In surrender, prison walls become train cars that speed us along in His plans… plans for good and not for evil, that bring great hope.

These lyrics are an American English interpretation of a french poem written in the mid-1800s. I want to share a literal translation of the poem from the original language. I love the words we sing. They are eloquent for sure. But…

There’s a familiar and beloved passage of scripture in the book of Lamentations that is interestingly sandwiched between hope, quite literally…

One of the names for God in the Bible is Jehovah Jireh and it means…

There’s a theory or two out there about expansion. If you make room for something, it will expand to fill the space. Though those theories derive from work and productivity, I believe it rings true for hope as well, especially in regards to discipleship…

There is a reason we need hope; it’s because of brokenness. When someone or something…

…But today, I want to speak to the individual who feels like life has been disrupted. To the person who feels unraveled. To the one in pain. To you weighed down in hopelessness. Hey friend! You are not forgotten, and you are not alone….

Paul encourages us that trials produce perseverance, and perseverance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint (Romans 5). Character is something “true and proven.” I’d like to suggest…

One of my favorite phrases of this season is ‘…the hopes and fears of all the years are met in Thee tonight,” from the carol O Little Town of Bethlehem. The picture of our deepest longing being satisfied and of our fears being extinguished…

There is another layer of hope woven together with longing, expectation, and assurance. It is trust. To hope in the Lord is to trust him. I don’t know about you…

Another part of hope’s meaning is assurance. Hope is solid. One of the Hebrew words for hope figuratively means “expectation and trust”, but literally, it means “cord.” As in…

Hope isn’t merely wishing. Wishing leads to anxiety. “I hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow,” we say as we check the weather every ten seconds…