God’s Fruitful Word
Read: Isaiah 55 So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty. (v. 11) In the eastern part of Bhutan, an elderly married couple goes to the monastery every day to shuffle in circles around the perimeter and chant mantras. In their left hands they spin Buddhist […]
Found by the Shepherd
Read: Matthew 9:35-38 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. (v. 36) Samar is a young shepherd living in India. At age 25, he was given a copy of the New Testament. He poured over the book, reading it every day with […]
Leaving the Stable
Read: Luke 2:15-21 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. (v. 20) The shepherds hurried to Bethlehem, found Mary and Joseph and the baby, made known the angelic announcement, and then, says Luke, they “returned.” Returned to what? A speaking tour about […]
Read the Christmas Story
Read: Galatians 4:1-7 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law. (v. 4) There is a thought-provoking verse in the book of 1 Kings. Trying to explain the escape of a prisoner he was supposed to be guarding, the sentry says: “As your servant was […]
Give Christmas Presence
Read: Isaiah 9:6-7 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given. (v. 6) In 1615, Anthony van Dyck finished painting Adoration of the Shepherds. One version shows the shepherds kneeling in the stable, all straining forward to see the infant Jesus, snug in his mother’s arms. And the shepherds’ wives are […]
Name Your Fears
Read: Luke 2:1-14 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (Ps. 27:1) When I was a child, my grandmother took it upon herself to do something my parents never would have: she gave me money to […]
Watch the Sunrise
Read: John 1:1-14 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (v. 5) It’s the largest object in our solar system, a mind-bogglingly enormous sphere of flaming gas—hydrogen and helium mostly—held together by its own gravity, researchers tell us. Its interactions with the earth drive the seasons, ocean currents, weather and […]
Addiction Recovery in Uganda
One of the programs that your donations to Words of Hope support is in the country of Uganda. As listeners there responded to radio, YouTube, and TV programming, it became clear to our producers that a large number of those we are trying to reach were struggling with addictions. So, the ministry team in Uganda […]
Take Sides with the Poor
Read: Luke 4:16-21 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. (v. 18) As Jesus began his ministry, he visited the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth. The passage of the day was from Isaiah 6:1-2, with themes that Mary echoed as she praised […]