Where is the hope? Thoughts like this bounce around in our heads day after day…week after week. Yet we find it hard to turn to the greatest hope the world has ever known—-Jesus Christ. The bible points to Jesus as the hope of the world. His ways are so good. His burden is light. His love is unconditional. He will meet us right now wherever we are in our life. He brings hope to the hopeless. He is enough for all of us that don’t think that we are. Knowing all of this, yet we turn away. I believe we all know right and wrong. Its in our DNA code. We know that there is a God, but our sin gets in the way. Yet Jesus patiently waits for us.

The greatest threat in our lives today is hoplessness. Jesus is the Hope of the world. Don’t be afraid to find him in your life no matter where you are at. He will not condemn us. He died for us and loves us like no one else. He will give our lives purpose like nothing else in the world can.

Romans 15:13 – May the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in Hope.

God Bless You and have a great week.

Eric Liddell’s story was told in the movie Chariots Of Fire. Liddell was an olympic track and field athlete who won gold in the 1924 Olympics. He was a tremendous 100 yard dash sprinter who won a gold medal in the 440 yard dash, a distance he never trained for. More than that though was the fact that Liddell was an even greater person who loved God. He did not conform to the world but followed his heart. My favorite part of his story was a short speech he made to some fans after a race. He said, “I want you to do more than watch the race, I’d like you to take part in it. Its hard, requires concentration of energy and will. You experience elation when the winner breaks the tape, but how long does it last? You go home maybe to a dinner burned, maybe you have lost your job. So who am I to say believe and have faith in the face of life’s realities? I would like to give you something more permanent but I can only point the way. There is no formula for winning. Everyone runs in his own way…so where does the power come from to see the race to the end, from within….. Jesus said, behold the Kingdom of God is within you. If with all your heart you truly seek me, you shall surely find me.”

Life is like a race, kinda like a marathon. We need to see it to the end. And along the way we need the love of Jesus Christ to help us to the finish line….. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and The Life……..Amen

God Bless You and have a great week.

I was reading the book “The Ragamuffin Gospel” and was convicted by the author Brendan Manning’s words on the subject of self-hatred and a person’s own contempt. Manning believes that self-hatred is an enormous obstacle to loving other people. He says that we dislike others not because we love ourselves too much, but because we are not able to love ourselves enough. I believe that. In my life I see people everyday including myself that do not love themselves enough. Of course we act like we got it all together. But when things fall apart we feel unloved and unworthy. We “hide behind anger, sarcasm, or judgementalism because we are convinced that we don’t measure up ourselves”. We are not enough. Today and this week is a good time to start believing that Jesus “appreciates you for wanting Him. That He appreciates you “for giving comfort to another person….for pausing to smile at one of His children…and for learning more about Him”. In Jesus’s World, we are more than enough.

I think it is critical for people, including myself, love not only our neighbors, but ourselves. We all count. Our lives can have purpose. No matter how broken our lives are today we can begin to piece them back together thru our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Remember, He loves us in spite of ourselves. He loves us more than we love ourselves….Amen

God Bless You and have a great week…….

Don’t lean on your own understanding. I admit that there is much about Jesus that I don’t understand. There is much about the Bible I don’t understand. God is Big, really Big ….I am believing in something that is unbelieveable. I really don’t get how really awesome God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit are. I am Believing in the God of a universe that I don’t come close to understanding. When I was teaching biology I taught kids about the human eye. Just the eye is a great witness to God. Charles Darwin in his famous book “The Origin of Species” said this….”To suppose that the eye with all its inimitable contrivances for adjusting the focus of different distances, for admitting different amounts of light and for the correction of spherical and chromatic aberration, could have been formed by natural selection seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest degree”.

Jesus came to free us of our sins. He died for us. I guess I am kind of like the blind man who, when asked how Jesus healed him and restored his eye sight, said….”all I know is that I was blind and now I can see.” Thats what my faith is like. I don’t need all the answers. It is simple, “I was blind now I can see.

1cor. 13:12…For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; Then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

Have a great week and God Bless You……

It is by Grace you have been saved through faith—-and this is not from yourselves, it is the Gift of God——not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do….Ephesians 2:8-10

Why do most of us have a problem with this free gift from God? Why is it offensive to us? According to writer Tullian Tchividjian the logic of Grace is deeply offensive to our law-locked hearts. Jesus says, “of course you don’t deserve it, but I’m giving it to you anyway”. We wonder…….What is this really about? What’s the catch? This is too good to be true” Grace violates our deepsest sense of justice and rightness. So we choose death over freedom out of fear of losing control. Grace is hard to accept by most of us, if not impossible. Its too good to be true. So we, you and I, continue to resist God’s one way love and miss God’s most precious gift……His son Jesus, crucified on the cross for our sins.

John 14:6 – I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

God Bless You and have a great week…

What did Jesus die for? Singer/songwriter Twila Paris addressed this question in her 1994 song, “What did He die for”. She sang, “What did he die for, when he died for you and me. Made the sacrifice so that we could all be free. I believe that we will answer each to heaven, for the way we spend a priceless liberty. Look inside and ask the question…what did he die for when he died for me.”

I believe that Jesus is exactly who he says He is and did exactly what the Bible and history said He did. Now each of us must look inside ourselves and see where we stand with Jesus and just as importantly we need to find out who Jesus is. We need to pursue knowledge about the real Jesus because believe me there are a lot of false teachings and information about Jesus.

God Bless You in your pursuits………..

John 4:6 – I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life……….

If someone asks me why I believe in God(Jesus) my simple reply is because “He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life…..Jn 14:6. Jesus has shown me that I am broken….a sinner and thats not a negative thing all the time. It can be a positive. The more I learn about who I am and who Jesus is the more liberating it is. Jesus sets me free from the bondage of sin. I’m not perfect, sinless and never will be. But I now have a God that has a plan for me far, far, better than anything I could have done on my own. I Believe! Jesus is taking me somewhere that is beyond my understanding and He asks only that I trust and abide in him. Everyday can be something new. Although I still have my ups and downs, hit a lot of bumps, think and do some stupid things along the way , I now have a God that loves me in spite of myself. His grace and unconditional love is beyond my understanding and thats alright with me. I don’t have to know or have answers for everything. I just need to abide in Jesus and trust him that everything will work for my good. I guess I am saying just hang on and enjoy the ride….And BTW, the greatest book that has every been written with answers to all that troubles mankind is the Holy Bible. Might be good to take a look at it for answers. Jesus and his Word, an unbeatable combination.

Be Still And Know That I Am God……..Psalms 46:10

Have a Blessed week!

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound……We need Grace, lots and lots of Grace and unconditional love. All day long we get bombarded with bad news. People need good news. The best news is that there is a God, his name is Jesus and he loves us always and unconditionally. We need to look at the glass as half full again. We need to be good honest role models for our children and full of unconditional love. We need to introduce them to Jesus and let them run with it. Give them hope everyday. If we fail, get up and try again. Don’t be a spectator. But get into the game and play. Wake up each day with renewed hope that we can find peace and happiness in this world on this day thru our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Just remember, “He who has health has hope; He who has hope has everything.

Have a great week and remember that Jesus is not the enemy. God Bless!

Have you every wondered who Jesus really is. Author Brennan Manning writes, “Jesus’s name has given rise to vast theological systems, worldwide churches, crusades, reforms, and renewals. Church councils have rendered their opinions, as have historians, theologians, emperors, film directors, and all manner of believers and doubters.” Think of the songs written and art created in the name of Jesus. So obviously he is somebody. Each one of us must answer the question of “Who is Jesus?” for themselves. Other people cannot answer on your behalf. Jesus asks each one of us “but what about you…Who do you say I am?” Mark 8:29

God Bless you and have a great week.

Do you ever feel that your not enough? Of course you do. We all do. In her song “You Say” Lauren Diagle sings, “I keep fighting voices that say I’m not enough. Every single lie that tells me I will never measure up. Am I more than just the sum of every high and every low. Remind me once again just who I am because I need to know.” Jesus reminds us that we are enough just as we are. We don’t have to earn anything. Just abide in him and he will show us the way.

It seems like we are running to a finish line that doesn’t exist and only through Jesus can we find the peace that “we are enough”.

Have a great week……You are enough. Believe it!

Isaiah 40:31….But those who hope in the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.