Hope with God... with Andrew and Wendy Palau

Are you exhausted by conflict? Maybe you’ve experienced the corrosive stress of feuding within your family, or in the culture at large, at work, and you feel the damaging effects of frustration and anger, and anxiety and it’s seeping into your heart. You don’t have to let strife rule in your heart. Colossians 3:15 directs us in this way… …let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. F...

Have you noticed that almost every movie and song is about love? From the beginning of time, God told us it is not good to be alone, but pain and suffering come when that person lets us down, when they aren’t who we thought they would be. And we lift our heads and realize they really aren’t fulfilling us the way we imagined. Our soul is created for one person. There is only One who can fulfill us...

Psalm 46:10 says this: Be still, and know that I am God! What does it mean to be still? In our current culture of more, more, faster, faster, it can feel very strange to just sit still. The stillness in this verse describes not only the stillness of the body but also the stillness of your mind and your heart. It means that we are to set aside our racing thoughts, our ever-growing to-do list, and s...

Have you found that people let you down? Even the most amazing friends or family. Or the most loving husband, the most kind wife, the sweetest children- sometimes they let you down. They aren’t able to fully climb inside your soul and know exactly what you need. It’s an impossible and unfair expectation to put on someone. There is only ONE who knows you, who made you, knows exactly who you are, an...

In this world of division and hurry, and constant work, peace is hard to find. It can sometimes seem like one problem ends and then another one begins! But there’s a kind of peace that does not come from those outward circumstances. And it doesn’t require the world to settle down. It’s a kind of peace that comes only from God, and it’s deep and it’s lasting. In Psalm 34 , King David writes, Search...

Did you know, according to an article by UCLA Health, practicing gratitude helps reduce depression and anxiety, it improves sleep, and even improves heart health? There’s so many benefits to taking a posture of gratitude! 1 Thessalonians says, Rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Thankfulness is a form of inwardly r...

We can so easily believe the lie that God is a taker, not a giver, especially when pain walks through our door, or grief, or disappointment. When our world falls apart, we wonder… what kind of God are you? You might be like me, and you pray, God, I used to believe that you were a giver, and now I’m worried that you’re a taker. How do we re-orient ourselves? There’s only one way. Look at HIM. Remem...

Where do the good things in your life come from? You may think that the good things in your life happened as a result of your hard work and dedication. Or through the kindness of others, but there’s so much more to the story. There’s someone who sees you and He knows you, and He loves you. Someone who has a good plan and purpose for your life. You know, it is God. The Bible says, Every good and pe...

Have you heard people say, if you follow your heart, you can’t go wrong? I don’t know about you, but my heart is so often confused or conflicted. And sometimes my heart is just hard. Jesus says: Follow me. Know me. Come with me. I know exactly what’s in your heart and I still love you. The Psalms remind us to not follow our hearts, but to speak to our hearts, to remind our hearts of what is true,...

As Thanksgiving approaches in the United States, there is a renewed focus on gratitude. Families and friends plan gatherings to celebrate the abundance of their life, schoolchildren write about what they’re thankful for. Think about this with me…what are you thankful for? Maybe you’re thankful for your friends, your health, your family. Maybe something unexpectedly good happened recently. Maybe yo...

What is the kingdom of God? There are so many different ways to describe it. But most of all, it is a place that lives in people—those who choose to love God the way God loves and follow His ways. These people spread God’s kingdom wherever they go. Here’s what Jesus said in Mark chapter 4, “How can I describe the Kingdom of God? What story should I use to illustrate it? It is like a mustard seed p...

We all believe some version of the lie that my happiness should be my first priority. The problem is that seeking my own happiness is an endless pursuit; happiness comes and goes daily. God has a different way for us, He says: Find yourself and you lose everything. Find me and you find everything. Jesus said it this way: If you save your life, you’ll lose it. But If you lose your life for me, you’...

My most treasured possession is my dad’s old Bible. It’s full of amazing handwritten notes, underlines, marked pages and probably, I’m sure, even his tears as certain passages moved his heart. It’s precious to me. And yet, I know, it’s just a book made of paper and leather. It won’t last forever. The thing that lasts? God’s Kingdom and we are invited into it. Daniel 7:14 says… His rule is eternal—...

Are you on a quest to find yourself? That inner journey of discovery. A journey that can take you deep into your motives, desires, your longings. I spent many years on a journey of self-discovery and ended up more selfish and more inwardly focused. More depressed and unhappy than when I began. It was only when I looked outside of myself, when I saw HIM, the Kind KING Jesus, the ONE who laid down H...

Our world is full of conflict. It’s easy to get caught up in disagreement, to become angry, stressed, miserable, and even hateful towards people. What would happen if you turned your gaze toward something… someone…bigger than everything else we are so eager to fight about? Isaiah 40:26 says… Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars? He brings them out like an army, one after another, ca...

I want to challenge you to spend some time this week reflecting on what your life was like before you became a friend of God. What did it feel like? Did God change your life slowly, or all at once? How did God wake up your heart to the reality of His love? In 1 Timothy, the apostle Paul writes… …God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with eve...

Recently, I heard someone say, “I just need to have ‘blind faith’.” Is faith blind, though? No! Faith is actually the opposite. Faith is looking and seeing, thinking, and considering. And then acting on what you see and know, and understand. The Greek word for faith means: assurance, belief, persuasion. Are you being called by God to act in faith? To live by faith? Look at HIM. Remember what He’s...

Some of us hold back from sharing Jesus because we assume that if we share the Good News, we are obligated to point out and correct all the sin in the person’s life. But we all have sin in our lives, don’t we? We don’t want to minimize or sugar-coat it. But God deals with our sins gently and kindly and reveals Himself to people through His kindness, not His judgment. Titus 3 says it this way… Our...

Do you believe the lie that if you're good God will love you? It’s human nature to feel more lovable if we feel better about ourselves. To feel more worthy of love if we behave in ways that we feel are pleasing to God. Yet God doesn't operate this way; He is not like us. And This is very good news! Romans 5 tells us that when we were sinners He died for us. Jeremiah 31 tells us that He loves us wi...

We don’t have to let our differences exclude people from feeling welcomed into the family of God. Some people associate Christianity with certain political views or what they might have to give up. What if, instead of focusing on our differences, we focused on what we can agree on? Ephesians 2 says this… Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups [that means the Jewish people and all the...

A major issue that can hold us back from sharing our faith is when the vibrancy of our own relationship with God begins to wane. Our ability to share Jesus authentically is directly related to our personal connection with Him. This doesn’t mean that you have to be some kind of superstar Christian in order to share the Good News. There’s no such thing, anyway! But are you feeling connected to God?...

You know, people hear things about God. They may hear the satire on Saturday Night Live. They may see the headlines of angry people in the news. But have they heard that He is good? That He’s worthy to be trusted? I’ve met so many people who resist God because… there are so many false ideas about who He is. But you and I get to tell people that He is loving and He’s kind. He knows every part of us...

God is always moving, always working to save, redeem, and restore! That is the power of Jesus. He’s just looking for people willing to join Him. Will you ask Him to send you? Will you pray that risky prayer, and ask Him for opportunities? Ask Him to open a door. There are so many people who don’t know that Jesus is even good, that there is a compassionate God who loves them and cares for them…who...

Have you ever wanted to share Jesus with someone, and held back because you don’t want to annoy them? This happens to me all the time. But, listen to this verse from the prophet, Isaiah today, and be encouraged that sharing the truth and hope of Jesus is not an annoyance. The Gospel is truly Good News, and proclaiming it is beautiful. Isaiah wrote, How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of th...

You and I were saved from the past and the sins of our lives, not just from something, but also to something. Now, we have become ambassadors of the King! We are His representatives to the world. Jesus said this in John 7:38… “Whoever believes in me, as Scripture says, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” That river of living water is the Holy Spirit God has placed inside of you. It...