Author: Christine

Welcome to Hope to Inspire You….Highlighting God’s presence to Inspire your Life! I’m Christine, a Christian, hoping to inspire you by sharing what is in my heart about our faith and our great God. Take some time, read some of my thoughts, and feel free to comment and share your thoughts…It would be a blessing to hear from you. My prayer is that you may be inspired and blessed in some small way by reading!

COMPASSION

Jesus’ ministry on this earth concentrated on love: loving all people no matter their circumstances or what they did or failed to do.  It was an unconditional, pure love that we are to emulate in our lives too.

Compassion is another important charism Jesus shared with so many which God modeled for Him. We, in turn, need to follow in their footsteps sharing compassion in our lives.

 

One definition of compassion is sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others. The word compassion in Hebrew and Greek includes a broader definition “to love, showing pity and mercy.” Compassion is a form of love for those who are suffering or vulnerable, which leads us to take action. Continue reading “COMPASSION”

TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Have you ever truly reflected on the fact that…

 

 

What a privilege to know and appreciate as we live day by day on this earth!

Why do I say that you are the temple of the Holy Spirit? Check out these powerful words that St. Paul shares with us~

Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? –1 Corinthians 3:16 (ESV)

Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. –1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NLT)

And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: “I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people. –2 Corinthians 6:16 (NLT) Continue reading “TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT”

LIVING LOVE

I have been reflecting a lot lately about “living love.”  This came about from recently reading two books by author, motivational speaker, and lawyer, Bob Goff.  The books I am referring to are Everybody Always and Love Does which I encourage you to read.  The books consist of short chapters that are engaging stories from Bob’s experiences of loving others.

Continue reading “LIVING LOVE”

SHADOWS

One day while at my prayer garden, seeing shadows cast upon the cross, the brick wall in the distance, and even on the bricks in front of me made me consider shadows in our lives.  As a youngster, yours truly was afraid of her shadow thinking there was some mysterious person walking with her! Continue reading “SHADOWS”

THE WIND

The sun was shining, accompanied by a gentle breeze, this one particular day when I arrived at my prayer garden.  As time went on, a few darker clouds settled in and it became very windy.  A few leaves could be seen falling from the tree branches due to the forcefulness of the wind.  I would even venture to say the wind was howling loudly.

 

Can you see the effect of the wind on the tree and paper?

 

Prior to the wind picking up, I enjoyed the warmth of the sun beating down on my back reminding me of the Son shining on me.  When the wind was at full force I was reminded of the Holy Spirit and the first Pentecost.

 

The calm before the storm.

Continue reading “THE WIND”

LIVING LIKE THE END

If you knew with certainty that you had one week left on this earth, would you be living life any differently? 
Would that knowledge have any impact on what you were doing?

Truthfully, it is a thought that recently occurred to me after learning of a high school classmate of mine passing, as well as a friend’s brother. He was given a few months to live.  My friend was able to spend quality time, the last six weeks of her brother’s life with him and his family, being with them when he passed.

 

It made me ponder Jesus’ life. 

Continue reading “LIVING LIKE THE END”

AN ACT OF LOVE

An act of love can really go a long way to spread kindness and joy to others.

 

On our doorstep this week was a brown bag that had some “goodies” in it and a card with a nice, short, sweet message:

 

 

 

Inside the brown bag were these handmade potholders and aprons:

 

 

Kathy is a friend of the family, thanks to our youngest sons being buddies through the years.  In fact, one year we were blessed to experience a cruise together with them.  Of course, we all have wonderful memories of a treasured time hanging out and enjoying the sights, food, and company.  I noticed the nautical theme with the aprons, which is a nice reminder of our cruise together. 🙂

 

 

I messaged Kathy to thank her so much for her kindness leaving the special surprise delivery.  I thanked her for thinking of us, for just being her, and for the love she put into making the goodies.  Her act of love sure brought a big smile to my face.

What was even more special was her reply, “The whole time I was making the aprons, I kept thinking of all of you helping at the soup kitchen, and I wanted to help the helpers. I just wanted all of you to feel loved and appreciated.”

How powerful is that sentiment?  She wanted to “help the helpers” and “wanted all of you to feel loved and appreciated.”  What a wonderful act of love.

 

She knows our family has helped monthly at a soup kitchen for the last 18 years because her son has helped us out when we were short staffed.  What amazes me is that it was probably at least a year and a half ago when he last helped us…yet she remembered that while she was sewing the aprons!

I responded, “That is so sweet.  What an act of love.  You are appreciated too!”

 

 

With more of God’s perfect timing, two days later we received another special, act of love package, this time in the mail.  My niece and her husband made, with love, these masks for our family.  They were gifted a sewing machine (another act of love!) at the beginning of this pandemic and since then have learned how to sew masks and scrub caps to gift people with!

An act of love can really go a long way to spread kindness and joy to others.

 

 

I can’t help but think of the many acts of love that Jesus did while on this earth.  How many times did He boost the spirit of the lowly, the destitute, and the sinners?  Didn’t He accept them just as they were, which in turn, made them want to change and be better people?

The greatest act of love that Jesus shared was dying on the cross…sacrificing His life to set us free from our sins so we can spend eternity with God and Jesus~~

 

Can you reflect back on your week and think of some acts of love people did to make you feel loved and appreciated?

Some that come to mind in my life are:

–a coworker taking an extra minute, when sending me an email, to also wish me a nice day

–having coffee with a nurse friend of mine that I met at the NICU where I volunteer

–a friend sharing some of their story to show more understanding

 

Conversely, can you reflect back on your week and think of some acts of love you did to make others feel loved and appreciated?

Some that come to mind in my life are:

–sending a surprise gift card to someone to thank them for their help

–asking a friend recovering from surgery if I could bring her a  treat to help brighten their day

–sending a text to a friend to let them know I appreciate their service to our country

 

 

What different acts of love can you do for another this week?  How can you make people feel loved and appreciated?

 

Acts of love make this world a better place.
Yes, we can change the world, one act of love at a time!
Acts of love emit a ripple effect of goodness in this world.
An act of love can really go a long way to spread kindness and joy to others!  “Just because” is a great reason to bless another with an act of love.

 

 

In the comment section below, feel free to share ways you have been blessed with an act of love or where you have done an act of love for another.  Sharing helps us learn and see how God is at work in this world.  Blessings~~

 

Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.  –Hebrews 10:24  (NLT)

Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything.  The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.  –Proverbs 11:24-25  (NLT)

My children, our love should not be just words and talk; it must be true love, which shows itself in action.  –1 John 3:18  (GNT)

 

WORSHIP

Our worship should not be a distraction from our circumstances.

Worship no matter the circumstances.

 

That was a concept from a sermon my youngest son heard and shared with me this past week; one that he put into practice particularly with an event in his life.

I had just arrived at my prayer garden one day when my phone rang.  It was not a number I knew, but was in my area code so I decided to answer it.  It was my son using his buddy’s phone.  This son is quite skilled at prefacing things appropriately to make sure you know the most important details first.  The first words I heard were, “I am okay.  Everyone is okay.  Everything is okay.”

He was longboarding (similar to a skateboard but longer) with a friend of his, ended up falling off, which resulted in the left side of his body being pretty scraped up.  They had already assessed the situation with another friend, and he was seeking more medical treatment when he finally contacted me.

The worst of everything was needing three stitches in his chin but the fat lip, blue eye, scrapped up shoulder, left side and hip (the worst looking) made him look like he was in quite the battle!

 

 

 

The thoughts from the sermon came to his mind as soon as the accident happened. As they were driving to get assessed, they turned on Christian worship music to accompany their ride. He just kept worshipping the Lord despite the circumstances.

When the physician assistant went to stitch up his chin, she said it would sting.  My son focused on praying and said he did not even feel anything.  He really did not want stitches.  I think he probably remembers when he was five-years-old, he had 13 stitches in his scalp because of falling while walking through bleachers at the end of swim lessons one day.  At this time, our area was also dealing with a flood that closed one of our two hospitals.  Even then, though, he was a trooper!

When my son returned home, he was giving praise and a big shout-out to the Lord for sparing him from a much worse outcome.  He knows how fortunate he was to only need three stitches, with no bones being broken!  God has more work for him to do here on this earth he concluded.

 

 

 

A pastor friend’s sermon that I recently heard reminded me of a good way to worship and pray. It is using the letters in the word “ACTS.”

Adoration–Let the Lord know the deep love and respect you have for Him.  Praise God.

Confession–Admit that you are a sinner and that you need God’s forgiveness.

Thanksgiving–Thank the Lord for His goodness in your life.

Supplication–Bring your needs to the Lord, the prayers that are weighing heavy on your heart.

 

In my daily prayer time, I have been keeping that “ACTS” in mind.  It is a great way to worship the Lord.

I encourage you this week to focus on worshipping the Lord in all circumstances and pray with “ACTS” in mind.

 

Keep in mind~~

Our worship should not be a distraction from our circumstances.
Worship no matter the circumstances.
Worship is what we should be doing continually in all things.

 

 

Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise–the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.  –Hebrews 13:15  (NIV)

Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe.  –Hebrews 12:28  (ESV)

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.  –1 Thessalonians 5:18  (NLT)

DIVINE ENCOUNTERS

God is so amazing with how He works events out in our lives. This week I experienced some divine encounters while at my newest holy place that I shared in my thoughts last week. Continue reading “DIVINE ENCOUNTERS”

LAY IT DOWN

My life has been enriched by spending time at a new “holy ground” place in nature, thanks to the nice weather we have been experiencing the last few months here in the northeastern part of the United States.  Making time almost every day to commune with God during this quarantine time has been beneficial for me.

I often think about the many Bible stories of times when Jesus went away from the crowds to spend time alone with God, His Father.  I imagine that Jesus even did that daily to continually be seeking and carrying out God’s will in His life.  Continue reading “LAY IT DOWN”