Heart Hope by Olga

The young boy was pushing his younger brother in the high chair throughout the restaurant. Although he was holding up traffic in places and running into a thing or two, the boys were having fun and not causing any real problems when the dad approached and said, "Cut it out. This is a disaster waiting to happen." What had appeared to have been a harmless activity to a bystander, appeared to have been trouble to the person who knew them best. He had probably observed similar times when things started out fun and then were carried too far and had a poor outcome.  God has probably felt a lot like that father. As He watches us He may know that we too are headed for a disaster. He has seen to all too often when His children seem to be doing something that appears to be harmless, but God knows that if we continue on that path, things will not turn out so well. Perhaps that is why our loving Father has given us the Bible as an instruction book filled with guidelines t...

I am worried…about someone I have never really even met.  My volunteer partner for the WinterWonderGrass Festival spotted him first and said, “Looks like this one is in trouble,” as he glanced at the young man staggering toward us. He stopped just short of our post to lean against the trash can and look hopelessly at his phone. After a few minutes in his dazed stupor, he wandered in our direction.  The mother in me took over and I stopped the freckled faced, red haired young man wearing the fedora style hat who was reeking of alcohol. He could hardly stand up and was so disoriented that he couldn’t remember where he was, where he was staying or even who he was with. In his khaki pants and thin, raggedy sweater, I knew he would probably freeze once the sun went down if he fell asleep in the snow. He definitely needed help. I left my partner to man our station and took the young man toward the entrance of the concert. He was not thrilled about going with...

The guests stood in my kitchen and as often times happens the topic turns to my faith. It's not that I bring it up, but it’s just such a part of who I am that I'll answer a question in a way that it comes up or someone will ask a question about it. Whatever way it happens, I'm always ready and willing to share. It was getting late as the discussion revolved around why it is so difficult for some people to choose faith in Jesus. Through the years I have discovered two district reasons--one is that people are so intelligent that they think they are smart enough to be God and so they don't really need Him. The other group includes the people who are so "good" by there actions or their giving, they don't think they need a Savior because all they have done will surely get them to heaven. I explained to my friends that neither of those things was enough, but it was all about grace...a free gift that Jesus provided when He went to the cross and then was rai...

Has anyone ever said that your faith is just a crutch? I have and I was very offended by it, until I really stopped to think about it. A crutch is something that you need, something you depend on, something that helps you along the way. So why in the world would I be offended by needing something like that? Perhaps it's because it was meant to be a derogatory statement toward me. It was meant to say that I needed something to lean on because I was weak or frail or dependent. A crutch is meant to support, to assist temporarily, so maybe it is not the best term to describe what my faith is to me. Perhaps a lifeline would be a better description. A rope for saving lives, yes that' what my faith is. It saves me from death, and it saves me for life. Without it I wouldn't be able to get out of bed. So the next time someone says my faith is just a crutch, I'll correct them, not by saying its not only a crutch, but by letting them know it is so much more. ...

My friend Paula stood watching a hamster go round and round on the stationary wheel. The creature ran and ran as if it was running away from the world, but in reality it wasn't going anywhere. The wheel was moving, but the hamster in essence wasn't.  As Paula watched she realized that her life was a lot like that hamster. For a long time she had been running, but not progressing forward. God showed her that when she scurries around doing things her way without trusting God for her life, her plans, her future she is no better off than a hamster on a journey to nowhere. However, a second image was given to Paula when the little critter made a choice to get off of the wheel. God revealed to her that as she puts her faith and trust in God, she too is getting off the treadmill of life where she can walk forward, making progress in her journey with the Lord.  As she does that God has promised not just the plain and ordinary, but the exciting adventure with new and d...