a ministry of compassion since 1973
Hope for When It Hurts
A dear friend died last weekend. He is one of our bereaved dads. He was one of our BASIS staff for several years until a few years ago...Ray has gained that new dwelling place, where he has no more pain or sorrow and where the Lord touches his face to wipe all tears away, finally.
Read MoreHow would you define true contentment? In 2 Chronicles 14, we come across the account of King Asa. His reign was different from many of the other kings who came before and after him because...
Read MoreI love the way the Message states Psalm 48:14. "Then you can tell the next generation detail by detail the story of God, our God forever, Who guides us till the end of time." What an honor we have as . . .
Read MoreTheology protects. And theology rehabilitates when I fail. I've shared a sampler from my life to demonstrate how theology works to help hurting people see themselves and their world more nearly from God's perspective. It has protected me from wrong feelings and attitudes, and it heals when I fail. I call it “therapeutic theology.”
Read MoreWhen we have a merry heart, it can cause us to enjoy each day that God has given us to live for Him. In Proverbs there are three references that define what having a merry heart...
Read MoreWe are had a BASIS picnic recently. That means going out to some lovely place in God’s creation to take some time with people who love us and whom we love, to be re-created by God and the place and the loving fellowship. Picnics are fun, relaxing and restoring. Picnics are good for the soul.
Jesus knew that. Remember how often he “withdrew to a lonely place?” He needed to get away from the crowds. Maybe you need to get away from the trigger of sorrow that “crowd” in on you. I’m suggesting that you do the other thing Jesus did when he got away from it all for a time. He made sure to spend time “being still and knowing … God.” He listened to God’s voice and was refreshed, strengthen for the next thing. You, too, could benefit from listening so that you can be refreshed for the next thing, like the next hour – or if you’re very early in your grief, for the next minute.
Picnics -Time away, in a lonely, lovely setting, to see God’s handiwork, to hear His voice of comfort. To be restored. I recommend it.
This past week H*VMI held its annual training for our new incoming missionaries. During the time we were together, we covered several topics centered around...
Read MoreI am so blessed to have the five newest H*VMI missionaries here at H*VMI headquarters to go through our SERVANT Orientation training. There's such a diversity of age, ministry focus and background. The common bond is . . .
Read MoreYou “remember” your affliction and how bitter it is when your child has died. Your soul is probably “downcast.” Have you done the next thing? Jeremiah says he deliberate did the mental work to remember, “call to mind,” the Lord’s every day doses of compassion.
Read MoreAs I read Elisabeth Elliot’s article on Stillness, I was reminded that another by-product of being still before the Lord is the experience of...
Read MoreGrief is immense, intense and durable. God is more immense.God’s love for you is every bit as intense, immense and durable as your grief.
Read MoreOne of my most favorite places to be is in a valley. When you are located in a valley, you have to...
Read MoreQuoting Nancy Guthrie’s Hearing Jesus Speak into Your Sorrow: “Emptiness can be good when, in our emptiness, we come to Jesus to be filled... When we do, we have the opportunity to find out for ourselves that Jesus really can fill us up – that he can be enough for us... We can be confident that his grace will be delivered to us in the form and quantity and timing in which we need it."
Read MoreFear not, for I have redeemed you; .... (Isa. 43: 1b-3, 5a) This is one of my favorite passages of scripture. It says to me that with my God, it’s personal when . . .
Read MoreNow that we have looked at the lessons Joseph learned in his pit, it's time to focus on what we might do to keep ourselves from falling into the pit of loneliness and if we are already there, what can help us deal with the loneliness we feel. First, we need to...
Read MoreI just want to comment that how your child died has some impact on how you grieve. Even when you expect death, it is surprising when it finally does come. Paul says that he’s been in difficult circumstances of many kinds. He’s learned to be content in all circumstances. That contentment comes directly from the grace of Jesus
Read MoreJoseph is such a unique Bible character in that he experienced suffering and rejection from his own family, employers and inmates! Although Joseph could have given up in dispair when he was in his pit of loneliness...
Read MoreAs always, we received much more than we gave out at Handi*Camp 2012. God truly blessed us with . . .
Read MoreGrief is a journey through stages. You’ve probably seen or heard of “stages” of grief... I don’t particularly like this language to describe grief. Grief is not linear or compartmentalized as the word stage implies.
Read MoreHave you ever been in a situation where you felt like you were in a pit of loneliness? Maybe it was because others were...
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