Category: Hope

Advent Day 6–God is real!

Posted on by Paula

As a high school life group leader, a question that I am often asked is, “How do you know God is real?” One of my favorite examples to share is the time when God pulled me up from the pit of despair and revealed that I have purpose in him. I was a stay-at-home mom who had somehow reached rock bottom, feeling very inadequate and suffering very low self-esteem. To be totally honest, there were times when I truly believed that my family would be better off without me.

During that low, I saw an advertisement for Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse, which delivers shoe box gifts along with the Gospel to children living in desperate situations all over the world. A quiet voice urged me to get involved, and I spoke to my minister who allowed me to involve our congregation as well.

After a couple of years of driving our gifts 2 ½ hours to the nearest drop-off, I heard that same quiet voice asking me to do something bigger—to start a new drop-off point and collect shoe boxes from other churches in our area. This is something that I never would have thought to do on my own. I didn’t even know anyone outside our church who participated in this project. The task seemed impossible for a nobody with no contacts, but the voice wouldn’t leave me alone. Because I had never entertained the idea that God might speak to me, I prayed, “God, I don’t know if this is you, but these thoughts are not going away. I have no idea how to do this, but if this is really you, I will do what you ask.”

Over the next several months, I watched in amazement. It became obvious that God had been working on many other hearts; he just needed someone to get everyone together. God built a team, as over and over I’d choose a nearby town not knowing who to call, and he would quickly connect me with others who shared the passion for reaching these kids. Time and again, I’d visit a church to promote the project, and they excitedly agreed to come on board. It was amazing!

My life found deeper meaning the year of 2001 as I witnessed God orchestrate a drop-off where more than 4,300 shoe box gifts were collected in the first year. Through the promotion of the project, he blessed thousands of people in our area (most of which had never heard of the project) by giving them a way to make an eternal impact on more than 4300 lives that lived thousands of miles away. He also taught this simple-minded, socially awkward “nobody,” that he will equip me for whatever he asks me to do. When God called me to become involved in his work, I ignorantly thought that I was agreeing to “help God out.” I didn’t understand at the time that it was GOD helping out ME. He worked through me to do things that I never could have done on my own. He showed me that even though I thought I was worthless, I am worth something to Him. God is real!

Knowing that God is real gives us hope, and sharing our experiences with others can give them hope too. During Advent take time to tell others about how God has been real to you. Ask God to open your eyes to how he might bless someone and show them his love through you.

Advent Day 2–Prepare the Way!

Posted on by Paula

“Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting, ‘Clear the way through the wilderness for the LORD! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God!’” ~Isaiah 40:3 NLT

Advent is a time when we are reminded of Jesus’ first coming and of God’s people awaiting the birth of the Messiah who would save them. It is also a time that we ourselves anticipate Jesus’ second coming when he will return to take us home.

There are more than 300 prophecies in the Old Testament which were fulfilled through Jesus hundreds of years after they were written. In the passage above, the prophet Isaiah is speaking of John the Baptist who would prepare the people for Jesus by telling them to “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is near.” Hundreds of years later, Matthew, Mark, Luke & John recorded in their New Testament accounts that John the Baptist is the one Isaiah was speaking of.

Just as there are many Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah that were fulfilled in the New Testament, there are also many passages in Scripture that tell us that Jesus will come again. Yes! Jesus is coming back, and we need to share his message with others as we eagerly await his return!

So, make this advent season a special time for you and your family. As so many holiday traditions compete for your time, remember that the true reason for the season is to celebrate the birth of the One who came to save us and to anticipate his return. Keep Jesus as your focus. Spend time praying, reading your Bible and allowing him to transform your life. Prepare your heart for his coming & share his message with others so they can be prepared too. The kingdom of heaven is near, & there is no better day than today to share the Good News of Jesus with someone who needs the hope and peace we have through him.

Advent Day 1–“Prophecy Candle” or “Candle of Hope”

Posted on by Paula

The Advent season begins today, and we remember the time when God’s people were awaiting the birth of the Messiah.  Along with remembering Israel’s expectation of Jesus’ first coming to bring us salvation, we also anticipate Jesus’ second coming when he will return to take us home.

Today we light the first candle which is called the “Prophecy Candle” or “Candle of Hope.” This candle reminds us of both the fulfilled prophecy of Jesus’ birth and the prophecy of his second coming, for which we continue to wait. The candle’s purple color represents Christ’s royalty as the King of Kings.

My prayer for each of you is that during the hustle and bustle of the season, you will keep your focus on Jesus. I pray that you will reflect on him, be aware of his presence, become overwhelmed by his love, grow closer to him and experience his peace and hope. As you excitedly prepare to celebrate his birth, I pray that you will also anxiously anticipate the day that he will return again to take us home.

Scriptures to reflect on today:

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” ~Micah 5:2

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” ~Isaiah 7:14

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” ~Isaiah 9:6

“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.” ~1 Thessalonians 4:16

“For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.” ~Matthew 16:27

“Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.” ~Matthew 24:30

“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” ~John 14:3

“’Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.’” ~Acts 1:11

“’Look, he is coming with the clouds,’ and ‘every eye will see him, even those who pierced him’; and all peoples on earth ‘will mourn because of him.’  So shall it be! Amen.” ~Revelation 1:7

Are You Prepared For the Inevitable?

Posted on by Paula

I love summertime! I love wearing dresses, seeing the sun shine and feeling the warmth radiate down to my bones. Summer means blue skies, sheets on the clothesline, watermelon, popsicles, lemonade, flip flops, fireflies, green leaves, bright sunshine and fresh air. Life is good in the summer, and I am happy, happy, happy!

My feelings for winter are quite the opposite. I loathe wearing long pants and bundling up. I have a difficult time emerging from under my electric blanket in the morning. I dread the dark, dreary days and the bitterly cold wind. Don’t even mention the “s” word (you know, that white stuff that looks all pretty falling from the sky but makes the roads slick and the floors muddy). All through the winter, I long for the warm sunshine to return.

No matter how much I want summer to last forever, winter always comes whether I like it or not. The warning signs always creep in. The winter clothes appear in the stores, the grass begins to die, and the leaves on the trees start changing their color. Then the frigid wind starts blowing from the north, and the sunshine hides behind the clouds. Some things, we cannot change. I can either prepare for winter or live in denial and get a rude awakening.

There is another fact of life that we cannot change, and this matter is much more serious. Whether we like it or not, we must face the reality that our life here on earth won’t last forever. Our bodies wear out, and eventually our hearts stop beating. For some of us that time arrives gradually and slowly; for others, that day comes suddenly and unexpectedly.

We don’t like to think about this, but as sure as winter always comes, the day will come when we will leave this world behind and stand before Almighty God. Romans 14:11-12 says, “It is written, ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’ So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.” Though our physical bodies die, our souls will live on for eternity. We can either ensure that we are prepared for the day we meet or Maker or we can get a rude awakening.

You see, God created everything, and He created man in His image. All was good until we humans sinned by deciding to do things our way instead of God’s. (Adam and Eve ate from the tree that God told them not to eat from). God is holy, and sin separates us from God. The penalty for sin is death; all sinners are doomed. The wonderful news is that God sent His Son, Jesus, to provide a way for us to be made right with God again. Jesus became God in the flesh, lived here on earth and was tempted in every way just like we are, but Jesus never gave in to those temptations. He lived a perfect life without sin so that He could take the death penalty for us. He died on the cross in our place and rose from the dead, conquering sin and death. If we accept His gift of salvation & commit our lives to following Him, our slate is wiped clean. We can stand before God because we have accepted the gift of salvation through Jesus.

Jesus is Lord whether we accept it or not. Those who decide to surrender their lives to Jesus and follow his ways will receive the gift of eternal life with him in heaven. Sadly, those who choose to reject Jesus and his ways, will not be allowed to enter but will be forever separated from God and cast into the eternal torture of hell.

I do not say this to judge or condemn; I say this out of love. Just as God wants no one to perish but all to repent and be saved, I too cannot bear the thought of anyone being separated from God and cast into eternal punishment. Each of us will come face to face with Jesus & each of us will confess Him as Lord. If Jesus is tugging on your heart and calling you into a relationship with him, surrender your life and trust him. If you wait until that day when you are standing before him, it will be too late. Make sure you are prepared for eternity, and if you are prepared, make sure you tell others so that they can be prepared too.

Holding on to Hope

Posted on by Paula

It has been over 5 hours since I heard from my son, Christopher, and my daughter-in-law, Cassie and probably more than 4 hours since the center of Hurricane Irma passed over them. We knew that losing communication was a possibility, but we had of course hoped that it wouldn’t happen.

Sam and I had offered to fly them home from Florida early last week, but they had to teach school. By the time school was canceled, it was too late for them to get out. The roads were already starting to gridlock, there was no gasoline in their community, and all the flights were booked. They were stuck.

I’ll be honest. I wasn’t very happy that a 450 foot wide hurricane with winds of 185 miles per hour was heading their way and that they had no way to leave. However, I stayed surprisingly calm at that point and started praying that the hurricane would go out to sea and dissipate. I believed it would.

Then, I found out that their stores were out of water and sandbags. I also found out they were unable to board up their windows. This made me even more unhappy, but I continued to pray and to try to stay calm.

Christopher and Cassie were eventually able to get all the supplies they need. They even found a safer place to stay. One of their friends in their life group has a dad who is a building contractor. They invited Christopher and Cassie to stay in their sturdy home with the windows boarded. The home had already made it through hurricanes Andrew and Charlie. I still didn’t like the idea of them having to stay in Florida, but at least they had supplies, a safer place to stay and good people to help them weather the storm.

I told myself that praying was much better than thinking about it or talking about it. Praying was actually doing something about it. Every time my mind would start to worry, I’d pray, holding onto God’s promise for peace,

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ~Philippians 4:6-7

I continued to do pretty good until Thursday night when one of the hurricane models predicted that the hurricane would go straight up the center of Florida where Christopher and Cassie live. The news report said that their county would get the worst of the wind in their viewing area. However, I misunderstood and thought the weatherman said they would have the worst weather in the state! I’m not going to lie. At that point, fear did start to get me. I shed a few tears and fell asleep praying for God’s continued protection over Christopher and Cassie and also asking God’s forgiveness for my fear.

The next morning, Christopher sent me a message, “I’m confident God is taking care of us and I have peace…. It’s a confidence that we are under his wings” (Proverbs 30:5). The bible verse is one of the first verses that I taught the 5th and 6th grade Sunday School class when Christopher was in it, “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.” I was even more excited about his confidence that they were under God’s wings because unbeknownst to him, one of the things that I had been praying was for God to hide them under the shadow of his wings.

A couple of hours later, a dear friend of mine texted me to see how Christopher and Cassie were doing, “Prayers that God will protect them and hold them in the shadow of his almighty wings…” Neither of them knew what I had been praying, but after getting a little scared the night before, their words brought me great peace. God was listening to my cries and he would hide them under the shadow of his wings.

So though it is now just past 2:30 in the morning, though I still haven’t heard from them and though I watched in horror as the center of the storm passed over them, I am doing okay. I am fighting by praying and holding on to the hope God gave me in his word. “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.”

When Things Are Out of Your Control

Posted on by Paula

When things are out of your control, remember Psalm 46:10,

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth.” ~Psalm 46:10

Maybe you are scared today and don’t understand why things are happening the way they are. If you are struggling, turn to the One who can replace your anxieties with peace. As soon as you start to worry, nip it in the bud & turn your worry into prayer. Do this whether it’s one time or a hundred times today. The more you practice the promise found in Philippians 4:6-7, the less you’ll worry.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ~Philippians 4:6-7

We have 2 weapons that God has given us to fight with–“the sword of the Spirit,” which is the Word of God, and “prayer.” So use them to fight and stay strong in the Lord, knowing that this life on earth is much shorter than the next life which will be spent either in heaven or in hell, depending on whether or not we have chosen to believe in Jesus and to surrender our lives to him. We can have peace through the difficult times and peace through eternity if we turn to the Lord and trust in him.

So today, pray, pray, pray and trust, trust trust! When you start to get distracted by whatever storm you are encountering, shift your focus to Jesus. Cry out to him. He’s ready to reach his hand out to you. Peace!

In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. ~Jesus, John 16:33

Only a Season With Better Days Ahead

Posted on by Paula
Pink and white dogwoods add life and color to the beautiful spring show around us.

Spring has returned, and life is good! Slowly but surely over the past month, new life has appeared. Hyacinth, daffodils and tulips burst forth from their bulbs that had been resting beneath the dirt all winter. The buds on the trees have given way to the first green leaves. The dogwood, wisteria and redbud trees boast a beautiful show with white, pink and purple flowers whose petals will eventually fall and decorate the ground. The fresh, crisp air welcomes the scent of freshly cut grass, and the sunshine lifts my spirit and warms my bones.

The older that I have become, the more I dread the winter. The flowers disappear, the leaves fall from the trees and the landscape turns brown and seemingly lifeless. Days of clouds and dreariness cause me to long for sunshine. The bitter wind and freezing temperatures make me want to hibernate until spring. The snow that I once looked forward to as a child has become a dreaded sight. As an adult, I find that snow means hazardous driving, sidewalks to shovel, slippery parking lots, damp clothes and wet, muddy floors.

As unbearable as winter now seems to me, I always make it through. Though the frigid mornings make me want to stay in my warm fluffy pajamas and hide under my electric blanket, I force myself to rise each day and persevere. I know that winter is just a season that will eventually come to an end and that spring and summer will happily return.

Life really is all about seasons. Some seasons are less enjoyable than others. Strained relationships, health issues, financial difficulties and grief can overwhelm us at times. There may be seasons so challenging that we struggle to pull ourselves out of bed each morning. Thankfully, our hardships are only temporary and we can have hope that seasons of love, good health, prosperity and joy will surely come our way again. Best of all, if we belong to Jesus, not only will He stay by our side through our difficult season, He also promises to someday take us home where we will find a permanent ending to those seasons of struggle.

Ecclesiastes 7:14 tells us, “When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this:  God has made the one as well as the other….” If life was always good, how often would we seek God? We thank God and praise him for his blessings during happy times, but we might not remember as well how much we need Him. It seems that the difficult times we encounter are the times that cause us to reflect and to realize our need for God. When times are bad, we turn to God, remembering how awesome, powerful and good He is. When things are out of our control, we seek God for guidance, strength and peace. We may learn that there are changes we need to make in our life or we may simply realize that there is nothing we can do but hold on to God with all of our might and trust that relief will come. We definitely appreciate the good days more because of the bad days we endure.

When we seek God during difficult times, we are blessed by his love, peace and presence. During seasons of despair, we can remember that a season doesn’t last forever. We find hope that better days are ahead. Some of those days may be here on earth, but if we truly belong to God, we can be sure of a future when all struggling will end and we will inherit a life far better than we can imagine. A time is coming when peace, joy and perfection will last for an eternity.