Today, I am sharing the last part of Joanne's story. Joanne had three more lessons she shared with me from this terrible season in her life. Reading Part One and Part Two will give you context. Her story is one of triumph and faith through crazy disasters. She is truly one of my heroes. I am so …
You are Never Alone
Today, I am sharing part two of Joanne's story. Part One is here. Her story is one of triumph and faith through crazy disasters. She is truly one of my heroes. I am so excited to share her story. Be sure to read her story in her own words here. There are no easy answers on how to stay steadfast in …
The Biggest Brightest Star of Hope I’ve Ever Met
This week I am sharing snippets from a year in the life of one of my friends Joanne. Her story is one of triumph and faith through crazy disasters. She is truly one of my heroes. I am so excited to share her story. Be sure to read her story in her own words here. Joanne is one of the most carefree …
The Weight of HERE
Sometimes the weight of here is just too much. The burden of the moment nearly breaks my back. I cry up in confusion and anger to my God, “WHY? Have I offended you? Do you love me this little? Where are you in this moment, here, right now?” My here is overwhelming right now, as I write at 3:47 am …
And on THAT Day, God Created Zombies
God created zombies. Read the account of the Jesus’ death on the cross in Matthew 27, if you don’t believe me. The moment Jesus died, there was an earthquake, the veil in the Temple was torn, the sky was dark for three hours, and the dead came to life. Zombies, reanimated by God. Even weirder, they …
How He Loves Us
Broken. Such a profound word, with so many different meanings. A broken foot. A broken heart. he was bruised and broken for our transgressions. On Good Friday, I want to hang out a while on this last idea - bruised and broken for our transgressions. Twenty years into my faith walk with Jesus, and I …
Why Isn’t My Tithe Enough Again?
A month ago my family and I were driving to church and my oldest son Jonathon asked a question out of the blue: If churches already collect the tithe from everyone, why are there building campaigns? I mean, it seems to me that churches should save their money to afford a building with the budget …
Dori, Abe Lincoln and Jesus Rescue Me
What do Dori from Finding Nemo, Abraham Lincoln, and Jesus all have in common? Their words have become guiding principles in my life. “Just keep swimming” – Dori Finding Nemo is my daughter's favorite movie, and this is her favorite part of the movie. Life is very hard for an epileptic, autistic, …
When Encouragement Saved a Marriage
As my wife and I walked in Dairy Queen, we smelled trouble. Not from the food, but from the couple we were meeting to mentor in their marriage. Let’s call them Suzie and Tim. Suzie was scowling at her husband, and Tim was texting on his phone, clearly irritated. Our fears were soon realized. Three …
Not Always Hope, Not Never Hope, But Sometimes Hope
I have had a few people ask me why the name of this blog is Sometimes Hope. “If we are called to trust God all the time,” the question starts, “why isn’t your title Always Hope or maybe Keeping the Hope?” I even struggled with this a bit myself. After some thought, here are three reasons I can only …
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What About That Dead Dream?
What do you do when your dream changes? When it just withers and dies unexpectedly upon the vine of life? For twenty years, I 'knew' I was called to full time pastoral ministry. I went to school to gain the training to support this dream. I got an internship in my senior year as a first step. I was …
When God Sucker Punches You
I couldn’t even believe what I was hearing. The medical diagnosis was shocking. Something I was not prepared for emotionally. I’d just been sucker punched. I could look back on the last few years and see how the symptoms fit what had been happening in my life. That didn’t mean it made sense for me …