Articles Tagged 'Hard'

For over 30 years, Heartlight has shared articles to help people live for Jesus in everyday life. While we are no longer publishing new articles, this enduring collection features relevant pieces throughout the year to encourage faith, offer biblical perspective, and speak to real-world joys and struggles.

They Danced!

Melissa Troyer reminds us of the importance of marking each stage of our deliverance and our journey with God, with joy and dancing!

They danced while still not knowing exactly where they would even sleep that night.

The Blessing of Raising Teens?

Melissa Troyer is back living in her crazy world with grace and reminding us that raising teenagers can be embraced as a grace from God despite being hard if it calls us to look at our brokenness and weak place.

Parenting teens is one of the best, hardest, most growing things I've ever done.

It's the Little Moments

Melissa Troyer writes insightfully about her husband, Daniel, and his way of seizing small moments to be there for his family despite being in a very stressful time in grad school.

He grasps those little moments so well. Pulls the kids close, chooses to go play frisbee or a game of Uno, just because.

When Endings Are Complicated, God Is Still Gracious

Ron Rose reminds us that not all faith stories have happy endings and that sometimes we have to wade on through tragedy with faith.

What do you do when the endings are not always happy ones?

Tough Times Toughen

Tough times, even when they are filled with temptation can help us grow and better appreciate good times when they come.

Wow, tough times can be hard, but is there a payoff to them?

It All Hinges on This

Phil Ware helps us to better understand both Mark's message about where true life is found and also his outline and organization of his gospel around the hinges to the story provided by the stories of two blind men that Jesus heals.

How can we know if our lives make a difference and truly matter?

Don't Settle for a Small Destiny

Max Lucado from his book "You'll Get Through This" encourages us to not let our disappointments define us but instead let God's destiny for us define us.

What do we let define us, call or catastrophe?

The Long, Hard Chill of Winter

Phil Ware talks about the harshness of a long, cold, hard winter and the trials and troubles we must endure as believers.

Are you ready for the long hard chill of winter?

Hope in our Messy Days

Melissa Troyer reminds us that life's messes should drive us to our knees and open our hearts to the love, grace, and freedom of God!

Parenting cuts deep to the core. It lays open our needs before God, and we can either resent it or embrace the powerful cleansing that comes from God's purifying fire

You Will Get Through This!

Max Lucado shares the encouragement that we can get through our tough times just like Joseph did his.

Life is hard, but God is great at helping us get THROUGH life's toughest challenges and will never abandone us!

You Got Graced, Man!

Ron Rose is back with his coffee and this time he is thinking and remembering and celebrating the grace a friend received that changed his life and now inspires Ron and his wife Lyn!

I had heard of grace before, but on that day I was in the middle of it.

Finding Jesus' Heart for Ministry: Prayer

Phil Ware looks at Mark 1:35-45 and learning how to touch the broken as Jesus touched them by learning to pray as Jesus

To touch the broken as Jesus did, I must learn to pray as Jesus prayed!

Give Your Fears to the Father

Max Lucado reminds us that Jesus made all sorts of faces as he lived life much as we do, and because he has been where we are, even in the darkest of times, we can turn to him and find grace to help us in our times of need.

How remarkable that Jesus felt such fear. But how kind that he told us about it.

Overcoming the Greater Pandemic: From Hopeless to Living Hope

James Nored and Phil Ware share a message of hope in video and word and Scripture to remind us to be ready to share our living hope for those caught in life's dark winter.

We can't think of a more important commitment for us as believers in our uncertain times.

I'm Done and That's Good!

Christine Derengowski writes frankly and truthfully and encouragingly about dealing with our superheroes who have had to conquer forces unseen before for school kids in this crazy COVID world!

Instead of getting frustrated and pushing the assignment, I sat down with him at his desk in his superhero bedroom.

Purpose that Brings Meaning to Life

James Nored and Phil Ware share God's message for us about purpose and meaning through words and video, focusing on Viktor Frankl and the apostle Paul.

As human beings, we can survive almost any 'how' if we have a 'why'! — Viktor Frankl

Intentional Godliness

Demetrius Collins & Phil Ware lead through worship in song, the Lord's Supper, a powerful message from God's word, and a closing blessing for worship from home with family and friends in a meaningful way - we are called to live godly lives, intentionally!

Godliness means having the commitment and the spiritual discipline to live in ways that honor and reflect the character and compassion of God.

Jesus Is Both Savior and Lord

Demetrius Collins & Phil Ware lead through worship in song, the Lord's Supper, a powerful message from God's word, and a closing blessing for worship from home with family and friends in a meaningful way - we need to place our challenges in Jesus' hands!

Jesus isn't just our Savior; he is also our Lord. As Lord, Jesus challenges us to take up our cross and follow him.

Beyond Trite Slogans to Real Help

Phil Ware writes about Romans 8:22-29, the bondage to decay that our world faces, our own troubles and hardships, and slogans that we often use and abuse to try to encourage people who are grieving, wounded, or hurt.

How can we say these things and really mean them when trying to help those who hurt?

Called to Receive a Blessing

Phil Ware and Demetrius Collins lead us into worship in song and the Word to experience, proclaim and rejoice in the power of the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ and his call to us to remember and renew and relive the forgiveness of the cross to our daily

Jesus shared his love, his life, and his amazing grace with us on the cross, so will we follow Jesus and live the way of the cross in our lives?

Using YouTube® To Reach More People (Really!)

Lee Wilson gives us practical advice, understanding, and techniques to use our online ministry more wisely.

If the goal is to reach people who don't know much or anything about you, your church, the Bible, or God, you must meet them at the point of the question.

Waiting in Expectation

Phil Ware and Demetrius Collins invite us to worship God and celebrate the work of the Holy Spirit as we are transformed to be more like our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

We can approach each day with hope and expectation because of God's faithfulness.

Questions on Our Journey of Faith

James Nored and Phil Ware remind us in word and video that faith is not about always having the answers and never having doubts, but persevering on the journey to Jesus.

Someone who is without faith in God doesn't yearn for answers for their deepest questions from God. Our questions as believers can be signs that we are reaching out to God for reassurance.

Leave, Go, and Bless

James Nored and Phil Ware remind us of God's incredible journey of redemption and how Abraham was the one who began this journey demonstrating great faith when he followed God for a destination he did not yet know.

As Abraham showed us, God's greatest promises often come packaged as our greatest sacrifices, hardest challenges, and longest journeys.

It All Hinges on This

Phil Ware helps us to better understand both Mark's message about where true life is found and also his outline and organization of his gospel around the hinges to the story provided by the stories of two blind men that Jesus heals.

How can we know if our lives make a difference and truly matter?