A Little Boost, A Lot Of Hope

Meet Linda.

Linda is 27 years old.  She has five kids.  The oldest is a girl who is 12 years old.  The rest of the kids are boys with the youngest being two or three years old.  A couple of weeks before we arrived, Linda and her kids were living on the streets of Xenacoj.  Linda worked in one of the sweat shops making 80 cents an hour, and her kids stuck together during the day taking care of each other.  Linda’s husband was no longer in the picture.  I’m not certain of the entire story, but Linda was essentially abandoned and left to figure things out herself.  The community didn’t really embrace or help her out.  In fact, I got the impression that she was somewhat shunned by the community, because her husband left.

While Linda doesn’t fit the American definition of a widow.  She has essentially been left as a widow.

Thankfully, GO! Ministries found out about Linda.

Again, I don’t know the whole story, but a week before we arrived GO! Ministries took Linda and her family in.  They gave her a place to stay.  And they gave her a new job – first to take care of her kids and then to take care of some things for the ministry.  This is just the lift she needed.

Linda doesn’t know how to read, and her children were destined for a similar path if someone didn’t step in to provide a boost.

Now her four oldest kids get to go to school every day.  They are learning.  And they have a hope.  Dave, the missionary, is helping to show them what a father looks like.  He’s pointing them to Christ.  He’s teaching them to be respectful, and he’s teaching them to do their best.

Linda is also learning to read.  When she graduates “first grade”, she will get a raise in pay.  When she graduates “second grade”, she will get another raise.  She will learn skills that will help her survive and thrive.

Linda and her family have hope thanks to a little creativity, observation, and action.

Sometimes it takes a little boost to get off the ground.

When you and I reach out to help the widows and the orphans, we are following God’s Word.  And we are also dealing in the market of hope and love.

Linda’s story could have been one of despair and desperation.  But it’s not.  She now has a story of HOPE!

How can you give someone a boost today?  How has someone’s act of kindness given you hope?

You’re My Only Hope

In the original Star Wars movie which is now considered Episode 4, Princess Leia sends a message to Obi-Wan Kenobi (via R2-D2) saying, “Help me Obi-Wan.  You’re my only hope.”

Hope is an interesting concept that is so often understated and misrepresented in today’s world.

I hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow.  I hope the Phillies win the World Series.  I hope you have a good day.  It’s good to have hopes and dreams.

Over four years ago, Barack Obama ran for president on a platform of hope and change, and many looked to him as the hope for something different and better in their lives.  He may have brought a hope to many people, be he and all other leaders will ultimately fall short when it comes to bringing about a true and lasting hope.

In Psalm 62, we hear of the one true Hope worth following and pursuing:

Truly my soul finds rest in God;
    my salvation comes from him.
Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
    he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

How long will you assault me?
    Would all of you throw me down—
    this leaning wall, this tottering fence?
Surely they intend to topple me
    from my lofty place;
    they take delight in lies.
With their mouths they bless,
    but in their hearts they curse.^[b]

Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
    my hope comes from him.
Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
    he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
My salvation and my honor depend on God^[c];
    he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
Trust in him at all times, you people;
    pour out your hearts to him,
    for God is our refuge.

Surely the lowborn are but a breath,
    the highborn are but a lie.
If weighed on a balance, they are nothing;
    together they are only a breath.
Do not trust in extortion
    or put vain hope in stolen goods;
though your riches increase,
    do not set your heart on them.

Book Review: SELAH by Joseph Iregbu

What does SELAH mean?  I’ve seen the word before.  If you read the Psalms, SELAH is a word often found at the beginning of a Psalm, and the word is sometimes used in the middle of a Psalm as if to break up the passage.

I looked up SELAH in a couple of dictionaries, and they both indicated that the translation of this Hebrew word wasn’t completely clear.  I get the picture that SELAH is meant to indicate pause or break.  It’s a call to attention – “stop, be alert, pay attention!”

My friend, Joseph Iregbu, recently wrote a new 90-day devotional eBook called SELAH.  In the book, readers are encouraged to stop for a moment and to pay attention to the grace and hope in our lives.  In a world where we are bombarded with messages of despair, destruction, and ridicule, SELAH refreshes the sole with brief, daily messages that point readers to the grace and hope that comes as we put our faith in God.

If you are looking for a way to rekindle your faith – if you are going through a time of discouragement – if you simply need something new in your daily experience to point you to the truths of grace and hope, I’d recommend that you pick up a copy of SELAH.  The book is available on Amazon starting tomorrow.  For more information on SELAH, check out the book’s website by clicking here.

When was the last time you stopped and paused long enough to be refreshed and to hear from God?

(Note:  I am part of the launch team for SELAH.  I received this book for free.  As part of the launch team, I was not required to write a positive review for this book.  I truly enjoyed the book, and I’ve even used it to lead devotions for my small group.)

Plans For Hope And Future

 How does it change your life and perspective knowing that God has plans to give you hope?

Today, I’m hooking up with The Sunday Community and The Weekend Brew.  Hop on over here and here to see what I’m talking about.

Strive, Stretch, Strain…HOPE

Striving.  Stretching.  Straining.

What are you striving, stretching, and straining towards?

Faith, Hope, and Love

I often share a quote about hope – one of the three things that remain according to I Corinthians 13.  But the greatest of these three is love.  As we enter this week when many will be celebrating romantic love, may we love in a way that represents Paul’s words well.

How have you experienced faith, hope, and love this week?  How can you share love with others in the week ahead?

Today, I’m hooking up with The Sunday Community and The Weekend Brew.  Hop on over here and here to see what I’m talking about.

(Come back Wednesday, when I continue a discussion with Bill Grandi based on Love Works a great leadership book by Joel Manby.)

Drew Brees Quote

We spend so much time tracking our stats and trying to do better.  We track the traffic to our blogs.  We track our social media Klout scores.  We track the number of followers, friends, and likes we rack up.  I’m guilty of it.  I want to know if I’m expanding my reach.

But at some point, it becomes too much.  I want to be more than a number.  I want to achieve dreams that go beyond records and one-up-man-ship.  When I think about hope, it’s so much more than a number.  I hope we all aim higher.

How have numbers gotten in the way of reaching for bigger hopes?

Marcus Tullius Cicero Quote

John Wayne Quote

What have you learned from your past that give you hope for the future?

In the movie Groundhog Day, Bill Murray’s character keeps repeating the same day over and over again.  Initially, it drives him crazy.  But then he starts to learn from the repeated day before to make the next repeated day better.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSVeDx9fk60]

John Perry Barlow Quote