the unnecessary act of rediscovering hope

Your circumstances may look unmovable and unbeatable.

Your soul may feel like dust.

Your heart may feel like stone.

Your mind may feel like oatmeal.

Your body may feel like ooze.

All of this can cause your most repetitive question to change - no longer do you wonder if there is a remedy as much as you wonder if there is hope, and how you can rediscover it.

I have some Good News.

Hope doesn't need to be rediscovered, for it is never lost.

The real issue is that rough circumstances abrasively create the same consequences as sandpaper - as we are ground up and rubbed raw, the dust begins to fly and gets into our eyes.

We just can't see.

God hasn't moved, nor has He moved the hope of hope.

This is where a church community of people who seek out the Word of God with you is most valuable. When particles of earth's problems blind our eyes, we must rely on the birds-eye view of our Creator. Others who know Him well can see Him and hear Him, translating real words of encouragement into you. Some may get tongue-tied and accidentally offer you a cliche, but their heart is good... and even if you take issue with their presentation, resonate with the vision they have of God that you may be missing out on.

But be warned... some spiritual-sounding people may only add to the dust. The book of Job shows that even the best of friends with the best of intentions may be immature in their faith and advice. Of course, that doesn't matter... for they may be as blind as you, but at least are trying to read God like braille.

The real truth is that hope is still there.

Once again, the real truth is that hope... is still there.

"But 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 not be faint." (Isaiah 40:31)

is social media ruining students?

Some compelling stats are out regarding students and social media. Click here for more: http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/is-social-media-ruining-students#!/photos/110348/1

a first-person perspective on same-sex attraction

I came across an intriguing commentary from a young man who writes about his longings for the same-sex and what it means for him to be a follower of Jesus Christ. He writes:

"Confusingly, I found myself, just when all my friends were beginning to notice girls and become interested in dating, having longings to be in that kind of relationship with a member of my own sex."


"As I discovered more about Christianity's historic teaching, I found myself convinced of the position which the church has held with almost total unanimity throughout the ages—that although many people find themselves, through no fault of their own, to have sexual desires for members of their own sex, this is not something to be affirmed and celebrated but is, rather, a sign that we are broken, in need of redemption and re-creation. Gay people are not uniquely broken—that's a position we share with every other human who has ever lived, or will live—but we are, nonetheless, broken. And following Jesus means turning our backs on a life of sexual sin, just as it does for every other Christian."

He offers this advice to others who struggle with same-sex attraction:

"If you're someone living with homosexual feelings, Jesus' message to you…  is not primarily a no to your deepest hunger. I do believe that discipleship to him entails giving up gay sex and gay relationships. And that may be more painful than you can imagine right now…. But, ultimately, Jesus is offering you the kingdom. He is offering you eternal life. He is offering you Himself in the gospel. Sacrificing your sexual freedom… may seem like a high price to pay—and it is a high price to pay!—but He promises you a joy so stunningly great that if you felt the full weight of it now, you would literally come undone."

The author is Wesley Hill, a PhD in the United Kingdom and author of "Washed and Waiting: Reflections on Christian Faithfulness and Homosexuality."

Here's the full article: http://www.ransomfellowship.org/publications/critique2011-3.pdf

i agree... i seem nuts

I am a Christ-follower. I'm at peace with seeming crazy to a world that keeps trying to convince itself it's sane. Higher truths I can't fully comprehend exist, but the pieces I can discern have changed my life and eternity. The person of God is real, which means I'd rather take seriously what He has made clear - redemptive love matters, and we were created for a great purpose... one that we commonly keep watering down by chasing the next trophy or buzz. Jesus said it this way:

"Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other." (John 13:34-35, MSG)

Losing your life may not sound like fun, but what Jesus is asking you to do is leave behind your agenda and plans for his.

Imagine Christ looking you square in the eye and saying, “You can stay here and play with your yo-yo, or you can follow me on foot to a destination that will blow your mind and strengthen your legs. We’re going to have a real adventure along the way, and I will be with you for all of it. You’re going to figure out who you really are, and end up helping Me save a whole bunch of people from the decay inside their souls that they hide underneath a smile. We're going to kill religion and replace it with a relationship, and together  transform this world from grey to vibrant colors you haven't yet seen because this world doesn't yet know how to handle seeing them. Will you follow Me?”

I'm in. Yet I wonder... how would you answer Jesus?

death or life

Both the hummingbird and the vulture fly over our nation's deserts.

Vultures seek rotting meat, because that is what they instinctively look for. They are satisfied with that diet.

Hummingbirds ignore the smelly flesh of dead animals. Instead, they look for the colorful blossoms of desert plants. They thrive on this nutrition.

Vultures live on what was. They live on the past. They fill themselves with what is dead and gone.

Hummingbirds live on what is. They seek new life. They fill themselves with freshness and life.

The real point in all of this is that each bird finds what it is looking for... death or life.

Sound familiar?

See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.

But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.

This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. (Deuteronomy 30:15-20)

a letter a day

Twenty years ago the Harry S Truman Library in Independence, MO made public 1,300 discovered letters that the late President wrote to his wife, Bess.  Mr. Truman had a lifelong rule of writing to his wife every day they were apart, and followed this rule whenever he was away on official business or whenever Bess left Washington to visit her beloved Independence.

Scholars examined the letters for any new light they may have thrown on political and diplomatic history. Of course, the obvious truth couldn't be dismissed - every day he was away over the course of 50 years (even during the Presidency), Truman took time out from his dealing with the world's most powerful leaders to sit down and write a letter to his wife.

The application runs deeper than marriage, for the God of the universe and everything in it thought you were important enough to write you a love letter called the Bible. Every day you wake up He seeks to woo you away from sin and death and toward freedom from addiction and life. Enjoy this, and enjoy Him as you build your relationship with Jesus Christ. Read from His letter to you every day, and think about what He is trying to tell you through it. You matter that much to Him, after all.

"Behold, I will allure her and bring her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her." (Hosea 2:14)