Consider this

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).   I like this little prayer because it teaches us five important facts.                 First, it says that our God is a “God of hope”.   I love that description!   We do not serve a God that is out to get us or out to make our lives miserable.   We serve a God who is defined by hope.   Therefore, there is no reason to despair or give up, because anything can happen.   Nothing is hopeless if God is involved. Next, this passage tells us that Christians ought to be filled with all joy and peace.   If your Christian walk is making you miserable or negative, then you are doing something wrong.    Note the word “filled” as well.   Joy and peace are not qualities that we have in small measure.   Rather, ...

            King Solomon ruled Israel from about 970-930 BC and during that time God blessed him greatly.   In fact, people were talking about him so highly that the Queen of the kingdom of Sheba decided to pay him a visit to see if what she had heard was true.   After travelling fifteen hundred miles and spending several days with Solomon she said, “The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. But I did not believe what they said until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half the greatness of your wisdom was told me; you have far exceeded the report I heard... praise be to the Lord your God” (2 Chronicles 9:5-8).                 I like the fact that the Queen is even more impressed with Solomon after spending time with him.   It is one thing to look good from afar, but it is another t...

                I understand why people are sceptical about churches, preachers and even the Bible.   Over the years, many terrible, dishonest and even criminal things have been done in the name of God.   If I was not born into a Christian home, I do not know that I would have given Christianity a second thought. Therefore, I do not expect anyone who happens to read this article to take what I say as truth simply because I said or because I quote some verse from the Bible.                    However, if that is where you are coming from, can I make a suggestion?   Try it anyway.                 When my kids were little, we had a rule about food that stated, “You do not have to like everything, but you have to try it”.   Often, the th...

                The stated purpose of the “Community Mediation Calgary Society” is to be, “A place to learn how to settle disputes” and they have a lot of work to do.   The society receives more than 400 calls per year from neighbours who cannot get along with one another.   At the top of their website is a phrase that every group I have ever been involved with needs to hear. It says, “Being right may not be a solution!” Somehow, we have become convinced that being right is the most important thing.   However, the process of trying to prove that I am right and you are wrong only creates separate camps that suddenly feel the need to defend their position and tear down the other group.                   Som...

                It is not our circumstances, but how we deal with them that makes the difference.   Generally speaking, people respond to life in one of four ways.                 First, there are “Reactors”.   Think about pool balls on a table.   What happens if you just leave them there?   Nothing!   Pool balls do not move until they are acted upon.   Reactors are like that too.   They take no initiative.   Instead, they wait until they are hit by something and then they respond.   This perceived lack of control over their circumstances frustrates them and so they go through life yelling at everyone and being mad about everything.                 Another approach is to “Conform”.   These people do not feel tha...

    Edgar Latulip was twenty-one years old when he vanished from Kitchener, Ontario.   Gone without a trace for thirty years, his family assumed that he was dead.   Then in February of this year, Latulip solved his own cold case when he suddenly remembered his identity.   Police believe that a head injury that he suffered shortly after moving to St. Catherine’s, Ontario caused him to lose all memory of his past.   Eventually, a DNA test confirmed his identity and he was reunited with his family.     Bad things happen when we forget who we are.     In Exodus chapter six, Moses was sent to God’s people with a message of hope and help.   However, verse nine states, “Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and harsh labour”.    Their circumstances caused them to forget about God and their relationship to him.   The fact that they did not remem...

                Many stories from the life of David are well known (think “Goliath”), but this less familiar story is one of the best. David ruled Israel from approximately 1010-970 BC.   During that time, his son, Absalom, gathered an army of his own, rebelled against his father and declared himself king. This, of course, put David in a bind.   He could not allow the rebels to overrun the country and take the throne by force, but he did not want to see his boy harmed.   Eventually, David sent his army out to fight, but he commanded them that they must not hurt Absalom.   He was to be brought back alive.                   Ultimately, David’s forces won, but, unfortunately, Absalom was killed in the battle.   This sent David into such a deep depression that when the victorious army returned home, David was ...