Spring of Hope

Buy my book   " Joy in the Journey " on Amazon now 20% goes to missions               Experiencing sound quality issues?  Please Click here   David's prayer of Thanksgiving       “When eating fruit, remember the one who planted the tree.” is a famous Vietnamese proverb.  David is considered to be the greatest King of Israel's history who lived around 1060-970 BC.  He has led the nation after being chosen as successor to King Saul who failed in his leadership and in his obedience to God.  David was only a teenager, about 15 years old while tending his father's sheep as a shepherd boy that he was called and anointed as king by prophet Samuel. He ruled the nation of Israel for forty years (I Kings 2:11)  until his death at age 70 in 970 BC.  In the Books of Samuel, David gains fame first as a musician and later as a warrior by killing the giant Goliath. David be...

Buy my book   " Joy in the Journey " on Amazon now 20% goes to missions               Experiencing sound quality issues?  Please Click here   In Defense of a Disreputable Woman      A woman in the Bible who has no name but being portrayed as deplorable and has been a victim of bad reputation. She has seen her life collapse - she has lost ten children, seen the family fortune disappear, and her husband has a rather disgusting disease with bad smells and slimy sores all over his body. There are only three verses in the Book of Job in reference to Job's wife; they are Job 2:9 (curse God and die), Job 19:17 (My breath is offensive to my wife}  and Job 31:10 (may my wife grind another man's grain). She is not looked upon as a good person. I've heard many preachers and theologians who use Job's wife as an example of a lousy wife. She is the one who told Job to deny God and die. Many Bible...

Buy my book   " Joy in the Journey " on Amazon now 20% goes to missions               Experiencing sound quality issues?  Please Click here   A Gift Nobody Wants      Can pain set you free? One of the well know writers says, "if experience is such a good teacher, pain can be a blessing." An argument can be made that pain is not always an unpleasant gift to be avoided.  Generally, pain does not dampen life. More than anything, it frees us to enjoy normalcy in this life.  Without it, we would lead unbalanced, paranoid lives, encountering unknown dangers, never confident that we weren't destroying ourselves. Pain is the great inhibitor which help us getting in danger. When you don’t have the feeling of pain, the doctors will restrict you to many activities, even simple regular routines.  You are not free to do pretty much anything. Walk, or run or to play an musical instrumen...

Buy my book   " Joy in the Journey " on Amazon now 20% goes to missions               Experiencing sound quality issues?  Please Click here   Remaining Silent      “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14) The book of Esther is the story of an orphan girl who saved a nation by acting at the right time. The author of the book of Esther is unknown. Some scholars suggest it is Mordecai, Esther's cousin (see Esther 9:20-22 and Esther 9:29-31). Others propose Ezra or possibly Nehemiah because the books share similar literary styles. Most likely written between B.C. 460 and 331, after the reign of Xerxes,  but prior to Alexander the Great's rise to power. In 605 BCE, King Nebuchadne...

Buy my book   " Joy in the Journey " on Amazon now 20% goes to missions               Experiencing sound quality issues?  Please Click here   The Lord's prayer:Part 5 - Deliver Us      The Lord's prayer teaches us about God's greatness and man's depravity. (Matthew 6:9-13: Luke 11:2-4). In some circles of Christianity it may be known as 'The Our Father prayer'. "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" is the ending part of the Lord's prayer as Jesus taught.  He taught his disciples this prayer when they asked Him to teach them how to pray.  The last part "For yours is the kingdom, power and glory forever" is not part of the prayer in the original manuscripts.  This was apparently added by the church fathers in the early days of Christian faith.  When we pray not to lead us into temptaion, it can be interpreted as God leads people into temptation.  ...

Buy my book   " Joy in the Journey " on Amazon now 20% goes to missions               Experiencing sound quality issues?  Please Click here   The Lord's prayer:Part IV - Forgive Us      The Lord's prayer has mainly two parts - God's greatness and man's depravity. (Matthew 6:9-13: Luke 11:2-4). In some circles of Christianity it may be known as 'The Our Father prayer'. "Give us and forgive us" acknowledges our need for our bodies and souls.Humans have needs and God does not. Giving us our daily bread is asking for our bodily needs, to be freed from the fear of tomorrow. Forgive us is asking for spiritual need, so that we will be freed from the fear of sin and guilt.  Only the one who does not have any needs can meet all human needs. Humans need forgiveness. The greatest human need is freedom from guilt and shame. In the Lords prayer Jesus taught us to pray to forgive us our trespasse...