Thoughtful Reflections on Faith and Life
We are living in difficult times. As I write this, there has been a recent advancement of the Doomsday Clock. It is now 89 seconds to midnight, with midnight being the end of the world. The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, who change the “clock”, had this to say: In setting the Clock one second closer … Read More “Pastors as Cultivators of Hope” »
Psalm 33:16-22 Introduction Christmas can be a very hectic and even stressful time for many people. What is the reason for this? I think it comes down to a very simple economic formula of supply vs demand. And I am not talking about stores trying to keep the latest trend on the shelves. Think of … Read More “Our Hope is in the Lord” »
1 Thessalonians 4:13 Introduction One of my interests is studying world religions. I find it fascinating how different people have addressed the big questions of life. Often when we compare the different religions, we begin by comparing and contrasting the different answers that they offer. But long before that, we should be looking at the … Read More “Grief With Hope” »
Ephesians 1:15-23 Introduction As we seek to live our life, there are three general frameworks that people tend you use. The first is to live in the past. These are the people that are nostalgic for the good old days and find themselves reminiscing about the past rather that focusing on what is happening right … Read More “Reaching Toward Hope” »
Isaiah 64:1-9 Introduction There is a lot of pressure put on people at Christmas-time. The expectation is that people at least pretend that they are happy and that everything is going well. Consider even our common greeting: Merry Christmas. I realize that it is a polite wish, but what about those whose options for a … Read More “Looking for a Breakthrough” »
This past week was challenging in a number of ways. You do not need to know the details, just trust me that it was hard. In the midst of the difficulties, I have seen numerous glimpses of hope. These are not solutions to all of the issues but reminders that there is still room for … Read More “Good News: Holding Onto Hope” »
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 Introduction I experienced an existential crisis in my teen years that lasted into my early twenties. The issue I faced was that despite being raised in the church, I became convinced that there was no life after death. When you are dead, you are dead. We would just cease to exist. Now … Read More “Hope in Christ” »
Jeremiah 33:14-16 Introduction One of the most difficult things to hold onto, depending upon your circumstances, is hope. In fact, we may be afraid to even try to hope. I recently came across this statement in Psychology Today about the danger of hope: “The emotion of hope pertains to that which hasn’t yet transpired. So … Read More “Emerging Hope” »
Introduction This is the first Sunday of Advent. It is a time when each week we light a candle, bringing light out of the darkness and we reflect on what it meant for Jesus to arrive in our world. This is also the first Advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. If ever there was a time … Read More “Jesus: The Hope-Giver” »
The New Testament presents a message of hope. But what is the content of that hope? I came across this summary of the New Testament hope by Karl Barth that I thought was very helpful. This, then, is the New Testament hope. To understand it, we must fix our eyes firmly on three points: 1. … Read More “Karl Barth on the New Testament Hope” »
This is my first good news post of the new year. What could I possibly have as good news? 2014 is done! Was it that bad? We had some pretty rough moments. I lost my job. We had (and are having) some challenges with our son. My health has been up and down. But it … Read More “Hoping for a Good Year” »
This Sunday is the first of the advent season. Growing up in the Pentecostal church, this is a tradition that I was unfamiliar with until Steve and I were married and I began to attend the Baptist church where he was a youth pastor. It was there that I found the Christmas season come alive … Read More “Advent Reflections. | Ramblings about faith, hope and love” »
