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hope

Even if you have to wait

June 1, 2023May 29, 2023 / MatthewRuttan / Leave a comment

“LORD, you are the God who saves me; day and night I cry out to you.” So prayed Heman in Psalm 88:1. He then went on to chronicle his lack of strength, feelings of death, despair, isolation, grief, sense of betrayal, rejection and terror! One of the things that strikes me about Heman’s prayer is … Continue reading Even if you have to wait

The king has one more move

April 10, 2023April 7, 2023 / MatthewRuttan / Leave a comment

Bobby Fischer was a world chess champion. There’s a story about a time when he went to see a film, called The Seventh Seal. A medieval knight plays a game of chess with death, the evil one. As the film progresses, they make moves back and forth. Finally, the evil one makes a move and … Continue reading The king has one more move

Tears of sadness to gladness

October 24, 2022October 20, 2022 / MatthewRuttan / Leave a comment

I’ve been reflecting on Jesus’ tears. John 11:35 is the shortest verse in the Bible: “Jesus wept.” But that’s not all he did. After his friend Lazarus had died, and after seeing Mary and Martha crying, Jesus “was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled” (verse 33). The phrase “deeply moved” could also be … Continue reading Tears of sadness to gladness

The rut of cynicism

July 29, 2022July 28, 2022 / MatthewRuttan / Leave a comment

I heard about a judge who was hearing the case of a young repeat offender.  He was getting sick of seeing his face and was about to be harsh. But something came over him. He started to ask the young man why his life was so hard. What was making things so difficult?  Then, in … Continue reading The rut of cynicism

Cast Away – but never hopeless

May 3, 2022May 2, 2022 / MatthewRuttan / Leave a comment

Do you remember the Tom Hanks movie called Cast Away? He played a FedEx employee named Chuck.  His plane crashed into the sea. Chuck was the only survivor and washed up onto a deserted island. Several packages also washed ashore. He opened them hoping that the contents would help him survive.  One package contained hockey … Continue reading Cast Away – but never hopeless

Hope is kindled

April 7, 2022April 6, 2022 / MatthewRuttan / Leave a comment

Today is a new day. Honestly. It is.  Yesterday was its own thing. Sure, each new day is influenced by what happened the day before. But there’s nothing you can do about that now, is there? The same goes for last week, last year, or even the last decade. That was then. This is now. … Continue reading Hope is kindled

Illness has an end-date

April 5, 2022April 4, 2022 / MatthewRuttan / Leave a comment

There are seven miraculous “signs” in John’s Gospel. One is the healing of a boy with a death-threatening fever. “The royal official said, ‘Sir, come down before my child dies.’ ‘Go,’ Jesus replied, ‘your son will live’” (John 4:49-50). But what purpose do these signs serve? They certainly provide compassionate help! But they also confirm … Continue reading Illness has an end-date

The definition of hope

November 30, 2021November 29, 2021 / MatthewRuttan / Leave a comment

Sunday marked the start of Advent, a Latin word meaning “coming.” It refers to the coming of Christ, either as a baby at Christmas, or as Saviour and Judge at his return. A repeated theme during Advent is hope. But what is hope? My son and I were brainstorming things we hope for. We hope for … Continue reading The definition of hope

Don’t take hope for granted

November 16, 2021November 15, 2021 / MatthewRuttan / Leave a comment

We can take things for granted.  Even hope.  William Temple paints a bleak picture of not having any hope, nor any belief in the source of hope, God:  “for man’s moral and spiritual life is in this world a baffled and thwarted enterprise; and the scene of our endeavor is slowly becoming uninhabitable, so that … Continue reading Don’t take hope for granted

You have to go out!

November 2, 2021November 1, 2021 / MatthewRuttan / Leave a comment

In Cape May, New Jersey, a commander of a ship was aboard with his men. They were getting ready to head out onto the open waters. A massive storm was brewing.  One of the young men shouted, “But, Captain! If we go out there, we may never come back.” The captain answered, “Son, you don’t … Continue reading You have to go out!

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