The Voice of Hope

This is a special feature on the VOH. J. Mark Horst interviews Anthony High, our Executive Director. Next week, we will return to our series in the book of Mark. Do you remember your first Bible? The first copy I had was called The Rainbow Bible. It had a picture on the front cover of Jesus blessing the children and it had a zipper to keep it closed. Today, I have numerous copies of the Scripture...

Lord of the Sabbath : Part 2 Mark 3:1- 6 Missed Part 1? Catch it here! His Argument from Human Predicament               The second incident recorded in our text occurs on another Sabbath day, here at the beginning of chapter three. Jesus is teaching in the synagogue. Nothing new with that, it was something He did regularly.               In the congregation that day was a man with a withered or s...

Lord of the Sabbath : Part 1 Mark 2:23-28       Lord Shaftesbury was a member of Parliament in London in the late 1700s. He was a devout Christ follower and a tireless advocate for the poor and the mentally ill. Because he worked closely with the poor, he was well respected among them, and his interactions generated some unique insights and improved some of their lives. In one instance, the London...

The Gospel Paradigm Mark 2:18-22 Recently, I came across the story of a famous Japanese criminal. Toc Kichi Ishii was born in the 1870s and executed in 1918. He was cruel beyond measure, like a wild animal, and he had no pity for his victims. Without any pricking of his conscience, he brutally murdered men, women, and children in his career of crime. Eventually, he was arrested and imprisoned. Whi...

The Offense of Grace Mark 2:13-17               Most religions of the world have some things in common. One is the belief in a higher power that can impact life in either a positive or negative way. Religions also share practices like worship, kindness, compassion, and community. But what is the goal of these practices? The fundamental goal of all religions is to enable worshipers to connect with...

Jesus Forgives and Heals Mark 2:1-12               Most of us who have lived more than twenty or thirty years can look back on life and see the results of some of our decisions. Some decisions were good and brought blessings, others were not so good and brought us trouble and pain. This is our experience as human beings.               Like you, I’ve made decisions in the past that have brought me...

The Ministry of the Servant Mark 1:35-45               What comes to your mind when you hear the word ministry or minister? An organization, a position of leadership, something else? Some organizations use the word ministry in their official name. At Heralds of Hope we’re an international Gospel ministry using media to make disciples of Jesus Christ. In 2001 I was ordained as minister of the Gospe...

HOPE for the New Year Selected Texts Bold titles are song titles. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling.”              “Roll, Roll, Billows Roll                  ...

A Celebration of the Incarnation Italicized/bold titles are song titles.             It’s Christmas Time                            Joy to the World                    Thank you, men. And thank you for joining us for this special, Christmas edition of The Voice of Hope, a “Celebration of the Incarnation.” One thing I particularly enjoy about this season of the year is the music. Music expresses th...

The Authority of the Servant Mark 1:21-34             Most of you have probably heard of Robert Louis Stevenson’s story, “The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” If you’re not familiar with it, it’s the story of one man with two vastly different personalities. Dr. Jekyll is a well-known, respectable citizen, Mr. Hyde is cruel and remorseless, a perpetrator of unspeakable criminal acts. And so...

Following Jesus Mark 1:16-20             I’m a lover of history, so I’ve read a lot of books and watched numerous films, especially relating to World War II. I remember one film where a group of soldiers needed to cross a minefield in order to advance. Before they began to cross, their leader reminded them to walk very carefully, placing their feet directly in his footsteps to avoid the mines and...

Missed Part 1? Catch it here! Preparing the Son of Man : Part 2 Mark 1:9-15 The Next PROCESS (involved in preparing the Son of Man) is,             His Authentication             How do you decide if something is authentic? You test it, right? Back in the days when gold was used in coins, some people would actually bite the coin to see if it was genuine. They knew that gold is fairly soft, you cou...

Preparing the Son of Man : Part 1 Mark 1:9-15             Sometime around 2003 or 2004, George W. Bush was the US President, and he was invited to speak at the National Religious Broadcasters Convention. Joyce and I were attending that event at the Opryland Hotel and Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee. One of the things I remember about that experience was the security surrounding the event...

Preparing the Way Mark 1:1-8             Preparation is a major part of any task. Think about the construction of a major highway. There are engineering studies, environmental studies, soil studies, public hearings, an extensive permitting process, and the list goes on and on. All those preparations must be made before one cubic foot of earth is moved.   When I’m given a task or a responsibility t...

On Your Mark Mark 1:1             For the past couple of years, in the month of April, Heralds of Hope has sponsored a 5-kilometer race as a fundraiser for the ministry. My wife and I aren’t runners, but we joined in to show our support. We’ve served as the “sweepers” a couple of times now; we make sure that all the runners have cleared the course and we pick up any trash that’s left behind. That...

The Inspired Word II Timothy 3:14-17             I begin today by paying tribute to those who’ve so ably and graciously led me to embrace the discipline of biblical exposition. I’m deeply grateful to God for the nearly thirty years I’ve spent at Heralds of Hope and the six years of mentoring I received under the founder, Dr. J. Otis Yoder. He often reminded me of the importance of being faithful t...

Living Hope I Peter 1:3-9 Jim Springer and Jim Lewis were twin sons born to a fourteen-year-old girl in a small town in Ohio. After they were born, she immediately disappeared. These two boys were adopted into two different loving families and for 39 years they never met each other. But their adoptive families eventually told them they had a twin sibling somewhere. Jim Lewis had always had a stron...

I Thessalonians 5:16-18 In late September, my wife and I were visiting in Canada and our relatives mentioned that they were looking forward to their annual Thanksgiving Day. If you’re one of our Canadian listeners you’ve already your day of thanks on October, the 9th. Those of you listening in the US will have your day of thanks on November 23rd. So, here we are between these two national holidays...

The Glorious Kingdom Joel 3:18-21 All of us look forward to certain events or milestones in our lives. As children, most of us had a strong desire to get older faster. We knew that our older siblings got to do more things than we did, they had more privileges. What we didn’t realizes was that with those privileges came greater responsibility. It’s a lesson many young people aren’t being taught tod...

Missed Part 1? Catch it here! The Valley of Decision : Part 2 Joel 3:9-17 The Next STEP (laid out for us regarding the events of the last days) is,             The Presentation             In verse 14, Joel raises the loud and prolonged cry, “Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision.” Now, I want you to understand right away that these multitudes are not being called to this valley of jud...

Joel 3:9-17 Think about the things you’ve experienced in life. I’ll venture to guess that most of them are the result of some sort of human decision or planning, decisions made either by you or someone else. Your employer has a specific outcome in mind when he assigns work to you. He decides what needs to happen today to reach the outcome he has in mind. If you’re self-employed, your customers mak...

Missed Part 1? Catch it here! A Day of Retribution 2 Joel 3:1-8 Another ASPECT of judgment is, The Reasons for Judgment Let’s look at verse 3. “They have cast lots for My people, they have traded a boy for a prostitute, and sold a girl for wine, and have drunk it.” Place this in the context of what Jesus said in Matthew 25:40, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my bro...

A Day of Retribution : Part 1 Joel 3:1-8 A few years ago, I read the book, “Unbroken,” by Laura Hillenbrand. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s the biography of World War II veteran Louis Zamperini. Young Louie grew up in Torrance, California, in a nominally Christian home but he was a wild and rebellious teenager. He got in trouble with the law at a young age.   His older brother encouraged him...

Missed Part 1? Catch it here! The Return of Messiah : Part 2 Joel 2:28-32 The Next ACTION (that will accompany the return of Messiah) is,             The Signs are Appointed             Here are verses 30 and 31, “And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the gre...