Spring of Hope

Buy my book   " Joy in the Journey " on Amazon now 20% goes to missions               Experiencing sound quality issues?  Please Click here   Advent of Love       A Jewish rabbi, renowned for his piety was unexpectedly confronted by one of his devoted youthful disciples in a meeting. In a burst of feeling, the young disciple exclaimed, "My master, I love you!" The ancient teacher asked his fervent disciple, "Do you know what hurts me, my son?" The young man was puzzled. Composing himself, he stuttered, "I don’t understand your question, Rabbi. I am trying to tell you how much you mean to me, and you confuse me with irrelevant questions". "My question is neither confusing nor irrelevant," retorted the rabbi. "For if you do not know what hurts me, how can you truly love me?" Love is complex. It is both a noun and a verb. The more mature one grows in this life, one finds that love gets more complex because th

Buy my book   " Joy in the Journey " on Amazon now 20% goes to missions               Experiencing sound quality issues?  Please Click here    Advent of Joy "The celebration of Advent is possible only to those who are troubled in soul, who know themselves to be poor and imperfect, and who look forward to something greater to come." ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer Advent is a season of the coming of joy into this world and into our lives. The good news of Jesus’ birth brought great joy in the hearts of the shepherds.  Internal joy is not dependent on external elements. It does not depend on the gifts we give or the gifts we find under the tree. Material things can never give us complete joy. The source of joy that flooded the hearts of the shepherds, the angels, the wise men, the hosts of heaven, and Mary and Joseph was not from this world.  They were all full of joy in spite of the circumstances around them. Luke’s gospel starts with five important so

Buy my book   " Joy in the Journey " on Amazon now 20% goes to missions               Experiencing sound quality issues?  Please Click here   Advent of Joy       An angel appeared to the shepherds in the field and said, "I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people." (Luke 2:10). The birth of Jesus is good news of great joy for all people because all people need a savior. We would never save ourselves from the bondage of sin and death by ourselves. The good news of great joy is that the Savior has come. When you realize how much you need him, this good news will be to you the greatest joy! God has made many wonderful promises to us in His Word, yet sometimes we can get weary in waiting for our breakthroughs. At such times, we must remember the shepherds. Little did they know that “Today” would be the day when everything would change. Today might be your day of the great joy if you welcome Him. Those of us who already accept

Buy my book   " Joy in the Journey " on Amazon now 20% goes to missions               Experiencing sound quality issues?  Please Click here   Advent of Peace       Nobody likes to drive too long in a rough terrain.  It is uncomfortable and tiring. It can give us body pains and even nausea in some cases.  If you have been on a ship or a boat in high waves, you would feel such symptoms. We all like a smooth sailing.  We would think that if God could remove some of the uncertainties in life, we would be much happier. That is not really true because life would become boring and less challenging. That would lead to a culture of lawlessness, and evil will flourish just as happened to Sodom and Gomorrah. As Athanasius Bishop of Alexandria in Egypt, (died in 373AD) said, "they gradually pressing forward, have passed on beyond all measure: having to begin with been inventors of wickedness and called down upon themselves death and corruption; while later on,

Buy my book   " Joy in the Journey " on Amazon now 20% goes to missions               Experiencing sound quality issues?  Please Click here   Advent of Hope       The prophet Jeremiah who lived in Judah (670-570 BC ) brings the message of  hope in the midst of wickedness and idol worship among the people of Israel who were in exile in Babylon. "'The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah. “‘In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; He will do what is just and right in the land. 16 In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name by which it will be called: “The Lord Our Righteous Savior.’ (Jeremiah 33:15-18). Advent is a season of waiting in hope.  The hope is in a God who had been faithful in the past, is faithful today and will be faithful tomorrow. Advent has all three tenses - past, pr