Hope Is Found in Jesus

Have you ever felt hopeless?

I have.

Today is a day that causes me to pause and sit with what hope is.

I remember once being told that hope stands for…

Hold

On

Peace

Exists

Peace exists.

That’s a beautiful idea but is it true?

I believe it is.

And what brings me hope and makes me believe this is a person and a historical event, which we celebrate this Easter weekend.

Yesterday was Good Friday, the day Jesus died. All those who followed Jesus lost all hope that day.

The person they had been following died. All the hope they had in Jesus and who they thought he was and what he had proclaimed died with him.

Sometimes I will sit today and imagine what it must have been like to have been a Jesus follower on this day back then. The followers had put all their eggs in this one basket and now he was gone.

Why would anyone think someone would come back to life? That doesn’t happen, especially after a crucifixion.

Until it did.

Three days after Jesus died, he is alive. And it was not for a brief moment, but for forty days, and he is seen not by one person but hundreds of people during that time.

How do we know this?

It’s documented in historical books, many of which exist together in one book, which we call the Bible.

It is in the truth of the resurrection of Jesus where hope lies and where peace exists.

This Easter weekend, I invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

May we reflect on the cornerstones of our faith, the person and the event; Jesus and the resurrection.

May we recognize that hope isn’t a formless something to grasp for but it’s found in a person, Jesus.

When all hope was lost, He came back. He showed that death is not the end of the story and gives us hope that what is seen isn’t the whole story.

God’s thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways.

May our hope be in Jesus, in His story, in the resurrection, in what is unseen. And may we trust when we follow Him he will lead us to peace and we will never have to feel hopeless again.

With love and hope,

Shawn

"He is not here; he has risen!"

- Luke 24:6-7

God Never Changes

Yesterday Matt and I had a fun outing. I’ve been going to this mini golf course ever since I was a little kid. This is my favorite hole, although once I was a bit enthusiastic about getting the ball over the water and I hit a woman in the back a couple holes away. Thankfully she was okay and kind about it.

Anyways, while we were playing on the same holes I’ve played on for my entire life, it made me think how nice it is to have some things in life that are constant.

And no, not just mini golf courses, but with today being Good Friday, I am thankful that God’s love for me, and you, remains the same yesterday, today and will be the same for us tomorrow.

With all the changes that happen in life, I invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

May we take a few moments in our day and think about all that changes in our lives. May we give thanks to God for his constant - and selfless - love for us, no matter the day, the posture of our heart or our circumstances. When we pause to consider this, I pray we absorb this truth to our core. May we let go of the idea that the only constant in our lives is change. Instead may we lean into the constant presence and love of God. And may we see that some things being constant in our lives is a beautifully thing, like God’s love for us, and being able to share a place from our childhood with our own children.

With love and hope,

Shawn

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. - Hebrews 13:8

Find the Common Thread

Yesterday Matt and I went to a local farm and we met this sweet dog, Trooper, who had only one eye. Matt’s compassionate heart showed through as he wanted to hang out with this sweet guy.

As Matt pet him, I got down myself to pet Trooper and look at this sweet face. As we pet Trooper, I was reminded of my invisible wound which many days I forget about until it’s time to brush my teeth. Yet I think this week God is reminding me of my wound as the other day I met two people who had lost their legs, one in combat and the other to gun violence. How do I know that?

Because when I see people with visible wounds, or even Trooper, I feel an immediate connection with them, and when appropriate, I ask questions and listen to their stories.

Why?

Because I am not whole physically either. Our stories are different but the thread of connection draws me in as I know I can learn from their story.

The truth is, we are all wounded in some way, but not all our wounds are visible, or physical. Yet if we take time to listen, we can learn from each other’s stories.

Whatever your wounds are, or your story is, I invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

When we keep our stories hidden, they can become a dark room in our hearts we never let light into. I pray today may be the day we can pull back the curtain of those rooms in our hearts, and let light in. May we consider sharing our story with someone today, even just with God, to help in our healing. May we trust that if God has this wound as a part our story, that He will use it, in time, maybe even to help someone else going through a similar experience. And may we trust, if we choose to let someone in besides God, that He will place a compassionate soul, like Matt, to be beside us to listen.

And the next time we walk by someone, or an animal, with a visible wound, may we find that common thread between us and meet them with compassion, just as we would like to be met with if our wounds were visible.

With love and hope,

Shawn

Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.

- 1 Peter 3:8

Renew Our Minds

Does anyone else pull into their driveway and once everyone else is out, you sit alone in silence?

Like many of you, my afternoons and evenings are spent behind the wheel driving my kids to and from various activities. As I sit in solitude and silence today I am reminding myself that one day I will miss this. I will look back at these times and wish I had someone asking me to take them somewhere or calling/texting me to come pick them up. I will miss the brief yet nourishing conversations I get to have with each of our kids. I will see the empty calendar on the fridge and remember its fullness.

If you can relate, I invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

May we step back away from the busy to see the brevity of this season of shuttling our kids here and there. May we take the moments of solitude and silence when we get them to renew our minds and perspective so the next time we turn the car on, we are more present with those beside us. May we do this so when we look back one day, we have gratitude for making the best of these times rather than looking back and wishing we had not wished these times away.

With love and hope,

Shawn

Teach me to number my days so I may gain a heart of wisdom. - Psalm 90:12

There is Another Side to Pain

Yesterday I was walking around and I felt something sharp on the bottom of my foot. It wasn’t constant, but being on my feet all day, I would feel this uncomfortably sensation and at one point thought, “it feels like I have a piece of glass in my foot.” I went through the day walking around with the discomfort. When I got home and took my shoes off, I realized I literally had a piece of glass in my foot all day

Why did I not check earlier?

I have no good explanation for you.

But as I reflect on it, I realize sometimes we cannot control the pain we experience, but sometimes we can.

If you are experiencing pain in your body, mind or soul, invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

If we have a choice to not experience the pain, may we be wise enough to pause and assess so we don’t cause ourselves unnecessary pain, like I did.

If we don’t have a choice, may we draw close to God to help us, and reach out to those He put beside us to help us through to the other side.

And may we remember there always is another side to the pain

With love and hope,

Shawn

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. - 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

When Busy, Pray

Whether we are walking through a busy season or a challenging season, I invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

May we make the time to pray. This choice will help renew our minds, transform our hearts and equip us with what we need for the day ahead.

And if you don’t know where to begin, you can start like I did 13 years ago simply asking, “God, are you there?” From experience I can confidently say, He will answer, in time.

May we be patient as we pray, trusting He hears us. And may we be sure we not only talk to God, but like in any relationship, we also pause to listen, so we can hear Him when He answers.

With love and hope,

Shawn

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. - Romans 12:12

Our Story Magazine Spring Issue

Do you need some fuel for your soul?

Our Story Magazine’s spring Issue is out and it’s a beautiful read to give you inspiration and hope

It is an honor to be among these beautiful writers and to get to share my new article, The Breaking: From Darkness to Light, with you.

To order a copy visit: https://smile.amazon.com/Stor.../dp/B09VWYN7CK/ref=sr_1_1...

Also, to learn more about the writers and the magazine follow Our Story Magazine and visit their website to learn how to get the online version if you prefer.

I pray the words on these pages bring a renewal to your soul this spring season.

With love and hope,

Shawn

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. - Isaiah 43:19

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