Tag Archives: hope

HOPE REMAINS. Amos 9:13-15.

My elementary school selected well-behaved sixth graders to serve as “patrols.” Their main duty was to stand on the curbs and use flags to control traffic before and after school. But patrols also had hall monitoring duties for those who showed up early. Early arrivals were supposed to sit behind the line and behave calmly.Continue reading “HOPE REMAINS. Amos 9:13-15.”

Do You Complain or Do You Lament? Lamentations 1:1.

Do you know the difference between a lament and a complaint? Modern English dictionaries may show little distinction, but Old Testament scholars argue a Biblical lament is more than just a complaint. “A complaint is an accusation against God that maligns His character, but a lament is an appeal to God based on confidence in HisContinue reading “Do You Complain or Do You Lament? Lamentations 1:1.”

Do You Have Afflictions? Romans 5:2-5.

Are you suffering from afflictions? We all do. This year I have suffered with allergies, a twisted ankle that took months to heal, an apparently arthritic elbow that has bothered me for over a year and only seems to get worse. Things on the job have been unusually difficult due to a recent merger, andContinue reading “Do You Have Afflictions? Romans 5:2-5.”

Bucket List.

In 2007, Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson starred in THE BUCKET LIST, a film about two old men with cancer who decide to travel the world together, scratching items off their bucket list. The film made the term “bucket list” famous. What if you don’t complete your list?  Is that a fail?  No.  Dreams giveContinue reading “Bucket List.”

What is Your Joy?

With two older parents facing grim medical problems simultaneously, I catch myself having a stray thought: what if I lose them both at the same time? Could I weather that storm?  Yes.  The answer is yes.  I would put one foot in front of the other and move forward.  But then I think about anotherContinue reading “What is Your Joy?”

Singing at Funerals.

Dana Dawkins must have sung solos and led singing at a thousand funerals. I always remember a particularly sad funeral when she sang a song called “Trust His Heart.” I know she has performed that song at many funerals. Why? Because the message is so encouraging. Here’s the chorus: “God is too wise to beContinue reading “Singing at Funerals.”