I held up a picture of people sleeping under pieces of cardboard in a dim alley ldquo What do they need rdquo I asked my sixth grade Sunday school class ldquo Food rdquo someone said ldquo Money rdquo said another ldquo A safe place rdquo a boy said thoughtfully Then one girl spoke up ldquo Hope rdquo ldquo Hope is expecting good things to happen rdquo she explained I found it interesting that she talked about ldquo expecting rdquo good things when due to challenges it can be easy not to expect good things in life The Bible nevertheless speaks [... more]

ldquo I felt so useless rdquo Harold said ldquo Widowed and retired kids busy with their own families spending quiet afternoons watching shadows on the wall rdquo He rsquo d often tell his daughter ldquo I rsquo m old and have lived a full life I have no purpose anymore God can take me any time rdquo One afternoon however a conversation changed Harold rsquo s mind ldquo My neighbor had some problems with his kids so I prayed for him rdquo Harold said ldquo Later I shared the gospel with him That rsquo s how I realized I still [... more]

One early evening while I was jogging near a construction site in our neighborhood a skinny dirty kitten meowed at me plaintively and followed me home Today Mickey is a healthy handsome adult cat enjoying a comfortable life in our household and deeply loved by my family Whenever I jog on the road where I found him I often think ldquo Thank You God Mickey was spared from living on the streets He has a home now rdquo Psalm speaks of ldquo dwelling in the shelter of the Most High rdquo v making our home with God The Hebrew word [... more]

My friend Ruel attended a high school reunion held in a former classmate rsquo s home The waterfront mansion near Manila Bay could accommodate attendees and it made Ruel feel small nbsp ldquo I rsquo ve had many happy years of pastoring remote rural churches rdquo Ruel told me ldquo and even though I know I shouldn rsquo t I couldn rsquo t help but feel envious of my classmate rsquo s material wealth My thoughts strayed to how different life might be if I rsquo d used my degree to become a businessman instead rdquo ldquo But I later [... more]

In my dad was diagnosed with a neurological disease that robbed him of his memory speech and control over body movements He became bedridden in and continues to be cared for by my mom at home The beginning of his illness was a dark time I was fearful I knew nothing about caring for a sick person and I was anxious about finances and my mom rsquo s health nbsp The words of Lamentations helped me get up many mornings when the light was as gray as the state of my heart ldquo Because of the Lord rsquo s great [... more]