The Hope that is In Us! (Page 4)

“In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.” Acts 2: 17 (NIV)           It was January, 1972. I randomly ran into Jim Lovejoy in a grocery store. We began our friendship when my wife was in the hospital having our third baby. Never one to cook for myself, I ate out often during that time.…

“…he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways…”Psalm 91:11 (ESV)             “No,” I told my children. “I read that there are sink holes out there. It’s just not safe!”             Going to the beach was an almost daily ritual when my children were growing up. After all, we did live in Naples, the land of the world’s most beautiful beaches (in my estimation at least).             All three of my children enjoyed building castles,…

“You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” Psalm 139:16 (NLT)             In 1957, just out of law school, I was awarded a position with the Department of Justice in a special program set up for honors’ law school graduates by the attorney general. Two years into my Washington dream job, I married, and tried to build a marriage while…

“Then turning to His disciples, He said privately, ‘The eyes that see the things you see are blessed! For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see the things you see yet didn’t see them; to hear the things you hear yet didn’t hear them.’” Luke 10: 23-24 (HCSV)             The Lord has always known me, and I believe I have always known the Lord. The Episcopal Church has been the church of my family for centuries. …

“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace  to me was not without effect.” 1 Corinthians 15:10           Critical comments swarmed in my mind long after they took place, never giving me a moment’s peace.            Does intelligent thought ever enter your skull? Who do you think you are? You’re just a joke with a bad punchline? Work harder, stupid! Never let ‘em see you sweat! Don’t be such a wuss! You’re too fast!…

“Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10 (KJV) When I was six years old, my mom had divorced my father, married my stepfather and moved us to a new neighborhood in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. Back then, kids walked everywhere, even through the woods to get to school. One day walking home from school, this big tree said gently, “Child.” I had such an overwhelming feeling that I sat down, and…

“And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind . . .” Acts 2:2 (KJV)             Six weeks before my twentieth birthday, I was getting married.             It was the time in young girls’ lives when we’d all graduated and gotten jobs. The next step was getting married. I looked forward to being a wife very much, and was determined to go through with the wedding even after my fiancé’s aunt and uncle warned me…

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.” James 4:10 (NIV)             In November 2014 I was with my wife driving south from Atlanta, beginning our third day of hard driving to the promised land—Naples. I was tired and physically working off the drinks I had had the night before to relax and get some sleep. That was my usual pattern.             Suddenly I noticed we were approaching the cutoff exit at Macon but were in the…

“…we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all…” 1 Timothy 4:10 (ESV)             The Lord is my Savior…             We may say those words many times as we seek to live Christian lives, but until we experience Christ in action, understanding His saving grace remains purely hypothetical. Only when we experience Him as our personal savior does the mystery of faith become steadfast in our lives.           When I was a young teenager,…

“Call to me, and I will answer you, and will show you great and hidden things, which you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3 (NHEV)             I’m still learning to sense God’s presence. For most of my life, it wasn’t something I knew was possible. God was someone distant, who lived “up there.” And he was very busy. I was living “down here,” and busy with that. But as years progressed, I developed an odd and overwhelming desire to know God,…