In the Gospel of John, Jesus’ last words from the cross are: It is finished… In her book Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, Annie Dillard tells about a native Alaskan hunter who approaches a local missionary. “I want to ask you something,” He said. “What’s that?” replied the missionary. “If I didn’t know about sin and […]
Some time ago, my friend Daisy Holt gave me a stack of old comic strips she had saved from newspapers over the years. As I was thumbing through them I found two next two each other that formed a beautiful contrast. The first was Winnie the Pooh. In this comic, Pooh asks Eeyore, “Why do […]
Something I hear often from my friends outside the church is: I’m spiritual but not religious. I’m sure you’ve heard this too. I even said it myself. And usually, it is said meaning: I’m not into all the rules of religion. I’m not into the institution. But what’s missing is that word religion actually has […]
Today I would like to say a special word of thanks to those of you who have supported the Dial Hope Foundation with a financial donation. Your gifts make this ministry possible! German philosopher Immanuel Kant, tells us that there are three questions that humanity has always been asking: “What can I know? What shall […]
In one of his sermons, Pastor Scott Hoezee told about an interesting study on forgiveness conducted by the Templeton Foundation in cooperation with the University of Michigan and the National Institute for Mental Health. According to this study, 75% of Americans are “very confident” that they have been forgiven by God for their past offenses. […]
In an interview shortly before his death, John O’Donahue said, “It’s beautiful when you find someone at work who’s doing exactly what they dreamed they should be doing and whose work is an expression of their inner gift. And in witnessing to that gift and bringing it out, they actually provide an incredible service to […]
A friend once asked Isidor Rabi, a Nobel prize winner in science, how he became a scientist. Rabi replied that every day after school his mother would talk to him about his school day. She wasn’t so much interested in what he had learned that day, but she always inquired, “Did you ask a good […]
One of my favorite poets is George Herbert who wrote in the early 1600s. He received an elite education at Cambridge and could have taken a powerful government position in England. Instead, he took a minor office in the church serving as a local country pastor. He cared deeply for those most in need and […]
Several years ago now, I was jogging with a friend. He and his wife had recently lost a baby during their pregnancy. I can only imagine all the emotions he must have been experiencing. But as we were running, he said, “I’ve always struggled with the Christian theme of redemption – understanding what it means. […]
A few years ago, at our annual Dial Hope “Friendraiser,” we had astronaut and artist Nicole Stott come to speak. She was super inspiring! In addition to flying on the Space Shuttle, Nicole spent 3 months onboard the International Space Station. She told us that looking back at the view of our planet from outer […]
