Spring of Hope

Buy  my books   " Joy in the Journey "  and  " Song in the Night" on Amazon now              Experiencing sound quality issues?  Please Click here   Count Your Blessings "Where I just speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare." Psalm 40:5 As we come to the close of this year, we often face a mix of emotions—joy, reflection, and even sadness. For many, the post-holiday season brings a unique kind of melancholy. The celebration of Christmas passes so quickly, and as we take down the decorations, lights, and other festive symbols, we transition to the new year. This process can feel both cathartic and sobering. Studies have shown that the weeks following Christmas, particularly the first two weeks of January, are some of the most challenging for mental health. January 9th has even been identified as the most depressing day of the year due to factors like financ...

Buy  my books   " Joy in the Journey "  and  " Song in the Night" on Amazon now              Experiencing sound quality issues?  Please Click here   Love Came Down on Christmas During one of my visits to a hospital, just sometime during the Christmas season, I had an encounter that left a lasting impression on me. While visiting a patient, I noticed that a lot of people were coming in to see him. The room was bustling with visitors, and it caught the attention of one of the staff members—a nurse or caregiver. She looked around and finally asked the patient, “Who are all these people who keep visiting you? I’ve never seen anything like this before in this hospital.” The patient smiled and responded, “They are the members of my church family.” The young woman, taken aback, said, “Well, it looks like love is being poured out in this room.” Her words resonated deeply with me. Indeed, lo...

Buy  my books   " Joy in the Journey "  and  " Song in the Night" on Amazon now              Experiencing sound quality issues?  Please Click here   Joy in the Journey - A Christmas Message The Season of Advent: Joy in the Journey The season of Advent is a time of expectation. The very word Advent means "expectation" or "coming." Just as the world long ago anticipated the arrival of a Savior, we now live in expectation of His return. As long as we live in this world, our lives are part of a greater journey—a journey of faith, hope, and purpose. Christmas: A Time of Journey When we look closely at the Christmas narrative, we realize that it is also a story of journeys. Every major figure in the story of Christ's birth undertook some form of a journey.  The Bible itself is filled with stories of journeys, from beginning to end. The journey began with Adam and Eve as they depar...

Buy  my books   " Joy in the Journey "  and  " Song in the Night" on Amazon now              Experiencing sound quality issues?  Please Click here   Disruptive Peace Disruptions that lead to real peace. Today, we celebrate the Sunday of Peace as part of the Advent season.  Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love are the four Sundays that the world at large celebrates during the Advent and Christmas seasons. Last Sunday, we celebrated the Sunday of Hope. Today, we focus on Peace, which is definitely something we all need—in our personal lives, in our social lives, and in the world around us.  But when we look at the coming of Jesus Christ, the Savior, into this world, celebrating Christmas, we realize something remarkable. On that very first Christmas, the people involved—Mary, Joseph, the angels, the shepherds, the Jewish priests, and even King Herod—none of them had peace. It was n...

Buy  my books   " Joy in the Journey "  and  " Song in the Night" on Amazon now              Experiencing sound quality issues?  Please Click here   When Hope Calls, Are you Ready? Luke 1:26-38 Are We Ready for Hope? As we celebrate the message of hope during the Advent season, we must ask ourselves: Are we ready to accept hope? When hope finds us, will we respond as Mary did? Mary, a young girl from an insignificant town called Nazareth, was chosen by God to bring the Savior into the world. Nazareth was an unremarkable, underdeveloped place, often dismissed by others. It was famously asked, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46). Despite her humble beginnings and lack of status, Mary was highly favored by God. She embraced hope with faith and courage, even when the circumstances seemed improbable. Hope is a choice.   It is often found in the most unexpected p...