When you have something good to look forward to, it softens the blow of what you’re currently going through. We all know it’s true. If a child doesn’t want to go to school on a Thursday, remind them that the weekend is almost here and it helps. If you’re having a tough week, and if … Continue reading When you have something good to look forward to
hope
Pessimism & Optimism vs. Reality
There was a family with two boys. One was an extreme pessimist. The other was an extreme optimist. The parents didn’t like their extreme attitudes, so they tried a gift-giving experiment at Christmas to try and correct them. They thought that if they gave the pessimist a gift that was so over-the-moon awesome, he would … Continue reading Pessimism & Optimism vs. Reality
Limited opportunities or eternal possibilities?
This week I was reading Psalm 143:11 where David says, “For your name’s sake, LORD, let me live” (CSB). He was in trouble and called out to God for help. As a part of that, he asked God to let him live for the sake of his name. But what does that mean? It means … Continue reading Limited opportunities or eternal possibilities?
Since God hasn’t given up on the world
Someone wrote to a denominational magazine and asked, “Why are there so few sermons in our churches on the Second Coming? Is this part of our belief or not?” The wise “answer person” replied this way: “Not all Christians think alike on matters of theology, but it would be hard for someone to feel at … Continue reading Since God hasn’t given up on the world
Head held high in hope
The. World. As. We. Know. It. Will. End. Did you know that? These days, we mostly hear about end-of-the-world speculation in Hollywood movies. Remember Armageddon starring Bruce Willis? Apparently, a lot of people also ask their smartphones about it. Someone asked Siri, “When will the world end?” Here’s what she said: “Whenever they start building … Continue reading Head held high in hope
Tell them about your plans
When you’re the only Christian in a conversation it might make you feel different. Confidence comes with time and prayer. But because of feeling different, it can be easy to downplay your faith. That's why I’d like to suggest something. When people ask you what you’re doing this weekend, include something about your faith: --“On … Continue reading Tell them about your plans
Only God can count the apples in the seed
A friend of mine told me about something he saw on a fridge magnet: “Anyone can count the seeds in an apple. But only God can count the apples in the seed.” The reason I share that is because it’s easy to get discouraged when you don’t see something important in your life bearing fruit. … Continue reading Only God can count the apples in the seed
The Age of Melancholy
Psychologist Daniel Goleman says that we live in the Age of Melancholy. Here is how he describes it: “Each successive generation worldwide since the opening of the century has lived with a higher risk than their parents of suffering a major depression—not just sadness, but a paralyzing listlessness, dejection, and self-pity, and an overwhelming hopelessness—over … Continue reading The Age of Melancholy
Joy reigned supreme
Remember Easter? Of course you do. It was only a few days ago. But Monday came, and then Tuesday. Now you’re chugging through your routines like any other week. You remember that Easter happened. But you forget what happened at Easter. Viktor Frankl was a holocaust survivor. Here’s how he described learning about the end … Continue reading Joy reigned supreme
Everything good in life multiplied times God
I’ve been talking about heaven; it will be anything but boring. It will be far better than anything we can experience on this earth. That can give us great hope through whatever we’re dealing with because the best is always yet to come. Here’s something else about heaven. Psalm 16:11 (ESV) says that in God’s … Continue reading Everything good in life multiplied times God
