Good summaries are invaluable. Sorry to every English teacher out there, but when I was in high school, book summaries called "Cliff's Notes" (if you're younger, think Spark Notes or Schmoop) helped me understand the meaning of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream and other challenging texts. These summaries were priceless in helping me understand the author's main idea...

Busywork. Nobody likes busywork- those activities that take time but don't connect to a greater purpose. Meaningless worksheets for students. Time wasting projects at work. Life-sucking chores at home. Busywork seems pointless. If you're honest, I suspect there are times when your walk with the Lord can feel like busywork. At such times, your internal dialogue may generat...

In the days before smartphones and GPS, when you got lost on the road, you had two options: You could try to find your way back on your own, or You could ask for directions. The same two options are available to us when we are lost, or struggling, or feel distance in our relationship with God. If you've lived long enough, you know that option #1, trying to find your...

The brutality of war. The sting of death. The defeating diagnosis of disease. The reality of failed relationships. Injustice is everywhere. In this environment, cynicism and despair often flow freely. We feel a need to blame someone (or something) for our predicament. Our political leaders, the government, big tech, foreign nations- they are all candidates. Other suspects...

Why are golden retrievers so loved by their owners? They are faithful. Reliable. Consistent. In a world where breaking promises is the norm, faithfulness stands out, even when it comes from our pets. We see broken promises all around, as we observe: Politicians not fulfilling their campaign platforms; Professional athletes not honoring their contracts; and, more person...

I wonder if you've had this experience- you sit down to pray, and immediately your mind wanders. To-do list items float to the front of your mind, dominating your thoughts like lily pads covering a pond. Before you know it, your prayer time is finished, and it's time to face the day. Secretly, you wonder whether it was even worth the effort. Why can prayer be such a challe...

Dear Hope Fellowship, This week we are stepping into the Old Testament as we begin preaching through Malachi. I suspect that very few of us have heard a sermon series on this short prophetic book. It begs the question: why are we preaching through Malachi? Here are a few reasons: To maintain a balanced spiritual diet as a church, continuing an effort to preach through ...

Church is an ideal place to learn God's perspective on difficult issues. Few issues are more difficult to talk about than how to deal with sin in the church community. In our age of licentiousness and self-empowerment, calling out another's "sin" is nearly unthinkable. Fellow Christian, let me remind you that we are called to follow God in this area (as in all other areas)...

Have you ever felt uncomfortable when "money" or "giving" is talked about at church? You are not alone. There are very few topics about which we are more reticent to share with other believers than the topic of how we handle our personal finances. And yet, Jesus spoke frequently on the subject. Perhaps this is because He knows how money can uniquely displace God as the foc...

Let's admit it: church life can be difficult at times. Why is that? Perhaps it's because living in community exposes our flaws and shortcomings. That is uncomfortable. Not to mention that at some point we will inevitably hurt others, and be hurt by others. Consequently, some of us have concluded that life is better lived with a bit of distance from other Christians. The ra...