Category Archives: Hope

Silent Night: Christmas 2025

This holiday season, I have been thinking a lot about the lyrics of some of the songs we hear and sing around this time of year. I’ve thought about that line from Joy to the World, what it really means … Continue reading

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Herald: God With Us

The song O Come, O Come, Emmanuel originated as a series of monastic chants over 1,200 years ago. These chants were later combined into a single hymn in the 12th century which was translated into English in the 1850s. The … Continue reading

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Herald: Unexpected Favor

Over the course of his long career, Johnny Cash performed more than thirty different “prison concerts” for inmates both in this country and around the world. He played these shows as a way of advocating for prison reform but also … Continue reading

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Herald: While We Wait

We are told that good things come to those who wait. We’re told that patience is a virtue. But I have to wonder if we really believe that. Last year, Walt Disney World unveiled a new feature allowing visitors to … Continue reading

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The Word of God is Not Bound

“But the word of God is not bound!” Paul, 2 Timothy 2:9 Paul tells Timothy about the chains he endures for the sake of the gospel. In this brief letter, he names Phygelus and Hermogenes as two have turned away … Continue reading

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Every Scar Tells a Story

Isaiah 61:1-3 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and … Continue reading

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Easter 2025: Joy Comes in the Morning

Weeping may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning. Psalm 30:5 Martyn-Lloyd Jones was a famous preacher in Great Britain during the 20th century. As he was dying of cancer, a physician friend tried to offer him … Continue reading

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Paul in Acts: Iconium

Now at Iconium they entered together into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed. But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the … Continue reading

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Paul in Acts: Persecuting Jesus

And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” Acts 9:4 At the beginning of Acts 9, things must be going well for Paul (Saul). He’s expanding his work, asking … Continue reading

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Paul in Acts: Even Scattered Seeds Grow

I’m reading the book of Acts right now with an eye toward studying Paul: his movements and his teachings according to Luke. I’ll carry this along for the first little bit here in 2025. For the purposes of clarity, I … Continue reading

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