Weakness and Loss of Control
Read: 2 Corinthians 13:5-10 For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. Your restoration is what we pray for. (v. 9) I am amazed at the courage of so many people that I serve. Not too long ago I did an initial assessment with a woman who had just been diagnosed with […]
A Real-Time God
Read: Psalm 46 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. (v. 1) The goal of hospice is to provide physical and spiritual comfort to people who are dealing with the end of life. Sometimes a combination of family dynamics and physical factors leads to pain that is difficult to alleviate. While […]
Worrying About Those Left Behind
Read: Philippians 4:4-9 The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (vv. 5-6) It was a very emotional scene. A terminally ill father was listening to his daughter give him permission to let go. She reassured […]
Honest Anger
Read: Matthew 27:45-50 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (v. 46) Dementia is one of the cruelest diseases. When someone experiences dementia’s progression, loved ones helplessly watch memory, function, and personality slip away. On […]
Regret
Read: Philippians 3:12-16 . . . forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead. (v. 13) Throughout the course of our lives, we tend to accumulate a considerable list of regrets. The end of life often brings them up again, even when we thought we had dealt with them. One man I served […]
Caring for Afghan Refugees
In August of last year, the Albanian government agreed to take in thousands of refugees from Afghanistan, locating many of them indefinitely inside a compound near Words of Hope’s offices. The ministry team in Albania applied immediately with the government and was screened in order to become one of the first groups on the ground […]
Grace Unearned
Read: Luke 15:11-32 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. (v. 20) Have you ever done something that made you feel ashamed in front of your parents? Maybe something from childhood, […]
Walk and Pray
I am not the first one to say it, but walking is good for your body and your mind. People throughout history have recognized that moving your body helps you to take in information, process emotions, and lower stress. The philosopher Aristotle used to walk and teach so much that his school was called peripatetic, […]
Clinging to God
Read: Psalm 63:1-11 For you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me. (vv. 7-8) It’s no secret that kids can be clingy. We’ve all seen it during Sunday coffee hour or some other social gathering. You walk […]