Hope for Life 2014 Archives

The Best New Year Ever

How would you like to have the best New Year ever? Jesus can make it happen.

Pay off my biggest debt, restore my most important relationship, and find real meaning and purpose for my life. Now that would be the best New Year ever.

The Reason

The season has a reason

Centuries ago, in a small unimportant town, our salvation began with a baby's cry. We continue to search and hope for: Peace, goodwill toward men.

God With Us

If Jesus wasn't Immanuel, who was?

So a little boy was born, named Immanuel. He was a living sign from God, a reminder that God is with his people. Because Ahaz wouldn't listen and wouldn't put his trust in God, his nation would suffer defeat. But he had in this young boy the constant remi

Baby Jesus Grew Up... and then He Died

The real message of Christmas is not baby Jesus.

The Christmas message is not just that God's Son was born. It is that the baby grew up to die and save us from our sins.

The Choirboys Led the Charge

When singers led the army into battle

It had to be hard to sing praises while marching against a more powerful enemy. It had to be hard to trust that God would fight the battle. It's easier to depend on ourselves, to trust in our strength, to put our faith in what we see and know. But fait

Walk This Way

Nik Wallenda walking a tightrope in Chicago was not the most inspirational walk I have seen.

Watching an old man cross the street with his walker taught me about following Jesus in this world.

Be Strong and Courageous

Now is the time for courage

As evil further envelopes this world, with wars, rumors of wars, beheading and horrors, the words said to Joshua resound for us today. Be strong and courageous.

Be Careful Where You Build

Not every foundation is the same!

If we build our lives on the teachings of Jesus, we'll have a solid foundation that will see us through even the hardest times. If we choose to build somewhere else, we may very well find ourselves with a life that can't stand up to life's trials.

Have You Stopped Believing in God?

Can you believe in a God who did not answer your prayers?

It is hard to hold on to your belief when it seems God is not listening. Here is how Christians keep the faith.

Choose This Day

Who are you going to serve?

We have to choose whether we want to serve God, and God alone, or serve something/someone else.

Of Course You Will Die

Yes you are going to die. So what?

Death means the end of everything if you are not a Christian. It is the beginning of everything if you are.

The Family Resemblance

Do you look like your Father?

For those of us who claim to follow Jesus, there should be a family resemblance between each of us and God and Jesus. We should not look like the people around us, but we should be uniquely different and by our look we should be part of God's family.

Give Me this Hill Country

What do you look forward to for the end of your days?

I pray that my life may ever be focused on what I can do, not what I can stop doing. Even if the effects of age force me to limit my activities, may I ever be seeking ways to serve the Lord.

You Get to Have Your Own Name

God wants to give you a special name known only to Him.

Nicknames are given to us by people who know us and love us. God knows us, loves us, and has a special name picked out for us.

The God Who Goes Before

Who's going to go first?

I don't want a God who stays behind while I go first. I don't want a God who waits until I'm in trouble and then comes to my rescue. I want a God that goes ahead of me. I want a God that I can follow, one who will lead me the way I should go.

Good People Need Jesus Too

Since I already am a good person, why do I need Jesus?

Good people still need Jesus. He is the only way to God because he is the only man to ever live a life good enough to spend eternity with God.

Jonah and Nineveh

What happened to Jonah AFTER he got out of the fish

Jonah is not remembered for his birth place and burial tomb, but because he finally did what God directed him to do. And the people he talked to responded to God's call.

If You Can’t Trust a Panda

If you can't trust a panda, who can you trust?

Faking Christianity may score points with your friends and neighbors. Living the Christian life can fill your life with purpose and meaning, giving you a powerful hope for the future.

Jesus Knows Me, This I Love

I love fresh takes on an old song.

Jesus knows me. He know me better than I know myself. He loves me anyway. And I love that.

Touching Jesus

Are you good enough?

Have you ever felt like you had no right to ask God for anything? Or maybe you thought that others would judge you and reject you if they knew your secret? Does it seem like Jesus has something to offer others, but nothing for you? You can have peace.

Hooker to Hero

Why would anyone want to write about a hooker on a Christian website?

Rahab is the story of a prostitute who became a spiritual hero. Her story is important for all of us to know.

Christian Graces

More Kingdom work is done in hospitals than in church buildings

Dying and death come at inconvenient times, interrupting life. Yet, I have become convinced it is at precisely those times that one can see firsthand Christian Graces. Walking with the real people as death interrupts their living, by listening, preparing

A Place of Rest

How do we face unspeakable loss?

May such tragedies never come your way. But should they come, please remember these thoughts. A child who dies leaves a world of strife, finding a place of rest. We can't bring them back, but we can live our lives in such a way that we will go to them.

It Is Not Too Late

Some older people worry that they have missed their chance to follow Jesus. Not true

It is never too late to follow Jesus. He is still calling you to come to him. Now matter how old.

Sinners and Holy People

Jesus came for the good, the bad, and the ugly

Jesus wants to remind us that performing a series of religious acts doesn't make us right with God. Our attitude matters. What the Bible calls "the heart." While men look at the outside, God looks at the heart.