Town Hope - Spokane, WA

January Contribution - Shining Night

2012-01-21T19:14:00.000-08:00

At the end of the day, as her eyes see the last rays of sun and lashes catch the first moonlight, she slips into a quiet slumber. A pleasant dream begins on an uninhabited beach with a backdrop of tropical forest. Nothing has ever been as splendid as that cool summer’s eve, a shining night along the shores of the deserted sand. Yet, walking through it, she felt strings of emotions coming from within her, reaching out in search of something.

She stood to watch in awe as the sun brought an end to the day, shimmering bright across the plain of ocean water. Caught for a moment by the systematic sound within the waves as they overtook the shoreline, creating a rhythm in the midst of silence, she felt the beating of a loving heart. The stir of continuous rushing water ended in a pattern of calmness as it blended with the sand. In that pause, she felt a variation of thoughts among strings of separate emotions, an overflow of hidden anxieties sparked by her imagination. Unsettled, she knew that she was there in search of something. She had to find it. Only then, might she be able to find her dream’s answer, possibly even find peace on that shining night.

Her eyes wandered back and forth along the beach. Standing there in sort of a daze, she could seemingly watch the trees grow in their magnificent beauty. They reached effortlessly into the sky, as the long slender leaves swayed in the wind. It was as if each branch were a feather, gracefully taking hold of the air. Force from a sudden strong breeze threw her hair over her shoulders, causing a feeling of captivation to overwhelm her. She could even smell the fresh tropical air in every touch of wind that blew past. As she stood motionless and her feet searched for a permanent position to stand firmly, she remembered why she was there. Sinking slowly into the moist coolness of the sand, the insistence remained with her to continue her journey, to find what she was searching for on that shining night.

As she continued to follow the shore, she heard the cries of seagulls as they flew above to their perches along the rocky cliffs piercing the edge line of trees in the distance. The squawking and hacking brought the appearance of life to the beach. Although evening had begun, both the sun and moon kept her in awe, waiting for her to find what she searched for, from one end of the beach to the other.

Enduring the journey, she stumbled and fell on the stones that were scattered in the sand. The scene was beautiful and captivating, so much that it distracted her from the purpose of the dream. She would stumble and fall, wounded and bruised, regaining her composure. Then, again, stumble and fall. The sense of urgency rose inside, but the ground was unrelenting. She faltered more and more with each stride she took. Recovering her footing, she would only just fall again. This continued, it seemed, forever.

Then, in an instant, she knew she was there. Coming to the end, there were no more beaches or sand to follow, only the last of the moon on that shining night.

Her walk on the beach was not long, but long enough for discovery. On the waves that came into the shore, she saw him walking on the water, a silhouette within a new sunrise. She heard the beat of his heart as each new wave swept onto the shore. She felt his breath in the morning breeze upon her face. In a moment, he cleared a way through the strung out thoughts in her mind. Relief came to her emotions, release from so many tumultuous experiences. She found her peace in that dream with the appearance of her savior and God. The reality of freedom and forgiveness for a lifetime of struggles and sin came in His arms that shining night.

The alarm sounds, harshly awakening her ever-sweet slumber. Warmth glides across her flesh as the sun enters through the window. Although wishing to stay with her pillows and dreams, she realizes she must withdraw the cozy comfort of blankets from atop her. Opening her eyes to see a glimpse of sun rising, forever changed from the very pleasant dream, the evening she found her shining knight.

from Honey

January Contribution - Devotional Hope

2012-01-18T08:25:00.000-08:00

You have always been with me, Lord,

even when I didn’t acknowledge your presence.

I desire you in all I do.

So, here I am before you,

committing myself to you today.

I thank you for your goodness and grace.

I marvel at your countenance,

amazed by your great love;

worthy of all my praise.

So, I lift my voice

and carry boldness

into every moment.

I stir up my faith and believe in

who you are, the great I AM.

Glory to your mighty name, Jesus!

Devotional Hope

December Contribution

2011-12-14T16:34:00.000-08:00

Christmas is coming upon us quickly and so ignites the flurries of the season that will result in a day of celebration. We speak of it as a day for giving, spending time with family, and just an all-over time for enjoyment. Yet, many of us wind up feeling stress, agitation, and anxiety.

We make perfectionist efforts to display our homes just right and to buy the best gifts, remaining hopeful that we’ll receive what we would normally feel guilty buying for ourselves. The discipline of staying true to a budget is overruled by in-the-moment shopping and bill payments get waylaid until the New Year. We can get lost in the elaborate preparation of meals and hors d'oeuvres, desserts and candy. Then there’s the emotions that fly around, in anticipation of the people we have never seen before and of those we’d rather not see at all, like the in-laws and distant cousins reserved for only once a year.

For some, Christmas Eve initiates the first gifts being unwrapped. For others, it begins bright and early Christmas morning. Although the kids may wake early, eager to discover what presents await them, adults are just as curious to see what new toys they got. We fumble through the wrapping paper and boxes, searching for the very last one to be opened. That’s followed by a quick tidying up before we enjoy the company of our families and friends. In the mix, we throw in snowball fights and sledding, everyone getting too wet and tired. At the end of the day, there are slumbering bodies amid the wired ones who had more than their fill of desert. Meanwhile, those who must return to their homes, make a list in their head of the exchanges they’ll be making as they head out the door. Friends and relatives staying over another night are given blankets and pillows for the stay.

Is Christmas just another excuse to get together or are we celebrating something important?

As the angel told Joseph in Matthew 1:21, “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

"For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
John 3:16

Where's the Hope in That?

2011-07-11T02:00:00.000-07:00

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what you do not see.”

Hebrews 11:1 NIV

Do I spend my days complaining about things in my life? Or do I find joy in the Lord, knowing that He is working out all things for the good of those that love Him? That sure sounds like hope to me, that He’s got things handled.

What about the hope I can find just knowing the strength I can have when I find His joy!

Wow! Perspective is a funny thing; it can take you down or lift you up. So what hope do you have today? The Word is filled with His hope. He promises strength for the weary, provision for the needy, life for the dying, and salvation for the lost. God is healer and provider, savior and life giver: so much more!

Many people don’t know His promises, or how great he is: so where’s the hope in that? We’ve got to be in the Word, reading the bible daily to find out how big our God really is. He wants to give you hope for every day, not just the hope we get when we receive His salvation.

Don’t get me wrong, salvation is huge and not to be taken lightly. But it’s only the beginning. He responds to our faith, that stuff that makes us sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. But what are you believing in?

Are you making things up as you go, according to your needs for the day or are you looking for what he has already promised. I’d recommend looking for His promises, because they are sure, they are right and just. You can’t go wrong because he is faithful to carry them out to completion.

Matthew 7:7-8 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” NIV

Start asking God, seeking Him, and knocking on His door. His promise is that you will receive, you will find Him, and doors will be opened.

A Warrior to Rise

2010-05-01T21:56:00.000-07:00

The battle begins before I rise each morn
As warmth glides across my flesh
Sun entering through my window
Cozy comfort of my blankets
Must be withdrawn from atop me

Alarm sounds, harshly awakening
My ever-sweet slumber
How I wish to stay, at times
To not endure hardships of this life
But as I open my eyes to see
The glimpse of sun rising
I remember...
You are the reason I live

So I strap on my armor
Gather up my shield and sword
To take on the world
As a soldier of Christ
My first battle is one with my flesh
It cries and it screams
To remain hidden from that press
Which calls me to arms
To uphold a cause for Christ

Each morn I rise from my bed
I win my first battle for the day
For I am promised that as I
Lay down my life for Christ
He will cause a warrior
to rise from within me

My battles are already won
As I choose to enter
this battleground of life
I will enter rest again at twilight
With the knowledge that my life in Him
Is my great reward

Then as my eyes see the last rays of sun
And catch moonlight in my lashes
I can rest because He comforts me
I will slumber in His peace
Acknowledge that the moment I am in
Is one to be renewed in His strength
For a new battle rages tomorrow.

Conversation Between Two...

2010-04-03T11:34:00.000-07:00

She said …

To forgive and forget: Wow! That’s a lot to ask me to do. I’ve been betrayed, rejected, mistreated, abused, unloved, and lied to. Boy, I could tell you some stories of things I’ve gone through then you would understand that I’m not sure I can do that.

It started when I was really little, I suppose about four years old. My dad …………
Then my parents divorced when I was still little. That was real hard. The trouble with that was …………
You know, as I grew up, my brothers and sisters didn’t really like me much. They used to ……………
Then, my mom’s third husband, he would do things to me like …………….
When it came to middle school, those were some difficult years. Kids can be mean, like ………………
High school was a challenge. Nothing seemed to go right …………………..
I had this boyfirend, but he broke up with me two weeks before …………
After that, it was hard to trust again. Then I met this really nice guy and we were married …………
I found out he was cheating on me. I stayed because I didn’t want ……………
I didn’t ever want the police to arrest him, but our son saw …………….
Soon we had another baby, but he wasn’t happy about it ………………
Again, he cheated on me and I knew I had to leave ……………..
He had me in the bedroom with a shotgun on the shelf next to …….…….
I found myself half way cross the country, two children and no plan except to get away ………..
I began losing feeling in my legs and arms from time to time and the doctor said I had ………………
I went to see my mom before I headed back to ………………….
I arrived home to find that I was still alone …………..

The story goes on and on. How am I to forgive and forget? How can I forgive with all I’ve gone through?

He said …

Now, I have a story to tell you. There was a time when my son was far away from me. I sent him to war so that he could put an end to the fighting. The enemy had a plan to seize my son and destroy him. The enemy even snuck into that ranks so that my son wound up to be betrayed, rejected, mistreated, abused, unloved, and lied to, even on the battle field.

Yet, …………. I knew the day when my son died. He sent word to me, so I would know when he was leaving. You see, we had a plan before he went to war and he wanted me to know when the orders were completed. His message to me was not written with pen and paper. He did not send a messenger with a note. Yet, …………. I knew the moment when he died. I felt his breath as it left his body, even from the distance we were apart. My son and I have that kind of relationship, because we are one. We will always be together. It’s as if he never left. Yet, …………. I knew the day when my son died. I heard his last words, even to the end. One of the last things he said was, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. “

I have kept that promise, as I said to Jeremiah long before, “I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” *

I have loved without hesitation, and I have received rejection and betrayal. I have remained faithful to my commitments, but people have continued to mistreat me. No matter how hard I try, I am often unloved and abused. I am lied to daily, although I remain true to my word. My desire is to love. I am always there to be found.

It’s time for you to listen to this, “If you forgive others when they sin against you, I will also forgive you.” **

*Jeremiah 31:34b
**Mathew 6:14

Wait a minute. That’s my heart, God.

2010-03-30T22:30:00.000-07:00

God wakes me usually in the early hours of the morning, while my defenses are down and I am most receptive. Sometimes it’s a thought or scripture that I am led to read. But most often it is a vision or an inspiration that I write down. This morning it was both.

This morning I saw myself in a hospital room. It looked like a scene from one of those CSI shows where the doctor has the dead body on a gurney and their chest is cut open. Well, I was the body, but I was alive. I look up and I see that it is actually an operating room, so in that, I am a little assured I will be okay after all. Then I see my surgeon is the Lord. Okay, I feel a little better; after all I am in good hands. But then I realize that I am cut wide open and He is going for my heart with a knife.

“Whoa! Wait a minute. That’s my heart, God. You can’t cut my heart.”

He points to my heart and says, “Look. I have to remove what’s dead. It has become a burden to you.”

I was actually able to look down and see what he was doing and I saw that a part was grey; it looked dead and was not moving. “Oh right then, but I’m starting to hurt. Can I get more anesthesias?”

God said, “You already have all that you need. Just lay back and let me work.”

Well, I started to get impatient, so I leaned forward to see how far He had left to go. I saw that He was removing my whole heart! “What are you doing? You said you were only going to remove a part of my heart. You can’t have the whole thing!”

“I said I have to remove what is dead and that happens to be the whole thing. I have a brand new one right here to replace it.”

“But that’s my heart! You can’t have my heart! Everything I am is in my heart. I will be lost without me! No one will recognize me anymore if you take my heart. All that I am is there!”

I grabbed my heart in my hands, jump off the operating table and began running through the hallways. But no matter where I ran or which way I turned, I always ended up right outside the operating room where God stood by the bed. He was not excited or worried that I was running around with my heart out of my chest. And when I finally looked beside me, there was the Holy Spirit keeping up with me. Running right alongside me wherever I went, watching the heart I held in my hands. He looked at my heart then up at me. “God is waiting for you.”

Finally, I stopped outside the operating room, still not wanting to go inside. “Do I have to start all over? If I give you my heart, do I have to learn what I already know all over again? I mean, there are things that I have learned about being a Christian, God. What about all the things I can do?”

“Stop thinking, rationalizing, and looking for the worst. I want to give you a new heart. I want to replace it with an obedient one. Even as you stand there holding your heart in your hands, you remain disobedient. You prayed that if you could just get someone to help you learn what you never were taught; you would be able to change faster. I am your Father, and I love you.”

There was a pause as I remembered my prayer through tears from just the night before. Reluctantly, “So…I have to give this to you now, don’t I?”

“Yes, you do.”

“But are you going to take away everything I had my hopes set on?”

“Everything will be okay. I love you and I have many things for you to do which you will find joy in. You will find your strength in me.”

With that, I awoke with one word in my mind, “Daily.”

I searched the Word for scriptures:

Psalm 16:7-11
I will praise the LORD, who advises me. My conscience warns me at night. I always keep the LORD in front of me. When he is by my side, I cannot be moved. That is why my heart is glad and my soul rejoices. My body rests securely because you do not abandon my soul to the grave or allow your holy one to decay. You make the path of life known to me. Complete joy is in your presence. Pleasures are by your side forever.

Psalm 68:19
Thanks be to the Lord, who daily carries our burdens for us. God is our salvation. Selah

Ezekiel 36:26
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you. I will remove your stubborn hearts and give you obedient hearts.

Luke 16:15
But Jesus told them: You are always making yourselves look good, but God sees what is in your heart. The things that most people think are important are worthless as far as God is concerned.

Forever Changed

2009-12-25T01:29:00.000-08:00

You sent your son, God,
as an example of perfection
to then die on the cross and rise again
so that we may know you,
your incredible grace and forgiveness of sins.

I believe and am forever changed
because of Christ Jesus

I will live to please you, my Lord, my King.

Christmas: What IS the Reason for the Season?

2009-12-01T01:00:00.000-08:00

December Contribution By Hanalore' VanWinkle

Christmas is coming upon us quickly and so ignites the flurries of the season that will result in a day of celebration. We speak of it as a day for giving, spending time with family, and just an all-over time for enjoyment. Yet, many of us wind up feeling stress, agitation, and anxiety.

We make perfectionist efforts to display our homes just right and to buy the best gifts, remaining hopeful that we’ll receive what we would normally feel guilty buying for ourselves. The discipline of staying true to a budget is overruled by in-the-moment shopping and bill payments get waylaid until the New Year. We can get lost in the elaborate preparation of meals and hors d'oeuvres, desserts and candy. Then there’s the emotions that fly around, in anticipation of the people we have never seen before and of those we’d rather not see at all, like the in-laws and distant cousins reserved for only once a year.

For some, Christmas Eve initiates the first gifts being unwrapped. For others, it begins bright and early Christmas morning. Although the kids may wake early, eager to discover what presents await them, adults are just as curious to see what new toys they got. We fumble through the wrapping paper and boxes, searching for the very last one to be opened. That’s followed by a quick tidying up before we enjoy the company of our families and friends. In the mix, we throw in snowball fights and sledding, everyone getting too wet and tired. At the end of the day, there are slumbering bodies amid the wired ones who had more than their fill of desert. Meanwhile, those who must return to their homes, make a list in their head of the exchanges they’ll be making as they head out the door. Friends and relatives staying over another night are given blankets and pillows for the stay.

Is Christmas just another excuse to get together or are we celebrating something important?

As the angel told Joseph in Matthew 1:21, “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

"For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
John 3:16

My God Is More Than Enough, He Is El-Shaddai!

2009-11-15T08:56:00.000-08:00

November Contribution By Hanalore' VanWinkle

No matter which way you say it, no matter which version of the bible you read it, we’re supposed to spread the Good news. Are the words that I speak “Good News” to those who hear them? Am I speaking words of desperation and defeat or words of victory and faith?

Here is some Good News: “My God is more than enough, He is El-Shaddai!” With that in mind, who am I to say anything that would give any impression that he is less than just that? Am I telling people through words and actions that I am defeated and desperate or do I make the announcement to those I meet that, “Today is a great day because my God is more than enough?” Do I proclaim on the mountain tops that my God is worthy of praise?

We are challenged to proclaim to the world the reality that God is our El-Shaddai. We are not to take hold of the reality that the enemy would like us to believe: that we cannot have more than what life gives us. Each day I lay down my life for the life that has been given to me through my Savior, Jesus Christ. The life he has given me is that of a warrior. I am never to stand without my suit of armor. I am to be prepared and ready to fight whatever enemy might be before me. I stand on the battlefront prepared for the enemy to attack, rather than hiding from my enemy or wandering aimlessly as prey for an ambush.

Those who have known me for a long time, have seen me in the past, cower with fear as life walked all over me. I embraced the lies of that enemy that stood over me. I saw myself as someone who deserved what I got, because I saw my failures. I couldn’t go a day without feeling unworthy to live.

I cannot say that one day I woke up and I felt different. My feelings didn’t change, but I did. God came back into my life. Through a prophet, he looked me straight in the eyes, held my face in his hands and said, “Is this really the life you want to live? Because I am not going to let you die. You will live.” I can tell you story after story of the times he has saved my life. I have had to remember them, not as badges or trophies, but as testimonies of how I got from where I was to where I am. The miracles in my life are countless. What once looked like the enemy trying to take me out, is now the reality of my God saving me—forgiving me.

I am not known as outwardly boisterous, extravagant in my praises. Yet, as I grow closer to my Lord, He is changing me. If he says I am to break the news that all is well, proclaim good times, announce salvation, and tell the world that “My God Reigns!”... he has given me what I need to do exactly that.

So, if you see that someone’s expression seems serious or it looks as if they may have had a bad day, pray for them. Remind them to proclaim His goodness and remember their testimony. We are alive because that’s what we’re here for, to live for Him, not for ourselves. We must also remember that each of us fights our fight of faith daily, and not every day is the same - but God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He directs our path, and we must choose to walk it, daily.

Today, I shout to you, “He is my El-Shaddai.”

What Are You Building?

2009-11-04T18:36:00.000-08:00

Noah was given instructions from God to build an Ark, on dry land, over a period of 100 hundred years in order to save his family. He had to listen to God’s instructions, really listen to the details and continue believing no matter what it looked like. We can only image what was said to him and how he was treated through the years as he kept up with the notion that God was going to flood the earth. (Genesis 6:13-21)

Nowadays, many of us struggle just to listen to His daily instructions, let alone any greater purpose. Busyness of our own plans keep us from hearing all that God would have us hear. Some may even start out listening, begin “doing”, but something happens along the way. All too often it’s the weariness and fear life brings that holds us back. Besides reminding ourselves that we were not created to be bound by a spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7), we must also remember to not be weary in the things we do for God’s purposes because He made the promise of a harvest if we do not give up. (Galatians 6:9)

Are you building a chair only to find a leg missing?
Or a boat, only to find a plank missing from the bottom?
Or a house only to find that you’ve built it on a sandy slope?

Are you listening for ALL God’s instructions, or have you grown weary and submitted to fear?

What are you building?

An Eclipse of the Heart

2009-10-21T00:05:00.000-07:00

Some of us learn best through pictures, stories and parables. It gives me great pleasure when the Lord speaks to me this way. Here is a little something He conveyed to me a while back.

It is a picture story of an issue so many, in fact, all of us are subject to. The Lord used the sun and the moon to illustrate what He wanted to show me.

The sun: First, let us see the sun for what it is, a gloriously great light, exuding much power; and helping to sustain life on earth. Let us pretend this represents the presence of the Lord penetrating our heart and illuminating out to others.

The moon: The moon has no life, and the light it illuminates is merely a reflection of the sun for it does not produce light itself, but reflects it. The only power it seems to have claim to is it causes a gravitational pull on the earth.

Now, let us see the moon as a thought. A negative thought. It may step in as an illumination of knowledge, it catches our attention, and there is a pull on our emotions as we begin to meditate on it. We may not realize it, but we have not placed a guard around our heart, and that thought we allowed to step in is now producing a shadow on our heart. That shadow can grow into something that looks like strife, suspicion, doubt, etc.

We soon find our ability to see the sun seems to have been blocked!

When the moon moves in front of the sun, it is called a solar eclipse. Thiseclipse casts a shadow; things get dark for a bit! Can you see the parallel? When we have a thought that we allow to stay there and maybe we even meditate on it, (something that makes us grumpy, anxious, carry strife, be contentious, or suspicious, it produces darkness, and think about it)…how close do we feel to God at that moment?

Once things seem dark around us, we can even begin to wonder, "God, where did you go?" But if we remove from our thoughts and heart that moon (and I mean cast it away, move it aside!) then the light of the sun (Son) comes shining back in!

Next time you are struggling with negative emotions; ask yourself, "Have I allowed an eclipse in my heart?" Quickly replace those thoughts with illuminating, life giving, love working words from God's heart, the Word of God, the Bible.

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16

“For the eye is the lamp of the body. So is your eye is unclouded, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is evil your whole body will be full of darkness. If the light in you is darkness, how dark it will be!” Matthew 6:22-23

“Finally brothers and sisters, keep your thoughts on whatever is right or deserves praise; things that are: true, honorable, fair, pure, acceptable, or commendable.” Philippians 4:8

“For though walking about in flesh, we do not war according to flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, pulling down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought into the obedience of Christ;” 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

Time to Change

2009-10-01T19:25:00.001-07:00

September contribution by CF

I sit and contemplate the words that came from the television last night as I watched a show. The words rang through my head all night and into today. I am challenged; challenged to evaluate who I am and things about me I want to change.

The scene was two men; each putting a helmet on. One man was going to teach the other man the new job. He was talking about how many hours you seem to spend alone in these helmets. The other man spoke and said, "Well I guess you better really like the man in there that you spend so much time with."

Wow!

I thought of the shattering sound of the quiet that would be there.

I thought about how you would be left with your own thoughts and attitudes.

I thought: we are with these thoughts everyday and yet we don't know it, we busy ourselves with the world - our spouse and kids, appointments, school, church, friends, family, parties and it can go on and on.

I know my thoughts even go there when I am not doing anything. But when you really put yourself in the silence and just listen to yourself; do you like spending time with you?

That could also raise the questions:

Does God like who I am becoming?

Am I making good choices based on His word?

My answer would have to be, I like what I do sometimes, but when I am alone I have to re-discover who I really am.

I am a Child of God.

I have a spirit and mind, body and soul.

I need to attend to these things in a Godly manner.

I need to sit quietly and let God speak to me.

I need to learn how to enjoy spending time with me.

As I move into that arena, I find it fascinating that I do like myself, but I still have things about me I don't like: it is time to change.

"The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight. Prize her highly, and she will exalt you; she will honor you if you embrace her. She will place on your head a graceful garland; she will bestow on you a beautiful crown." Hear, my son, and accept my words, that the years of your life may be many. I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness. When you walk, your step will not be hampered, and if you run, you will not stumble. Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life." Proverbs 4:7-13

About "Town Hope"

2009-09-12T11:10:00.000-07:00

The vision for Town Hope has to begin with the testimony of the hope we have in Christ. Hope for the broken rests on His body; through the unity of Christ, the common hope we have through Christ our Lord and Savior.

“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have…” 1 Peter 3:15

Are you prepared to give an answer for the hope you have?

“You who bring good tidings to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, Lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, 'Here is your God!'” Isaiah 40:9

We may say, “I am only one, God.” And God reminds us in His special way, He only needs a willing vessel and a heart to believe Him, and He’ll move mountains for His cause. Many things God asks us to do bring us to a place where we must step out in faith; then He will bring others along side.

Habakkuk declares that he will wait for an answer from God…

“I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint.

“Then the LORD replied: “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; It speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.” Habakkuk 2:1-3

God tells him to write it down…

So are you one who will share your testimony?

Town Hope

townhopewriters@gmail.com

Darkest Night At Sea

2009-09-12T10:53:00.001-07:00

August contribution by Larry Whiston Sr.

The night was exceptionally dark, and I was alone on the forward lookout. It was my maiden voyage as a Seaman in the United States Navy. Our ship (USS Fanning - Destroyer Escort 1076) was rather small compared to other ships. Still, to me it was rather huge and intimidating.

Our entire crew was already on edge due to the tremendous battle we fought with a recent typhoon. We had been running from a tremendous downpour for many hundreds of miles before the typhoon came within twenty-five miles of our ship. At such close range, the waves were higher than our eyes had the capacity to see, although it looked like one could reach out and touch the water with their hand. Our ship was as a tinker-toy caught out in the ocean, unquestionably at the mercy of God. It stood to reason that we were all exceptionally vigilant that night, watching for any form of debris which could damage our ship. I was surprised that after a storm of such magnitude the water was calm, resembling much like a sheet of glass, and the sky was extremely dark; so dark in fact, I was unable to see my hand which was a mere six inches away from my face!

As I looked out into the darkness, a strange phenomenon occurred that was to prepare me for the difficulties of the numerous paths I would have to follow for many years to come. The entire sky was unexpectedly illuminated, and I could see the silhouette of another ship out on the horizon. As Forward Lookout, it was my job to report any such sightings to the Bridge; having done so, the Officer of the Deck on the bridge sent a runner to wake up our Captain, who then made his way to the bridge, and eventually made contact with the Captain of the other ship. What happened next was to the amazement, and sheer delight of everyone present.

When our Captain made contact with the other ship’s Captain, we discovered that the other ship was over fifty miles away. The light, which had illuminated the entire sky for over fifty miles in such commanding darkness, was none other than a match from a sailor on board the other ship, who had stopped to light a cigarette!

As I have walked, and sometimes staggered through the twists and turns along my journeys through life, I have faced many perilous and confusing times. There have been obstacles surrounding me that could have caused me, and others all around me severe wounding; at times my eyes have seemed blinded by the fog, and by the darkness all around me; just like that night back in the Navy, when the darkness was so fiercely threatening and imposing. I often consider how small I feel in the vantage of how large the opposition appears to be, and how inadequate I know I am in the spectrum of the challenges which lay before me. In such times, I could easily fade away into the darkness, avoiding the battle, hiding from the conflict, surrendering in utter disgrace and ultimate defeat.

I could; but I don’t, Because God has given me a very special lesson from one of the darkest nights of my life. A lesson I needed to carry me through my toughest battles today and tomorrow. A lesson I have shared with others, and they too have found comfort and strength from its riches. It is the lesson of one little light, which dared to shine in the midst of a dark and dreary night at sea.

Today when others ask me if I truly believe that a little good will make a real difference in this world, I smile. I smile because deep within the core of who I am, I remember the power of that one little light piercing right through the darkness. I smile because I know beyond all doubt how a little light, in the form of good, can pierce through the darkness that steps into our lives from time to time. How valuable is an unexpected smile? How precious is a caring, encouraging word? How significant is an act of kindness, not only to the one receiving it, but to others who witness it? I believe in our world today, it is as priceless as that one little light shining so brightly on the darkest night of my life!

"He will give light to those who live in the dark and in death's shadow. He will guide us into the way of peace." Luke 1:79 (GW)

"The light shines in the dark, and the dark has never extinguished it." John 1:5 (GW)

"I am the light that has come into the world so that everyone who believes in me will not live in the dark." John 12:46 (GW)

"Once you lived in the dark, but now the Lord has filled you with light. Live as children who have light." Ephesians 5:8 (GW)

What is hope?

2009-09-05T18:37:00.000-07:00

We have desires but do we have hope? Imagine standing at a bus stop, waiting for the bus. You know the schedule says when it will arrive, so you wait for it. Time goes by and it gets closer to the arrival time. Do you leave before it gets there? No. Most of us would wait.

So the bus winds up taking longer than usual and you find yourself needing to make a choice. You begin to go through the options in your mind and weigh each one carefully. Do you continue waiting for the bus? Hope is the confident expectation and faith is the assurance that the bus will come. What bus are you waiting for?

Is your bus filled with health and prosperity, a life without worry and strife? Or are you waiting for sickness and poverty to overtake you because that’s all you’ve known?

Jesus died to give us hope, through the forgiveness of our sins and our decision to make him Lord of our life.

Is your life in need of a supernatural make-over? Could you use a miracle about now?
Jesus came to provide a way out of a life filled with misery, a way to live victorious, no longer as victims.

"We were saved with this hope in mind. If we hope for something we already see, it's not really hope. Who hopes for what can be seen?" Romans 8:24

(Scriptures were taken from God’s Word Version)

He Is the Lifter of My Head

2009-08-23T22:28:00.000-07:00

The Lord is a shield around me,
He bestows glory on me,
and He is the lifter of my head.
Psalm 3:3

I choose to believe in the God of my creation. He is that shield that protects me when I see that I might be destroyed. He will make me great, allowing His magnificence to flow through me. When I feel discouraged and strength is hard to come by, I can remind myself that He will lift my head.

We have no idea how many times God has saved our lives. Car accidents diverted, plane crashes stayed, and elements of nature God told to be still. Yet, in our daily lives it’s the simple things that get us all riled upor worried that they will lead to our demise.

Take a moment to thank the Lord. Remind yourself that this really is the day the Lord has madeand choose to rejoice and be glad in it. The Bible doesn’t say,“I will rejoice only if things are going well today.” So, rejoice in all thingsand know that he is God.

Life is Not Easy

2009-08-18T21:16:00.000-07:00

Living a christian life is not easy, even the Bible tells us; “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is that gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13 & 14)

Our God has given His only begotten Son, John 3:16, so that we would be able to have an eternal life. He loves us so much, that He does not desire to leave anyone behind. Our God in heaven has not left us alone, but He has given us the Holy Spirit to encourage us through the life we need to be living, to be able to go through the trails of our lives, with joy. (James 1:2-4)

Living a righteous life is not always the first choice, but it is the best one leaving you with no regrets.

Maturing Hope

2009-08-15T18:27:00.000-07:00

Perspective is a wonderful thing. If everyone had mine, the world would be much duller.

Perspectives change. They change for better or worse based on what we believe; what we believe changes. We don’t often look at our beliefs as a force of change, or as a changing force, but our beliefs change on a daily basis.

What we base our beliefs on changes as well. The more solid our foundation is, the more stable our beliefs. Whether it is our finances, our personalities, our friendship base, our spiritual faith, or our view of our parenting skills, our perspectives shift as we change and hopefully mature in life. Things that used to be very important (how does my hair look) no longer garner the same level of attention or anxiety they once did. We spend less time preparing and a little more time reflecting.

Maturing hope is based on maturing beliefs. Consequently, maturing beliefs are based on a confidence in the authenticity of what we believe. If I believe my spouse really loves me, I worry less about it but do more to provoke it. I enjoy doing for the one I am convinced loves me and less to assure myself it is real.

In conclusion, our perspectives on life should adjust as we become more comfortable with who we are, who we believe in, and take into account that we do make a difference.

"When we were children, we thought and reasoned as children do.

But when we grew up, we quit our childish ways."

(1Corinthians 13:11 CEV)