Hope with God... with Andrew and Wendy Palau

The author Norman Cousins said that human beings can live for a few weeks without food, a few days without water, a few minutes without air, but not one second without hope. All of us instinctively know this, but sometimes we settle for something less. In a desire to feel good about where we’re headed we mistake positive thinking for genuine hope. While positive thinking can put us in the right fr...

Living in a large city, I often hear sirens and I think of those first responders who are hurrying to help people in distress. I’m thankful for these individuals who daily risk themselves to save others. As Christians, we are first responders for souls. Jude 1:23 puts it this way: “Save others by snatching them out of the fire; show mercy to those facing fear.” As we come across those who are lost...

When Mary, Jesus’s mother, became pregnant with Him by the Holy Spirit, she was told by the angel to name Him Jesus, which means “the Lord saves.” He’s also called Immanuel, which means “God with us.” The implications of this are so beautiful to me. His name is Jesus – the Lord saves. And He is called Immanuel – God with us. He has done all the work on the cross. The absolute completion of all tha...

The wounded man lay dying by the side of the road. He had been brutally attacked and robbed by bandits. Now, when hope of help was almost gone, he dimly heard hoof beats which stopped beside him. Someone gave him a cool drink of water, then carefully cleaned and dressed his wounds.  The kind stranger helped the injured man climb onto his donkey. Then he took him to an inn, tended him through the n...

Paul says in Philippians 3:10, “I want to know Christ…” Do you want to know Jesus? We’re all drawn and pulled by so many things and find ourselves spending time knowing absolutely useless things. Or we spend time consuming dark and discouraging content that takes us to depressing places in our minds. God knows our hearts. What about honestly asking Him to help you? How about this prayer: “Lord, I...

We’re used to seeing advertising that assures us we deserve the best. And some psychologists encourage you to love yourself first. But in God’s kingdom, different standards are upheld. When a religious leader of Jesus’s day asked Him which is the most important commandment He replied, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and grea...

A few years ago, I wrote a book called “The Secret Life of a Fool.” In the book, I talk about my life before receiving Jesus into my heart and entering into that relationship with Him. I share about how God met all of my shame and shortcomings with abundant love and grace. My life has completely changed as I’ve shifted from living by my own rules to following God. Wherever you are in your life rig...

Do you think God keeps a list of all your bad deeds and your good? Maybe He’s just looking down waiting, watching, with slight disappointment? My friend, we continue to place our attitudes on God. If we are disappointed in ourselves, we think He is also disappointed. But the best news ever is that He is NOT like us at all. His ways are not our ways. Listen to the words of Psalm 130: “If you, O Lor...

One early morning Jesus was teaching in the Temple. Suddenly, a few of the religious leaders thrust their way through the crowd, dragging a woman with them. They made her stand in front of the crowd, then turned to Jesus and said, “This woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?” Jesus calmly told them, “All right, but let the one who has never si...

There is a beautiful interaction between Jesus and a man with leprosy in the book of Matthew, chapter 8. Leprosy is a terrible skin disease, contagious, and in ancient days with limited sanitation a person with leprosy was a complete outcast, considered unclean. Untouchable! But this man with leprosy comes up to Jesus, kneels before Him and says, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”...

Sometimes it seems as though there is very little good left in the world. Humans seem like terrible creatures who don’t deserve saving. But when God looks at the world, He sees things differently. He sees His beloved creation, His sons and daughters. He sees His image-bearers. Despite all the wrongness that has always infected humanity, God still looked at the world and loved us- loved us enough t...

They say a person’s true nature shines through during times of trial. When we’re faced with scary or unpredictable situations, we have two options: panic, or live in Jesus’ peace.  The Bible says that Jesus will bring us peace. Philippians 4:7 says, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  This means that regardless of what...

The American Constitution famously defines basic human rights as “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” But what is happiness?  And how do you pursue it? The writer, George Orwell, once said, “Men can only be happy when they do not assume that the object of life is happiness.”  It seems to me that happiness kind of sneaks up on you unexpectedly.  It’s a result of loving others, being loved...

Have you ever heard someone say, God has a plan? And you’re thinking to yourself, “I wish He’d tell me His plan because I’m so confused.” There are many mysteries to God and there are things He does, things He allows or doesn’t allow, that can have us looking up to heaven and crying out, “Why Lord; what could you be doing in my life?” I don’t have the answers to all of your whys, but there is one...

Have you ever wondered what you are doing with your life? I mean, what’s the purpose behind getting up and going to work every day? I had these thoughts when I was in my early twenties. By worldly standards, I was doing well. I had a good job, I had lots of friends, and I was always working hard to make sure I got invited to all the right parties each weekend. But I had walked away from God years...

Jesus was the single most important person to ever walk the planet. Both secular scholars and Christian historians agree that Jesus lived. But even today, many people disagree about who Jesus was. But the truth is, Jesus was God in person: fully human and fully divine.  Before Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection, people operated inside a sacrificial system, making offerings for the forgiveness o...

Sometimes I think Christian leaders refrain from talking about evil because, well, it makes everyone uncomfortable. But if we don’t acknowledge it, then it may be able to penetrate our lives without us even realizing it! Spiritual warfare is real, and to be victorious we must stay vigilant and rooted in the Word of God and in Jesus Christ.  The Bible says in 1 John 5:19 that “We know that we are f...

What’s entangling you today? Maybe a situation, maybe it’s a habit, or even an addiction. There’s a verse in the book of Hebrews that says: “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Sin entangles. And that word means “a serious hindrance that hampers someone who desperately needs to advance.”  The f...

There was a time, long, long ago, when the earth was free from disease, grief, shame, and even death. But then, in the Garden of Eden, God’s first humans – Adam and Eve - disobeyed Him. God had given them one command — which was not to eat from a certain fruit tree. When that command was broken, sin entered into the world. And ever since, humans have been flawed.  But thankfully, God sent His one...

The concept of “pay it forward” has become pretty familiar within the last couple of decades. A common, simple way this plays out is often seen in stores or restaurants. I have been in a checkout line when someone paid for the coffee and doughnut of the person behind them.  It certainly makes a bright moment in someone’s day, and may be just the boost that person needed.  But it is a small thing t...

One of the things I like about watching HGTV is to see how they repurpose and reuse previously discarded materials. I love how they find new uses for discarded items or give new life to things that are worn out and thought of as worthless. The creativity shown is inspiring.  When I watch that, I can’t help but think, “That’s what God does with us!” He takes our lives that are broken, used up, and...

Are you a mother? I am. And honestly, there is no love that I’ve experienced stronger than the love I felt when I first saw each of my three children. Overwhelming, determined, protective, selfless love. God compares His love to us with that motherly love. He says in Isaiah 49, “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I w...

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that the world is broken. People self-medicate, constantly seek methods of self-help, and are just plain selfish, self-centered when it comes down to it. But our focus on self hasn’t fixed any of our problems. The truth is, only the power of Jesus can transform our broken lives into the lives God intended. That is why we share the Good News. Because we kno...

Recently, I met a man who appeared to have a wonderful life. He was clean cut, had a lovely wife, and had two young children. But after I talked with him a while, I learned his story—and it wasn’t what I had expected.  This man had dealt with a serious drug problem for a number of years. After many failed rehab attempts, he finally found Jesus, and something inside of him changed. Over time, Jesus...

Rules don’t fix things, do they? They just let us know when we go wrong. Even God’s rules – we call them the Ten Commandments – couldn’t take away our wrongdoing. And we human beings found it impossible to perfectly obey every one of them. It is so easy for us to sin! Oh, maybe nothing monstrous, but even a little slip-up is a breach of the rules. So how on earth can we make things right? Do we ha...