MARTIN LUTHER KING: HOPE for A BRIGHTER TOMORROW
With renewed dedication to humanity Martin Luther King accepted the Nobel Peace Prize prize in 1964 on behalf of all men who love peace and brotherhood. He expressed hope for a brighter tomorrow in his acceptance speech.
“…I accept the Nobel Prize for Peace… Continue reading “MARTIN LUTHER KING: HOPE for A BRIGHTER TOMORROW”
ZIG ZIGLAR: HOPE to FULFIL OUR PURPOSE
For all of us living on this planet it seems that pain is inevitable. Have you considered that it may help us fulfill our purpose in life? Zig Ziglar shared some wisdom that I’ve included below. If we adjust our responses to the pain we have endured, then we may learn to say thank you. That may allow us to find hope to fulfill our purpose in life.
“Outside of your relationship with God, the most important relationship you can have is with yourself. I don’t mean that we are to spend all our time focused on me, me, me to the exclusion of others. Instead I mean that we must be healthy internally — emotionally and spiritually — in order to create healthy relationships with others.
Motivational pep talks and techniques for achieving success are useless if a person is weighed down by guilt, shame, depression, rejection, bitterness, or crushed self-esteem. Countless marriages land on the rocks of divorce, because unhealthy people marry thinking that marriage or their spouse will make them whole. Wrong. If you’re not a healthy single person you won’t be a healthy married person.
Part of God’s purpose for every human life is wholeness and health. I love the words of Jesus in John 10:10: ‘I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.’ God knows we are the walking wounded in this world, and He wants the opportunity to remove everything that limits us and heal every wound from which we suffer.
Some wonder why God doesn’t just ‘fix’ us automatically, so we can get on with life. It’s because He wants our wounds to be our tutors to lead us to Him. Pain is a wonderful motivator and teacher!
When the great Russian intellectual Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was released from the horrible Siberian work camp to which he was sent by Joseph Stalin, he said, ‘Thank you, prison!’ It was the pain and suffering he endured that caused his eyes to be opened to the reality of the God of his childhood, to embrace his God anew in a personal way.
When we are able to say thank you to the pain we have endured, we know we are ready to fulfill our purpose in life. When we resist the pain life brings us, all of our energy goes into resistance, and we have none left for the pursuit of our purpose. It is the better part of wisdom to let pain do its work and shape us as it will. We will be wiser, deeper, and more productive in the long run.
There is a great promise in the New Testament that says God comes to us to comfort us, so we can turn around and comfort those who are hurting with the comfort we have received from Him (see 2 Corinthians 1: 3–4). Make yourself available to God and to those who suffer. A large part of our own healing comes when we reach out with compassion to others.”
(Exerpt from Zig Ziglar’s book, Better Than Good: Creating a Life You Can’t Wait to Live)
RON ARCHER: HOPE and HEALING for the “TRICK” BABY
If anyone had a need for hope and healing, it was Ron Archer. Below is his memorable and moving testimony shared in a blog of The Gideons International in 2013. Surely you’ll agree that if there was hope for him, then there’s hope for you, too.
“At the age of ten, living in the ghetto in Cleveland, Ohio, I held a gun to my head. I was ready to fire a bullet and end my life.
Fortunately for me, the gun had a hidden safety feature that I did not know about. The gun would not fire.
Why would a ten-year-old boy want to die? The age of ten should be filled with dreams of becoming a football player, an astronaut, an explorer, or a movie star.
I just wanted to die. But God had another plan.
My grandmother was an immigrant from Germany. And my grandfather was an immigrant from Cuba. It was in Cleveland, Ohio, where they met and married. They had three boys and four girls.
Through a series of events, including a fight, my grandfather was convicted of attempted murder and was sentenced to prison. When the story of his crime hit the newspapers, my grandmother lost her job. Being a strong German mother, she began to work odd jobs, such as cleaning bathrooms to support her seven children. But soon she lost her health and was unable to work. She had five operations, which left her maimed and deeply depressed. The family lost everything and was thrown into the streets.
My mother was the oldest of their children. She was stunning in appearance and was often told she looked like Elizabeth Taylor. A pimp in the community heard of her and offered my mother money just to have dinner with his male clients.
Eventually this led to her performing other favors for these clients, and at the age of 14 my mother became a professional call girl. Her three brothers had become heroin addicts and joined a gang called “The Devil’s Disciples.”
With a father in prison, a mother in ailing health and no place to call “home,” the children’s lives were becoming unraveled. They fell prey to prostitution, drugs, and violence.
At age 16, as a hardened call girl, my mom became pregnant with a baby conceived with one of her “tricks,” as they were called. Her pimp made it clear there was no time to have a baby, because it would get in the way of his making money from her.
After several abortion attempts my mother eventually gave birth. Born prematurely with no pancreas, under-developed lungs and other physical deformities, the baby was not wanted and almost died of pneumonia.
That unwanted baby was me.
When I began school I was diagnosed with learning disabilities. I was a severe stutterer. I often saw my mom beaten by her clients. Many times they would beat me as well.
By the age of ten I wanted to die.
In 1973 my life changed when my fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Spears, volunteered to be my speech coach. She was a kind Christian lady who had no children. She gave me a Bible. As part of my speech therapy, I would read the Bible aloud into a tape recorder. I have since learned that this Bible was a hotel Bible that had been placed by The Gideons International.
Until then I had never held a Bible in my hand.
I read this Bible every day for a full year. I read about a stutterer named Moses, whom God used to bring people out of bondage. I read about a young shepherd boy who beat Goliath with a slingshot and a stone.
I began to understand from the reading of my Gideon Bible that God uses those who have been wounded very deeply. I began to understand that life can be a mess, but with His help it can become a message.
I became a scholar, student body president, and a young pastor. With that same Gideon Bible I preached messages of hope and healing that led my mother, sister, grandmother, grandfather, and other relatives to Christ through my church.
Today with that same Gideon Bible the Lord has helped me plant churches, preach revivals, author five books, host TV programs, advise world leaders and lead peace-keeping efforts in Africa and India. Hundreds of thousands have heard the gospel message because of that one Bible.
May God bless The Gideons International through the continued placement of His Word.
Yes, I was born a “trick baby.” But through that one Gideon Bible, the real trick was on the devil.”
(Bishop Ron Archer)
Through the ministry and Bible distributions of The Gideons International, many individuals around our planet find hope. Want to have a part? Consider this… one hundred percent of donations to this organization purchases Bibles that are shared free of charge to recipients.
PRAYER: NEW HEART… NEW HOPE… NEW FUTURE
Dear Lord, You know I’ve prayed for her… for her grandparents… for her mother… for her children… for her to have a future and a hope. I realize You love her and patiently waited for her. You created her, knew her so well… knew even the number of hairs on her head. You saw her pain… and the pain of those who love her.
You understood her need for Your redemption… for Your power to change her direction… for Your joy in her life… for Your wisdom to trust You… for Your peace that passes all understanding… for Your faithfulness… even when she felt hopeless.
The dark night was real, but Your Word says joy comes in the morning! Tuesday morning brought that joy when she called her grandmother from rehab. It was the call long awaited. She at last had reached the end of herself… and the beginning of new life in Christ!
May she choose to be filled daily with Your Spirit… to find strength in Your joy… to walk in Your Way, Truth, and Life. May she experience Your hope… to pray, to grow, to share Your love. May she model godliness… as a woman… mother… daughter… granddaughter… friend….
Thank You, Lord, for the miracle of a new heart… a new hope… and a new future. Amen.
(The above prayer was inspired by true events in the life of a real person. Her recent decision brings hope to me, so I’m sharing.)
MIZE FAMILY: MORNING of HOPE
The book NIGHT OF ANGUISH; MORNING OF HOPE by Jean Mize relates a powerful true story. I can’t imagine anyone reading it without being deeply moved. It is an unforgettable story that goes from deep unimaginable grief to unexpected, amazing hope.
I remember hearing news reports when the Mize family’s night of anguish began. My heart went out to them. I am thankful that I later learned that they experienced a morning of hope.
Amazon’s review relates the following….
“Does a Christian live through heart-rending personal tragedy without becoming bitter or defeated? NIGHT of ANGUISH, MORNING of HOPE… the true story of 12-year-old Dana Diane Mize… abducted from her hometown, taken to an isolated area, and murdered. Despite the horror of the circumstances, the reader cannot help but join Dana’s mother in praise to God for His grace and comfort during the family’s healing process.
Dana’s parents, two brothers and a sister were shown through faith God’s sustaining power and His ability to bring good out of evil. They have learned that understanding is not demonstrated by comprehension of circumstances but by commitment to and communion with God.
This is a true story of compassion, faith and forgiveness that can encourage everyone in whatever trial they are experiencing.” (from Amazon’s Review)
The Mize family experienced hope and faith to endure… to forgive… to see God’s glory in the darkest times. What a blessing it is for us to see that after a night of anguish, God can bring a morning of hope!
MISTER ROGERS: HOPE to LOVE OUR NEIGHBORS
There’s a documentary by Morgan Neville about Fred Rogers entitled “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”….
“In 15 years of reviewing films professionally, I can’t recall ever having heard as many sniffles and sobs as I did when “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” played to a packed house at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival.” (From Kenneth Morefield’s article, “Love Thy Neighbor as Mister Rogers Did,” in Christianity Today, June 7,2018)
I understand this display of emotions felt by many when they recalled Fred Rogers. My own life has been richer, because I believed him when he told us, “You are my friend! You are special!” Memories of Mister Rogers inevitably include his kindness, his love, his gentleness, and his acceptance of others who were his neighbors.
The special thing about Mister Rogers was that everyone was his neighbor. He intentionally taught children (and reminded adults) valuable traits to help us all live on this planet as neighborly as possible.
For more than 30 years Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood was more than an educational environment on television; it was a safe haven where children felt loved, accepted, and well… special. It was a place where hope to love our neighbor overflowed as from a wellspring.
Mister Rogers was the epitome of a good neighbor, and I am thankful for him, his life lessons, and his example. In today’s neighborhoods called “the real world” we need more like Mister Rogers and more of his hope to truly love our neighbors.
Was this man in his casual sweater and comfortable shoes extraordinary? Perhaps he was an ordinary man who simply trusted and obeyed the words of Jesus: “… You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:39)
HONEY PIES: HOPE THAT’S SWEET AS HONEY
Sharon had a dream to bake pies to share with family and friends. Lance had a love for her pies and a vision for a business featuring pies made by hand with the finest available local ingredients. Today a mixture of hope and opportunity are resulting in a sweeter central Arkansas one pie at a time.
Honey Pies Bakery in Little Rock is experiencing the taste of sweet success. Hard work and quality ingredients are blending well to create the winning recipe for continued success. Of course, it helps to have capable hands in any mixture, and Honey Pies is fortunate to have Executive Chef Anne, one the best pastry chefs in the state.
Honey Pies received Arkansas Times Readers Choice Awards in 2017 that included Winner for Best New Restaurant, Winner for Best Pie, Winner for Best Desserts, and Finalist for Best Bakery.
Awards already in 2018 are Arkansas Times Readers Choice Awards: Winner for Best Pie, Winner for Best Desserts, and Finalist for Best Bakery.
Honey Pies is also featured in both a 2018 documentary and a book. “Make Room for Pie” is the title of both the documentary by Arkansas Educational Television Network and the book by Kat Robinson.
With this success has come intentional actions by the owners, Lance and Sharon Woodson, to give back. For every cup of coffee sold, they donate one meal for a hungry Arkansan.
After thoughtful investigation into numerous coffees the owners added Leiva coffee to the menu. Leiva means more than just delicious coffee; portions of profits help meet economic and educational needs in rural Guatemala.
When in Little Rock visit Honey Pies for breakfast or lunch, award-winning pie and coffee with a cause. While there you might also grab a taste of hope that’s sweet as honey!
DON MOEN: HOPE THAT GOD WILL MAKE A WAY
Don and Laura Moen shared hope for a child for years before their first child’s birth. Don has shared their story: “We waited for 12 years before we had our first child. Doctors said we couldn’t have children, but God gave us 5 at the end, a daughter then a son, a daughter then a son, and then a daughter. Men had given up on us, but at the end God gave us five children in 7 years.”
Don Moen is an internationally acclaimed Christian singer, songwriter, pastor, musician, worship music producer, Winner of 6 Dove awards. Of the hundreds of Christian songs he has written and shared all over the planet, I can name my favorite.
I remember first hearing “God will Make a Way” in 1994 when I needed it. It is special to me, because its message was proven true in my personal life. If your situation is difficult or seems hopeless, trust that God will make a way for you.
DON MOEN: HOPE WHERE THERE SEEMS TO BE NO WAY
“GOD WILL MAKE A WAY” is a song by Don Moen that I love, because it offers real hope.
“God will make a way Where there seems to be no way.
He works in ways we cannot see; He will make a way for me.
He will be my guide,
Hold me closely to His side. With love and strength for each new day He will make a way, He will make a way.
Oh, God will make a way Where there seems to be no way.
He works in ways we cannot see; He will make a way for me.
By a roadway in the wilderness, He’ll lead me, And rivers in the desert will I see.
Heaven and Earth will fade, but His Word will still remain, And He will do something new today.
Oh, God will make a way Where there seems to be no way.
He works in ways we cannot see; He will make a way for me.
He will be my guide,
Hold me closely to His side. With love and strength for each new day He will make a way, He will make a way.
With love and strength for each new day
He will make a way, He will make a way.”
(Don Moen)