Hope for Life 2011 Archives

The Futility of Resolutions

You know you can't change, right?

There is a certain futility in making resolutions. Only God can truly change us.

What Do You Do with Jesus at Christmas?

We all have to decide what to do with Jesus during Christmas.

There are a number of different ways to handle the Jesus question during Christmas. But you have to choose one.

Extravagance

What's the most extravagant gift you ever got?

While people may think they are giving truly remarkable gifts, no gift can match that of God's own Son.

Stray Dogs and Jesus

How rescuing stray dogs makes me think of Jesus.

We are like stray dogs: unwanted, not clean, wounded. Jesus brings us home to His family.

What Do You Say?

It's not Thanksgiving, but not yet Christmas

In the midst of the Christmas frenzy time, we need to remember the reason for the season. Thank God for Jesus

As Far as the East Is from the West

Take time to be thankful

There are lots of reasons to give thanks. It doesn't always seem that way, but if we put our mind to it, we can usually think of more reasons for being thankful than for complaining.

New Roofs and Jesus

What can you learn about Christianity from watching new roofs?

The correct way to put on a new roof is to first take off the old roof. That is the same way Jesus gives us new life. Take off the old, put on the new.

Prepared

Are you prepared for an emergency?

We shouldn't wait until we find ourselves in crisis to look for God.

God Does Not Fix Everyone

Why does God fix some lives... but not others?

God can only fix the people who want to be fixed. He is willing. It is our choice.

Two Questions

Two questions remain that you need to answer

David betrayed God, asked for forgiveness and is granted it, yet David still suffered the consequences of that sin (two of his sons die). In spite of all this both the prophet Samuel and Luke describe David as a man after God's own heart. If there was for

The List

Surprises in the family tree

Jesus' family tree teaches us that God can work through all kinds of people.

Church Is a Wellness Center ... Not Just a Hospital

Church is not a place to stay spiritually sick, but a place to get well.

Church is not just like a hospital where everyone is sick. It is more like a wellness center where we learn to live healthy.

Stories

What's your story?

You've got a story. It's a unique story that's being written every day. But your story needs an ending, a happy ending. And I know that the only way your story can end happily is if you make your story part of God's story.

No Air Conditioning in a Heat Wave

Is it really hotter than hell this summer?

The worst part of hell is not the heat and fear. It is being separated from God. He sent His Son so that would not happen.

Connected

What are you connected to the most?

We are connected to our iPhones, iPads, iTouch, iTunes, iMac, iChat, but have we lost the connection to the I AM?

Don’t Be Afraid; Just Believe

Sometimes, you just have to believe

Because Jesus is more powerful than death, he can tell us to not fear death. Our belief can overcome our fear.

So What exactly Do I have to Do?

What do you have do every day if you become a Christian?

What would Jesus do? What would Jesus not do? Tell everyone about Jesus. These are the things that determine what Christians do in their daily life.

Where Are You Going?

Life's better when you know where you're going

Knowing who we are and where we are going frees us to do anything that needs doing.

Fit Fat

Christians sometimes practice false advertising.

You cannot be healthy without effort. It is the same with Christianity.

Contrast

Do we really want the message of God homogenized and filtered by someone else?

To know what God says we must, like the young woman in Tanzania, read the Bible. We must become people of the Book, again.

Sunny Morning

One morning seemed brighter than all the rest

There is no cleansing like the one that God gives us when we give our life to Him.

Dog Bites and Life

How do you survive when life takes a bite out of you?

Life is hard, and the terrible things in this world sometimes happen when we least expect. How do we cope?

A Promised Pardon

Billy the Kid is still waiting

We all need a pardon from God, forgiveness for our sins. But He won't make us wait.

What We See At Church

What are you looking at?

Many problems arise when we spend our time looking at church people rather than the One the church belongs to.

It’s ALL About Heaven!

Why tell people about Jesus?

It's All about Heaven!! Our mission, obligation and responsibility is to tell the remaining 2/3 of the world's population (4.4 Billion) about Jesus, so that those who do what God commands will go to Heaven.