Tag: Hope

Journey Through October: Conquering Fear

On By sashakatzIn Journey Through October: Conquering FearLeave a comment

Join me as I journey through October facing fear. I will share with you many short posts recalling my own battles. Sharing bravery. Remembering scripture. Treasuring wisdom.

Dreams are reached through facing fear and persevering through pain.  Pain is by no means desirable. But with God. The very, very dark and desperate becomes bright, full of hope and inevitably beautiful.

~week one~day one~

It was not clear to me when I slammed the first book shut. I had just turned the page and landed on chapter 6 – – From Anxious to Peace: Conquering Fear. Forget Chapter 6, I said to myself. I don’t want to know what I am lacking in the way of peace. I don’t want to open up this topic so God can conveniently use it to refine me, prune me. Nope. Been there, done that. A few hundred times.

I cleverly excused myself to the other book I was reading. The second book needed reading for my Monday bible study anyway. I am a smart girl and I have my priorities straight. I don’t like pain. I will keep the first book shut For A Long Time.

The first book remained closed on my shelf. I continued to read the second book. Some time passed. I reached Part 3 of the second book. The title is God Knows My Fears. Slam. After all, I was a few chapters ahead of my bible study’s reading anyway. No need to get any further ahead.  For now.

It was not yet clear to me why I was slamming books shut on Conquering Fear.  But clarity was on its way.  Truth was reaching for me.  Wisdom was calling.  My answers were on the very next page . . .

Hopelessness

On By badaimathewIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

By Bindu Adai Mathew

The torrid rains of April are falling.

A flashflood into my emotionally overwrought soul.

Tears fall from my eyes like overfilled buckets,

Like Noah, I watch as the waters rise above my head.

I choke on the hurt and gasp for air,

But unlike Noah, I see no salvation, drowning in my own despair. 

There is nothing.

No God. No hope. Nothing.

Except more rain.

 

I imagine this is what hopelessness feels like. I imagine that possibly this is what the son of Rick Warren, author of the Purpose Driven Life, felt like before he committed suicide in early April.

Depression isn’t prejudiced like we are. It doesn’t pick and choose based on gender, height, or financial status. It doesn’t care if we are Christian or not…even if we’re the child of a famous pastor…depression hits us all. And it can feel overwhelming. At times our depression is the result of a situation and can be temporary. For some, depression can be clinical and an on-going life struggle.

Most of us are fortunate to rise above the rising waters and find our hope again. And some continue to fight. If you’re fighting depression today, I encourage you to let go of the cloak of shame. Don’t let it prevent you from seeking the help you need, the help you AND your loved ones deserve. Because no matter how hopeless it seems and appears, it is a lie, no matter how real it may seem. With God, we always have hope. And that is something we all need to be reminded of.

 “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”  Psalms 30:5

What If…there were no Jesus?

On By femmefuelIn FemmeFeatures by Bindu Adai-Mathew, November 2011 (Thankfulness)Leave a comment

By Bindu Adai-Mathew

What if there was no Jesus?

 My pastor raised this question during yesterday’s sermon, and answers just flooded my thoughts.

 There would be no heaven.

There would be no hope.

There would be no peace.

 Having been raised in a Christian home, Jesus has always been part of my life. But as I’ve gotten older, my problems and struggles have also gotten bigger. Job layoffs. A struggling economy. Dwindling investments. Life isn’t easy and sometimes it can be downright overwhelming. I cannot imagine not being able to pray. I cannot imagine not being able to lean on Him and hope in Him that despite my struggles, things can and will get better. He is my hope in this life. He is my friend when other friends let me down or when they cannot be there for me at that moment.

 Interestingly enough, our pastor brought up things I never even considered. There would be none of the great paintings we know like The Last Supper or sculptures like The David. Many of the great universities were established based on Christianity. There would be no schools. Or orphanages. Or charities.  The list went on and on. Many of the things in our modern life have roots that are borne out of a relationship with Christ.

As we are now officially into Christmas season, in the midst of the chaos of shopping for the perfect Christmas gift or decorating our homes in red and tinsel, or taking vacations to be with our family, let us not forget the true reason for this Christmas season. And let us not forget to celebrate the amazing love of a Heavenly Father who would knowingly sacrifice His Only son so that we each could know Him, too. Let us continue to have that spirit of Thanksgiving in our hearts through the holidays and into the new year.

 18This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.

20As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

22All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:

23“Look! The virgin will conceive a child!

She will give birth to a son,

and they will call him Immanuel,

which means ‘God is with us.’”  Matthew 1: 18-23

 Thank you, Lord, for the gift of your Son. Because of Him, we have hope. Hope on this earth, and hope for heaven. May our lives touch someone else  this holiday season so that they, too, may experience the wonder and blessings of your most Perfect Gift.

 

 

 

Faith, Hope and Luck: Parts 4 and 5

On By femmefuelIn March 2011 (Luck v. Faith)Leave a comment

What can you expect from God? Check out Parts 4 and 5 of Andy Stanley‘s in-depth teaching on the differences between faith, hope and luck.

Part 4:

Part 5:

Faith, Hope and Luck: Parts 2 and 3

On By femmefuelIn March 2011 (Luck v. Faith)Leave a comment

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Click here to read Ron Cassie’s take about St. Patrick’s passion for Christ and the lost.

This month, in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, we featured thoughts, stories and teachings about luck, faith, destiny, free will and fate. Learn more about how these concepts help shape your life (if at all).

Check out Parts 2 and 3 of Andy Stanley‘s in-depth teaching on the differences between faith, hope and luck.

Part 2:

Part 3: 

Faith, Hope and Luck: Part 1

On By femmefuelIn March 2011 (Luck v. Faith)Leave a comment

Andy Stanley has a terrific teaching on the differences between faith, hope and luck–concepts that even Christians often confuse and use interchangeably.

Check out Part 1 of his video series: