4/18/2019 ((from Kate)) Maundy Thursday. I accepted an invitation to sit with an old friend in a peaked sanctuary lined with gorgeous stained glass tonight. My distracted thoughts were flying every which way, flung from the tornado twist of a busy day, busy week, busy season… I’d every intent to go to a Good Friday…

After 384 days in a row of original hope-filled daily devotionals, the Hope is Hard team is taking a two week sabbatical to rest & press reset. Please be praying along with us as we ask the Lord for His continued clarity and direction. In the meantime, feel free to follow us on instagram @HopeIsHard…

4/1 ((from Jessica, substituting for Bridget while she & her family are away.)) With Easter decorations strewn on the floor and a picture book open, I sat with my kiddos on the living room floor and once again, shared the good, hard, and bittersweet news of Jesus and the sinner’s cross. I told them about…

3/31 ((from Eve)) I embarked on a Precept Bible study of Revelation last fall. There are 4 “semesters” of this particular study, which means I’ll be reading it and thinking about it for nearly two years by the time we’re done. In the first semester we focused exclusively on the first three chapters and the…

3/30 ((from Bri)) I remember when The Passion of the Christ movie came out on DVD. My parents had to be among the first to buy it and we watched it together as a family. As we watched it, I remember thinking, “Why did we buy this? We’ll never watch it again.” I watched most…

3/29 ((from Jessica)) Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life  will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Matthew 16:24-25  Jesus shares these words with his disciples, only 10 short chapters before He…

3/28 ((from Megan)) We’ve grown to three families together for our Messianic Seder, inviting whoever else might enjoy an extra place at our circus, errr table. Six adults, nine kids, and new friends abound. On Ann Voskamp’s table, “Goblets of juice of the vine flicker in the candle light, sprigs of lush green parsley circle…

3/27 ((from Natalie)) That Creator God, He sure set an impossible standard. I’m incapable of living up to it. I know I’ll never be blameless, sinless, unflawed. I certainly have chased it before, pacing around in pursuit of perfection. I’ve poured my hopes into things that fail… All the while, His Cross stood there, high…

3/26 ((from Kate)) Many of you have heard the evangelistic argument that Christ could not be solely a “good man” or “wise teacher”. As so many of us who have studied the Scriptures can attest, the “trilemma” that C.S. Lewis brought to our attention is that Jesus is either the Lord He claims to be…

3/25 ((from Eve*)) *Bridget and her family are unplugging for a few weeks while they do some training, so your Hopers are rotating through to write in her absence. Today, Eve (our regular Saturday Hoper) is wrapping up our week on Esther.   Have you ever been surprised by the direction your life has taken…

3/24 ((from Eve)) Did you finish reading chapter 7 and yesterday’s blog and breathe a sigh of relief? I sure did. But, let’s back up for a second… can you imagine the trepidation Esther must have felt as she prepared for the second night of feasting as she planned to reveal her identity and expose…

3/23 ((from Bri)) God’s heart for the people that others have counted out has always resonated with me. I think it’s partly because I know what it feels like and partly because I love how against the status quo that is. We don’t typically elevate the lowly because we can’t guarantee anything in return, but…