Hope

150 posts · All categories

• Walking Wounded Aug 14, 2023 No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear. I am not afraid, but the sensation is like being afraid. The same fluttering in the stomach, the same restlessness, the yawning. I keep on…
• The Firm Foundation of Weakness Mar 18, 2023 Christ above me, very God of very God,Christ below me, incarnate of the dust,Christ at my right hand in my strength,Christ at my left hand in my weakness,Christ before me when seen,Christ behind me when unseen,Christ…
• Jesus Is Our Foxhole Feb 25, 2023 The Christian says, ‘Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim: well, there is such…
• Validation: The Great Glory of An Addict Nov 20, 2022 How God thinks of us is … infinitely more important. … It is written that we shall “stand before” Him, shall appear, shall be inspected. The promise of glory is the promise, almost incredible and only…
• Known Jul 25, 2022 Finally, we may master our evil selves by developing a continuous prayer and devotional life. Through this process the soul of man will become united with the life of God. Yes, this is possible. Man can…
• Smashed and Tattered Jul 4, 2022 Blessed – lucky – are those who cry. Blessed are those who are sad, who mourn, who feel the loss of what they love – because they will be held by the One Who loves them.…
• Changing World, Unchanging Saviour Sep 20, 2020 Seeing God, Job forgets all he wanted to say, all he thought he would say if he could but see him.~George Macdonald (1824-1905) … And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who…
• Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum May 19, 2020 (Latin: If you want peace, prepare for war) We live in a culture that, as Cardinal Francis George said, “permits everything and yet forgives nothing.” And so people despair of being forgiven and feel compelled to…
• The Tyranny of Shame vs. The Grace of Confession Jan 28, 2020 Is it wrong for a priest to say that abortion and
• Eternity in A Song Feb 5, 2019 Earth breaks up, time drops away,In flows heaven, with its new day.~Robert Browning (1812-1889) After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to…
• Soul Tired Sep 13, 2018 It is compassion that removes the heavy bar, opens the door to freedom, makes the narrow heart as wide as the world. Compassion takes away from the heart the inert weight, the paralyzing heaviness; it gives…
• Some of My Students Interview Me Jun 4, 2018 TIS SENIORS’ RESEARCH PAPER – Reasons For Faith BY: (JY, DL, KBY) Introduction This research emerged from discussions in our ‘Reasons for Faith’ class and is aimed to research the theme of ‘worldviews’. Methodologically, we approached…
• Hiraeth: A ‘Now And Not Yet’ Yearning for Home Apr 27, 2018 Deep within us all there is an amazing inner sanctuary of the soul, a holy place, a divine center, a speaking voice, to which we may continuously return. Eternity is at our hearts, pressing upon our…
• Joy in The Morning: Expecting His Goodness Mar 5, 2018 And Grace calls out, ‘You are not just a disillusioned old man who may die soon, a middle-aged woman stuck in a job and desperately wanting to get out, a young person feeling the fire in…
• Freedom in The Breakthrough Feb 24, 2018 Some people by the word freedom understand the ability to do whatever one wants … People who have the more allowed themselves to come into slavery to sins, passions, and defilements more often than others appear…
• Battle: A Warrior Worth His Salt Dec 7, 2017 It is not a question of our equipment, but of our poverty; not what we bring with us, but what he puts in us; not our natural virtues, our strength of character, our knowledge, our experience;…
• False Sense of Failure Aug 15, 2017 What is this great shaking you are experiencing? Do not lack trust or faith, but be assured that you will receive the full reward of your endurance, as you remain faithful in the process of shaking,…
• Got to Get Away from The Perspective of Disbelief Aug 3, 2017 If at any time you feel disposed again to say, “It is enough,” and that you can bear of the burden of life no longer, do as Elijah did, flee into the silence of solitude, and…
• Total Disillusionment Jun 2, 2017 The disillusionment with our own abilities is, perhaps, one of the most important things that can ever happen to us. ~Tim Hansel A large measure of disappointment with God stems from disillusionment with other Christians. ~Philip…
• Deeper Belief: Into Who Jesus Is May 25, 2017 The bending of the mind by the powers of this world has twisted the gospel of grace into religious bondage and distorted the image of God into an eternal, small-minded bookkeeper. The Christian community resembles a…
• Our Fear of Believing The Solution: The Kingdom May 4, 2017 As his child, you are entitled to his kingdom, the warmth, the peace, and the power of his presence, the wisdom, the insight, and the guidance of his Spirit, the goodness, the joy, and every supreme…
• Exulting Over The Majesty of Our Salvation Mar 10, 2017 Only to sit and think of God, Oh what a joy it is! To think the thought, to breathe the name Earth has no higher bliss. ~Frederick William Faber (1814-1863) And Mary said, “My soul magnifies…
• Mysterium Tremendum Mar 5, 2017 Hollywood has not yet recognized what truly tingles the spine, buckles the knees, quakes the heart, and turns bones into jelly. To meet God is a terrifying adventure. ~Terry Lindvall In the year that King Uzziah…
• Pain And Beauty Feb 15, 2017 Bloody nose and burning eyes Raised in laughter to the skies I’ve been in trouble but I’m ok Been through the wringer but I’m ok Walls are falling and I’m ok Under the mercy and I’m…
• Just Say No Jan 17, 2017 Christianity happens when men and women accept with unwavering trust that their sins have been not only forgiven, but forgotten, washed away in the blood of the Lamb. Thus, my friend archbishop Joe Reia says, “A…
• Fortitudo! Jan 14, 2017 Often the test of courage is not to die but to live! ~ Vittorio Alfieri Courage is a heart full… strengthened and made supple by Him. ~ Makala Barnabas Doulos There shall come forth a Shoot…
• Worn-Out Wandering Jan 5, 2017 And men go abroad to admire the heights of mountains, the mighty waves of the sea, the broad tides of rivers, the compass of the ocean, and the circuits of the stars, yet pass over the…
• What? Like You Are Gonna Lose? Jan 4, 2017 Sing aloud, children! sing to the glorious King of Redemption, who sits on the throne, for the seraphim high veil their faces, and cry, and the angels are praising the Son. With His raiment blood-dyed, and…
• The Poverty of Sin vs. Stronghold of His Presence Dec 17, 2016 What if the biggest problem in America is not drugs, or pornography, or abortion, or poverty, or low education, or terrorism, or crime? What if the biggest problem in America is simply the lack of goodness?…
• Love Deeply, Weep Freely Dec 8, 2016 Occasionally weep deeply over the life you hoped would be. Grieve the losses. Then wash your face. Trust God. And embrace the life you have. ~John Piper And the Lord afflicted the child that Uriah’s wife…
• Obedience: The Long Walk Home Dec 6, 2016 And yet I decide, every day, to set aside what I can do best and attempt what I do very clumsily–open myself to the frustrations and failures of loving, daring to believe that failing in love…
• Fighting Against Battle Momentum: Learning to Be At Ease Nov 10, 2016 In time of trouble go not out of yourself to seek for aid; for the whole benefit of trial consists in silence, patience, rest, and resignation. In this condition divine strength is found for the hard…
• Living An Ascended Lifestyle Oct 28, 2016 Worldy people imagine that the saints must find it difficult to live with so many restrictions, but the bondage is with the world, not with the saints. There is no such thing as freedom in the…
• Undone After Forty Years of Punching Through Oct 23, 2016 Don’t the hours grow shorter as the days go by You never get to stop and open our eyes One minute you’re waiting for the sky to fall The next you’re dazzled by the beauty of…
• Understanding Our Confession of The Trinity Oct 9, 2016 In Christianity God is not a static thing—not even a person—but a dynamic, pulsating activity, a life, almost a kind of drama. Almost, if you will not think me irreverent, a kind of dance. The union…
• Clothed in Our Past Sep 22, 2016 It is the great mystery of human life that old grief passes gradually into quiet, tender joy. The mild serenity of age takes the place of the riotous blood of youth. I bless the rising sun…
• Forever Beyond the Great Sadness Sep 9, 2016 Bittersweet is a word not understood by most. Only them who have heard the enormous roar of His quiet Peace above the storm through which they have passed, know this word’s true sense.~ Makala Barnabas Doulos…
• Buffeted into Belief Sep 7, 2016 matters because of what he brought and what he still brings to ordinary human beings, living their ordinary lives and coping daily with their surroundings. He promises wholeness for their lives. In sharing our weaknesses he…
• Bulletproof Dead Sep 6, 2016 The Blood disposes of our sins, while the Cross strikes at the root of our capacity for sin.~ Watchman Nee For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly…
• Still, Like Water Sep 4, 2016 It is only with total humility, and in absolute stillness of mind that we can know what indeed we are.~ Terence James Stannus Gray I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you…
• Logic’s Limit: Locking out The Truth Sep 2, 2016 The God of Christians is not a God who is merely the author of mathematical truths and the order of the elements—that is the point of view of heathens and Epicureans. He is not simply a…
• Co-heirs, Co-sufferers, Co-glorified Aug 30, 2016 Co-heirs—co-sufferers—co-glorified with Christ—that is really the word here. We are side by side with Christ. We are sons of God, even as He is the Son of God—not in His eternal Sonship, but in the place…
• The Cost of Our Work Aug 26, 2016 We have spoken of trying and trusting, and the difference between the two. Believe me, it is the difference between heaven and hell. ~ Watchman Nee Therefore, while the promise of entering His rest still stands,…
• Living Free among The Captives Aug 21, 2016 The martyr cannot be dishonored… every burned book or house enlightens the world; every suppressed or expunged word reverberates through the earth from side to side.~Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) Behold, I am sending you out as…
• Pressed Beyond Measure Aug 15, 2016 The paths of wisdom are not like walks in the garden, which we make use of for diversion only, and an amusement; but like tracks in a great road, which we press forward in with care…
• The Father’s Heart Aug 6, 2016 For Ragamuffins, God’s name is Mercy. We see our darkness as a prized possession because it drives us into the heart of God. Without mercy our darkness would plunge us into despair – for some, self-destruction.…
• The Dull Mediocrity of Pride Aug 5, 2016 It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who…
• Goodness Always Grows Jul 31, 2016 Good, the more communicated, more abundant grows. ~John Milton (1608-1674) Goodness Always Grows… The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall…
• Loved from Forever Jul 31, 2016 God is love and God is sovereign. His love disposes him to desire our everlasting welfare, and his sovereignty enables him to secure it. ~ A. W. Tozer (1897-1963) This fool of a writer thought he…
• Indestructible Love Jul 27, 2016 When a Christian or group of Christians dies because they trust that Christ is the faithful revelation of God and of a new humanity, their death is not like Obi-Wan Kenobi’s last words to Darth Vader:…
• Battlefield Promotions: Battered, Bloody, Winning and Accelerating Jul 20, 2016 Crisis leads to promotion and elevation. Those things, situations and circumstances that threaten to take you down are in fact causing you to rise up in the power of My might that you might surmount every…
• A King’s Rage Jul 17, 2016 The devil never rejoices more,” said Francis of Assisi, “than when he robs a servant of God of his peace of heart.” Peace and joy go a-begging when the heart of a Christian pants for one…
• Sojourner Jul 16, 2016 If I discover within myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.~ C.S. LewisEarth breaks up, time drops away, In flows…
• The Lie of Culture And The Answer of The Kingdom Jul 6, 2016 When the church transcends culture, it can transform culture. In the Dark Ages, reform did not arise from the state but from communities of those who remained uncompromising in a compromising age.~Charles Colson (1931-2012) So Pilate…
• Truth Wins: Freedom Overcomes Jul 4, 2016 All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident. ~Arthur Schopenhauer When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will…
• The War Is Over Jun 10, 2016 In time of trouble go not out of yourself to seek for aid; for the whole benefit of trial consists in silence, patience, rest, and resignation. In this condition divine strength is found for the hard…
• Trusting The Weaver Jun 9, 2016 Imagine that Jesus is calling you today. He extends a second invitation to accept His Father’s love. And maybe you answer, “Oh, I know that. It’s old hat.” … And God answers, ‘No, that’s what you…
• Death by Living As A Victim Jun 6, 2016 When you think everything is someone else’s fault, you will suffer a lot. When you realize that everything springs only from yourself, you will learn both peace and joy.~ His Holiness The Dalai Lama The Pharisees…
• The Exchanged Life May 29, 2016 And yet it may happen in these most desperate trials of our human existence that beyond any rational explanation, we may feel a nail-scarred Hand clutching ours. We are able, as Etty Hillesun, the Dutch Jewess…
• Living Life Beyond The Platitudes: Loving The Lovable May 22, 2016 Suddenly I feel myself transformed and changed; it is joy unspeakable. My mind is exhilarated; I lose the memory of past trials; my intelligence is clarified; my desires are satisfied. I grasp something inwardly as with…
• Bright-Eyed Brothers in His Arms May 17, 2016 Have you any idea what it is like to look into the eyes of a person you have just touched with the gospel and watched Jesus set them free? Have you ever seen the countenance of…
• Crazy Old Fool May 13, 2016 The Father says today go out in your day and overwhelm the enemy with your joy. My kingdom is righteousness, peace and joy. Your peace and your joy will cause the enemy to be bread for…
• Finding The Fullness in Christ May 3, 2016 He that willingly submits to the cross, to him its whole burden is changed into a sweet assurance of divine comfort. And the more the flesh is broken down by the cross, the more the spirit…
• Utterly Convinced Apr 27, 2016 Speculations? I have none. I am resting certainties. I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which have committed unto him against that day.~ Michael Faraday Therefore do…
• That in All Things He Might Be Preeminent Apr 14, 2016 Hope proves man deathless. It is the struggle of the soul, breaking loose from what is perishable, and attesting her eternity… I learn the depth to which I have sunk from the length of the chain…
• Dismal Success Apr 8, 2016 There will be no “knights in shining armor” in God’s kingdom; our armor will have many dings and dents. No, no perfect Hollywood heros will ride to save the day; just wearied saints to look to…
• Between Grace and Glory Mar 28, 2016 A Christian is one who when he thinks of the past thinks of the grace of which he has partaken. When he thinks of the future, he thinks of the sharing in the glory that is…
• Good Friday Meditation: Overcoming The Cycle of Sin’s Poverty Mar 25, 2016 Living as the beloved- no more reduced lifestyle, walk with Him, into this place of favor, live in a place of unbroken delight, where the poverty of sin cannot touch us, where His newness of life…
• Living A Breakthrough Life Mar 22, 2016 Imagine that Jesus is calling you today. He extends a second invitation to accept His Father’s love. And maybe you answer, “Oh, I know that. It’s old hat.”…And God answers, ‘No, that’s what you don’t know.…
• Affirmation: A Warrior’s Fuel Mar 19, 2016 FLY, envious Time, till thou run out thy race: Call on the lazy leaden-stepping Hours, Whose speed is but the heavy plummet’s pace; And glut thyself with what thy womb devours, Which is no more than…
• Afraid of Who We Are Mar 14, 2016 It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which, if…
• The Vengeance of G_d Feb 27, 2016 When in his mercy God leads a soul in the higher path of sanctification, he begins by stripping it of all self-confidence, and to this end he allows our own schemes to fail, our judgment to…
• Staying On Mission Feb 23, 2016 Jesus Christ is the Son of God.He died to atone for men’s sin,and after three days rose again.This is the most important fact in the universe. I die believing in Christ.~ Watchman NeeNow I would remind…
• Sustenance in The Presence of G_d Feb 21, 2016 Today on planet Earth, may you experience the wonder and beauty of yourself as Abba’s Child and temple of the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ. ~ Brennan Manning Now even the first covenant had regulations for…
• Monuments of Pain Feb 18, 2016 We must not be surprised at even the greatest defects in good souls. We must quietly leave them alone until God gives the signal of gradual removal. Otherwise we will pull up the wheat with the…
• Loving Beyond Our Imperfections Feb 11, 2016 God hears no sweeter music than the cracked chimes of the courageous human spirit ringing in imperfect acknowledgment of his perfect love.~Joshua Loth Liebman (1907-1948) But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the…
• Could Go Back… But Why? Jan 22, 2016 Look not mournfully into the past. It comes not back again. Wisely improve the present. It is thine. Go forth to meet the shadowy future, without fear and with a manly heart.~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) Brothers,…
• Catastrophic Success Jan 19, 2016 The first thing that Jesus promises is suffering: “I tell you… you will be weeping and wailing… and you will be sorrowful.” But he calls these pains birth pains. And so, what seems a hindrance becomes…
• Living Heavenly Minded Jan 6, 2016 Deep within us all there is an amazing inner sanctuary of the soul, a holy place, a divine center, a speaking voice, to which we may continuously return. Eternity is at our hearts, pressing upon our…
• Benny, The Western Wall, And The Promises of G_d Jan 4, 2016 God is the great reality. His resources are available and endless. His promises are real and glorious, beyond our wildest dreams.~J. B. Phillips (1906-1982) As soon as Solomon had finished building the house of the Lord…
• The Enormity of The Gospel in Christmas Dec 22, 2015 Advent. The coming of quiet joy.Arrival of radiant light in our darkness.Breath, mouth, ears, eyesHe is curtailed who overflowed all skies, all years.Older than eternity, now he is new.Now native to earth as I am,nailed to…
• The Christmas War-cry: PEACE! JOY! HOPE! Dec 14, 2015 Christmas… He is forever now with us through His birth, life, death, Resurrection, and the sending of His Spirit. We have no idea yet how important this is for us individually – and for the entire…
• Keeping The Right Stuff on The Right Side of OBTW Dec 5, 2015 What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.~ Aiden Wilson Tozer Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in…
• Escaping Escape-Hatch Thinking Nov 8, 2015 God speaks to us unceasingly through the events of our life, through the firmness with which he negates our petty human ordering of it, through the regularity with which he disappoints our plans and our attempts…
• Tough Curves on The Path Nov 5, 2015 Before I am asked to show compassion toward my brothers and sisters in their suffering, He asks me to accept His compassion in my own life, to be transformed by it, to become caring and compassionate…
• Wanting It All for The Right Reasons Nov 3, 2015 Insecurity not only paralyzes our relationship with the living God but has a devastating effect on interpersonal relationships. It is the starting point of all social estrangement. It breaks down openness, which is the bridge to…
• Living Beyond Our Agendas Oct 30, 2015 Jesus Christ set a window in the tiny dark dungeon of the ego in which we all languish, letting in a light, providing a vista, and offering a way of release from the servitude of the…
• Stack Overflow Stress: A Re-post on Change Management Oct 28, 2015 To lie down in the time of grief, to be quiet under the stroke of adverse fortune, implies a great strength. But I know of something that implies a strength greater still. It is the power…
• Closing The Distance in Our Relationship with G_d And Others Oct 24, 2015 Open thy gate of mercy, gracious God! My soul flies through these wounds to seek out thee.~William Shakespeare (1564-1616) But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of…
• Missing The Feast for A Bite of Porridge Oct 4, 2015 What if the biggest problem in America is not drugs, or pornography, or abortion, or poverty, or low education, or terrorism, or crime? What if the biggest problem in America is simply the lack of goodness?…
• He Smashes Into Our Lives Sep 29, 2015 Late have I loved You, O Beauty so ancient and new; Late Have I loved You. Lo, you were within, but I outside, seeking there for you, and upon the shapely things you have made I…
• Urban Bewilderment Sep 10, 2015 I was too ambitious in my deed,And thought to distance all men in success,Till God came to me, marked the place, and said,“Ill doer, henceforth keep within this line,Attempting less than others”—and I standAnd work among…
• Pervasive Obedience Aug 28, 2015 Consecration is the narrow, lonely way to overflowing love. We are not called upon to live long on this planet, but we are called upon to be holy at any and every cost. If obedience costs…
• The Heartbreaking Heart of The Savior Aug 27, 2015 You fathom the depth of My own heart only to the extent that your heart is broken and your inmost consciousness torn asunder by the pain of grief.~Frances J. Roberts Hear the word of the Lord,…
• Going to Ground Aug 25, 2015 Do we feel dry, weary, filled with a sense of failure? In the twinkle of an eye we can relate our mood to Jesus Who one day felt the same way and collapsed exhausted by a…
• Wobbly-Hearted Courage Aug 12, 2015 Hold my faith for me! I cannot grasp it right now!~ An African mother in travail of childbirth, to her attendants. The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John, calling two of…
• Grace That Is Bigger Than My Fear And Failure Aug 7, 2015 Getting honest with ourselves does not make us unacceptable to God. It does not distance us from God, but draws us to Him—as nothing else can—and opens us anew to the flow of grace. While Jesus…
• Miracles Out of The Depths of Time Aug 4, 2015 The crosses which we make for ourselves by a restless anxiety as to the future are not crosses which come from God. We show want of faith in him by our false wisdom, wishing to forestall…
• De-Invictus: Why The Flesh Is So Big Aug 2, 2015 Through his death on the cross Jesus Christ not only readjusts a man in conscience and heart to God, he does something grander, he imparts to him the power to do all God wants, he presences…
• Eternally Adored Jul 28, 2015 Nothing lasts here. Storms come, people die, hearts break and sin abounds. And two weeks (or two years) is not enough to kill the pain. Nothing is able to meet our heart’s most desperate desire for…
• Richness In Jesus – A Repost on Poverty Jul 16, 2015 Some have much, and some have more,Some are rich, and some are poor,Some have little, some have less,Some have not a cent to bless;Their empty pockets, yet possessTrue riches in true happiness.~John Oxenham (1861-1941)So Jesus again…
• Wasted, Drained, Done Jul 15, 2015 If Satan cannot distract you with worldliness, he will seek to drain you with weariness.~ Francis FrangipaneAt that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things…
• Training in Goodness: Finding Life in Facing Death Jul 10, 2015 Blessing those who have hurt you is a decision of your will that may go against how you feel.~ Tony Evans Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and…
• Inches from Death, And Totally Alive Jul 8, 2015 Getting honest with ourselves does not make us unacceptable to God. It does not distance us from God, but draws us to Him—as nothing else can—and opens us anew to the flow of grace. While Jesus…
• Our Clumsy Participation in The Army of The LORD of Hosts Jul 2, 2015 Jesus called Peter a “rock” long before Peter was stable & mature. He leads us by calling out what He sees not by calling out our failures.~ James Goll Behold, a day is coming for the…
• Joy in The Skill He Gives Jun 18, 2015 In spiritual matters, human reasoning certainly is not in order; other intelligence, other skill and power, are requisite here—something to be granted by God himself and revealed through his Word.~Martin Luther (1483-1546) He who loves purity…
• Whatever Happened to the Human Race? Jun 4, 2015 One of the greatest attractions of Christianity to me is its sheer absurdity. I love all those crazy sayings in the New Testament—which, incidentally, turn out to be literally true—about how fools and illiterates and children…
• When Dreams Come True May 14, 2015 Our heart oft times wakes when we sleep, and God can speak to that, either by words, by proverbs, by signs and similitudes, as well as if one was awake.~John Bunyan (1628-1688) I want to be…
• His Merciful Voice May 6, 2015 Kyrie Eleison (Gr. Lord have mercy)~ Ancient words of the ChurchAnd you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power…
• Post Victory Rehabilitation May 3, 2015 Bloody nose and burning eyesRaised in laughter to the skiesI’ve been in trouble but I’m okBeen through the wringer but I’m okWalls are falling and I’m okUnder the mercy and I’m ok~ Bruce Cockburn When I…
• The Certainty of G_d’s Love Apr 30, 2015 It is not certain that everything is uncertain.~ Blaise Pascal (1623-1662)We start to see that His mind is really amazing; that the idea of God being smarter than us is not a matter of degree. He…
• Out of The Frying Pan And into The Fire Mar 27, 2015 When I look upon the tombs of the great, every emotion of envy dies in me; when I read the epitaphs of the beautiful, every inordinate desire goes out; when I meet with the grief of…
• Having The Courage to Hide Mar 25, 2015 Worry is a cycle of inefficient thoughts whirling around a center of fear.― Corrie ten Boom The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe. A rich…
• Aiming for Eternity Mar 9, 2015 As the mother’s womb holds us for nine months, making us ready, not for the womb itself, but for life, just so, through our lives, we are making ourselves ready for another birth…. Therefore, look forward…
• The Velvet Chisel Feb 25, 2015 Everything that God brings into our life is directed to one purpose: that we might be conformed to the image of Christ.~Erwin W. Lutzer (1941- ) Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we…
• Tough Faith in A Tough Jesus Feb 22, 2015 Faith is blind—except upward. It is blind to impossibilities and deaf to doubt. It listens only to God.~Samuel Dickey Gordon (1859-1936) And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and, kneeling…
• Faith Requires Disbelief Feb 5, 2015 We need to fearlessly step out and activate His promises. It is intimacy that gives us the grace and strength we need to push through suffering, pain, and inconvenience.~Heidi Baker My son, do not forget my…
• Grace Bursts Through Feb 2, 2015 As in nature and in the arts, so in grace: it is rough treatment that gives souls, as well as stones, their luster. The more the diamond is cut, the brighter it sparkles, and in what…
• Beyond Care: Perfect Faith Jan 29, 2015 I will never forget the day I realized that both God and the devil wanted me to die but for different reasons. Satan wanted to destroy me through slander while God wanted to use these same…
• Joy and Strength in His Steadfast Love Jan 18, 2015 Nothing is sweeter than love, nothing stronger, nothing higher, nothing wider, nothing more pleasant, nothing fuller or better in heaven or on earth…. A lover flies, runs, rejoices…. Love often knows no limits but is fervent…
• Amazingly Luminous Beings We Are Jan 2, 2015 It may be possible for each to think too much of his own potential glory hereafter; it is hardly possible for him to think too often or too deeply about that of his neighbor…. It is…
• Like A Plastic Banana Jan 1, 2015 Satan fails to speak of the remorse, the futility, the loneliness, and the spiritual devastation which go hand in hand with immorality.~Billy Graham (1918- ) For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are…
• Down Through The Hopelessness – And into Love Dec 26, 2014 A re-post on remembering the poor this Christmas.Hopelessness is anticipated defeat.~Karl Theodor Jaspers (1883-1969)Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let…
• The Bitterness of The Soul Dec 17, 2014 When outward strength is broken, faith rests on the promises. In the midst of sorrow, faith draws the sting out of every trouble and takes out the bitterness from every affliction.~Robert Cecil (1563-1612)I am the man…
• Jesus: All in All Dec 14, 2014 I repent me of the ignorance wherein I ever said that God made man out of nothing: there is no nothing out of which to make anything; God is all in all, and he made us…
• Planting for An Astounding Harvest: Participation in The Divinity of G_d Dec 10, 2014 It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which,if you say it…
• When A Big Splash Only Makes Little Waves Dec 9, 2014 Christ turned the world’s accepted standards upside down. It was the poor, not the rich, who were blessed; the weak, not the strong, who were to be esteemed; the pure in heart, not the sophisticated and…
• Trying to Build A Home on A Lilypad Dec 7, 2014 Winged time glides on insensibly and deceives us; and there is nothing more fleeting than years.~Ovid (43 b.c.-a.d. 17) “Hear then the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does…
• Forever in The Balance Dec 1, 2014 The truth about forever is that it is happening right now.~ Sarah Dessen When Jesus had spoken these words, He lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son…
• Big Faith Nov 25, 2014 Little faith will bring your soul to heaven; great faith will bring heaven to your soul.~Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892) I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a…
• Dust in The Wind: The Futility of Ministry Nov 6, 2014 And all your money, won’t another minute buy.~ Kansas, Dust in The Wind We live less than the time it takes to blink an eye, if we measure our lives against eternity…. I learned a long…
• An Extravagant Paradigm Nov 4, 2014 We can now hear the voice of the One who tore His very Triune Self apart that we might have ears to hear. And this same One has knit us to His very heart with the…
• Victory in The Rubble of The World Aug 19, 2014 The kingdom of God is a kingdom of paradox, where through the ugly defeat of a cross, a holy God is utterly glorified. Victory comes through defeat; healing through brokenness; finding self through losing self.~Charles Colson…
• The Mysterious Exchange Jul 31, 2014 To let my loving Savior work in me His will, my sanctification, is what I would live for by His grace. Abiding, not striving nor struggling; looking off unto Him; trusting Him for present power;… resting…
• A Father’s Day Tribute – Gyne Jun 16, 2014 Winton de Ruyter Woods was my grandfather. He went home to be with Jesus and many friends and family many years ago. The following were some thoughts this writer shared at his funeral. ________________________ I come…
• The Love of The Prodigal Father Jun 2, 2014 Never cease loving a person and never give up hope for him, for even the Prodigal Son who had fallen most low could still be saved. The bitterest enemy and also he who was your friend…
• Swimming in The River of Life May 19, 2014 Christ taught an astonishing thing about physical death: not merely that it is an experience robbed of its terror, but that as an experience it does not exist at all. To “sleep in Christ,” “depart and…
• The Overwhelming Flood of Hope Apr 7, 2014 O hope! Dazzling, radiant hope! What a change thou bringest to the hopeless; brightening the darkened paths, and cheering the lonely way. –Aimee Semple McPherson (1890–1944) For thus says the LORD: After seventy years are completed…
• Minority Strength Mar 13, 2014 My attitude is this: I will stand for revival, unity and prayer; I will labor to restore healing, reconciliation and love between God’s people. I will do what I can. Yet, if all God truly wanted…
• Unspeakable Joy Mar 3, 2014 We are like deep sea divers moving slowly and clumsily in the dim twilight of the depths, and we have our work to do. But this is not our element, and the relief of the diver…
• Done Jan 31, 2014 A re-post celebrating the Home-going of my sister this week… Faraday, when asked by Acland his conception of after-death consciousness, cried out, “I shall see Him, and that will be enough for me!” Then I saw…
• How The Mighty Fall Jan 27, 2014 The Crucifixion, however else we may interpret it, accuses human nature, accuses all of us in the very things that we think are our righteousness…. Our attitude to the Crucifixion must be that of self-identification with…
• Growing An Enormous Faith in An Even Bigger God Dec 18, 2013 Faith and sight are set in opposition to each other in Scripture, but not faith and reason…. True faith is essentially reasonable because it trusts in the character and the promises of God. A believing Christian…
• Lust’s Antidote: Hope Oct 31, 2013 Love can wait and worship endlessly; lust says, “I must have it at once.”~Oswald Chambers (1874-1917) Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the…
• A Friend: Safely Home Oct 14, 2013 Glory, hallelujah! Glory, hallelujah! I am with the Lord! Glory, ready, go!—From the scaffold~Charles J. Guiteau (1841-1882)But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve…
• Three Fingers Pointing Back… Sep 16, 2013 Hypocrisy is the homage that vice pays to virtue.~François, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680)When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.…
• Where Did The Fear Go? Sep 5, 2013 I never knew how to worship until I knew how to love. ~Henry Ward Beecher Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and…
• Battle on The Backside of Victory May 11, 2013 The saints have their power, their glory, their victory, their lustre, and need no worldly or intellectual greatness…. God is enough for them.~Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from…
• Where Is The Hope? Sep 1, 2012 “Where is the hope? I meet millions of people who feel demoralized by the decay around us. The hope that each of us has is not in who governs us, or what laws we pass, or…
• The Compulsion of Hope Oct 3, 2011 O hope! Dazzling, radiant hope! What a change thou bringest to the hopeless; brightening the darkened paths, and cheering the lonely way.~Aimee Semple McPherson (1890-1944) because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of…

No posts match that filter.