Hope Has a Name
 

“...and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been
poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
~ Romans 5:5 ESV

I used to make it a point to watch the late-night news because I felt that a responsible person ought to stay up to date on the issues of the day. I rarely lost any sleep over the reports I consumed, but I did discover over time that my heart grew cold and my outlook cynical. To alleviate these symptoms of data indigestion, I began to limit my intake of daily news reports.

That Little Guitar Slide
 

“Do you see a man skillful in his work?
He will stand before kings;
he will not stand before obscure men.”
~ Proverbs 22:29 ESV

I recently watched an episode of Everything Music on YouTube. It was hosted by Rick Beato, a multi-instrumentalist, music producer and educator, who took the time to honour the life of recently deceased Canadian music legend Gordon Lightfoot (November 17^th, 1938 - May 1^st, 2023). While growing up in the northern part of New York state, Rick and his brother were big fans of Gordon’s music. Rick shared a story of how his brother who – while playing him one of Gordon’s greatest songs, If You Could Read My Mind – had pointed out a subtle guitar slide in the song. Even though Rick wasn’t able to detect it at first, when he put his ear closer to the audio system speaker, he heard it. “That’s what makes this song great,” his brother said. Those musical details can quickly go unnoticed by the untrained ear but raise the bar of excellence in artistry.

When Trouble Strikes
 

“Jesus promised the disciples three things – that they would be
completely fearless, absurdly happy and in constant trouble.”
~ G.K. Chesterton

Within a moment, life can change – in the blink of an eye, a turn of the head, or the attention given to one’s surroundings…. One second, life is as ordinary as a little boy running across the road to join his friends on the other side. Then, just as quickly, there is the screeching of tires, the smell of burnt rubber on hot asphalt, and the sickening thud of chrome hitting flesh.

The Martyrs' Pleas – Part Two
How Should We Respond?
 

Pastor Geng Zejun was sentenced to 15 months in prison for “organizing illegal gatherings.” Despite opposition from Chinese Communist Party officials, the congregation led by Pastor Geng refused to join the government-controlled Three-Self Patriotic Movement and thus the church was deemed illegal.

The Martyrs' Pleas

“Now I have delivered the message from the faithful, martyred church – from
your brothers and sisters suffering in the bonds of atheistic communism and
under attack across the world from Indonesia to Africa. Don’t abandon them.”
~ Pastor Richard Wurmbrand (1909 - 2001)

When Pastor Wurmbrand and his family were ransomed out of Communist Romania, underground church leaders instructed him to deliver a message to Christians living in the free world. It aptly conveyed their clear and straightforward pleas, those that Pastor Wurmbrand personified, for he himself had survived years of cruel persecution because of his allegiance to Christ.

Set Like Flint

“There is only one thing needful. And there is only today in
which to do it. Do it. Then do it again. And again. Persistently.
Not mindlessly, but with all the exuberance of an encore.”
Eugene Peterson

On May 14^th, 2022, Payton S. Gendron approached the Tops Friendly Supermarket in a predominantly African American neighbourhood of Buffalo, New York. At around 2:30 p.m., the 18-year-old opened fire on four shoppers in the parking lot, killing three of them. Upon entering the store, the teen shot another eight people, six of whom were fatally injured. He then shot a security guard who had attempted to stop him. The guard later died of his wounds. Police officers were eventually able to convince Gendron to surrender his weapons before arresting him. In his rampage, the young gunman senselessly killed a total of ten people and injured three others. Among the 13 victims, 11 were African American, leaving no doubt that this was a racially motivated attack.