Planning a New Hope

  Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it on my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call   of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14 (English Standard Version)     It’s a New Day and a New Time, A Clean Slate The Promise of Hope Lies Before Us, So, Lose Those Chains and Be Set Free               I have a fantasy that there should be a pair of glasses we could all don and see what keeps us from achieving our dreams. My suspicion is that if the normally unseen parts of our lives became visible, we would grasp the binding effect of negative memories and unmet expectations.               A person I will call Sue told me the following story : One day, early in my school years, I watched and listened with aw...

      Gifts Can Work Miracles             At this time every year I start decorating for the Christmas season. One of the first things that goes up is my cr è che.   This set is special to me because it was my mother’s. I also love the colors, and the fact that it includes not only the wise men with their elegant gifts, but also shepherd boys of much more modest means bringing what they had.             How comforting it is to get an unsuspected or needed gift. It may be in the form of a person willing to listen while you talk through a problem, or possibly a neighbor agreeing to feed your dog because you can’t get home.   A couple of years ago, my sister found out that a family was not going to have any Christmas, so she went out and bought gifts for them. I was only able to buy one or two things, but she fulfilled the wants. As I contemplated h...

  But now, thus says the Lord, your Creator, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel, Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you, When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you. (Isiah 43:1-2, New American Standard Bible)   Moving Forward with Thanksgiving                         I saw a card with two dinosaurs sitting aside watching the ark that had obviously pulled away earlier. One dinosaur turned to the other and said, “Was this the day?”             Sometimes life’s problems are often magnified when we believe our ship has sailed; we’ve been left behind; and there’s no hope.      My fury...

              For those of us during this pandemic who are quarantining, there is a reality of isolation, for some more than others, as never before.   In my life instead of going to the community center twice a week for exercise classes, I exercise alone using a program on my computer. That afternoon that was spent volunteering is now extra time to fill. My Sundays changed from going to church, Sunday School, and then having lunch with my friends, to streaming the services. What I am describing is similar to probably 90% of Americans—our lives have changed!             With time, I have developed a routine that works. But several weeks ago, a sense of desolation invaded my peace, and there seemed to be no cure to these intense feelings of disconnection. Phone calls or visits with friends and family yielded little satisfaction. During lunch one day, I listened to...

  Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Philippians 2:3-4 (New American Standard Bible)   Winners and Losers               This week, probably as never before, we have been glued to the T.V. awaiting the returns to see who won and who lost. In a contest that demands voting, there is an obvious winner and loser, but in the process of living how do we determine who was successful and who missed the mark.             Tracker, my golden retriever from years before, loved an audience. He was also a confident natural athletic who loved to play ball and could put on quiet a show by jumping up into the air while grabbing a successful catch. As he grew, he learned to ...

                                               The Beginning of Peace               When Patches, a cocker spaniel, came to live with me he was five years old. Having been raised alone, he wasn’t particularly social, but never mean. One day he and I were out when I stopped to talk with a neighbor. In the process, her dog became snarly and it was interesting to watch Patches. He didn’t seem scared, nor did he react defensively, rather he quickly walked to the other side of me, effectively putting distance between the other dog and him. Because of his actions, peace prevailed. Oh, how I wish I had been like him throughout my life. It’s so easy to attack when you feel threatened. This reminded me of a story that happened many years ago when I first moved to Houston:    ...

  Make me know Thy way, O Lord; Teach me Thy paths. Lead me in Thy truth and teach me. For Thou art the God of my salvation; For Thee I wait all the day. Psalm 25:4-5 The Paralysis of Unmet Dreams             Picture this: Two young women are eating lunch together, each with an unseen lightbulb over their heads. As the meal and conversation progress, the light of one bulb shines brighter, but the light of the other begins to dim. When the two women stand to leave, only one lightbulb was shining.             The above scenario aptly describes how I felt many years ago after a lunch with my cousin. She and her husband had moved to Houston just a few months before. While listening to all of their activities, I realized how much fuller their lives already were in the few months of living here compared to my several years of residence. Oh, how dull I felt. That lunch h...