like to add carols to the season. I will pick a Christmas carol and sing it to myself as I become involved in Christmas preparations. So if I'm standing in line or mailing Christmas cards, I sing the carol quietly to myself and this gives me a sense of peace. I remember Zechariah's carol. Here was a man who was unable to speak until his son was born. But now he started t...

As the Christmas season approaches, our thoughts turn to our family and loved ones. We try to come up with the perfect gift for our family members and close friends. The list can get extremely long and our thoughts may turn to finances, wondering if we have enough financial resources to get that special gift that is perfect for them and will be cherished. If we are struggling with finances, we may...

Job speaks of a deep troubling in his life. Such trembling knows no particular real estate. It can occur even during the worship hour. A family of three sat several pews ahead of me. I know not why, but the woman was experiencing an anxiety attack that shook her soul. In God's presence, we are present. The lady's child cuddled up to Mom. The husband inched closer to Wife. The best present is prese...

The Christmas season is filled with joyful songs both secular and religious. The tradition of filling the air with songs of comfort and joy started with the angels singing to the shepherds. The angels passed along words of comfort, calming the shepherds' fear at their sudden appearance, and joy, proclaiming the news of Christ's birth. One Christmas carol contains the line "to save our souls from S...

The song, "Some Children," is quietly playing as we unpack the nativities we've collected from around the world. We begin comparing … the white bisque origami set reminds of a lily-white Jesus. The clay Bethlehem pieces remind us of a bronzed and brown Jesus. The eyes of those from China, Kazakhstan, Thailand, and Korea remind us of an almond-eyed Jesus. And the ebony set from Kenya reminds us of...

Most people think about the medicine they take and the food they eat, but how many think about thinking? Philippians 4 gives us a diet for our brains. It tells us to consume the true, honorable, pure things. What did you put into your brain yesterday? Did you watch the news for hours, filling your mind with emotional topics of which you have little control? Did you listen to gossip and scandals, c...

On this day, December 14th, 1918, British women were able to vote for the first time in a general election. It was an 85-year struggle to make it happen. The struggle was much the same in the U.S. and in the 44 other countries of the world that now have women's suffrage. People wonder why good things take so long to happen. Simply put — we are sinful people. We fight for our own rights, but don't...

As a child, I loved the Lone Ranger. I would listen to his "Hi-Ho Silver," first on our clunky radio, later on our new TV. He was a great "Ranger," but mostly "Lone." Of course there was Tonto to help, but the focus was on the LONE Ranger. We're captivated by singular Superheroes and Jesus, the SUPER Superhero, fits that description as He lives, dies, and rises again. But His "loneness" stops ther...

My sister baked a large cookie for each of her granddaughters' teammates when they reached the state soccer finals. Each State of Texas cookie featured the girl's jersey number in bright blue frosting. What a labor-intensive way to express Christian caring! Although a giant cookie couldn't dry the tears that accompanied a second-place finish (after multiple overtime penalty kicks!), each player fe...

"See a need, fill a need" was a motto on the campus of Concordia University Nebraska when our daughter was a student there, becoming a well-loved phrase for our family. The passage in Ephesians led me to think about how this motto still plays out in my life: Singing to a crying baby; holding open a door for a stranger on a windy day; collecting funds for a church project; or perhaps just overlooki...

My dream job was teaching four and five-year-olds. Because young children cannot always say what they mean, an important lesson I learned was to look for the message behind the words, listen to hear what is really being said, and learn how to respond with empathy and understanding. It's been said that most people "listen to respond before listening to understand." We are all guilty of this. Today...

In the old television show, "Father Knows Best," Bud or Kitten would mess up or get into some kind of trouble. But then their father would always have the right admonition and advice to straighten things out. In real life, it's not that easy. Parents don't always know or do what is best. There is one Father who always knows what is best for us. Our heavenly Father has given us His commands and gui...

"Let's snuggle," one of my children said on one really warm day. The sweat didn't matter. Snuggling did! I heard a designer of quilts talk about her favorite quilt — the one she made after her husband died. She cut some of his shirts and jackets into squares and assembled them into a large quilt. On cold nights she wraps herself in it, imagining his arms around her. Let's snuggle. The temperature...

I once had a conversation with a shepherd. It was during a visit to Williamsburg, Virginia. He was a college student whose summer job was tending sheep. He was a congenial young man who was eager to talk with those who passed by. I also noted that he was quick to interrupt the conversation if the sheep needed his attention. I have often reflected on the comparison between that young man and Jesus,...

Kathleen had only met my father once, but she'd been faithfully praying for him during his three-week hospital stay. One day, I shared how he was growing discouraged and lonely because I was unable to visit him every day. "Do you think he'd mind if I visited?" she texted. "I think he'd love that," I responded. The next day, she showed up at his door with a milkshake and a smile. "We had a great vi...

I think the meaning of the word "compassion," as used in the Bible, has been watered down a bit. We think of it as a synonym for "pity" or "sympathy," both of which are good Christian qualities. However, the meaning of "compassion" is "to suffer with" not just feel sorry for. The translation of the Greek is "twisting of the intestines," … a powerful, painful experience. This is a heavy load to car...

I've lost count how many times my writing has addressed an issue I face after it prints. For a social media meme, I used a snow scene around a streetlamp with the words, "Like a new-fallen snow, allow God to blanket your life with His love." Intended as a moment of joy for those who face a difficult day, I scheduled it and forgot about it. However, while performing caregiving chores at 3:00 a.m. t...

I recently saw a large billboard with the words, "Be Wonderful." This was placed at an entrance to the Wonderland of the Americas shopping mall in my town. I asked myself, "Am I full of wonder?" Then I thought," I am constantly amazed by all that God has done for me." At Christmas, we may especially feel this way. Children and adults alike enjoy the beauty of lights and decorations in their homes...

Alaura was not only her husband's wife, but his caregiver, caring for her husband until the very end. It was not unusual to see them enter church: he in a wheelchair, too weak to walk, and her, pushing him down the hallway as they chatted together and spoke to those they passed. As she told my husband the details of how Leslie had gone home to be with the Lord, we both immediately thought of God's...

Remembering a promise, and delivering on it, is comfort in action. "Comfort, comfort my people," God sang in the voice of His prophet Isaiah. God would remember His promise of salvation and deliver on it. In the Incarnation and birth of Jesus, God did just that. "Comfort, comfort my people." Advent and Christmas remind us of God's caring comfort. We rehearse the drama of God, remembering His promi...

It’s hurry-up time all around us. The next four weeks will be like a train picking up speed, as we head toward Christmas. However, our hurrying in this season usually focuses on shallow and superficial things. We easily lose sight of the real purpose of this season — to help us focus on God’s plan of salvation, from the manger to the cross. The purpose of Advent is to help us keep Christ at the ce...

Years ago I was suffering emotionally but had to attend a family party. I kept my emotions controlled during the party, but eventually I retreated to the front porch for respite. My former brother-in-law joined me on the porch bench. As a man of few words, he didn’t say much. But he knew I was suffering and offered just to sit with me for a while. His presence bolstered me for the rest of the day...