Hope is what keeps us going when life is hard. True hope always begins with God.
Hope is also a logical outgrowth of the good news of the gospel. There is nothing more strategic or more needed in our world today. The gospel is good news because it tells us who God is and what He is doing. The purpose of this website is to promote biblical hope in the living God.
Thanksgiving 2024
Prayer for Thanksgiving Season 2024
Three Reasons Why I Am Thankful
The Journey of Life
This artwork illustrates the journey of life for me. For Why & How, see The Background Story of this Picture.
Twelve Lessons We Can Learn from the Easter Story
God often works in ways we wouldn’t expect to accomplish His perfect and eternal plans.
(1) Jesus’ death marked the death of a vision for Jesus’ original disciples. Keep reading…
Thoughts on Palm Sunday
Today is the day before Palm Sunday when Jesus’ Triumphal Entry traditionally took place. We can easily wonder, what is so special about Palm Sunday? Read More…
The Ups and Downs of Life
It is no secret that God seems to allow us to experience times when we are up and other times when we are down. Read more….
Preparing for Christmas: Christmas 2023
The following material is based on a series of Sunday School classes I taught this year at Faith Baptist Church. Enjoy as we celebrate the wonder of Christ’s birth.
Should Christians celebrate Christmas? What do you think? What are some of the pros and cons? Read more…
Recognizing The Real Mystery in Jesus’ Life and Death This topic of Christ’s birth and incarnation immediately lands us squarely in the midst of two of the greatest mysteries we can ever face. Read more…
Reflecting on the Timing of Jesus’ Coming to Earth I heard a friend share recently that Advent is a season of waiting. Read more...
What can we learn about Jesus from the four Gospels—especially what they tell us about Jesus’ origin and background? Let’s begin with the Gospel of Mark. Read more…
Using the Gospel of John as our guide to learning more about Jesus and His life here on earth. Read more…
Question: where else do we find the Christmas story mentioned in the NT other than in one of the four Gospels? For my answer, see…
Ten Thoughts on Being Thankful: Thanksgiving 2023
(1) Being thankful always begins with having someone to thank. Keep reading…
What June 13th Means to Me
My parents dedicated me to the Lord 75 years ago today. That year, June 13th was a Sunday—and it was Father’s Day. To read more about how God was at work in my life, click here.
Recently I celebrated another birthday.
Here are my reflections on growing another year older. It seems I do this kind of reflecting on my life every 25 years. Check it out here. And stay tuned and see if I make it to another 25 years.
In Memory of Jewel
There are many things in life we don’t understand. Jewel was one of them. But we trust God.
Salvation is All God’s Work—and Yet Ours as Well
Knowing God and Being Known by Him
Jesus tells us two remarkable things about His sheep…
I have never been a big fan of New Year’s resolutions. But I do believe that there are times and places to set deliberate goals for ourselves. Every day I deliberately remind myself of these priorities (and occasionally revise or edit some of these items, as I have fresh insights into God’s continually unfolding direction for my life). Here is my current list of life goals.
Who and Whose I Am? And Why?
We all know that life has its ups and downs. One thing that has helped me maintain a sense of direction and encouragement has been to remind myself of the broader purpose of my life. Here are some of my reflections that have helped me in this area.
My Goals in Retirement
I believe God has different things for each of us during different seasons of our lives. Here is a copy of my sense of God’s direction for this new season of life. I believe God would have me focus on three priorities now that I am retired: (1) growing in my own walk with the Lord, (2) discipling others so they can grow spiritually, (3) promoting healthy local churches. (See more.)
Here is another writing project I have been working on: “Experiencing God’s Call to Grow and Mature in Christ: A Distinctly God-Centered Approach”
I am working on a summary of many of the spiritual lessons, insights, and principles God is teaching me in my older years. I only wish I had known many of these truths earlier in life. I have decided to post this material in small segments, so stay tuned. And pray for me, as you think of me.
What Has Gone Wrong with Our World?
The news over the last few days included the following: The news headline: “More than a dozen mass shootings over the weekend leave at least 17 dead across the country.” Here we can easily wonder whether one unnecessary death wouldn’t be tragic enough? But multiple shootings and needless deaths should leave us almost speechless. See my response.
My Legacy Summed Up in a Single Message
I am getting old enough that I am starting to think in terms of leaving a legacy. Recently (May 8, 2022) I had the opportunity to preach at Faith Baptist Church in Southbridge. Since I was free to choose my own message, I chose one that seems to sum up many of the truths and values that have become dear to me in this present season of life. Here is the link if you want to listen to it:
https://www.facebook.com/Churchsouthbridge/videos/1900762643460703. My message begins about 24 minutes into the video, but the music is worth listening to as well.
I also used a handout that I refer to a number of times in the message. You can find a copy of that here.
An Annual Message of Hope Each Christmas
Hope comes into special focus each Christmas with the familiar story of God actively intervening in history. This message of good news may be distilled down to five key realities. We need at least a partial understanding of each of these in order to experience this hope. (See more.)
Ready for Another New Year?
What thoughts go through your mind as you look ahead to 2023? Many of us approach another new year already weighed down with the same set of struggles we have wrestled with before. (See more.)
COVID has brought a new sense of loneliness to many of us. We now find ourselves cut off from family and friends—and sometimes even other human beings in general—in ways we have never experienced. (See more.)
Life Verses?
How God has guided me through specific verses of Scripture that have ministered to me in special ways at different times. (See more.)
Quick Thoughts
For the Christian, death is a door opening up into the loving presence of God.
“Our death is…only a dying to sins and an entering into eternal life.” From the Heidelberg Catechism, Answer 42.
“Without renewed hearts, pursuing the law and a pure life is in vain” — Gospel Transformation Bible, study notes.
“O Lord, Help me never to expect any happiness from the world, but only in thee.” From “Happiness” in The Valley of Vision (Banner of Truth, 2002 edition).
Recently I read, “In order to fund the huge deficit programs, the government has resorted to printing money at a rate that far exceeds our backup reserves and resources.” The surprising thing about this quote is that it was written by R. C. Sproul in Tabletalk magazine in March 1979.
The more we are shaped by the world, the less impact we will make on the world.
So thankful that God knows and understands the many things I don’t—and that I can trust Him and worship Him.
“Desperation is a denial of hope.” — Christopher Ash
You can read the Bible and not grow as a Christian, but you can’t grow as a Christian apart from reading the Bible.
Jesus did not come into the world for us; instead, God created us to be a gift for Jesus.
We need Jesus as a prophet to guide us, as a priest to take away our sin and death, and as a king to rule us. We need Him to be all three.
Short Reflections
August 20 Praying for our World During a Time of Crisis
These are difficult days. We have heard and read many stories of great and almost unprecedented sufferings … (See more.)
August 3 Our Strange Convoluted Quest for Truth
Who wants to build their life around a lie? No one, I expect—at least if they are serious. God has given each of us a natural desire for truth … (See more.)
July 26 Are Things Getting Better or Worse?
We can easily wonder what is happening in our world. Certainly, many of us, especially those of us who are older, can say that the present world around us is very different … (See more.)
July 13 Second Letter to the Editor: What Critical Race Theory Can Do and Can’t Do
Critical Race Theory (CRT) is one way of processing race-based oppression in the United States in an attempt to rectify racial injustice. It is primarily a sociological tool … (See more.)
July 5, 2021 Letter to the Editor: Why Critical Race Theory Doesn’t Work
The claim is often made that Critical Race Theory is a new and helpful tool for analyzing racism and oppression in general. Unfortunately, this claim is not true. Critical Race Theory falls short … (See more.)
June 30, 2021 When and for whom does God work all things together for good?
Many of us are familiar with and can quote Romans 8:28, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (ESV). This marvelous promise reminds us that God is at work in this world, and specifically that He is at work for good … (See more.)
June 22, 2021 Life Has Different Seasons
Yesterday marked the beginning of summer. Judging by the warm temperatures and periods of higher humidity we have already experienced, many of us would have assumed that summer had begun several weeks ago. There are also different seasons in life in terms of different things God is doing in our lives … (See more.)
June 8, 2021 Where Did We Come From?
We can never make sense out of life until we understand something of the origin of both ourselves as thinking, feeling beings as well as all the other people and objects in the world around us. Ultimately there are only two answers: God and nothing … (See more.)
Living as Aliens in a Strange Land
The Present Cultural Attack on God and the Gospel
One Popular Example of a False Gospel
An Annotated Bibliography of How We Got Here
Ten Action Steps We Can Take as Christians Living in This Present World
The Gospel Message
We all need the gospel message. The gospel is good news for both the believer and the one who is not yet a believer. Thus, it serves a vital role in both evangelism and discipleship. We all need to be reminded of the truths of the gospel every day to experience new life and then grow spiritually in our walk with God.
Why is the gospel message so important to us today? In other words, why focus on the gospel? See Why the gospel?
What exactly is the gospel? Or what gospel are we talking about? These are key questions and deserve clear answers. Here is a brief, overview and a more an in-depth answer.
The short answer. The long answer.
How should we share the gospel message with others? (Still in process.)