a ministry of compassion since 1973
Hope for When It Hurts
Sometimes we all have gotten to the place of wondering what God is doing. We all have rehearsed over our life span the fact that God is in control. No question about that. However, it's the details that get us in a bind. For instance . . .
Read MoreFinally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received from me, or seen in me - put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:8-9 In these verses, Paul is exhorting believers to have a filter in place regarding our thought life. What do you think would happen in your life if the filter you had in place...
Read MoreJesus is what we need – Light for the darkness. His Light Brings Life. And it is good.
Read MoreI am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:13-14 Have you ever been in a situation where you have had to wait for someone or something? Many years ago I was on my way to a conference in Bolivia. As I began my journey...
Read MoreWhere was God? When my daughter or son was diagnosed? was hit by that truck?was making such self-destructive choices? Why didn’t He intervene?
Read MorePsalm 23 is such a familiar psalm of David. As I was reading this psalm recently, I began to think about how the Lord shepherds His people. These verses talk about the...
Read MoreEverybody wants at least one true friend that will stick by us through thick or thin, a friend that will love us through all kinds of adversity and not desert us in time of need (Proverbs 17:17; 18:24b). Is there such a person for each one of us? . . .
Read MoreMany, but not all, bereaved parents have tough questions they want to ask. Often it’s hard to find acceptable answers. Often God doesn’t answer as quickly as we would like.
Read MoreA quote from Experiencing Grief by H. Norman Wright says:
In a sense grieving is a show of faith. We are trusting God to hold us in our most vulnerable time, when our feelings are raw, our life is in pieces, and our strength is gone.
An example of grief is a broken clay pot. If you take it outside and drop it or take a hammer to this clay pot, it will break into several pieces. Then take a marker and on some of the inside pieces write what your grief feels like (pain, a broken heart.) And then on the outside pieces write some of the things that support you and what is helpful in your grief (friends who listen.)
Then reassemble the pot with glue. While doing so, use this time to talk with God. Ask for His presence. Tell Him how you feel on the inside. Tell Him the pain you have. He wants to hear from you. He wants to meet with you in the brokenness. As you glue the pieces that have things on them that support you thank God for those things, the people that hold you as you cry and listen while you express your anger.
As you complete the pot remember that God is the original Potter and that He wants His name to be written somewhere on one of the outside pieces. He wants to support you, to be the glue that holds together the brokenness.
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Psalm 34:18
This activity can be done individually and also as a family with school aged children.
Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill? He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellow man, who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the Lord, who keeps his oath even when it hurts, who lends his money without usury and does not accept a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things will never be shaken. Psalm 15
As I read this Psalm it brought to mind...
Read MoreThere is a season for every activity under heaven,…As I look at the list and think about grief, most of the “times” can be part of grief
Read MoreOn Monday evening, September 9th, there were 3 support groups that met in different locations, all addressing different concerns and at the same time centering on the same resource, the Word of God. In one group . . .
Read MorePerhaps you are helping someone through ministry or caring for a loved one or even feeling overwhelmed by what is going on in your life right now. In Psalm 55, David was up against some really tough enemies and feeling pretty distressed by his situation. However, David knew that...
Read MoreHis deep troubles were personal, for Lazarus and this scene in front of him. And His troubles were about the BIG picture – sin brought death; death stings; there is no forgiveness of sin without the shedding of blood; His blood shed for us, each of us is a sinner.
Read MoreRecently we experienced an unexpected flood in my parents' home. As the waters rushed through the duct work from the top floor to the bottom floor of the house, we scurried to turn the water off. There was quite a mess to clean up and the task seemed daunting, but we all pitched in and the affected areas were cleaned up and allowed to dry for several days. As fast as the water was flowing, it seemed like it would overtake the entire house if we didn't turn off the water. This makes me think of...
Read MoreWow! Do you and I realize that incomplete obedience is really disobedience? And all disobedience to God has serious . . .
Read MoreHis family was dealing with his death – sorrow, burial arrangements and the burial itself. Visitors, food, tears, sorrow. You know how it feels. ...Meanwhile, Lazarus is on the other side of the life/death divide. Who greeted him in Heaven?
Read MoreOur new missionary/ministry staff training week was completed a few weeks ago. This week is called SERVANT Orientation and the purpose is to...
Read MoreIn response to these observations and remembering some of what this Jesus had already done, they wondered why He hadn’t prevented this death, because they knew he could have. They had high expectations of Jesus...
Read MoreHave you ever been in a situation where you felt like you could not go any further? Perhaps you were giving your all to what you were doing and your strength was waning. Maybe you were ready to...
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