How "Please" Reminds Us to Love
One Sunday, while running late to church, I made an unspoken New York City faux pas: I locked eyes with a woman lingering by the subway turnstiles.
devotional
A Bridge of Hope for Those Crushed in Spirit
Have you ever felt like life just pushed you into the ground? Where circumstances were so overwhelming, you not only fall, but you feel crushed under the weight of it all? I have.
Finding Hope in the Wilderness
Lent is a season spent in the wilderness that leads to strengthened hope and perfect shalom.
Reflection: Why Does the Kingdom Belong to Children?
Recently, I was walking down the street with a friend and her four-year-old son. We each held one of his hands as we tried to match his stride while also encouraging him to move faster.
Reflecting on God's Power to Restore the Rejected and Broken
Believers around the world recently celebrated the giving of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. It’s the Church’s birthday—the beginning of all Jesus continues to do and teach through his disciples...
Yes, Volunteering Does Matter, And Here's Why
Before I joined the staff at Hope for New York, I was a volunteer. I signed up to serve breakfast on Mondays at St. Paul’s House, a food pantry and soup kitchen in Hell’s Kitchen.
Finding True Restoration in New Year's Resolutions
COVID-19 has disrupted so many natural rhythms of life. Yet many traditions persist. I still made resolutions this year. I am still dreaming about how things can be better—how I can be better. Maybe you are doing the same.
When Waiting on the Lord Isn’t What You Want But Need
Recently, I received an email from my alma mater that included these words:
“We would love to hear from you! [We] will be producing a digital magazine which includes information about our alumni. The Class Notes section will include key milestones from alumni, including births, marriages, job changes/promotions… Not only would we love to hear from you, but we know that many of your classmates would love to know what is going on!”
Saints and Sinners and Sufferers on a Basketball Court
I was young and eager to help, and foolish.
I signed up to join a small team of Christian men to serve at a men’s shelter in the Bronx because I thought that I could offer something. It was the early 1990s and my twenty-something heart hungered to care for guys who had a difficult life, had struggled with addiction, or been to jail.
So when our group walked to the shelter from the subway, I anticipated conversations where I would offer my caring encouragement, teach these guys about the Bible, help them get on with their life. Wow, I was wrong.
What Hebrews 13 Teaches Us About Being Outsiders
The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore. For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come. — Hebrews 13:11-14 (NIV)