The Voice of Hope

Mark 14:66-72 Have you ever had someone you considered a friend deny knowing you? I can’t say I’ve had that experience. Years ago, I met a man in another state. He looked familiar, but I had never met him before. I asked him if he was related to a person I knew. He acknowledged that he was. Later, I found out that he was not only a brother to the man I knew, but also a twin. He chose to omit both...

Mark 14:53-65 C.S. Lewis is well-known in the Christian world. He lived during the latter half of the 19th century and the early 20th century. His journey from Christianity to atheism and back again caused him to ask “hard questions” about faith and life. His writings made a significant contribution to our understanding of how to integrate truth into daily living. In his essay, “God in the Dock,”...

Mark 14:43-52 There are numerous expressions we use in the English language that, unbeknownst to many, come from the pages of Scripture. Some are quotes like, he’s a “salt of the earth” kind of guy, or “a three-strand cord isn’t easily broken.” Others are implied, like “don’t be a Judas,” or “don’t judge a book by its cover.” Speaking of Judas, his betrayal of Jesus gave us the idiom, “the kiss of...

Mark 14:27-42 “Not my will, but thine.” Five simple words so easily spoken, but so challenging to live. Have those words ever crossed your mind, your lips? If so, how have they affected your choices? Were they uttered in response to a specific decision you faced, or were you, as it were, writing a blank check to God, giving Him freedom to bring all of life under His authority? Most Christ-follower...

Mark 14:17-26 Do you have memorials in your life? What are they? Why do you have them? How important are they? What is their purpose? Memorials are designed to preserve the memory of a person, event, or other significant concept, often in the form of a marker, monument, holiday, or special commemoration. It can be a statue or another object built to commemorate a unique event or a famous person wh...

Mark 14:1-16 Human desire is a powerful, motivating force for good or evil. I recall my Dad saying something like this: “Everything in life has its price.” If you want something strongly enough, you’ll find a way to get it, to meet the price. Proverbs 13:19 says, “A desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul.” All of us know the truth of that statement. God created you and me with desires for food, com...

Galatians 5:22-23 When I say father, what pictures form in your mind? Are they pleasant, or memories you wish you could forget? No human being, except Jesus, ever had a perfect father, and if you’re a father now, you may feel the weight of your imperfections. But don’t despair, the Bible has clear direction for you as a dad, and God’s grace is sufficient to cover your shortcomings. We find so much...

Mark 13:28-37 Our culture has a love-hate relationship with future things. On the one hand, the popularity of horoscopes, astrology, and other ways of foretelling the future is very high. People have always had a hankering to peer into the future. On the other hand, descriptions of divine judgment are met with scorn. Many people accept Jesus as a wise teacher, but reject the notion of Him as the s...

Mark 13:14-27 Throughout history, people have desired to know the future. Human beings want to have a sense of control over their destiny. For those who don’t know God or reject His existence, they resort to astrology, horoscopes, divination, omens, and other occult activities. As Christ followers, the details of the future are hidden from us, too. However, the Scripture has many predictive prophe...

Mark 13:1-13 “To Catch an Angel” is a book by the late Robert Russell. It’s the autobiography of a young blind man who lived alone on an island in the middle of a river. Despite his blindness, he went rowing on the river almost every day. He did it using a relatively simple system. He attached a bell with a timer to the end of the dock. The bell rang every thirty seconds. Robert could sail up and...

Mark 12:38-44 I once read the story of Osceola McCarty, an 87-year-old woman who worked 12-hour days doing other people’s laundry for a livelihood. People were amazed when she generously donated 150,000 dollars to establish a scholarship fund at a major university. Even more impressive is that her gift represented only 60% of her life savings. When asked how she did it, she said she lived modestly...

Have you ever been in a situation that just makes no sense? It felt like a perfect storm of events that left you wondering, “How did that happen? What is going on?” Life can feel like a bunch of puzzle pieces dumped on the floor, with no clear picture emerging. Hindsight isn’t always 20/20; we don’t always look back and see clearly what God was doing. What do we do when we don’t see what God is up...

Here we are, standing at the edge of a grand finale in the story of Ruth – chapter 4. It’s a short story, but packed with meaning, and as we look at this ending, we’re reminded of a powerful truth: God is at work even in the worst of times. No matter how dark things feel around us, God is sovereign, in control, working. That’s truly good news, isn’t it, especially when the world feels dark? In thi...

Where do you place your trust? This question lies in Ruth chapter 3, a beautiful story about finding rest in the right places. Background: The Story So Far Before diving into chapter 3, let’s remember where we are in Ruth’s journey: R.E.S.T: A Framework for Understanding Ruth 3 The chapter can be divided into four sections using the acronym REST: Risky (verses 1-4) Naomi presents Ruth with a plan...

Resurrection Celebration 2025 | Selected scripture texts and songs There is a Fountain Filled With Blood – A Cappella Harmony Quartet Thank God for that fountain of cleansing, the blood of Jesus Christ! Today, we commemorate our Lord’s suffering, death, and resurrection, events that dramatically changed the course of human history. Worship with me as we spend the next few moments reflecting on thi...

Ruth 2:17-23 In the Book of Ruth, we encounter a striking image—the kinsman-redeemer (Hebrew: goel)—a close relative responsible for restoring what was lost: redeeming land, freeing family members from bondage, and seeking justice. In Ruth’s story, Boaz steps into this role with integrity, humility, and care. This practice points forward to Jesus in a way that speaks deeply to the church. The Rede...

In this episode, Arlin Horst takes listeners into the heart of Ruth chapter 2 with a message that’s both timely and timeless: “Be a Boaz.” Through careful reflection on the life and character of Boaz, this episode lays out a call for believers to embody godly character in a world that desperately needs it. Boaz: A Godly Role Model The episode opens with a powerful idea: “A godly man changed the wo...

Have you ever stopped to consider how your worship is shaping you? Psalm 115:8 teaches us that we become like what we worship. This is a sobering truth, and we must take this warning seriously because we all worship. The question is not whether you worship but what you are worshipping. The object of our worship is a major choice—it determines our destiny. Like us, Ruth and Orpah had a choice to ma...

Life gets hard for all of us–but what should our response be? In this heartfelt Bible study, Arlin and Anthony dive into Ruth chapter 1 to explore how Naomi faced devastating loss yet ultimately moved toward God. Ruth 1 – Honesty in Hard Times.   Take away: Life will be difficult; we must be real with our feelings and move toward God.   A hard life, Tragedy  1 “When the judges ruled” Do you rememb...

Mark 12:35-37 I read the account of a man who was a brilliant Christian apologist. When he engaged in debate, he would not only win but often annihilate his opponent’s position. Then, in a graphic display of resounding victory, he would dust off the spot where his opponent stood. That illustration reminds me of what is taking place in the text for our study today. If you’ve been with me for the pa...

Mark 12:28-34 Viktor Frankl was a Jewish psychiatrist in Austria during World War II. He was arrested by the Nazis and put in Auschwitz, the infamous death camp. There, he was stripped of everything: property, family, possessions, and a manuscript he had spent years researching and writing on finding meaning in life. The manuscript had been sewn into the lining of his coat. “Now it seemed as if no...

Mark 12:18-27 In 1993, professional golfer Paul Azinger was diagnosed with cancer. He was 33. He had just won a PGA championship and had ten tournament victories to his credit. After receiving the diagnosis, he wrote, “A genuine feeling of fear came over me. I could die from cancer. Then, another reality hit me even harder. I’m going to die eventually, whether from cancer or something else. It’s j...

Mark 12:13-17 My wife and I have had the privilege of traveling to various countries. No matter how well you prepare, there are always surprises whenever you do something for the first time. One of those surprises had to do with currency, or, as we generally call it, money. We were in Southeast Asia, and when we left the airport, a fee needed to be paid at the exit. I had been advised not to excha...

Mark 12:1-12 “Check your privilege.” What comes to mind when you hear that phrase? It has its origins in the modern social justice movement. The co-founder of Black Lives Matter defined privilege as follows: “Privilege isn’t about what you’ve gone through; it’s about what you haven’t had to go through.” Supposedly, privilege can be based on skin color, gender, or economic status. The phrase is oft...

Mark 11:27-33 I was born in 1958. Growing up in the 1960s and 1970s was a time of significant change. The generation born after World War II rapidly rejected earlier generations’ social mores. A slogan from that era said, “Don’t trust anyone over 30.” The focus wasn’t on what was right and what benefited society. It was on the individual: What do I want, and how can I get it? This was the “ME” gen...