12/31 ((from Bridget)) It is “dry season” here.  It is dusty, hot, and brown everywhere you look.  Funny to see the juxtaposition of winter here in Uganda, Africa against the winter of my childhood.  It was snowy, cold, and white everywhere you looked back then in Chicago.  Such a difference, and yet so much the same….

12/30 ((from Eve)) I love reflecting on the year at the end of it and peering into the next. There’s something special, even holy, about remembering what God has done and thinking about what He’s sparking in you for the future. The “clean-slate-ness” is always invigorating, but maybe never more than it is as I…

12/29 ((from Bri)) I love the start of new things. I love mornings. I love Mondays. I love the first of the month. And I love the new year. These represent, to me, the start of something new. It’s like I get another chance to start over. My favorite passage of Scripture is Ephesians 2,…

12/28 ((from Jessica)) Last year, sometime in December, I found myself standing at the kitchen sink with my hands in warm, soapy suds. And as I did my day-time ritual of washing and rinsing, my head was plowing through a mental list of intended goals for 2017. Continue weekly discipleship relationship Take a photography class…

11/27 ((from Megan)) Perhaps the greatest victory of 2017, and my greatest hope of 2018, lies in presevering trust. I’ll bring that down to earth shortly, but as Dr. John Piper says, “Keep trusting the One who keeps you trusting.” Closing the books on one more year walking with Jesus is no small potatoes. He…

12/26 ((from Natalie)) Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and auld lang syne? It’s time to raise a glass to 2017 and welcome the New Year.  Let us pause to reflect and consider: What is worth remembering?  What is best forgotten? In the book of Job, there’s such reflecting:…

12/25 ((from Kate)) ***Merry Christmas our beloved HopeIsHard family. Our themes are different each week, and a new one will start tomorrow, but for today – this post is especially for any heart that is hurting. It was originally published  three years ago, when I needed hope desperately, and has been adapted for you for today. Our…

12/24 ((from Bridget)) ***The following entries are fictional stories derived from the imaginary diary pages of the late Virgin Mary, as depicted in the synoptic gospels Matthew 1 and Luke 1-2.  These are her stories. Dear Diary, April, 3 BC It has been a rainy day here in Nazareth.  But oh, there is only radiance…

12/23 ((from Eve)) “Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen…

12/22 ((from Bri)) There’s been quite a stir for some time now. We have watched as humanity has begged for a Savior. Honestly, we aren’t really sure why He kept giving humans a chance to get anything right. Can you imagine years of watching people fail, protecting them, sending messages from God… over and over…

12/21 ((from Jessica)) In this season of life, when I reflect upon the text of Luke 2:8-18, this is what my heart imagines as I think back to those lowly shepherds lying wait in the field…  “Shalom aleichem, unto you peace, Miss. My name is Matthias, and I do apologize for the stench and appearance…

12/20 ((from Megan)) “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” After listening…