Hope for Life Blog

I wish I was better at documenting my life. As much as I like to think my memory is strong and full of detail, there is so much that has slipped away. There are many solutions to this problem; some people are journal writers and have years of memorable moments locked away safely in the pages of their diary. Others choose to take lots of pictures and have boxes of old photos that chronicle special events. And still others have turned to blogging as a source of remembrance. These methods are diverse in nature, but the goal is inherently the same. We all strive to tell our story. We long for opportunities to relive the moments of our lives and without a record these moments are lost forever.

Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples which are not recorded in this book (John 20:30).

Ever wonder how many miracles of Jesus are unknown to the world?
How many blind were given sight by His loving touch?
How many of the dead were brought back to life?

The stories of Jesus’ life here on earth are precious to us because, for believers, it gives a glimpse of what is to come. The unconditional love combined with boundless mercy and infinite power set the stage for the most beautiful collection of stories. If only the disciples had a better memory. Perhaps they could have added more stories to the book, but now it’s too late. These stories have fallen into the past.

But wait, look what the next verse says:

But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name (John 20:31).

We will never know the details of every miracle performed by Jesus, but we can still tell our story. The miracles of Jesus are alive and with us today. Everyone that accepts “Jesus is the Christ, the son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name,” has taken part in a miracle.

I’ll continue to lose certain memories over the years, but I will never forget the miracle of God’s grace. The proof is documented in my heart and written in the journal of my mind. God’s miracle of grace is new each day.

I am a problem solver. I enjoy the challenge involved with identifying a problem and then creating a solution. The process of problem solving is not easy. The most difficult part of solving a problem is creating a solution using only your available resources. If anything were possible, money were no object and everyone agreed with me, then most problems would be pretty easy to solve. Unfortunately, money is always a factor, only certain things are possible and hardly anyone agrees with me.

This is what constantly amazes me about the efficiency with which God is able to solve our problems. It’s not that I have any doubt concerning his power to create solutions; it’s just amazing that he completes His plans using us! God is a master at solving problems using the small resources we bring to the table.

One story that shows God’s desire to empower us is when Jesus took five small loaves of bread and two fish to feed a large crowd. As thousands of people gathered near Jesus, he began to question his disciples about how the crowd would eat. One of Jesus’ disciples, Philip, answered him explaining that “Eight months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” Then another disciple came forward; Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”

How foolish Andrew must have felt with this suggestion. The problem has been defined; five thousand people need food to eat. Jesus must find a solution and the best idea that comes up is five small loaves and two fish. Jesus could have easily made bread fall from heaven or fish fall from the sky, but instead he empowered the resources around him. He took Andrew’s suggestion and made it work.

Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten. After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world” (John 6:10-14).

In the same way, God continues to solve our problems today. We come to the table offering very little, but the power of God solves the greatest problems. We are empowered through the Holy Spirit to accomplish God’s will for our lives.

We all want to be part of real community: a place where we are loved, accepted, and taken care of in times of stress and struggle. We live in a world where it is increasingly difficult to find this kind of community. Our physical families are sometimes split and often are scattered across a wide geographic area. We barely know the people where we work. We rarely know our neighbors. However, I saw community in action the other day.

I went to a funeral. As a minister, that is not unusual. In fact, I conduct more funerals than many people attend. But this funeral was different. A couple had lost their thirty-two year old, single son to a hit and run accident. The parents arranged the funeral and five men conducted it. None of them were preachers, though they all went to church together. Three of the men were part of their fellowship group at church. One of the men was an elder of the church they all attend. The other man was in an accountability group/recovery group with the Dad.

The service was not very polished. It was not very professional. It was different than most. But it was real community; not just words, but in action. These men were brothers. There was a physical family present at the funeral, but I was struck by the “real” family. The community that cried, prayed, gave, hurt, hugged, and together sent one of their family home. That was the term they used: home. They didn’t talk about death, or the grave. They talked about seeing their son again and living forever.

Just in that group of men there were ones that had lost children of their own, men who had marriages fail, men who battled addictions, and men facing incurable illness. But what I saw was Jesus. That is the community I want to be a part of…and I am.

So what do you think? Do people really have a sense of belonging? Can we make this work in our world today?

SPAM Messages

I’ve worked on the Internet for years and I’ve seen technology grow in ways I never thought possible. Who could have predicted the world would become so small? The greatest gift of the Internet is the power to erase separation. I can communicate to a friend across town just as quickly as I can a friend on the other side of the world. The joys of the Internet are not without their faults, with great convenience comes great hassle.

The most annoying byproduct of Internet communication has got to be SPAM e-mail. As if normal junk mail wasn’t bad enough, now we live in the age of junk e-mail. There is nothing more frustrating than having the excitement of receiving a new message, only to then find out the message that has nothing to do with you.

I wonder sometimes if God feels the same way about the messages I send. I think about my prayer life and how often I address the message to Him but seem to only talk about me. Does he feel that same excitement when he hears me start to speak, only to be disappointed when I talk only about myself?

This scripture comes to mind:

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.

Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.

Psalm 100: 1-2

Too often my prayers lack joy and gladness. I think about the ways that God has helped me in the past and instead of thanking him, I ask for more. There are an infinite number of things that I could thank God for and even though he knows I’m thankful it’s still good to say it is sometimes.

I encourage you to examine your own prayers and see if there are some ways you could bring the focus back to God. If you have any questions about prayer please drop me a note at skye@hopeforlife.org.

I remember the football game I wanted so badly. At a time when computers were unknown in homes, it was “computerized.” My favorite football player appeared on the box, assuring me that it was so realistic that pros could train with it. I knew the game would be wonderful.

I dreamed about that football game, of the fun I would have playing it. I imagined myself passing wonderful hours with this realistic simulation. Finally, after months of longing and pleading, I got the game I wanted. Excitedly I took it out of the box and discovered that I’d been misled. There was nothing computerized about this game, except in the loosest sense of the word. There were two moving sticks with a light attached to them; the light would illuminate different numbers according to how the sticks were moved. That was the extent of the “computerization” of this “realistic” game. I was left looking at the game thinking, “Is that all there is to it?”

I’d like to say that was the only time in my life that I experienced that feeling, but it wouldn’t be true. In fact, I’ve lived through the same thing time and again. I see something and come to want it, dreaming about it, anticipating the satisfaction I’ll feel when I finally get it. Then I obtain the object of my desire and find myself thinking, “Is that all there is to it?”

If we’re not careful, we go through our whole lives thinking “Is that all there is? Isn’t there anything more?” We hear the promises, the sales pitches, the call of endless temptations: buy this and you’ll be happy; start a relationship with this person and all your dreams will come true; get that dream job and live happily ever after. Then we get home and discover that we’ve just bought two sticks connected to a light. “Is that all there is?”

In the book of Genesis, a man named Jacob describes his life as follows: “[i]The days of the years of my sojourning are 130 years. Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life[/i]” (Genesis 47:9). 130 years, and Jacob calls them “few and evil.” I can almost hear him say, “Is that all there is to it?”

Only God can meet our deepest needs, only He can satisfy that longing we have. When we receive His gifts, we’ll never say, “Is that all there is?” When He gives us the gift of salvation, when He pours out His grace in our lives, we’ll never be left looking for more. God keeps His promises. His gifts have no equal. No one can satisfy our longings like the living God.