Isaiah 40:1-31

We're not built to resist the passage of time, any more than the grass and flowers in a meadow are. Patrick Odum reminds us that everything changes, but what matters and what lasts is tied to our Father in Heaven.

"[To whom can you compare God?] Who is able to advise the Spirit of the Lord? Who knows enough to give him advice or teach him? Has the Lord ever..."

"Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one....."

"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his..."

"Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles;..."

"Who else [besides God] has held the oceans in his hand? Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers? Who else knows the weight of the earth or has weighed..."

""To whom will you compare me? Who is my equal?" asks the Holy One. Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars? He brings them out like an..."

Why do we begin so many weeks so tired? Tom Norvell reminds us of God's promises for those who are weary and tired: the Lord will renew us and restore us and cause us to ride on the wings of eagles and Jesus will give us rest.

What do you do when you can't face the same thing again? Sometimes the hardest times are when we face a repeated adversity or trial, but if we can hang in there the Lord will help us through.

That unsettling Phil Ware finishes up his series on CRUCIFORMED and the way of the cross that Jesus shows us in the Gospel of Mark.

"[The LORD, the everlasting God,] gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak."

"...but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow..."

"Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and will not be..."

"Our knowledge of Christ is somewhat like climbing one of our Welsh mountains. When you are at the base you see but little: the mountain itself appears..."

"We anticipate the happy day when the whole world shall be converted to Christ; when the gods of the heathen shall be cast to the moles and the bats;....."

"Who is he of whom such gracious words are spoken? He is THE GOOD SHEPHERD. Why doth he carry the lambs in his bosom? Because He hath a tender heart,....."

"Each believer should be thirsting for God, for the living God, and longing to climb the hill of the Lord, and see him face to face. We ought not to..."

"Our good Shepherd has in his flock a variety of experiences, some are strong in the Lord, and others are weak in faith, but he is impartial in his..."

"[To whom can you compare God?] Who else has held the oceans in his hand? Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers? Who else knows the weight...."

Flowers fade but the word of God endures forever. - Isaiah 40:8

Inspirational illustration of Isaiah 40:29 -- 29 He gives strength to the wearyand increases the power of the weak.

Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles. - Isaiah 40:31

Did her Olympic disaster remind you of anyone you know? Failure and falling on our face is a part of life, the real question is whether or not we'll keep getting up.

"Dear Precious Follower, I know that waiting is hard for you. Regardless of your reason for having to wait, I know that waiting is hard. However,..."

Could you have waited? Phil Ware continues his series on Light on the Dark Side of the Mountain focusing on David's restraint when he could have killed Saul.

What do you do when all the lanes seem closed? When there seem to be no good answers, we need to have some strategies to help us deal with life's problems.

Sometimes, it takes everything to just keep walking! Phil Ware shares a message about hanging on and keeping on walking in the face of adversity, pain, hardship, and challenge.

How long would you wait? While we end up having to wait for many things in our lives, this one thing that is worthy waiting for!

What hope is left when life is shattered? Brian McCuthchen reminds us of the place of hope, refuge, and help when our world is broken.

When is reading more than just reading? Reading the story of a lost sheep with his son allows a father to really hear what is in his sons heart and how he is his sons shepherd.

What are you going to carry with you in life? Can we make the transition that happens after a leap of faith even if it is more restrictive.

Can anything good come out of a serious motorcycle injury? Good things can happen out of bad things if we find our sense of purpose!

What kind of spiritual work is going on in the quiet work of your life? Lisa Mikitarian shares with us about seeing the evergreen when the weeding is done in winter and reminds us of the constant, ever-present and everlasting God who loves us.

What is a shepherd's real goal in leading God's flock? Phil Ware talks about Nathan's rebuke of David using a shepherding story, the use of shepherd imagery to describe God, and the call of God's leaders to be shepherds to the people of God.

Are you allowing life to shape you into it's mold? Rubel Shelly reminds us to not settle for cramped spaces, especially cramped spaces in our minds!

What's got you so down you won't even believe what God says about you? Phil Ware continues to share with his own children the values his father taught him.

Leaving home or just taking a new journey? Her grandmother leaves home and leaves all her stuff behind and begins a new journey of faith.

Don't underestimate the power of hope Hope can give us the power to overcome illness, change our lives and face whatever this life may bring. Hope needs a foundation, and only God gives an eternal foundation.

Some things you have to believe or you have nothing worth believing in! Phil Ware continues his series on I AM, God's handwritten messages from heaven and focuses on the bottom line faith requirement -- Jesus is God come in human flesh.

Are our A group of baby birds in a flower basket nest remind us of the key three things for all of us as week to take flight for God!

How an old journey and a brief meal can help us reshape ourselves... and our world. Ann Voskamp looks at our ravaged world this summer and uses the image of a ravaged countryside to help us remember the power of sharing scars with the one who bears our sin in his scars.

When's the last time you waited on the Lord in prayer? Tom Norvell reminds us of the importance of praying honestly to God about all the challenging times in our lives.

Where do you find your hope and joy? Two adopted children help Joe remember again the hope and joy he has in God.`

How do you know you can trust the promises of Jesus? Phil Ware talks about the promises of Jesus and how we know we can trust them: because he kept the hard and painful promises to die for us.

Just how long is forever? When people talk about forever, it doesn't mean an eternity. But when God talks about forever, it means time without end.

How beautiful are your hands? Sarah Stirman reminds us that when we use our hands to serve the Lord, we are seen as beautiful and he gives us strength to serve him.

Don't forget the wildest story, the cosmic war story, behind Jesus' coming to earth! Dan Bouchelle reminds us of another story of the nativity, a violent one, a clash between heaven and hell, good and evil, the evil red dragon and the Christ child.

'Prepare Him room': Inviting Jesus to reign in our hearts is how the strange beginning of the Gospel of Mark fits into the Advent season. Phil Ware shares how Mark's gospel, which doesn't even mention the birth of Jesus, fits into the Advent season.

Can any good thing come from having to wait? Phil Ware turns to some key principles Jesus' lead apostle Peter shared with people in his day to help them be ready for both opportunity and trial.

What do we do with the dry patches in our lives? How do we handle the depression and spiritual dryness in our lives?