Living while Waiting
Read: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-2, 12-28 Hold fast to what is good. (v. 21 NRSV) Advent is the season of waiting. Waiting for the coming of the Messiah. Waiting for the day of the Lord. God’s people have done a lot of waiting. We’re waiting for the One who will put all wrongs to right so […]
The Unrestrained Mercy of God
Read: Psalm 40 Behold, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O Lord. (v. 9) At the age of 39, a politically hopeful New York lawyer fell ill, struck with fever, nausea, and pain. Eventually, the affliction deepened, paralyzing him from the waist down. He nearly died, and likely felt like the psalmist, […]
Getting It
Read: Luke 7:28-35 [They] rejected the purpose of God for themselves. (v. 30) How did you “get it”? How did the good news of the gospel first come together for you? I was strongly influenced by the youth ministry of my church. I was bored silly watching filmstrips in Sunday school, and never quite understood […]
The Gift of Hope
Read: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 The dead in Christ will rise first. (v. 16) It has been a long journey! My husband, Javier, has been waiting for a heart transplant for two years. This is a matter for prayer, but it’s hard to pray because someone has to die for my beloved husband to receive this […]
The Language of Lament
Read: Psalm 102 In my distress I groan aloud and am reduced to skin and bones. (v. 5 NIV) I don’t lament well, especially compared to people in some other cultures and countries, where weeping and wailing are on public display. I subscribe to a keep-it-between-you-and-your-Kleenex theology. Wipe away the tears as quickly as possible. […]
The Bible is Enough
There are a lot of ways to read the Bible. At Words of Hope, we approach the Bible as scripture.
Faithful God, Fearful Followers
Read: 1 Thessalonians 3:1-13 When I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in vain. (v. 5) As parents, we love, teach, guide, and mentor our children and, when it is time, release them into the […]
A Different Perspective
Read: Isaiah 2:1-4 The mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains. (v. 2) The summer before our first child was born, my wife and I decided to take a vacation (some call it a “babymoon”) to the Pacific Northwest. We spent a day hiking in Mount […]
December Prayer Guide 2020
NEPAL — Please pray for families in Nepal who are once again being impacted by flooding. In the last few days, we received word from our ministry leader that 84 families lost their homes and 31 people were killed. Many of these people were Christians. The Words of Hope team in Nepal is providing food assistance […]