Spring of Hope

Mark Twain said, “Life would be infinitely happier if we could only be born at the age of eighty and gradually approach eighteen.” Life is full of events with a combination of contrasts. The author of Ecclesiastes, believed to be Solomon, illustrates this truth in chapter 3 by comparing the opposites: fourteen pairs of contrasting activities as examples of how life is comprised of various seasons. A straightforward reading of the passage reveals that there are good and bad events listed. He is not justifying one over the other, rather states that God's plan for life involves a variety of experiences and activities. Weeping may be part of life, but life is not all weeping; laughter has its place. Construction is good in its time, but sometimes deconstruction is unavoidable. Wars may not be good, but become a reality at times. Everyone goes through good times and bad times; together they make up the season of life. It's not the times of our lives that shape us, but the se...

A Ninety eight year old man testified in church that he had no enemies. Then the minister said, “What a wonderful Christian life you lead! Please tell us all how it is that you have no enemies.” He said, “Oh I had a lot, all of those fools have died!”. Sadly as we go through life for better or worse, and no matter how hard we try, we will gather up some enemies. There are people whom we’ve angered, or those who are jealous of us or those who have set themselves against us for no good reason. It’s a sad reality of human life. Jesus said, "I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you". Jesus was not teaching them anything new. Rather, He was directly referring to the law God had given them through Moses with His signature. "You shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord ." (Lev 19:18). We do not love others to go to heaven. Rather love is a reflection of Christian fait...

In the musical fantasy film 'The Wizard of Oz', a little girl by name Dorothy leaves her home in Kansas in a dream and travels to another world. In the dream land of Oz, everything appeared vibrant and interesting, fascinating and more attractive than Kansas had ever been. But the characters she met there taught her deeper and more lasting lesons than bright colors and magical experiences. Dorothy learned about faith, hope and love. She learned what it means to have a brain, to have a heart and to have courage. She also learned the truth that she could always go home by saying “There’s no place like home.” When we strip away the traditional Christmas rituals like the TV specials, the magical lights, the gifts and the music, what remains is 'home'. It is the beating heart of the holiday that reflects our primal need to have a meaningful relationship with a setting – a place that transcends the boundary between the self and the physical world. One of the first questi...

Earthquakes are prevalent in the Pacific Rim region known as the “Ring of Fire” where ninety percent of the world’s earthquakes occur. Buildings in the city of Hong Kong have been built on granite, which could help minimize damage in the event of an earthquake. The foundation of buildings is extremely important in earthquake-prone regions of the world. A strong faith has to be built on a solid foundation that can withstand the forces of trials and tribulations of life. Faith: The integrity of Christian faith is built on Christ as the corner stone, who was rejected by people but chosen by God. "You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 2:4). Doctrine: The integrity of the Christian Doctrine is based on the Living Word, Christ who is the rock of salvation. When you are challenged with questions on why you believe what you believe, the wor...

God chose to announce the good news of Christ’s brith to a group of shepherds in the field who had no social standing and no voice in the community. It would make sense to proclaim His arrival to those who had the ability and authority to spread the news throughout the world. The mayor of Bethlehem did not get the announcement. The High Priest in Jerusalem was left out of the loop. The Caesar and the members of his Royal court were not informed. The palace didn’t hear it nor the temple was aware. Instead of choosing the powerful and the religious, God chose the people who were doing what they did every day and every night. He chose the people who were going through the routines of life, people working hard and raising their families. He chooses the ugly and the unwanted to show the world that He is not a respecter of persons but He is a respector of souls. Many people are still ignorant of the birth of Christ. He has not come to judge us, but to reveal the good news that each one...

Many animals and birds have some sort of an order and structure in their community. It has long been known that chimpanzees have leaders to guide in their travel, chickens have a pecking order and wolves have a structured leadership and division of labor. Lions have a patriarchal style of leadership, while elephants have strong matriarchal leaders. The ways that leaders in such groups promote those collective actions is still a mystery. Sheep on the other hand have no formal structure in their flock. They don’t know how to negotiate or navigate through their worlds. A sheet of paper blown by the wind will frighten them. A thunderstorm may throw them into a panic. They may drown without a struggle while crossing a stream. Fire in a building where sheep are kept may destroy a whole flock, because they are too frightened to flee. They need an external source of leadership to bring order and structure for their survival. The Bible often refers to human beings as sheep (Ps. 100:3; Isa. 5...

For those of us that drive regularly, highways are places of stress due to heavy traffic, accidents, and construction. There is a highway in Jordan named The Desert Highway, a stretch of over 300 miles through the desert. You need to keep a good look out in case a donkey, a goat or a camel is wandering across that are the only friends you might see. Highway signs are no help because many of them are in Arabic only. A Highway policeman told an American tourist, "When you see signs that are both in English and Arabic, that is for you. When you see a sign in Arabic alone, you just ignore it!!" There are times in our lives when we are left out in the desert highways of fear and anxiety. It can be the wilderness of someone who has been diagnosed with an illness or someone struck with grief by the separation of a loved one. But the good news is that in these desert places God establishes highways so that those who can’t see a way out might regain their sight of hope. Those who ...

'From each according to one's ability to each according to need' is a slogan that Karl Marx tried to make popular in the 19th century. Communists, particularly, Marxists use class analysis as their basic method for understanding society and recognize that fairness has a lot to do with the needs of a person. In the parable of the talents in Matthew 25, Jesus talks about a wealthy man who gave money to three servants based on their ability. One received 5 talents, the others 2 and 1 respectively and made them his business partners for a period of time. Two of the servants went to work immediately with the money and doubled. The person with one talent did not do anything with it and he was punished rather harshly. A socialist ethic pervades in the form of fairness in the world today where equal distribution is considered fair. We hear more leaders favor social leveling and redistribution of income. We are taught that the inequality that exist among people are somehow n...