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!

AGONY OF SUFFERING

Does it bring you comfort to realize Mary, the mother of Jesus, understands what it is like to watch a loved one suffer and endure trials in this life?  Her heart must have broken seeing Jesus beaten, scourged, and left to die hanging on a cross.   Mary watched first-hand the agony of suffering Jesus endured for your sins and mine.

In thinking about Mary, it brought to mind many I know who are experiencing the agony of suffering with their children.  They are watching them deal with cancer treatments, mental illness, making life choices, and heart issues at a young age.  We all have those we know dealing with the agony of suffering. Continue reading “AGONY OF SUFFERING”

ALWAYS WITH YOU

One of my holy places is a retreat house that overlooks a beautiful lake.  It is a place I spend different weekends in ministry helping in the dining area, as well as personally attending retreats.

 

 

I missed ministering there last year, especially for extended weekends, because of the pandemic.  They were able to open up for some day retreats back in the fall, which I attended. I was fortunate to attend two Lenten retreats within three weeks.  How could I not take advantage of the blessing of spending alone time with the Lord and soaking up the beauty of the grounds? Continue reading “ALWAYS WITH YOU”

DECEIVING

It was a beautiful sunny morning in March as I headed to church.  I was surprised to see the thermometer said 14 degrees.  I enjoyed the crisp air and sun as I walked briskly to the back door of the church.  Running into a facilities man who was vacuuming the dirt and ice melt from the carpet right outside the door became a God moment.  As I arrived at the door, he finished and came inside.

He asked me, “How is your life?” which is a question a former pastor of the church used to ask.  I thought that was an interesting spin on a familiar question.  I thought how encompassing the question is, and for some reason, I felt full of gratitude for everything in my life. Continue reading “DECEIVING”

THE LORD’S PRAYER

A friend recently reminded me of this simple yet powerful thought, which led to these thoughts this week.  It is something I find myself repeating frequently, along with thanking God for providing.

 

 

I am sure you recognize that verse, a line from the Lord’s Prayer. Continue reading “THE LORD’S PRAYER”

THE LIGHT

This scene is quite familiar to me as it is what I keep my eyes on much of the time as I am working out with an exercise video.  My spirit is refreshed and working out is better when the sun shines through the window. I tend to focus on one of the crosses you can see in the window.  At the same time, I listen to different church services to keep my mind thinking about the important things. This makes the exercising go by faster.

 

 

One day a “light bulb” turned on in my head, and I had a little revelation as the sun was shining through.  Now, I actually see a two-fold message. Continue reading “THE LIGHT”

THE HEART

When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, “Surely this is the Lord’s anointed!”  But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”  –1 Samuel 16:6-7  (NLT)

This passage reveals what is most important to God.  God cares most about our hearts, the condition of our hearts!  His thoughts and ways are different from ours.  Don’t we, as humans, often put our emphasis on our looks, careers, how much money we have, or compare ourselves to others? 

God is telling us the outward things about us do not matter to Him.  Continue reading “THE HEART”

GOD’S AGAPE LOVE

I have been immersed in experiencing God’s great love for me recently, which is overwhelming at times.  With February being a month noted for love and with Valentine’s Day just a few days ago, I figured this topic was apropos for this week.

If I asked you the following questions, what would you share?  As you read these thoughts, be thinking of how you would answer these questions.  I would appreciate hearing your answers, which you can share in the comment section below.  We can help each other learn and grow through our sharing.

 

 

 

Continue reading “GOD’S AGAPE LOVE”

TIME TO BE WITH HIM

One blessing for me personally since after the pandemic started almost a year ago has been the privilege of joining in a weekly zoom Bible study, which is hosted overseas in Wales.  The Pastor who leads the Bible study has been a dear friend of mine since the Lord put the Christian Band, Third Day, in my path back in 2013.  He was the Road Pastor for the band and would accompany the band members on their bus as they traveled about holding worship and prayer time for them.  He would often also lead the concert attendees in prayer before the concerts.  We started talking back then, have kept in touch, and my faith journey has been better for it. Continue reading “TIME TO BE WITH HIM”

GOD IS ALWAYS AT WORK

Despite the winter weather here in the northeast, my husband and I ventured for some fresh air at a local park this past Sunday so he could hike in the woods while I wandered around.  It was definitely chilly, about 16 degrees, but we bundled up and put on our hiking boots to navigate easier through the snow.

It was a state park that has a lake.  The lake was frozen over, and there were a few brave souls ice fishing.  I walked a bit to a little island next to the main lake and walked a bit on one path into the woods along a frozen stream.  It was a beautiful scene, with the snow glistening and the sun peeking out, trying to offer a little warmth to the day.

 

 

 

Continue reading “GOD IS ALWAYS AT WORK”

THE DESERT EXPERIENCE

Our life on this earth can be considered a “desert” experience.  A desert experience, a wandering in the wilderness, until we reach our true home.  God has given us this desert experience to draw closer to Him, to prepare our hearts to spend eternity in the Promised Land of Heaven with Him and Jesus.  He provides just what we need, when we need it, day by day.

I was reminded of that parallel thinking of the Israelites God let wander in the desert for 40 years.  A synopsis of the story from the book of Numbers 13:1-13 is:

Continue reading “THE DESERT EXPERIENCE”