Advent: The arrival of a notable person, thing, or event; appearance, emergence, dawn, birth; the coming or second coming of Christ And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:5 (NASB, emphasis mine) Advent Musing: Hope is a tricky word. It can sound pretty noncommittal. We hope for lots of things, like sunny days for a picnic or good news from an MRI. We hope difficult family members will be nice at Christmas. We hope no one gets sick and keeps us from the Christmas Eve candlelight service. Used this way, hope is rather weak. Something might happen, and we sure hope it will, but… actually […] Read more »

In the past, he let all nations go their own way. Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy. Acts 14:16-17 Robert Louis Stevenson wrote a tiny poem in a children’s book that I’ve never forgotten. As a little child, I read: “The world is so full of a number of things, I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings.” Now as an adult, I realize a flaw or two in that poem. For starters, I suspect kings are not nearly as happy as we think they ought to be. Always battling that pesky feeling […] Read more »

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot ... a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep .... Ecclesiastes 3:1-4a (NIV, emphasis mine) I remember a time in my life when I had to deal with some crushing news. Inside, my heart was screaming in pain, but for some absurd reason, I thought I should act “all together” on the outside to be a “good witness” for Christ. I smiled. I assured people I was fine, and that God was in control, and I trusted Him. I gave some stirring speech about His […] Read more »

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.” Matthew 20:1 (NIV) Have you ever prayed and prayed and then prayed for someone to come to know Christ ... for decades? I have. I plead with God to open his eyes to the truth. I share the gospel with him. And I wait and hope that he will see the beauty of the kingdom of heaven before he dies, bowing his head to the King. I will be sad if it takes all his life to find Christ, but I want to believe that it’s never too late ... even in the last minute of life. That’s why I love the parable […] Read more »