As long as there’s life there’s hope, they say. And sure, that’s true: nothing is over until you take your last breath. What about turning the saying around: as long as there’s hope, there’s life. Because that’s how I see it. As longs as we have hope, we are alive. Even beyond death. As long as we have Jesus, we have Life. And when we have Jesus, we do have hope always. Nothing can take it away from us. Because hope…
I don’t use any Bible reading plans. My plan is simply to read a chapter or two or three both in the Old and New Testaments every day (and, no, I don’t manage to do it every day). Once I’ve read through, I start rereading them again, usually in a different translation. So I was utterly delighted by the divine orchestrating that on Easter Monday I was reading through the last chapters of the letter to the Hebrews. It so beautifully…
Christian hope is a different kind of hope. It’s not based on wishful thinking or false hope. Christian hope does not depend on our own positivity and we are not hope-makers either. Instead, Christian hope is based on Christ and what he has done for us. Jesus is our hope. And that hope never lets us down. How freeing it is to realize that God is the source of hope. He is always the same. Hope is also not something…
I don’t know about you but I feel I am so far behind in my Christmas preparations. I don’t even dare to tell my American friends how behind I am. It’s not the first time either. The first year I was teaching at Concordia College (at Moorhead, MN) I bought my gifts – other than from the college bookstore – at the airports on my way home. I just had been so busy with teaching and grading and everything else…
Do you wish there was more time in a day? I do. The demands of everyday life are great. Sometimes I do wonder how we all manage to get by with all the things we are asked to do. Juggling seems to be the style of living for many of us, especially during these last weeks of the year. Life is meant to be enjoyed, people cherished, and God worshiped. How can we accomplish that when we rush through things…
When things go south who or what does support you? Having a support system is one of those things in life that make a huge difference. There are times when we need support. When we are down or weary, we need someone to lift us up. Who does support you? What kind of support system do you have? Does it work? Human support systems fail My experience is that any human support system – no matter how good and dedicated it…
The world news seems to be getting more horrific all the time. Suicide bombers, kidnappings, massacres, wars, murders, accidents. It all feels terrible, it’s easy to get discouraged. How can we go on like this, we ask. How can we continue to enjoy living when the world is full of tears and heartbreak? But don’t we then forget this is not all there is? Don’t we forget why Jesus came into the world? The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on…
Resurrection makes all the difference, folks. Without the resurrection, we’d be without hope. Life would be just life, no hope for broken hearted. No hope for sick and unhappy. And, certainly, no hope for sinners. Blessedly, God knew better. He knew we needed him even when we did not know we needed him. Hence, he sent Jesus to die for us. Jesus came to friend us, teach us, and save us. Because Jesus died on the cross and was resurrected,…
Today, I was moved by this blessing found at the end of Paul’s letter to the Romans. This is what I want to me personally but also for you and every single person on this earth. We all need to get to know the God of hope and then live in that hope. Because that’s God will for us. God wants us to overflow with hope. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you…
The world is going crazy, it seems. Also, the everyday chaos seems to get worse and worse. Yet, we do not despair. We do not get discouraged. How come? Because, we have hope. And that is not just any wishful thinking or positive psychology. It is solid hope that delivers, rescues, and redeems. Our story does not end when we die. Because of Jesus our hope is always valid. That’s why we are set for life. And beyond. God, the one…
