Daily Bread

Reflections of Hope

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Maybe your first memories of Mother’s day are of coming home from school with a hand written card and kisses. Later it meant a special dinner at a restaurant and flowers for her. After leaving home we probably gave Mom a phone call and sent her favorite chocolates in the mail. But for some this Mother’s day is a little bitter sweet because it means just another visit to her in the nursing home. Being a part of the “Nursing Home Community” makes us different. Whether we are residents, visitors, volunteers or staff we face a challenge to our hopes every day.

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

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Having had the wonderful privilege of serving as a volunteer nursing home chaplain for almost 25 years, I have learned much about hope from people I have met there. If you are a nursing home resident Reflections of Hope is written for you. If you are a shut-in, a nurse, a therapist or a care giver these pages are dedicated to your hopes. If you are a family member struggling with the decision about what to do for your mom or dad, brother or sister, these 50 days of hope are your invitation to trust God with all your struggles and to hope again. Why not begin with me a journey towards hope today? Jesus knew what it means to be caught out in storms, suffer rejection and even abandonment. He willingly chose to pass through all of these things so that today we could be filled with hope through Him!

Reflections of Hope is available in softcover or E-book format on Amazon.

Reflections of Hope

If I Were a Rich Man!

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In The Fiddler on the Roof Tevya sings the song “If I were a rich man”. While not exactly the most biblically correct of sentiments I must confess to having sung some of the lyrics to myself as I wondered how to pay the bills.

Amazingly our Father in heaven rather than telling us to be quiet assures us that He is delighted to make us rich. Our shortfall however is not in our bank account it is in our heart account. While He has been rich in mercy towards us we have often been spiritual cheapskates with others. We need to just change two words of Tevya’s song. Why not try singing “Since I am a rich man” , and astonish at least on person with mercy today.

Crossing Over

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On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.”  Mark 4:35

God has wonderful plans for another chapter in our lives. He is not content to leave us where we are and He challenges us to trust Him for something new. It seems so nice and peaceful just resting here on this side of what we know, but Jesus may be saying to you what He said to the disciples, “Let’s go to the other side!”

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Jesus is inviting each of us to prepare to be ready for new things. But His challenge includes a word we may have missed, Jesus said “Let’s!”  That single word makes all the difference when we launch out to points unknown.

There’s a song we sing at our Brazilian church in Portuguese that loosely translated goes something like this:

Sail away with faith in Jesus

Because this is the way you will see

What beautiful things He will do

Because with Him you will be secure.

translated from Solta O Cabo Do Nau

So if you feel overwhelmed by the smallness of your boat and the vastness of the sea, remember that in your little boat travels the King of kings and the Captain of all ships. No matter the storms, our Lord will never abandon us, nor allow the waves to keep us from the safe harbor of His arms!