New Hope Daily SOAP - Daily Devotional Bible Reading

Daily Dose of Hope September 8, 2026   Scripture:  Genesis 23   Prayer:  Abba Father, We come to you today in awe of your love for us.  Thank you, Lord, for your sacrifice.  Thank you for sitting high and looking low.  We give you all the glory and praise, Lord Jesus.  Help us to be less selfish and more like you.  On our own, we mess it up.  We need you, Jesus.  We need you minute by minute.  Guide our thoughts today, Lord.  Guide our words and guide our actions.  May we look more like you today, Lord, than we did yesterday.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.  We are currently working our way through the book of Genesis and today we are looking at Genesis 23.   This chapter details the death of Sarah and Abraham's grieving.  We get a picture of how the ancient Hebrews buried and mourned for their deceased.  Sarah is the only woman in the Bible whose age at death is recorded, so that tells us something about her – she is very highly regarded.    Abraham, very appropriately, grieves deeply for his wife.  Then, he has to figure out where to bury her.  He has a place in mind, the cave of Machpelah.  It was located in the land belonging to Ephron the Hittite. In his travels around Canaan, Abraham had earlier lived in this area and there built an altar to God (chapter 13). He knew this cave and was willing to pay for it.    They do this weird negotiation.  In those times and in that culture, it was appropriate to first offer the plot for free, knowing that the purchaser would refuse that.  Then, there would be back and forth negotiation.  We can see this in the Scripture.  Abraham ends up getting the burial cave for 400 shekels of silver.  I read a few articles that this was a real rip-off, but Abraham was wealthy and he wanted the land.  He would have paid any price for it.  Remember, eventually, all the land was to become Abraham's.  But for this small piece, Abraham actually possessed a deed.   So, Sarah is buried there.  This is also where Abraham's son buries him.  It's where Isaac and Rebekah are buried, where Jacob buries Leah, and where Joseph buries Jacob.  It is often called the Cave of the Patriarchs. Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope September 7, 2026   Scripture:  Genesis 22   Prayer:  Heavenly Father, We come to you today in awe.  You are almighty and wise but also filled with love and mercy.  And we have the pleasure of experiencing that love and mercy.  Despite our brokenness, you care for us and you continue to walk alongside us.  Thank you, Lord, for your patience.  Help us to focus more on you.  Fill us with a consuming desire to know you better.  Work in us.  Stretch us.  Challenge us.  Convict us.  We love you.  Amen.   Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.  We are currently working our way through the book of Genesis and today we are looking at Genesis 22.   In our reading for today, we have Abraham almost sacrificing his only son, Isaac.  This passage has always kind of bothered me.  It seems inconsistent with God's character to want Abraham to kill his son.  And remember, when something seems off, we need to dig deeper.  What is God doing here?  In the past, Abraham doubted God.  Think about all the mishaps we have been reading about.  He tried to have children his own way instead of waiting on God.  He repeatedly tried to pass Sarah off as a sister instead of his wife. By asking Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, God was testing Abraham.  Does Abraham finally trust God?  He is finally ready to trust in God's provision?  I don't think God ever intended harm to come to Isaac.  I think he wanted to see how much Abraham had grown.   Besides that, this passage is a beautiful foretelling of another sacrifice.  God himself sacrificed his only son in order for us to be reconciled to a holy God.  John 3:16, For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.    At the end of the chapter, we find more genealogy.  At first, this seemed out of place.  But when you dig beneath the surface, it actually makes sense.  This genealogy lists the family members of Abraham's brother, Nahor.  Nahor has many descendants, including a granddaughter named Rebekah.  Rebekah will eventually become Isaac's wife.  God has the covenant line all taken care of.    Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope September 3, 2026   Scripture: Genesis 20   Prayer: Amazing Father and Lord, Thank you for who you are.  Thank you for how you care for us.  We get distracted.  We veer away from you and your Word.  For that, we are so very sorry.  Forgive us, Lord.  Help us to abide in you.  Help us to remain close so that we can be fruitful and effective for your Kingdom.  Help us get outside ourselves and see others as you see them.  Lord, we belong to you.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.  We are currently studying the book of Genesis, and its full of sinfulness, drama, but also a lot of God's mercy.  Today, we are reading Genesis 20.   So, Abraham and Sarah are back on the move, the Scripture saying that they moved toward the south, in a town named Gerar.  Okay, can you believe Abraham tries to pass Sarah off as his sister again?  By this time, Sarah is in her nineties.  Yet, the king, Abimelech, still brings her into his palace.  We could probably spend some time talking about this point, but I'll let it go.  It's just kind of weird.   God intervenes again.  He comes to Abimelech in a dream and tells him that Sarah is Abraham's wife.  God also calls Abimelech a dead man unless he has Abraham pray for him.  Once again, Abraham makes a bad decision, lies, puts his wife in a really vulnerable situation, and God saves him.  It is amazing.  God is going to be sure that he keeps his promise through Abraham.  Despite Abraham's stupidity.    I guess that's good news for us.  God keeps his promises to us, he cares for us, and he shows us mercy, even when we mess up over and over again.  God uses a very flawed man called Abraham to build a nation.  If he can do that, then he can also use you and me.  Maybe it's kind of odd, but this gives me a lot of encouragement.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki      

Daily Dose of Hope September 2, 2026   Scripture: Genesis 19:30-38   Prayer: Holy God, We pause before you.  We become still, recognizing that you are God.  You are Creator, you are Provider, you are Sustainer.  Thank you, Lord.  We repent for how we have failed you.  We repent for our pride, our anger, our bitterness, our flawed view of others.  We repent for not putting you first.  Forgive us, Lord.  We are broken and sinful people.  Lord, use us anyway.  We pray that you can lead us to a place of healing and peace so that we can then be useful to your Kingdom.  Help us be your servants, open to your leading and direction.  We are yours.  We belong to you.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.  We are currently doing a deep dive into the book of Genesis.  Today's reading is the second half of Genesis 19, verses 30-38.   More drama!  After Lot almost allows his daughters to be gang raped, now they are arranging to have sex with their dad.  Let's just go ahead and say it – this is very dysfunctional, toxic even.    Let's talk about how we got here.  Lot is fearful so he won't live in the town.  Thus, he and his daughters are residing in a cave.  This probably says something about where they are spiritually too.  They are isolated, they are lonely, and they are afraid.  Are they even acknowledging God?  I don't get the impression God Almighty plays much of a role in their everyday lives.  Not because God has moved on, but because they have chosen a path away from Him.   Fear makes people do desperate things and that's what we see in today's text.  The girls are worried that pretty soon, their dad will die and they haven't had any children.  They say there are no men.  Of course, that isn't true.  The nearest town would have plenty of men but they have isolated themselves to the point that they aren't thinking straight.  So, they get their father drunk and have sex with him.  This is really repulsive and it's hard to imagine that these young women would even think of doing this.  It makes me wonder what their past was like.  But we won't go there today.    Bottom line:  Sin spirals downward.  Lot was sinful. His wife sinned.  The girls sinned. The sins of the fathers affect their children.  Sin always has consequences.  Always.    Blessings, Pastor Vicki    

Daily Dose of Hope September 1, 2026   Scripture: Genesis 19:1-29   Prayer: Dear God, We come to you today with sorrow.  We know that we are sinful and broken.  We know that we have fallen short.  We have been disobedient as individuals and as a church.  Lord, please forgive us and show us your better way.  How we need you.  We are lost without you and our behavior so often speaks to that.  Help us seek holiness.  Help us love others the way you love them.  In these next few moments of silence, Lord, please help us set aside our scattered thoughts and focus on you...  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.  We are currently doing a deep dive into the book of Genesis.  Today's reading is the first half of Genesis 19, verses 1-29.   Lot, Abraham's nephew, chose the best land.  It just happened to be that land included some pretty evil cities, both Sodom and Gomorrah.  Their wickedness has been mentioned a few times before this chapter but we get the full experience in chapter 19.    The angels from chapter 18 head over the Sodom.  Lot meets them with a hospitable spirit, offers them a place to stay, and food to eat.  But the men of the town surround Lot's house and demand to have sex with the visiting men.  Not a nice way to welcome people to town.  But instead of standing up to the mob, Lot offered his two daughters for the mob to rape!  What are we to make of this?    It was a sacred duty to care for those under your own roof in the ancient Near East.  Hospitality was a big deal.  But one would think caring for your daughters would be as well.  Lot clearly has some priority issues.  It shows his lack of care for his own daughters, maybe because they are women who have little value in his society, maybe because he was scared, we don't really know.  It's despicable though.  I'm grateful that God's messengers intervened to make sure those girls were safe.   The Bible definitely gives us the whole, ugly truth about people, their sin, their failures, their good choices, and their terrible choices.  God is not lifting them up as an example, but he is allowing us to learn from them.  Lot clearly had compromised his values.  He moved to Sodom.  He rubbed elbows with wicked people.  Something rubbed off on him.  But he allowed it.   The two men, God's messengers, make it clear that Sodom and Gomorrah will be destroyed.  Lot and his family must leave.  The sons-in-law, clearly not having a lot of respect for Lot, laugh at the thought of destruction.  But Lot, his wife, and the two daughters head out of dodge.  But his wife looks back, which God warns them not to do, and she turns into a pillar of salt.  I would have really liked some more information here – what a shock to the family!    Sin has consequences.  We get to see that again and again in Scripture.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope August 31, 2026   Scripture: Genesis 18   Prayer:  Abba Father, We come to you today, grateful for your love and care in our lives.  Thank you for your presence and your peace.  Help us to gather our scattered thoughts and set aside distractions so we can focus on what you have for us today.  In the next few moments of silence, Lord, help me be still and know that you are God...We give you all the glory, Lord Almighty.  Amen.    Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.  We are currently studying the book of Genesis, learning a lot about God's character and truth, but also realizing how people haven't changed much at all.    Today's reading is Genesis 18.  This is a fascinating chapter.  Three men come to see Abraham.  But we also know that the Scripture says that the Lord appeared to Abraham.  Thus, we can assume that one of the men was actually the Lord in human form.  The other two might have been angels.    It seems that Abraham knew right off the bat that he was in the presence of God.  He runs out to meet the men, he makes sure they are fed the absolute best.  We know Abraham had been in the presence of God before and so there must have been something about the men that Abraham immediately recognized.    I had some thoughts about this.  How often have we encountered God?  How often have we encountered his messengers, the angels?  Are our eyes open to see when a heavenly being visits us?  Think about Hebrews 13:2, which says not to forget to show hospitality to strangers because by doing so, some people have shown hospitality to angels without even knowing it.    The men tell Abraham that within a year, Sarah will be pregnant.  She laughs and God knows it.  He calls her on it.  I don't blame her.  Women in their nineties don't typically think of pregnancy.  But God had willed it and he makes it clear, nothing is too hard for him.  Do you believe that nothing is too hard for God, I mean really?   The Lord shares with Abraham that he plans to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah for their horrible wickedness.  It's obvious that Abraham is greatly bothered by this.  He moves into this negotiation with God.  Will God destroy those cities if there are fifty righteous men?  What about forty-five or forty or thirty or twenty or even ten?  God is patient and says that he won't destroy Sodom or Gomorrah if there are even just ten righteous people there.    God's justice is perfect.  He knew that Sodom and Gomorrah needed to be destroyed.  As horrible as they must have been, it's still hard for me to think about such destruction.  I just have to keep going back to that truth:  God's justice is perfect.  He always knows best.    Blessings, Pastor Vicki      

The Daily Dose of Hope is a devotional intended to provide context and reflection to the New Hope Church Bible Reading Plan.  It's our goal  to read the Bible in a year together as a family of faith.  Five days a week we read.  Two days a week we either rest or catch up.  Reading the Bible is the number one way to grow in our walk with Jesus.  We have to know God's Word to live God's Word.  Now for our Daily Dose of Hope… https://www.findnewhope.com

Daily Dose of Hope August 27, 2026   Scripture:  Genesis 16   Prayer:  Amazing Father and Lord, Thank you for who you are.  Thank you for how you care for us.  We get distracted.  We veer away from you and your Word.  For that, we are so very sorry.  Forgive us, Lord.  Help us to abide in you.  Help us to remain close so that we can be fruitful and effective for your Kingdom.  Help us get outside ourselves and see others as you see them.  And help us trust.  Lord, we belong to you.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the daily Bible reading plan at New Hope Church.  We are currently doing a deep dive into the book of Genesis and this will be followed by a deep dive into Exodus.  Today's reading is Genesis 16.   Yesterday, God reinforces his covenant with Abram that he will be the father of many nations.  God promises to give Abram and Sarai a son but when it doesn't happen in their timing, they decide to take matters in their own hands.  Sarai devises a plan to have Abram sleep with her handmaid, Haggar, in order to bear him a son.  When Haggar does get pregnant, Sarai isn't happy at all.  Despite the fact that this was all her idea, Sarai becomes furious with Haggar and abuses her.  Haggar leaves and heads into the desert, a dangerous scenario for a pregnant handmaid in those days.  But God meets her there.  He sends an angel who tells her to go back to Sarai and promises that her son, Ishmael, will be a strong and defiant man.    I used to read this Scripture and really burn with anger toward Sarai.  Why was she so mean to Haggar and why didn't she just trust God to begin with?  But over the years, I've realized how often I take matters into my own hands, I don't wait for God's timing, I jump the gun and say and do things without listening to God's clear instructions to wait on him.  While I in no way condone her treatment of Haggar, it's easy to see how she burned with jealousy.  She wanted to be the one who was pregnant with Abram's child!  She wanted to see God's promise come true right now!!!  Of course, we know the end of the story.  God's mercies are so very good.  He cared for Haggar in her hour of need, and he cared with Sarai, despite her disobedience.  And God also cares for us, despite ours.    What's fascinating to me about this power couple, Abram and Sarai, is how very normal they are.  They have times in which they make such crazy choices that leave us scratching our heads and then they have times in which their obedience toward God is incredible.  Maybe we are kind of that way as well.  Sometimes, I feel like I take two steps forward and one step back.  Abram and Sarai were not that different.   More tomorrow.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope August 26, 2026   Scripture:  Genesis 15   Prayer: Today we pray an ancient prayer from St Ambrose of Milan, who lived from 337-397 AD...O Lord, who has mercy upon all, take away from me my sins, and mercifully kindle in me the fire of Your Holy Spirit. Take away from me the heart of stone, and give me a heart of flesh, a heart to love and adore You, a heart to delight in You, to follow and to enjoy You, for Christ's sake.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the daily Bible reading plan at New Hope Church.  We are currently doing a deep dive into the book of Genesis and this will be followed by a deep dive into Exodus.  Today's reading is Genesis 15.   In today's reading, God reinforces his covenant with Abram.  But I want to go to the very beginning of the chapter when God tells Abram, in a vision, to not be afraid.  Let's not forget that Abram just finished a major battle and he had every reason to expect an attack from one of the enemy kings.  But God tells him that He, the Lord, will be Abram's shield.  God is going to protect him.   And then there is this interesting dialogue between God and Abram about Abram's heir.  Abram tells God that while God has given him wealth and now protection, what good is any of it if he doesn't have an heir?  He doesn't hold in his frustration.  Abram is honest with God about his frustrations and fears.  Just FYI, we can always be honest with God about our frustrations and fears.  God knows anyway.   So, this is when God reinforces the covenant that he made with Abram.  God promises that Abram's descendants will be as plentiful as stars in the sky.  It is clear and Abram believes (he has faith in God), but he expects it to be soon.  Yet in the chronology of Abram's life, the fulfillment of this promise was still 15 years away.  God's timing is often very different from our own timing.   The chapter ends in an interesting way.  God has Abram fall asleep.  He then prophesies that Abraham's descendants will be in slavery for 400 years (we know this happens in Egypt) and that God will ensure that those descendants eventually gain wealth and be able to return to the land God promised them.    God's plan is in place.    Blessings, Pastor Vicki    

Daily Dose of Hope August 25, 2026   Scripture:  Genesis 14   Prayer:  Heavenly Father, We come before you today in awe of your Word. Thank you for speaking to us through Scripture.  Help us commit to being grounded in your truth.  Help us make learning more about you a priority.  We get so distracted!  The world comes at us from all sides.  Lord, in these next few moments of silence, help us set aside our scattered thoughts and focus on you...In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the daily Bible reading plan at New Hope Church.  We are currently doing a deep dive into the book of Genesis and this will be followed by a deep dive into Exodus.  Today's reading is Genesis 14.   In today's reading, we have the first recorded battle in Genesis.  It's also the only time Abram is connected to warfare (who knew he had so many armed men at his disposal?)  You might have noticed here that Abram is called a Hebrew as well.    But what is going on?  Remember that Abram and Lot are now living in separate places.  Lot actually lived in Sodom, which happened to be captured in the battle described in verses 1-11.  Lot is taken captive.    Now, God has promised to protect and care for Abram and it seems he is finally trusting in that.  Abram goes into battle to save his nephew and is very successful.  He meets up with two kings, Melchizedek (Salem's priestly king) and the king of Sodom.  Melchizedek comes with wine, food, and blessings.  The king of Sodom comes with his hand out.  These were obviously very different kings, which seem to further highlight the difference between Abram and Lot.  Abram is upstanding and generous, not worried about wealth or property.  Lot is living in what we will learn is a sinful place, possibly hanging out with the wrong people, and espousing values that are very different from Abram's.   I want to just briefly touch on King Melchizedek.  If his name sounds familiar, it may because the author of Hebrews says that Jesus is a priest and king, in the order of Melchizedek.  What does this mean?  Well, Jesus was not in the family line of priests.  His appointment as high priest and king came directly from God.  This is similar to Melchizedek, who is kind of mysterious figure, a king-priest which would have been highly unusual.  We have no evidence that Melchizedek's kingship or priestship were inherited.  Yet, he is called a priest of the most high God.  Did God directly appoint him too?  We really don't know, but it is fascinating that the author of Hebrews makes this connection.   More tomorrow.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope August 24, 2026   Scripture:  Genesis 13   Prayer:   Lord, How we need you.  Thank you for your presence, thank you for the way you continue to pursue us.  Lord, in these next few moments of silence, help us set aside our scattered thoughts and focus on you...In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the daily Bible reading plan at New Hope Church.  We are currently doing a deep dive into the book of Genesis and this will be followed by a deep dive into Exodus.  So far, Genesis has been filled with lots of truth and lots of drama.  Let's see what today holds.   The reading for today is Genesis 13.  Abram, Sarai, Lot, and all their herdsmen and animals came back from Egypt.  The two men are so wealthy now that the land where they previously lived just couldn't sustain both households.  Plus, their herdsmen were bickering.  So Abram comes up with a plan to separate the two households.  He gives Lot the option which land to take, and he would go in the other direction.  Lot goes to the plain of Jordan and Abram heads to Canaan.   Let's just say Abram handles this situation really well.  He deals with conflict in a very selfless way.  The crowded land and the arguing herdsmen could have ended up with a much different ending.  But Abram doesn't hold on tight to anything; he lets Lot take the best land for himself.  He is not greedy and he trusts God to make sure he and his own household are taken care of.   Possibly as a result of Abram's wisdom and selflessness, God reinforces the covenant he made with Abram.  These are the words he uses, which are pretty powerful, Now, lift up your eyes, and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, for I will give all the land which you see to you and to your offspring forever. I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if a man can count the dust of the earth, then your offspring may also be counted. Arise, walk through the land in its length and in its width; for I will give it to you."   God is a God who keeps his promises.  He is going to build a people through Abram.  Are we beginning to see a new and different Abram that has grown in maturity and trust?  I hope so.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki      

Daily Dose of Hope August 21, 2026   Scripture:  Genesis 12   Prayer:  Almighty Father, You always know what is best for us.  Thank you for that.  We are sorry for the ways that we resist.  Help us to want what you want for us.  Help us to want to be patient, to want to be kind, to want to be obedient.  Conform our will, Lord, In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible reading plan.  We are currently doing a deep dive into the books of Genesis and Exodus.  Today, our reading is Genesis 12.    In today's reading, we have the call of Abram.    The first eleven chapters of Genesis were a broad sweeping narrative. God is beginning to reveal himself to a specific group of people and it all begins here.  God commands Abram to leave his native land, and his father's home, to go to a land God would show him.  God is asking him, as age 75, to leave the old and go to something totally new and different.  If Abram does what God asks, God promises to give him wealth and many descendants.  He will be blessed.   What's most interesting to me is that Abram does it.  We aren't privy to any of the behind the scenes discussion.  Did Abram think about saying no?  I mean, the man was 75.  He was pretty established.  We don't know if he deliberated.  Regardless, he says yes.  He obeys.  Interestingly, if you look at the Hebrew, the call to go was really just to Abram as an individual.  It didn't include wife and family.  But Abram brings Sarai and his nephew, Lot.  They bring their whole household.  I can only imagine the conversation between Sarai and Abram.  She also would have to battle fear and uncertainly.   There are a number of call stories in the Bible.  It usually involves God calling an individual person, followed by some kind of commission or promise.  When God calls a person, there usually isn't a lot of attention to the impact on their families, such as in this situation.  Yet, a call by God will impact not only the person called but everyone around them.    I can remember when God called me to full-time ministry.  It was a very clear call (a story for another time) and it couldn't have happened in a more complicated season of my life.  I had three young kids, Richard worked a stressful job, and money was tight.  I couldn't imagine going back to school.  And yet, the call was real.  Would I say yes or no?  In my case, I felt like there was only one answer.  I had to obey.   Have you ever felt God call you to do something?  God doesn't call all of us to full-time ministry but he does call all of us.  God may be calling you to a particular kind of service in the church or in the community.  He may be calling you to give of your resources.  He might be calling you to reconcile a relationship.  Take some time today and pray about God's call on your life.   Now, I wish I could stop there today but there is no way I can finish the devotional without mentioning Abram and Sarai in Egypt.  They traveled there due to a famine.  Once there, Abram passes Sarai off as his sister rather than his wife and she is taken into the palace.  He feared that otherwise Pharoah would kill him to take Sarai, who must have been quite stunning.  Almost immediately, God intervenes in the situation with plagues.   If God had not intervened, Pharoah would not have known that Sarai was Abram's wife and Abram would not have had a son by Sarai in fulfillment of God's promise to him. Let's be real - Abram was absolutely in the wrong here, but God graciously intervened in order to keep his covenant with Abram.  God plans to use Abram, despite his mess-ups!   One of the more comforting things about reading these texts is realizing just how much these heroes of the faith messed up.  They were far from perfect and God uses them anyway.  That bodes well for us.  Now, it's time for our going deeper discussion with Emmy... Blessings, Pastor Vicki    

Daily Dose of Hope August 20, 2026   Scripture: Genesis 11   Prayer: Dear Holy God, Your love is amazing.  Thank you for the way you care for us.  In these next few moments of silence, Lord, help us focus on you...Lord Jesus, help us set aside every distraction and take this time to lean on you.  We want to hear your voice.  Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible reading plan.  We are currently doing a deep dive into the books of Genesis and Exodus.  Today, our reading is Genesis 11.    This is the Tower of Babel passage. About a century after Noah, there were people who decided to make a name for themselves by building a high tower, higher and more powerful than any other building ever created, so high it would reach the heavens.  This was a tower of pride and arrogance.  They thought that by creating this tower, they could be strong and unified as a people, and it would keep them from having to multiply and spread throughout the earth.  God had told them to be fruitful and multiply.  They wanted to be strong and remain planted in one place, solidifying their power.  They wanted to grow in greatness and fame.    So God intervenes.  In keeping with his promise, God doesn't send a flood or another terrible calamity.  He intervenes by making it so they can't communicate with one another.  You can't be strong and unified if you can't understand each other.  And so they were scattered all over the earth.    Here is where we begin to see an interesting shift.  God is no longer going to seek a relationship with all the world's nations.  Rather, this is when he begins to seek a relationship with one nation.  He would enter into covenant with a new people that did not yet exist – Israel.   The rest of the chapter is more genealogy. We see how the focus is moving from the scattered nations to one specific bloodline.  God's promises will still be fulfilled but in a slightly different way through a different group of people.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki    

Daily Dose of Hope August 19, 2026   Scripture: Genesis 10   Prayer: Almighty God, As we move into a new day, we pray that today will be a day that we see glimpses of your glory.  We need you, we yearn for you.  Lord, help us set aside our distractions and settle our scattered thoughts so we can focus on you and you alone.  In the next few moments of silence, Lord, hear our prayers... In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible reading plan.  We are currently doing a deep dive into the book of Genesis, which will be followed by a deep dive into Exodus.  I think you have already realized there is a lot of substance in these chapters!  Today, our reading is Genesis 10.    Let's start out by stating that this isn't the most interesting chapter.  It's the list of the clans of Noah's sons.  But if we look a little closer, we realize there is much to learn in this chapter.   In the previous chapter, we learned about Ham and his curse.  His sons are listed here is verse 6.  They are Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan.  You probably immediately notice Egypt and Canaan, and we notice that for generations, they were the enemies of God's people.  But there is more.  In verse 8, we read that Ham's son, Cush, is the father of Nimrod.  Nimrod was a tremendous warrior and his kingdom was centered in Babylon (who eventually conquered the Southern Kingdom of Judah) and Shinar, where the tower of Babel was built (we will read about that tomorrow).  Nimrod's territory also extends into Assyria (who conquered the Northern Kingdom) and he builds the famous city of Ninevah.    In verse 13, we read that Ham's son, Egypt, is the father of the Kasluhites.  That is the group from which the Philistines were descended.  In verse 14, we read that Ham's son, Canaan is the father of Sidon.  From Sidon came the Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, and Hivites – all of whom were removed from the Promised Land by Joshua and the Hebrew army.   It is fascinating to see how many of the cities, nations, and tribes, descended from Ham, become outright enemies of God's people.  That curse was real, my friends.   I know that genealogies can be boring, but they are included for a reason.  If we look deeper, what we realize is that these genealogies can unlock so much of the Old Testament.  Often, they even pave the way for the New Testament, and explain nuances that we just don't get unless we look beneath the surface.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope August 18, 2026   Scripture: Genesis 9:18-28   Prayer: Holy God, We come before you today in humility and awe.  You are a good God.  You, who put the stars and planets in motion, also created us.  You care about the most minute details of our lives.  You have numbered the hairs on our head.  Thank you for loving us.  Thank you for caring so much.  Help us be put even a small reflection of your love toward those around us.  More of you and less of me, Jesus.  Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible reading plan.  We are currently doing a deep dive into the book of Genesis, which will be followed by a deep dive into Exodus.  I think you have already realized there is a lot of substance in these chapters!  Today, our reading is the second half of Genesis 9.    Although the judgment of the flood changed the earth, it did not change the heart of humans, which is still inherently sinful.  Today's reading is strange.  Most of you probably noticed that.  But I don't think the point of the story is Noah's drunkenness.  Rather, the point is that even though we have this beautiful renewed earth and humans are given a second chance, sin is still rearing its ugly head.   Let's go deeper.  The Scripture says that Noah, as the new Adam, is a man of the ground, which means he was a farmer.  He plants a vineyard and gets drunk on his wine.  Here is where things get odd.  In his drunken state, Noah is naked in his tent.  Thus, his nakedness was seen by his three sons.  Most of us would say, well who cares?  Not that big a deal.  But there is more here than we can see on the surface.  What does it mean that the three sons "saw Noah's nakedness?"   There are different theories.  One is simply that Ham saw his dad naked and didn't do anything to cover him up.  He then shared this bit of gossip with his brothers.  That is the most straightforward, but it seems a little extreme that his father would then curse him and his sons forever.    More scholars tend to think that some kind of sexual sin occurred here.  Some think that Ham sexually assaulted his father and others think he assaulted his mother, who was most likely laying next to Noah.  Regardless, it was bad and then he went and told his brothers.   His brothers had more wisdom.  In contrast to Ham, Shem and Japheth went to great trouble to cover up their father and not look at his naked body.  They actually walk backwards so they don't have to see his exposed parts.  And they end up being blessed for this.   And Ham ends up being cursed.  Actually, its his son, Canaan, who really gets the curse.  This is a painful lesson.  When we sin, we make the assumption that we are going to bear the consequences of that sin.  But with so many things, it isn't just the sinner who bears the sin, it's their offspring and future generations.  The sin of Ham results in the Canaanites being cursed – they become horribly perverse in the next few hundred years.  In fact, the Canaanites are often held up as an example of how we are not supposed to be.  The whole Canaanite culture was shaped by Ham's sin.    It isn't until Jesus that we see this begin to change.  I think of the Canaanite woman who begs Jesus to heal her daughter who is suffering.  It's an odd exchange in the Scripture (look up Matthew 15 or Mark 7), and she and Jesus have dialogue about how even the dogs get to eat their owners' scraps.  In the end, Jesus is amazed by both her wit and her faith.  Her daughter is healed.  And Jesus shows us that his mercy and love now extend even to the Canaanites.    Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope August 17, 2026   Scripture:  Genesis 9:1-17   Prayer:  Dear Holy God, Your love is amazing.  Thank you for the way you care for us.  In these next few moments of silence, Lord, help us focus on you...Lord Jesus, help us set aside every distraction and take this time to lean on you.  We want to hear your voice.  Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible reading plan.  We are currently deep-diving into the book of Genesis.  Today's reading is the first half of Genesis 9.   It's in this part of chapter 9 that God reestablishes his relationship with fallen humanity with a covenant, a binding agreement, a promise of sorts. Let's go back to today's scripture, Let's look at the exact wording, "I hereby confirm my covenant with you and your descendants, and with all the animals that were on the boat with you—the birds, the livestock, and all the wild animals—every living creature on earth. Yes, I am confirming my covenant with you. Never again will floodwaters kill all living creatures; never again will a flood destroy the earth."  And God says that the rainbow in the sky will be a sign of this covenant that God will never, ever again choose destruction as a means to deal with the evil and sin of humanity.   What's interesting to me here is it almost appears that God regrets what he did. Maybe regret isn't the right word. God struggles with what had to happen. I think on some level, we get a picture of the tension between God's sense of justice and God's sense of love and mercy. God saw the hearts of human beings and was grieved by the evil that was present there. I think God is still grieved by the evil that is present in people ---this certainly has not gone away. We see sin and evil all over the world, in how people seem to have this capacity to demonstrate appalling cruelty toward other human beings. This has been a reality for centuries and centuries and it's a reality today. And it still grieves the heart of God.   But what we see in the covenant with Noah is that God, knowing that humans aren't going to change, will change how he deals with us. God commits to find another way to redeem his creation --- no more worldwide floods or total calamity.  Never again will floodwaters kill all living creatures; never again will a flood destroy the earth.   So what will God do instead? God still takes evil seriously but God will deal with evil differently. Really, all the stories that follow this one show how God lives out his faithfulness in different ways, eventually culminating in the coming of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. God judges but God also redeems, over and over and over again.   Evil will be dealt with, but it will be dealt with in a different way, one in which all people can be redeemed and reconciled to a holy God who loves them and wants to be in relationship with.    Some more thoughts on this: 1.        We continue to be in God's care. This is a covenant for all time - it isn't cancelled out by subsequent covenants. The rainbow is God's cupped hand over the earth reminding us of his care and concern for the whole world. Wherever you are, whoever you are, you depend on God and on the earth, which is his gift to us. You may not think you do, but all we have is from God. We are in his care. 2.        God is in covenant with all living creatures. All the creatures all over the face of this earth belong to God first. They exist for God and not simply for us. God has concern for all of earth's creatures. Psalm 104:24, How many are your works, LORD! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. The world isn't just about us. God loves all the creatures, God loves all of creation, not just humanity. And thus, we should see to the welfare of the wider world in which we find ourselves. We are stewards of God's creation. How we treat it matters. How we treat what God loves matters. 3.        This is the beginning of God's plan of salvation and redemption. God's will is the renewal of all creation, the whole earth. Saving individual human beings is part of God's mission but God's desire is to redeem all people and all of creation.  The amazing and totally humbling thing is that he calls us to help him achieve this mission, to put things right. And we as the church, we are the primary vehicle for which God calls us to put things right. In light of the story of Noah and God's ever-lasting covenant with his creation, how might he be calling us to put things right?   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope August 14, 2026   Scripture:  Genesis 8   Prayer: Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, That my thoughts may all be holy. Act in me, O Holy Spirit, That my work, too, may be holy. Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, That I love but what is holy. Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, To defend all that is holy. Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit, That I always may be holy. Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible reading plan.  We are currently deep-diving into the book of Genesis.  Today's reading is Genesis 8.   Can you imagine what life was like on that ark?  That was a long time to be hanging out just with family and a LOT of animals!  I have all kinds of logistical questions but I will save those for another day.    I think one of the best lines of this whole chapter is in verse 1, But God remembered Noah...  God remembered Noah, his family, and all those animals.  God remembered that ark floating over the floodwaters.  God remembered Noah when the waters kept rising.  God was always with Noah.  We certainly don't have any indication that Noah did anything but trust God.  We don't have any Scripture that indicates that Noah, after a few weeks, started panicking that God had left him on that ark to die with a bunch of stinky animals.  Not at all.  God remembered Noah.    God remembered Noah so he sent a wind to cause the floodwaters to recede.  The word wind here is actually the Hebrew word, ruach, which is generally translated as Spirit.  You guys, this was the Holy Spirit!  It was the Holy Spirit that caused the flood waters to recede so that Noah and the animals could find dry land.  The Holy Spirit saw the need and took care of things.   Our God doesn't forget.  I want you to be assured that God remembers you too.  Whatever "flood" or hardship you might be going through, please know that God remembers you too.  Call upon the Holy Spirit to meet you at your point of need and he will.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope August 13, 2026   Scripture: Genesis 7   Prayer:  Lord, our Lord, How majestic is your name in all the earth!  We magnify your precious and powerful name.  How often we forget how mighty you are.  You created all.  You created us.  Thank you, Lord, for who you are.  Most of all, thank you for loving us with all our flaws and brokenness.  In all we do, in who we are, help us to be more like you.  We pray for humility, mercy, and compassion.  Help us see others through your eyes.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible reading plan.  We are currently deep-diving into the book of Genesis.  Today's reading is Genesis 7.   Judgement day has arrived.  While I am very familiar with this story, it is still hard to read.  People were working and doing their normal routine.  They had no idea what was coming.  But then the floodwaters came.  Everything was destroyed.   There are a few reflections for me in this text:   1.        I'm not always going to understand God's decisions, but I can still trust them.  God knows and sees things that I cannot see.  He has an eternal plan in mind.  He knew what the people were capable of and he decided to do something about it.  That is why he is God and I am not.  But God has always taken care of me and has never let me down.  He has always been faithful.  I can just trust that his way is best.   2.        Our sin grieves God.  God was so upset about the sins of the people.  He hates sin and evil.  He was grieving so much that he wished he hadn't even created humans.  I wonder how often he thinks that today too.  But it does put things in perspective to think that when I sin, God is grieved.   3.        God sometimes asks us to do really big things.  He asked Noah to build an ark on dry land.  Noah was obedient.  How many times does God ask us to do something big for him and we dismiss it or talk ourselves out of it?  I do this a lot!  But if God asks us to something significant, he is going to give us the ability, tools, and strength to do it.  Is God asking you to do something big right now?  Have you asked him?   Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope August 12, 2026   Scripture: Genesis 6   Prayer:  Almighty God, We come to you today with humble hearts.  We are broken and we need you.  Help us set aside our scattered thoughts and focus on you this morning.  Help us set aside distractions so we might hear your voice.  In these next few moments of silence, Lord, help us just focus on Jesus...In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible reading plan.  We are currently deep-diving into the book of Genesis.  Today's reading is Genesis 6.   The first part of this chapter is very strange.  Let me just go ahead and say that.  Who were the sons of God and the daughters of men?  It is beginning to sound more like Greek mythology than the Bible.  What is going on here?  There are several possible options.   The first theory is that the sons of God are fallen angels.  In the Old Testament, the phrase sons of God elsewhere refers to angels, particularly in the book of Job. But a problem with this theory is Jesus' statement in Matthew 22:30, which indicates that angels do not marry. There really isn't any evidence in Scripture to make us believe that angels have a gender or the ability to reproduce.   Other theories are that the sons of God are powerful human rulers or godly descendants of Seth who intermarried with wicked descendants of Cain.  But human males marrying ordinary human females does not account for why the offspring were "giants" or "heroes of old, men of renown."  Additionally, why would God be so angry as to send the flood if he never specifically forbade these powerful humans or descendants of Seth to marry ordinary human women or descendants of Cain?  It seems that the flood and God's judgment is linked to this section of Genesis 6.  Such harsh consequences points to very horrible sin.  Marriage and mating between fallen angels with human women would seem to qualify.   What about Matthew 22:30 when Jesus says that angels do not marry?  Well, the fact that God's holy angels do not marry does not mean that Satan cannot pervert sexuality in this world.  We've seen in Scripture that angels can appear in human form.  Thus, fallen angels could possibly marry and have sexual intercourse with human women, and it would make sense that God would be really, really angry about that.  I would love your thoughts on this.   This leads into how corrupt the world had become.  Humanity had become so very evil, so much so that God regretted making people.  And God basically decides to clean everything up.  So he has Noah build an ark.  He and his family will be the remnant remaining to restart humanity.   I've had hard conversations with people about this passage.  I mean, what kind of god would kill all the living over all the earth except for one family and a few animals?  How do we explain this to our unbelieving friends?   When we look at this story through modern eyes, it is really harsh.  But we have to at least try to look at through the viewpoint of the ancient audience.  God is incredibly sorrowful, grieving even, over the sinfulness of his creation.  He isn't mean and wrathful, like the gods of the Mesopotamians and the other ancient nations.  He doesn't plan on randomly striking people down.  He is still a saving God.  There is only one faithful person on the earth and God plans to save him and his family.  God is intentional, rather than impulsive.  He has a plan for humanity and he will carry it out.    More on this tomorrow.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki      

Daily Dose of Hope August 11, 2026   Scripture: Genesis 5   Prayer: Almighty Father, Thank you that your mercies are new every morning.  Thank you, that no matter what this week has held, we can come to you and start over.  We are grateful for your forgiveness.  We are so very grateful for your care and your love.  Help us, Lord, to set aside our distractions, to set aside our scattered thoughts and focus on you right now.  In these next few moments of silence, Lord, hear our prayers...  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.  We are currently doing a deep dive into the book of Genesis.  Today, our reading is Genesis 5.   This chapter details the family line from Adam to Noah.  It's a lot of names and ages.  If we were to look at the ages of these patriarchs as we understand chronological ages in the modern age, then we are looking at some really, really old people!  And I should mention that some people do take these ages very literally and actually use them to try to date the earth.  Most scholars don't believe that is the intention of the author at all.  The real question we need to examine is:  What do the words mean in the language and culture in which they were written?    If you look at Scripture, sometimes numbers are used like they are today.  Ten cubits actually means ten cubits. But other times in the ancient literature, including the Bible, numbers are used numerologically. That means a number's symbolic value could be used to convey mystical or sacred meanings other than just its numerical value.    If we look at Genesis 5 as a whole, there are really a wide variety of ages mentioned.  Adam lives to be 930, Mahalalel lives to be 895, Jered to 962, and Methuselah to be 969.  If they all were round numbers like 500 or 1000, then that would make us question the implausibility of these ages.  But the ages listed are very, very specific.  What are we to make of this?  This is where I had to do some real research because I'm getting over my head.   This is what BioLogos, a website that deals specifically with science and faith proposed:   There are 30 age numbers we can get from Genesis chapter 5—three numbers for each of ten patriarchs: the age when a son was born, the number of years the patriarch lived after the son was born, and the total number of years the patriarch lived.    The first thing more careful observation reveals about these 30 numbers is that all of them end with the digits 0, 2, 5, 7, or 9. You might not think that is too remarkable until you realize that it eliminates half of the possible numbers. It is like seeing a list of 30 numbers that are all even. We wouldn't think that was a random distribution of numbers. In fact, the odds of getting all thirty numbers to end with just these "approved" digits in a random distribution of ages are about one in a hundred million. That should make us suspicious that Genesis 5 is merely giving a historical report. Something else must be going on here.   One option is attaching some significance to the fact that all of the 30 numbers can be expressed as combinations of the two "sacred" numbers 60 and 7 in terms of years and months. 60 was culturally significant because it was the number that Babylonian mathematics was based on (the influence of this system is still felt today with our 60 minutes per hour and 60 seconds per minute). And 7, of course, has a prominent place in biblical symbolism beginning with the Sabbath. So when we're told that Methuselah was 187 years when he had his son Lamech (v. 25) we can see that 187 = 60+60+60+7 years. And then because 60 months = 5 years, when Adam is said to be 130 years at the birth of his son Seth (v. 3), that can be expressed as (60+60 years) + (60+60 months).   The question is whether it is a better explanation to interpret the numbers as having some symbolic or rhetorical significance to the original audience (even if we don't know what that is), or that they were just a straightforward listing of numbers the way we would use them today. Knowing what we do about the culture, and in the absence of any persuasive reasons for thinking that the ages of these men were so radically different than they are today, it seems that a symbolic or rhetorical interpretation is a legitimate option and maybe even a preferable one.   So, now that we have stretched our brains a bit, I'll stop.  The bottom line is that it's complicated.    Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope August 10, 2026   Scripture: Genesis 4   Prayer:  Abba Father, You are our Creator, Provider, and Sustainer.  Thank you, Lord, for wanting to be in relationship with us. You are a God who sits high and looks low.  You, who are over everything, also care deeply for us.  We are so grateful.  Help us do all we can to glorify you.  We desperately need you, Jesus.  Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.  We are currently doing a deep dive into Genesis and Exodus.  Right now, we are in the beginning of Genesis; today's reading is Genesis 4.   Let's talk a bit about this chapter.  The sons of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, give God a first fruits offering. A first fruit offering is when we give God the first and best of a harvest or flock before we have used any of it.  So, Abel gives God his best, the fat of his firstborn of his animals, the best of the best; Cain gives God some veggies, but obviously not his best. Why did Cain hold back on God? We don't know, but we begin to get a sense of his heart. So, not surprisingly, God is pleased with Abel's offering but not Cain's. What's interesting is that Cain isn't sorry, he doesn't show remorse. Rather, he gets angry.   So, God confronts Cain and gives him a chance to change his offering. Cain must know the right thing but he is refusing to do it. He is refusing to give God his best. His attitude is terrible. And God knows this. God knows exactly what he is thinking, he knows the anger and jealousy that he has allowed to grow in his heart. And God gives him a warning. "Cain, be careful, because sin in crouching at your door. It is right there. If you don't get this in check, then things are only going to get worse. Watch yourself." But Cain doesn't heed God's guidance.  In fact, he ends up killing his brother!   God decides to punish Cain by making him a wanderer.  He will no longer work the land.  We might think of a wonderer in this instance as a nomadic person.  This means Cain will no longer have the protection of his home and village but will be banished from the land and live a nomadic lifestyle, which means being exposed to all kinds of dangers. And while I think Cain is getting off kind of easy here, he is devastated.   The story ends with a token of God's grace. Cain tells God how scared he is of all that is out there. And God, in his compassion, gives Cain a mark. We have no idea what the mark is but it was a mark that meant he would be protected. No wild tribe could kill him as he slept in his tent. He would go with God's protection. Truly God's grace when he totally didn't deserve it. God is good.   Bottom line:  Cain and Abel had a dysfunctional relationship characterized by comparison and jealousy. And my guess is it didn't start with this one story. The kind of anger and jealousy that Cain demonstrated tends to grow over time.    A few reflections:   ·      Friends, sin is always crouching at our door.  But we have a choice. We don't have to give into it. We don't have to choose sin. There are a lot of things in life that we have no control over, but we always, always have a choice how we respond. Maybe Cain didn't like farming.  God chose that for him and he didn't have a lot of choice there.  But Cain did have a choice when it came to his first fruits.  He did have a choice how he responded to his brother.   This is the thing, we don't typically stumble into sin. We make choices to allow sin to seep into our hearts and lives. Maybe we don't think of it as a choice but it is. We open the door to "small" sins by allowing things to seep into our heart. If I am jealous, if I am bitter, if I harbor serious resentment, if I say unkind things about people behind their back, those things affect our heart. Whether you are aware of it or not, these sins create a wedge between us and God. Not only do they keep us from growing in our walk with Jesus, but they make it so much easier for us to allow more sin to seep in.   ·      God knows our hearts. God knew Cain's heart. There is nothing we can hide from God. Cain couldn't hide his jealousy and greed from God. Even before Cain gave his sub-par veggie offering, God knew. God knew his heart wasn't in it, that he was holding back. God knew that Cain was harboring a lot of anger toward his brother, hence his warning that sin was crouching at the door.   ·      Comparison never turns out well.  Scripture doesn't offer us a lot of details about the relationship between Cain and Abel. I can't help but think there was a history there. A history of comparison. A history of ill will. He obviously compared himself to Abel. But regardless, when we compare ourselves to others, it never turns out well. Either it leads to pride (if we think we're better) or sorrow if we think we are not.  Comparison is the death of joy. Comparison of jobs, comparison of salaries, comparisons of children, comparisons of appearance.. You get the point. Comparison never ends well. This has been the hardest thing for me to learn. That I'm good enough the way I am. That God created me and designed me. And that the only thing that matters is the AUDIENCE of ONE   ·      God's grace is always present. Cain killed someone. The typical punishment for murder would have been death, but God doesn't do that. He makes him a nomad. Even then, Cain is highly distressed that he won't be safe out wandering the area alone. He is worried about being attacked or killed out in the world. So God extends more grace by giving him some kind of mark that would protect him for the remainder of his days.   No matter what we've done, no matter what's been done to us, no matter how dire our circumstances may seem, God's grace is always present. God's grace was extended to Cain, God's grace was extended to the complaining Israelites over and over again, God's grace was extended to David, God's grace was offered to the world through Jesus' death on the cross, God's grace is available to us today.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki    

Daily Dose of Hope August 7, 2026   Scripture: Genesis 3   Prayer: Heavenly Father, you are almighty and all-powerful.  You are God of all and yet you care for us.  Thank you, Lord.  Help us settle our scattered thoughts and be silent before you...Thank you, Jesus.  Please guide us as we reflect on your Word today.  Meet us in the midst of our reading and this devotional.  In Your Name, Amen.      Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.  We started a new reading plan this week – a deep dive into Genesis and Exodus.  Today's reading was Genesis 3.   Genesis 3 describes what we typically call the fall.  God had designed a perfect world for Adam and Eve. That was the original design. They had food to eat. They wandered around talking to God. There was nothing bad, no sickness, no pain, no problems. Life was perfect. The only thing they couldn't do was decide for themselves the difference between right and wrong – that was God's job.  And while the whole garden was theirs, there was one tree that was off limits.  We could blame Adam and Eve's disobedience on the serpent – I mean, he was crafty.  But it was really their fault.  They knew the rules.  They chose to go a different way.  They rejected God.  They failed to trust that he knew best.   God could have designed it so that Adam and Eve would have been forced to love him and follow his rules. But God wanted them, just like he wants us, to actually choose to love him. Think about what it would be like if you could force someone to love you – is that really love? No, of course not. And God wanted humans to have free choice and to freely choose to follow him. He wanted people to choose to reciprocate his love. Adam and Eve had a choice – they could choose God's path or their own.  When they chose their own way, that is the fall, that is when sin entered the world.   And when sin entered the world with Adam, it became pervasive.  If you compare sin to a disease, there became a pandemic of sin--- it was like Adam messed up and everyone after him did too; everyone after him became infected.  It also certainly pointed out humanity's rebellious nature.  This follows us everywhere.  We will see it in the chapters to come, in all of the Bible, and we see it around the world today.  Sin is everywhere and the consequences of sin are everywhere.  And it gets in the way of our relationship with God.    There is only one answer to sin and that's Jesus.  But more about that to come.   Let's now move into our going deeper discussion with Emmy Roberts...

Daily Dose of Hope August 6, 2026   Scripture: Genesis 2   Prayer:  Holy God, We come before you today rejoicing in your powerful name.  Thank you for who you are and all you do.  Thank you for loving us.  Help us gather our scattered thoughts, help us set aside distractions, and truly focus on you right now.  In these next few moments of silence, Lord, we want to hear your voice...In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.  We have just begun a new reading plan – a deep dive into Genesis and Exodus.    Yesterday, we talked about the first creation narrative in Genesis 1 and the concept of creation in general.  Genesis 2 actually begins with the end of the first creation narrative.  It says that on the seventh day, God rested after doing all the work of creation.  It then reads, ... God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. I want to be clear here.  God didn't rest because he was tired and needed a nap.  God does not get tired, God never grows weary.  God rested to create a model, or template, for us.  We work for six days and on the seventh day, we rest.  And then God reiterates this in the Ten Commandments, as the fourth commandment is to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.    What is your experience with Sabbath?  I'll be honest.  Until a few years ago, I just didn't take it that seriously.  I guess I treated it like a suggestion.  If I needed to work, I worked.  In ministry, you can literally work every day, all day long, if you so choose.  There is always plenty to do.  But then God got a hold of me.  I was tired and drained, I knew something had to give.  I was not keeping Sabbath.    What I learned is that Sabbath is a gift.  It's a command but it's also a gift that God gives us.  We are more than what we produce.  Our identity is found in God, not in what we do.  I had to learn to trust God to make sure that on my Sabbath, the rest of the world would not fall apart.  That sounds silly, but I do think when we don't remember Sabbath, it's a lack of trust.  But God can take care of it.  He can take care of all of it.  Okay, off the soapbox.  Let's move on.   By verse 4 of chapter 2, we begin the second creation narrative.  Notice the sequence of creation is very different than in chapter 1.  Then, we are introduced to the Garden of Eden and Adam and Eve.  Genesis 2 provides a picture of how humans are put in this perfect place, Eden, and given full access to their loving creator.  God is seen as a craftsman, a gardener, and even a builder.  Think about it, God created a perfect world for Adam and Eve, a world without greed, violence, pollution, or death.  It was perfect:  the people of God in the place of God dwelling in the presence of God.  They had community with one another and lived with no shame.  They could do anything they wanted except decide for themselves what is good and what is evil (that was Yahweh's responsibility) AND we know that didn't turn out so well (more on that tomorrow).    Just because creation narrative 1 and 2 are different, does not mean they conflict.  In fact, they were intended to complement each other.  They weren't placed side by side in Genesis by accident.  Remember, the Bible is not a scientific text.  It wasn't intended to provide dates, times, or geological evidence.  It is theological – it teaches us about God and his relationship to us.  In Genesis 1, we get the intro creation narrative.  It really sets us the whole Bible.  Then, in Genesis 2, we learn about Adam and Eve placed in Eden.  We get a picture of God's desire for humans to be in community.  We also get a picture for God's perfect design for his world.  He never intended the world to be broken and sinful – that happens because of our rebelliousness.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope August 5, 2026   Scripture: Genesis 1   Prayer:  Holy God, We come before you with humility and expectation as we start a new reading plan, going deep into Genesis and Exodus.  Thank you for the opportunity to read your Word and hear your voice.  We want to hear from you today.    Thank you for another day, another chance to be a change agent in our world, your world.  Guide us, Lord.  Guide our words, actions, and thoughts.  We want to be more like you.  Help us see others as you see them.  We love you.  Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.  Today, we begin a new reading plan – a deep dive into Genesis and Exodus.  So, we get to go back to the very beginning, really the very beginning of all time – Genesis 1.    In Genesis 1, we read about God creating the world and everything in it in six days and resting on the seventh day (the rest portion is actually in Genesis 2).  God declares everything he made good and the humans were very good.  The human beings were actually made in God's image.  The Scripture is very clear on this.  To be made in God's image is to be made to reflect God's character and values.  And because we are made in his image, this means we have inherent worth.  All human beings, every single person, has value and worth because they are made in the image of the Almighty God.    This text gives a beautiful over-arching picture of creation, emphasizing the transcendence of God, and it provides the introduction for the rest of the book of Genesis and the Bible as a whole.  As we move into Genesis 2 tomorrow, you will see that there really are two different creation accounts.  The purpose of each creation story is different but I believe they actually complement one another.  We will get into that a bit more tomorrow.   What I really want to focus on today is the concept of creation itself because it sets the scene for the whole Biblical narrative.  Just for some context, the Bible wasn't intended to be a science textbook.  The author of Genesis wasn't concerned with chronological or geological details.  The right question for us to ask is not HOW exactly did creation occur.  The author wasn't trying to give us a good answer about dinosaurs or young earth or old earth.  Rather, this was about explaining the truth about who God is and what God expects of his people.  The question is not HOW but WHO and WHY.    It was Yahweh, GOD, who created.  That is clear from the very beginning.  God created the heavens and the earth and then everything on the earth.  But why?    And this is a hugely important question.  Let's start here:  God didn't "need" creation.  He didn't need us; he wasn't lonely.  He didn't create us because he needed a friend.  Maybe that sounds silly but it is critical.  The Biblical picture we have of God is that he is complete and sufficient and flawless, and without any defect or deficiency. That means, before creation and apart from creation, God was completely and flawlessly God.  Remember, he said I AM who I AM.  And the doctrine of the Trinity, which we tend to struggle with, it helps explain God's self-sufficiency.  God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  There was already fellowship there.  Because the Trinity implies in the relationships between the Father and the Son and the Spirit is that God is love and has always been love. 1 John 4:16 emphasizes that , "God is love." Before there was even a world to love, God was love.   Okay – then why did God create?  Colossians 1:16 reads, For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. Through him and for him.    I think this is kind of a simplistic analogy but it helps me understand this concept.  Often, when we get married, we have a desire to have children.  I think about Richard and myself.  We knew from the beginning that we wanted to try to have a family.  Why?  Because it was an expression of our love.  Putting our labor and emotions into our family was about love. We didn't have to have children, we didn't necessarily need children, but we truly wanted to have them.  We chose to have them. Creation was an expression of God's amazing love too.  Even though God does not need us, He wanted us.  Just like we are still kind of obsessed with our kids' lives because we love them so dearly, God is still intensely interested in our lives. He deeply and tenderly loves us beyond comprehension—not because He has to (out of need), but because He chooses to (out of love).  "The LORD your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing" (Zephaniah 3:17).  God rejoices in us!   Creation was also an expression of God's glory. "Glory" describes all the things God is full of—it includes his love but it is also his wisdom, creativity, beauty, strength, compassion—all the things that make him weighty and wonderful, made manifest for us to see and experience.     Throughout the Bible, we see Scripture telling us that God created to demonstrate his glory.  Psalm 19:1, The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.  Why is it that we see a beautiful sunset and we are in awe?  Or we look at snow-capped mountains and their majesty and we just feel the presence of God in our midst?  Or we experience childbirth and we marvel at how it all worked out so beautifully and perfectly and we say, wow – this didn't happen by chance.  This was not an accident.  Because all of creation – from gorgeous mountains to stars to a beautiful butterfly to the birth of a baby to scientific principles like gravity --- they all declare God's glory, his wisdom, his beauty, and his love, for this world.  When have your experienced God's glory in creation?   We'll stop there for today.  Looking forward to tomorrow!   Blessings, Pastor Vicki    

Daily Dose of Hope August 4, 2026   Scripture: 2 Kings 25   Prayer:  Holy God, We come before you today distracted and with scattered thoughts.  Help us focus, Lord, on you and your Word.  Help us, in the next few moments, to be silent, still, and remember that you are God...Thank you, Lord, for your care and concern for our lives.  Thank you for how you show up in amazing and unexpected ways!  We give you glory, Lord Jesus.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.  Today, we are finishing up the book of 2 Kings.  I think by this time, most of us know that the ending is not going to be a happy one – necessary yes but happy no.  Just a reminder, tomorrow we will be beginning our deep dive into Genesis and Exodus and we will start at the very, very beginning, Genesis 1.  Hope you will join us.   Today's reading is 2 Kings 25.  It appears the end has come.  The king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, came and surrounded Jerusalem.  That meant no food could come in and after several months, the people were starving.  Eventually, the Judean army broke through the wall and fled.  But it was pointless.  The Babylonians caught up with them.  King Zedekiah was arrested.  His sons were killed in front of him and his eyes were gouged out.  Not very pretty.   The remaining treasures were taken apart and carried off to Babylon and then the Temple, the palace, and the homes were all burned.  Only the poorest of the poor remained.  Jerusalem was now a sad shell of itself, just as God told them it would be.   So what can we learn from this?   1.        Sin has consequences.  That seems to be the most prominent theme. 2.        Human kings have nothing on God.  Human kingship and wealth will only get you so far.  God is in control over everyone and everything.  3.        So many people start well and end poorly.  We see this throughout the Bible.  How will we ensure that we end well? 4.        God's purpose will always prevail.  And that brings me great peace, because I know that God is totally loving, just, and filled with truth and grace.  We can trust Him and his purposes. 5.        Be thankful for Jesus.  We live on the other side of the cross.  We have been offered forgiveness and mercy even though we don't deserve it.  Thank you, Jesus.   Join us for Genesis 1 tomorrow.    Blessings, Pastor Vicki          

Daily Dose of Hope August 3, 2026   Scripture: 2 Kings 24   Prayer:  Lord Jesus, How thankful I am that we live on the other side of the cross and that your grace is incredibly abundant. And yet, I know that you still allow me to experience the consequences of my behavior; there is still accountability. Lord, help me grow to reflect you more and to gradually live a life characterized by your holiness rather than my own inclination to sin. More of you, less of me. Amen   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope church daily Bible reading plan.  We are almost done with 2 Kings after a summer of learning about the divided kingdom, the various kings, and the exile.  Starting Wednesday, we will be deep diving into Genesis and Exodus.  Hope you will stay with us for that.  Emmy Roberts has agreed to keep up our Friday going deeper discussion.  I've loved my chats with her and I hope you do too.   For hundreds and hundreds of years, God warned his people: Obey the covenant, do not worship other gods, do not neglect the poor. And with just a few exceptions, the people disobeyed. There were judges and prophets sent to warn the people. In fact, there was no shortage of warnings. Yet, the people continued to turn away from God, to be influenced by the culture around them, and to follow the ways of the pagans.   In today's Scripture, 2 Kings 24, we see God lifting his hand of protection. His people have not held up their end of the covenant and he is finally allowing them to experience the consequences of their actions. It's hard to read and yet, we know it had to happen for the next stage of the journey to occur.   Let's talk a little bit about the invasion.  When Nebuchadnezzar invaded Judah, King Jehoiakim became his vassal for three years. To be a vassal meant that Judah was subject to Babylon and under its control.  For some context, Nebuchadnezzar came against Jerusalem because the Pharaoh of Egypt invaded Babylon. In response, Nebuchadnezzar defeated the Egyptians and then he pursued their fleeing army all the way down to the Sinai (that's why in verse 7 it mentions that the Egyptian ruler does not come out of his country again – he's been thoroughly defeated).  On the way back, Babylon conquers Jerusalem, who had been loyal to the Egyptian Pharoah.   There will be two more invasions.  In fact, the siege on Jerusalem takes about one year.    King Jehoiachin follows Jehoiakim and not surprisingly, he is also evil.  He actually surrenders to Nebuchadnezzar, hoping to appease him in some way.  But that doesn't happen.  King Jehoiachin is taken captive and sent back to Babylon, as are thousands of Jerusalem's best and brightest.  All the wealthy and skilled people are exiled into Babylon and the treasures found in the Temple are carried off as well.  Jerusalem is impoverished of resources and skill.  Among the captives was the prophet Ezekiel, who wrote his book of while in captivity in Babylon.   Since Nebuchadnezzar has now completely humbled Judah, he puts a king on the throne whom he was pretty sure would submit to Babylon. He chose the uncle of Jehoiachin, and called him Zedekiah.  Shocking, he also did evil in the eyes of the Lord.  By this point, God is done.  The Scripture says he finally cast them out from His presence.   The final line of the chapter says that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.  I think we learn more about that tomorrow, in the final chapter.    And once again, we learn that sin has consequences.  God has a tolerance for just so much, and then he is done.  And he is sovereign so he can and will do anything among the nations to make his plan unfold.  We see this here.  Now I don't know about you, but I am incredibly thankful for living on the other side of the cross.  We know grace.  That doesn't mean that sin still doesn't have consequences though.  How have you seen this in your own life?   Tomorrow is the end of 2 Kings.  This should be interesting.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki      

Daily Dose of Hope July 31, 2026 Scripture: 2 Kings 23 Prayer: Holy and Perfect God, Thank you for your divine plan.  Thank you for not giving up on your people and sending Jesus.  Your love and care for us is hard to comprehend.  Help us be a better reflection of your love in all we do.  Amen. Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible reading plan.  We have been on this really incredible journey, reading 1 & 2 Kings.  It's almost over.  I don't know about you, but I have found these books to be challenging but filled with truth.  They've been challenging because we have encountered so much evil, which often feels unnecessary.  But there is truth – God's intolerance for evil and sin but also his mercy.  He gives so many chances.  But he has his limits, and we are getting close to that place with Judah.  But for now, we get to sit with King Josiah, who actually wants to do the right thing.  It's so refreshing! Today's chapter is 2 Kings 23.  It becomes evident just how prevalent and extensive the worship of other gods had become in Judah. There were altars to other gods throughout the land, in people's homes, and even in the temple of the Lord! After generations of sinful kings, idolatry had become a regular part of their culture. Josiah cleans everything up. He destroys the high places, he gets rid of every form of pagan worship, including temple prostitutes, pagan priests, and all those horrible altars. While Josiah was faithful and did all he could to renew the covenant with God, it simply wasn't enough. Despite repeated warnings, the kings and people of Judah had failed to uphold the covenant. They had disobeyed God over and over again. Josiah's best efforts couldn't make up for the hundreds of years of sin. God honored Josiah's faithfulness, however, and ensured that he would not see the destruction to come. We see Josiah killed in this chapter. I don't know about you but I immediately got a sense of foreboding, knowing that things are about to get really bad for Judah. The scene has been set and we are about the watch it play out. With that, let's start our going deeper with Emmy Roberts. Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope July 30, 2026   Scripture: 2 Kings 22   Prayer:  Almighty God, I come before you today with a sense of gratefulness.  You are Lord of all and yet you care for me.  Thank you, Lord.  Help me walk through this day with humility and your wisdom; help me represent you well.  Lord, in these next few moments of silence, help me gather my scattered thoughts, I want to hear your voice...Come Holy Spirit, and guide this time.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Bible reading plan.  We are getting very close to the end of 2 Kings.  It's been quite a journey!  I would love to hear your thoughts and feedback.  What have you learned from 1 & 2 Kings?   Today's reading is 2 Kings 22.  In this chapter, we meet King Josiah. To say Josiah was the product of a dysfunctional family would be a gross understatement. His grandfather was evil and his father was evil. They worshiped other gods; they did everything wrong in the eyes of Yahweh. His father was so disliked that his own servants end up assassinating him. I can only imagine how terrible it was to live in the palace at the time. Josiah comes to the throne at age eight.   Today's Scripture says that he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. I can't help but wonder how Josiah knew to follow Yahweh. We really don't know many details about his life. But somehow, someway, Josiah knew right from wrong and chose to do right. At age eighteen, he starts to rebuild the temple (which had fallen into disrepair after so many sinful kings), and the Book of the Law is discovered. Josiah tears his clothing, a sign of grief and sorrow, when he hears the words of the law read aloud and realizes just how far the nation of Judah had drifted from God's standard.   A couple things jump out at me after reading today's text. First, just because someone's family is dysfunctional, abusive, evil, or lost, doesn't mean they are doomed to the same fate. Josiah's family history was atrocious but he didn't fall into the same pattern as his father and grandfather. We serve a God who redeems people, rescues, provides freedom and a path for true transformation. Maybe you grew up in a really messy family situation; that does not define you! Who you are in Jesus Christ is what truly defines you. Partnering with God, your legacy can be different from your past. There is always hope, always room for redemption.   One other reflection from this text is that the Word of God read aloud has power. When Josiah heard the Book of the Law read for the first time, he was forever changed. He was repentant. He was convicted. His heart was transformed and he had the desire to serve God and lead others to do the same. Never discount the power of God's Word.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope July 29, 2026   Scripture: 2 Kings 21   Prayer: Abba Father, We come to you today with gratitude.  Thank you for loving us.  Thank you for wanting a relationship with us. Thank you for never leaving our side.  Thank you for giving us glimpses of how this world is supposed to be.  Help us to follow you more closely, Lord.  We need your truth.  We need your guidance and direction.  With every fiber of our being, we need you.  As we read your Word today and reflect on it, Lord, speak to us.  Help us grow closer to you.  Let us know where we are falling short so that we can be the people you have called us to be.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Bible reading plan.  We are currently in 2 Kings, getting close to the end of the chapter.  In fact, we have four chapters left after today.  On August 5, we will be starting a deep dive into Genesis and Exodus.  Hope you will join us for that as well.   Today's chapter is 2 Kings 21.  After Hezekiah, his son takes over.  King Manasseh is almost the opposite of this father.  He is really, really evil – worshipping other gods, putting altars to other gods in the Temple, sacrificing human beings, shedding innocent blood, the list goes on and on.    I can't help but wonder how Manasseh got to be so evil.  He had a pretty good role model in Hezekiah.  Who were his other influences?  What was his family life like?  He came to the throne at twelve, very young really.  Did he have any relationship at all with his dad?  When someone is that evil, you can't help wonder how he got that way.   We don't get a lot of details about Manasseh in this chapter.  But 2 Chronicles 33 gives more information.  In 2 Chronicles, we read about how God's anger led him to allow Manasseh to be taken by the Assyrians into Babylon and he was treated like an animal.  It was at that point that Manasseh cries out to the one true God and God hears his cries.  God allows him to return to Jerusalem and gave him back the kingdom.  It was at that time that Manasseh really changed his ways.  He no longer worshiped other gods but only the one true God.  He removed the desecration in the temple and restored the proper altar.  He appears, at least according to the chronicler, to be a changed man.  This seems like such a significant life transformation that one wonders why the author of 2 Kings did not mention it.  What are your guesses?   But today we also learn about Amon, Manasseh's son.  He is evil through and through, learning from his father's early days.  I wonder how much parenting actually went on between a king and his son.  It seems that good kings had bad kids and bad kings sometimes had good kids.  With so many wives and concubines, I can't help but think most of the parenting was done by the moms and probably hired help.  These women were usually pagans, having a huge influence on these kids.  The situation was far from ideal.  The fate of the nation really fell to men who were often parented by pagans and probably given everything they wanted.  Y'all, leadership really matters.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope July 28, 2026   Scripture: 2 Kings 20   Prayer:  Lord Jesus, Help us be productive members of your Kingdom.  I know we fall short.  I know we mess up.  Call us, let us hear your voice, and we will respond.  We will say yes.  Give us the courage and boldness to be the people you called us to be.  We love you, Lord.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Bible reading plan.  We are currently in 2 Kings, getting close to the end of the chapter.  It's been quite a journey!  I would love to hear your thoughts and feedback.  What have you learned from 1 & 2 Kings? Today's reading is 2 Kings 20.  Hezekiah gets very ill.  The Scripture doesn't mention what kind of sickness, but it is assumed he will die.  In fact, God says he is going to die.  But Hezekiah prays fervently to the Lord and God hears his pleas.  He agrees to add fifteen years to King Hezekiah's life.  But then something kind of strange occurs.  Envoys from Babylon come to visit Hezekiah.  The Scripture says they heard that the king was ill and came bearing gifts.  Hezekiah decides to show the Babylonian guests everything in his palace and storehouses.  They basically got a thorough tour of all the treasures of Judah.  What in the world led Hezekiah to do this?  Was he bragging?  Was he trying to show them he has just as much wealth as Babylon?  When Isaiah finds out what occurred, he prophecies that there will be a time in which the Babylonians will take everything from the palace and treasuries.  Now the Babylonians are paying Hezekiah tribute, but soon it will go the other way.  Even some of his descendants will be taken to Babylon to serve the king there.  Of course, we know this happens when the Babylonians conquer Judah and carry off their best and brightest into exile in Babylon.  And then we get this reaction from Hezekiah that is totally self-centered.  He hears about the coming destruction and all he can say is, "Well, at least it won't happen in my lifetime."  There is no sorrow or remorse, just relief that he won't be part of it. Hezekiah started out so well – what has become of him? Hezekiah's end, like the end of so many kings, points to the truth that human kings are deeply flawed.  We need someone stronger, better, someone who can truly save us.  We need the King of Kings, Jesus Christ.  Only he can save us.   Blessings Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope July 27, 2026   Scripture: 2 Kings 19   Prayer:  Almighty God, Thank you for today and new week.  Thank you for providing for us, caring for us, and protecting us.  Over thousands upon thousands of years, you have taken care of your people.  We give you glory and praise, for who you are.  Thank you, most of all, for sending Jesus, who moved into our neighborhood so that we could begin to understand your love.  Wow.  There are no words to adequately thank you for the sacrifice that saved our lives.  Lord Jesus, we love you and we thank you.  Help us grow in holiness, continue to transform us so we can be a better reflection of you.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible reading plan.  What a great summer in the Word it has been.  We have been working our way through 1 & 2 Kings.  There is so much substance in these books.  On the surface, you might not think so, but we learn a lot about God's intolerance for sin, but also his deep mercy for his people.  Our reading for today is 2 Kings 19.   In today's chapter, the Assyrians are just chomping at the bit to conquer Judah.  King Hezekiah and his leaders are grieving and pleading before the Lord.  They have put on ash and sackcloth.  Someone wanting to show a deeply repentant heart would often wear sackcloth, sit in ashes, and put ashes on top of his head. Sackcloth was a coarse material usually made of black goat's hair, making it quite uncomfortable to wear. The ashes signified desolation and ruin.    In an effort to seek Godly wisdom, they go to the prophet Isaiah.  Isaiah, not surprisingly, says that God will not allow the Assyrians to conquer them.  But the Assyrian king taunts them in a letter, asking how in the world they think their God can defeat the mighty Assyria.  Hezekiah's reaction is moving.  He takes the letter and lays it out before the Lord.  Humbly (key word there), Hezekiah asks the Lord to deliver them from the hands of the Assyrians.   And God answers.  God is responding to the Assyrians' letter with his own taunts.  He is quite clear that he despises the Assyrians' mockery and he will take care of them.  Judah will come out on top and it will be clear that God Almighty is the one who accomplished it.   Sure enough, an angel of the Lord ensures that 185,000 Assyrian soldiers die in their camp that night, so many that they must withdraw.  And then Sennacherib, the Assyrian king, is killed by his own sons.    Judah is the victor.  God has saved them.   There are certain things that really stand out to me in this chapter.  The first is that arrogance does not pay.  Assyria was so full of themselves that they did not and could not even conceive of anyone beating them.  Arrogance and pride will always lead to negative consequences.  Humility is difficult but this is what Jesus modeled for us.  Is there any arrogance or pride that needs to be rooted out of your life?   Second, I was so impressed and moved by how Hezekiah just laid everything out before the Lord.  He knew that Judah was weak and had no power.  But God has plenty of power.  He simply gave it to the Lord and asked for his help.  He surrendered it to God.  God hears and responds. How many of us have something we need to surrender to the Lord right now?   Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope July 24, 2026   Scripture: 2 Kings 18   Prayer:  Lord, our Lord, How majestic is your name in all the earth!  We magnify your precious and powerful name.  How often we forget how mighty you are.  You created all.  You created us.  Thank you, Lord, for who you are.  Most of all, thank you for loving us with all our flaws and brokenness.  In all we do, in who we are, help us to be more like you.  We pray for humility, mercy, and compassion.  Help us see others through your eyes.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible reading.  We've been going through 1 & 2 Kings and it has been quite challenging, mainly because the content is heavy and disturbing.  Yesterday, we read about the demise of the Northern Kingdom.  Today, we get a bit of hope. Today's reading is 2 Kings 18.  Can we all breathe a collective sigh of relief that there is finally a good king who does what is right in the eyes of the Lord?  I mean, King Hezekiah even tears down the altars in the high places, which the other good kings do not do.  This guy is different, we can tell this from the start. But that doesn't mean he won't be challenged.  Assyria is literally breathing down his neck.  This is a great text and we get to see what happens on Monday!  But now, it's time for our going deeper time with Emmy Roberts.  Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope July 23, 2026   Scripture: 2 Kings 17   Prayer:  Dear Holy God, Your love is amazing.  Thank you for the way you care for us.  In these next few moments of silence, Lord, help us focus on you...Lord Jesus, help us set aside every distraction and take this time to lean on you.  We want to hear your voice.  Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible reading.  We are about two-thirds done with 2 Kings and this has been quite a journey. Today's reading, 2 Kings 17, is what we have been dreading.  The kings are once again leading the people astray.  In the north and the south, they are worshiping other gods, committing child sacrifice, and they have set up altars in the high places.  Both nations are depending on the protection of the pagan nations around them.  They are paying tribute to some and not others, and the political consequences are bad.  God allows Aram and Israel to conquer Judah, and the casualties are significant, although God doesn't allow them to be totally decimated. But destruction does occur in Israel.  All the disobedience, the years of pushing God away, the horrific kings over generations, and the constant warnings that were not heeded, it has all come to a head.  The Assyrians have taken over.  While there is priest allowed to stay to teach the people about their God, it's a warped Judaism mixed with pagan influences.  This is the end of the Northern Kingdom.  I had always been taught that once the Assyrians conquered the Northern Kingdom, that was basically the end of them.  The Assyrians were known for their brutality and moving the native people out of their land, sending their own people to populate it.  But we do see here that some Israelites stay.  Again, Chronicles helps fill in some of the gaps.  Hezekiah (who we will read about tomorrow) invites many from the north to settle in Judah after the Assyrians take over the north and they take him up on that offer.  Most likely, many of the residents stayed, mixing with the new immigrants from Assyrian lands.  This helps make sense of why the Samaritans were so despised in Jesus' time by the Jews.  They were not pure Jews, having many different mixed cultural and religious influences. While this chapter was expected, it is also incredibly sad.  There is a high cost to disobedience.  God offered so much mercy, giving many chances, and sending many prophets to warn the kings and the people.  But they just didn't listen.  Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope July 22, 2026   Scripture: 2 Kings 16   Prayer: Lord Jesus, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, We give you all the glory and praise.  Thank you for being a God who provides.  Thank you for being a God who heals.  Thank you for being a God who sees past our brokenness and invites us into relationship with you.  Help us, Lord, to grow more deeply in love with you every day.  More of you and less of me.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.  We have been working our way through both 1 & 2 Kings this summer and today's reading was 2 Kings 16.   In this chapter, the author's attention turns back to Judah, the Southern Kingdom.  Jotham's son, Ahaz, is abhorrently evil.  I can't help but wonder – his dad was pretty good and did the right thing, what happened to him?  Jotham had learned from his father's failings and tried to do better.  Ahaz seems to have taken an entirely different route.   King Ahaz, while he ruled in Judah, decided to follow the ways of the kings of Israel.  When he feels threatened by the kings around him, he doesn't turn to God but rather tries to bribe Assyria for protection.  He worships the Lord but also worships Baal, seemingly trying to cover all his bases.  He engages in child sacrifice and he destroys parts of the temple, even building a new altar.  He does what is utterly detestable in the eyes of God.  Thus, God allows him to be conquered by the pagan kings around him.    Judah may last a little longer than Israel but sin and evil are also finding their way to the Southern Kingdom.   Interestingly, this is the period when Isaiah enters the scene.  There are prophecies about the end of Judah during the reigns of these kings we have been learning about.  In Isaiah 7, God sends Isaiah to give Ahaz a sign.  This is where we get the Immanuel prophecy.  It basically says that Judah will see its demise and be conquered but God isn't done with them.  There will be redemption.  We know that redemption to be our Messiah, Jesus Christ.    It's so interesting.  In the midst of real tragedy, there is still hope.  The average person probably couldn't see it at the time, but we can see how God never stopped being part of the situation.    I think that might be something we need to hear right now.  Even when things seem really, really bad with all kinds of violence and immorality, God is still at work.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki          

Daily Dose of Hope July 21, 2026   Scripture:  2 Kings 15   Prayer:  Holy God, You are so good.  Forgive us for the many times we fall short.  Forgive us when we are overcome with selfishness and pride, when we put worldly things and people before you.  Help us to look to you and you alone for strength, wisdom, and guidance.  Give us a repentant heart that wants to follow your ways.  Jesus, we need you.  It's in your name we pray, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.  We have been working our way through both 1 & 2 Kings this summer and today's reading was 2 Kings 15.   Things aren't going so well in Israel, in the Northern Kingdom.  King after king is evil.  King after king, there is warfare, bloodshed, and idolatry.  This is what happens when God's people turn from him.  In a span of just a few decades, four consecutive kings (Zechariah, Shallum, Pekahiah, and Pekah) are violently assassinated by their successors. This is feeling like a really gruesome Hollywood movie, and it was real!  It feels like we are getting very close to the end of the Northern Kingdom.   The Southern Kingdom has a little more stability.  King Azariah takes the throne at age 16.  Just so you know, Azariah and Uzziah are the same person.  This created some confusion for me.  Uzziah is mainly the name used in Chronicles and Azariah is mainly the name used in Kings.  I say mainly because Uzziah is used in today's chapter when introducing his son, Jotham.  Probably the best explanation is that Azariah was his birth name and Uzziah was the name he took when becoming king.    Regardless of what name we call him, he was a man who started well and ended poorly.  2 Kings says that Azariah is struck with leprosy but doesn't mention why.  2 Chronicles goes into more details.  The king had a fair amount of military and political success and it's possible that it went to his head.  He was yet another king who didn't think the rules were for him.  He wanted more authority.  So, he enters the Temple and burns incense in a place where only the priests were allowed to go.  The priest who catches him (also named Azariah for lots of confusion) stands up to the king and ordered him out of the Temple. This was the king's chance to quickly leave and repent for his wrongdoing. Instead, Azariah/Uzziah becomes enraged that the priest dared to question him. As the king stood in the Temple, leprosy broke out on his forehead. He was shut out of the Temple and spent the rest of his life in isolation, banned from public worship or even normal human socialization. His son, Jotham, handles the affairs of government.   Jotham seemed to learn from his father's mistakes and does what is right in the Lord's eyes.  Overall, he ended well, even though he didn't totally clean out the pagan idols in the high places.  Not totally getting rid of the pagan temples and altars will not end well for Judah in the years to come.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki    

Daily Dose of Hope July 20, 2026   Scripture:  2 Kings 14   Prayer: Lord, Forgive us for the many times in which we have put other things in front of you. Help us have laser focus on who we are. We belong to you. We are a chosen people and a royal priesthood. We are yours. More of you and less of me, Jesus. Amen   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.  We have been working our way through both 1 & 2 Kings this summer and today's reading was 2 Kings 14. And the drama continues. Aram/Syria has been weakened considerably, which should have been quite a relief to both Israel and Judah. They could have used this time to get their act together, both spiritually and governmentally. But they don't. Instead, they begin to torment one another.   The king of Judah challenges the king of Israel. Why in the world did he do this? Israel was larger and probably much stronger. Did Amaziah, the king of Judah, simply get the big head after the defeat of Edom?  That is part of it, but we get a fuller picture when we look at 2 Chronicles 25.  As we read, Amaziah was initially a fairly good king.  He did what was right in the eyes of God. But after the defeat of Edom, 2 Chronicles details how Amaziah brings back Edomite idols and worships them. A prophet confronts him for this, but Amaziah arrogantly rejects God's warning.  He seems to think himself untouchable.  But the confrontation ends up being a disaster for Judah.   Israel's army comes marching into Judah, tears down part of the wall surrounding Jerusalem, captures Ahaziah, takes some hostages, and plunders the silver and gold out of the temple. In 2 Chronicles 25, we read that God allowed this punishing defeat because of King Ahaziah's blatant idolatry. But this would have certainly been humiliating for the king. It's unclear, but the text (when we look at 2 Kings 14 and 2 Chronicles 25 together) suggests that King Ahaziah may have been held as a hostage for years. While he may have officially still been the king of Judah, Ahaziah lost his grip on leadership of the nation.   God is serious about not worshiping other gods. I might venture to say that God holds his leaders even more accountable to living with integrity. Think about your life. My guess is that you don't bow down and worship other gods, such as in this Old Testament text. But there are certainly lots of false gods all around us. What have we allowed to enter our lives that could be seen as a false god? What have we put before the one true God, Yahweh?   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope July 17, 2026   Scripture:  2 Kings 13   Prayer: Lord, We thank you that you are a God of miracles. For the people reading this devotional today, I'm sure that many of them need a miracle of some kind. Give them the courage to ask and the faith to believe that you can do anything. You are all-powerful and totally good. We need you, Lord, and we need your healing power in our lives. May it be so. In Your Name, Amen   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.  We have been working our way through both 1 & 2 Kings this summer and today's reading was 2 Kings 13, smack dab in the middle of the book.  In this chapter, we are back to the Northern Kingdom.  There is a lot of king drama here.  Over and over again, the kings do evil in the eyes of the Lord.  Truly, it's amazing God didn't just strike them down right there.  But he continued to show grace in so many ways.  The kings and people would worship others gods and do deplorable things in the eyes of the Lord.  But God had compassion on them because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  It was because of the faithfulness of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that God did not destroy all the people.  Because he certainly could have.    So, I started thinking about this.  Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were far from perfect people.  They were broken, just like us, but they also did their best to stay true to the Lord.  They stayed faithful.  Maybe this sounds strange, but this gave me a lot of encouragement.  We are all sinful, we all mess up, but our desire to remain faithful to God does not go unnoticed.  What difference will our faithfulness have on future generations?  How will God have compassion on future generations because we tried, in our own flawed way, to stay true to Him?  How will our spiritual legacy make a difference?  It's worth spending some time thinking about.    This chapter also discusses the death of Elisha.  This is so fascinating – yes, he has physically died but not even death stops his ministry. His prophecy about Syria obviously plays out but he is still actually doing miracles. When a group of Israelites were burying a corpse, they are interrupted by a group of Moabite raiders. Hastily, they throw the corpse into Elisha's grave, presumably on top of his bones. The dead man is revived. Elisha has continued to give life to Israel, even after death.   More king drama on Monday.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope July 16, 2026   Scripture:  2 Kings 12   Prayer: Dear God, We come to you in repentance.  We are sinful and broken people.  We fall short over and over again.  Lord, how we need you.  Help us to grow closer to you.  Help us seek holiness.  Help us love others the way you love them.  In these next few moments of silence, Lord, please help us set aside our scattered thoughts and focus on you...  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.  We have been working our way through both 1 & 2 Kings this summer and now we are in the middle of 2 Kings.  I just want to let you know that 2 Kings will carry us through August 4.  On August 5, we begin a deep dive into the book of Genesis.  So, I hope you all stick with us!   Today's text is 2 Kings 12.  This chapter details the reign of King Joash. He did the right thing in the eyes of God, as long as the priest Jehoiada was instructing him. But he never removed the high places, which were local shrines where the people generally worshiped false gods. He made some attempts to rebuild the temple and even created a new system to collect funds for temple repair.   Overall, the author is mostly positive about Joash.   Then, at the end of the chapter, we read about his demise. Just as he came to power in a coup, he is stripped of power with a coup. Some of his officials conspired against him and assassinated him.  His son succeeds him as king.   This was puzzling to me. Joash reigned for forty years. He was not perfect, but certainly far better than many of the kings who came before him. What happened? To get more details, we need to check out 2 Chronicles 24. Apparently, after the priest Jehoiada dies, Joash begins to allow idol worship again. He may have actually participated in it himself. To make everything a lot worse, Joash stones to death the priest (Jehoiada's son) who spoke out against the idol worship. His arrogance is atrocious. As a result, God allows him to be wounded in a battle with the Syrians and his officials finish him off. He is quite unpopular by the time he dies.   Needless to say, Joash ends badly, tragically even. When he had Jehoiada telling him what to do, he did okay. But when forced to stand on his own, he fell hard. He allowed pride, arrogance, and greed to overwhelm him toward the end of his rule. His potential was unfulfilled, his purpose thwarted, and his legacy marred.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope July 15, 2026   Scripture: 2 Kings 11   Prayer:  Lord Jesus, We rejoice in you.  We praise your name.  You are the Alpha and the Omega, the one who was, and is, and is to come.  We cannot possibly express our gratitude in words.  You have offered us mercy but you have also given us freedom.  Thank you for that.  Help us live like free people.  Help us demonstrate your love and grace to others who cross our path.  Help us see people through your eyes.  We love you, Lord.  Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.  This summer, we have been working our way through 1 & 2 Kings.  Today, we read 2 Kings 11.   2 Kings 11 shifts to the southern kingdom of Judah.  King Ahaziah was killed earlier by Jehu's forces. Because the royal line in Judah was devastated, Ahaziah's mother, the ruthless Athaliah (the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel), seized the opportunity to take power.  Athaliah murdered all the royal heirs of Judah to secure her reign. However, Ahaziah's sister, Jehosheba, managed to secretly rescue one of Ahaziah's infant sons, Joash (also known as Jehoash), and hide him in the Temple of the Lord for six years.   In the seventh year, one of the high priests (Jehoiada) decides it's time to take the throne back.  He forms a covenant with some of the commanders and arming them with King David's weapons which had been stored in the temple.  That's when they bring out Joash and declare him the new king.  That means he was all of seven years old.   Athaliah was killed and Jehoiada then made a covenant between the Lord and the king and people that they would be the Lord's people.  Thus, the temple of Baal was destroyed.  So this high priest cleaned up the land and ensured that one of King David's descendants remained on the throne.    Once again, we see how God keeps his promises.  For six years, it looked like David's line had been broken but through some faithful people and unusual circumstances, God protected little Joash and ensured that Judah would return to him, at least for a time.    I also love this story because it shows that individual people, like you and me, have the ability to be faithful influences.  The aunt of Joash who saved him and then the high priest Jehoiada both risked their lives to ensure God's purpose endured.  One person, no matter their status, has the ability to change the course of history.    Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope July 14, 2026   Scripture: 2 Kings 10   Prayer:  Holy God, You are a God of order and a God of purpose.  The world may seem chaotic, but you are not.  You have ordered your world with perfection.  Help us trust you.  Lord, fill us with your perfect peace.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.  This summer, we have been working our way through 1 & 2 Kings.  Today, we read 2 Kings 10.   In today's chapter, Jehu is now king of Israel.  He is truly bold and full of zeal.  He doesn't waste any time carrying out judgement against the house of Ahab.  He then takes it upon himself to kill the rest of Ahab's family, as was prophesied by Elijah.  There really wasn't any opposition.  All who had worked for or were related to Ahab seemed to know that their fate was assured.   Then, we find Jehu cleansing the land of Baal worship.  He gathers all the priests and servants of Baal together, saying they were going to honor the false god.  As we know, this was a very effective ruse which allowed the king and his men to kill all of the Baal prophets and worshipers at once.  It must have been horrifically violent and bloody.  What remained of the Baal temple became a public toilet.  Fitting, I guess.   But what I found interesting was Jehu's half-way obedience.  He got rid of Baal worship but he still allowed people to worship golden calves in Bethel and Dan.  What?  Getting rid of Ahab and the Baal lovers apparently benefitted Jehu financially and politically.  But he didn't go the extra mile to do the right thing if it didn't directly benefit him.    Thus, the reign of Jehu was both good and bad: ·      Jehu carried out God's will, but he went too far and executed more people than God intended. ·      Jehu carried out God's will, but he did it for personal glory and out of pride. ·      Jehu carried out God's will, but he only did it partially. He stopped the idolatry of Baal, but he continued the sinful idolatry of Jeroboam.    Jehu was only half committed to God.  He hated one sin but loved another.  He was obedient but too self-focused.  While we aren't as violent as Jehu, how many of us fall into these categories as well?   Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope July 13, 2026   Scripture: 2 Kings 9   Prayer:  Lord, It's easy to read about these sinful kings from long ago and think we are so much better. Forgive us, for I know we are kidding ourselves. Help us not indulge in such arrogant assumptions. Search our hearts, Lord, and cleanse us. Reveal to us how to live our lives in ways that honor you. Help us seek holiness in all we do. In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.  This summer, we have been working our way through 1 & 2 Kings.  Today, we read 2 Kings 9.   When Elijah died, there were a few things that God asked him to do that were left unfinished.  Thus, it fell to Elisha to complete these tasks.  In 1 Kings 19, the word of the Lord came to Elijah, telling him to anoint Elisha to take his place as prophet of Israel (this occurs later 1 Kings 19) and anoint Hazael king over Aram.  Elisha ends up completing this in 2 Kings 8.  He was also to anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi king over Israel.  Finally, Elijah prophesies that Ahab and Jezebel will both be killed and that the lineage of Ahab will be obliterated.   In today's chapter, Elisha finishes up the given tasks.  Jehu was a commander in King Ahab's army.  Elisha instructs a younger prophet to head to Jehu's camp in Ramoth Gilead (not sure why Elisha doesn't do this himself except that he may have been noticed too easily). Once there, the prophet was to inform Jehu that he would indeed become the next king of Israel and that this would happen in order to put an end Ahab's line. The prophet announces this to the commander and then exits, leaving Jehu to figure out how this might occur.   It appears he doesn't think too long about it because he actively seeks out King Joram (in the line of Ahab) and assassinates him.  Both Israel and Judah were at war with Aram. When Jehu finds King Joram of Israel, King Ahaziah of Judah was with him. With no hesitation, Jehu kills them both with his bow.  This means that both nations are stripped of their leaders, creating a dangerous power vacuum.   At the end of the chapter, Jezebel is also killed and her body is eaten by the wild dogs, so badly marred that she could not receive a proper burial.   And it is done, the prophecy is fulfilled.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope July 10, 2026   Scripture:  2 Kings 8   Prayer:  Lord Jesus, We give you glory and praise.  You are King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  Thank you for your giving your life for us.  Your love is overwhelming and all-encompassing.  As we think about our day and our week, help us focus on when we have seen your love at work.  Show us those moments when you were with us, walking alongside us, guiding us, directing our thoughts and our words.  Lord, how we need you.  How we yearn to see your glory.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.  We have been working our way through the Old Testament books of 1 & 2 Kings this summer.  Today, our reading is 2 Kings 8.   This is a chapter filled with much drama. Besides the first narrative about the Shunammite widow having her home and land restored to her (a beautiful picture of God's care for widows), the rest of the chapter is all about kings behaving badly. One king is killed by his lieutenant who then takes the throne. Other kings, even those with Godly fathers, were highly influenced by the house of Ahab and did evil in the eyes of the Lord. Over and over again, the kings disobey God, marry women who disobey God, and then create offspring who disobey God. It's a vicious cycle.   We also find a brief description of how Edom broke away from Judah, the southern Kingdom. The kings, with their messy, dramatic lives, operating far out of God's design, have made Judah a weak nation. Long gone are the days of David and Solomon. Now, Joram, king of Judah, can't get control of his people, his nation, and its various regions. There is chaos in Judah. Things aren't going to get much better.   Now, join us for our going deeper discussion with Emmy Roberts.   Blessings, Pastor

Daily Dose of Hope July 9, 2026   Scripture: 2 Kings 7   Prayer:  Lord God Almighty, You have given us everything.  Not only did you create the world, but you created us.  Everything we have is a gift from you.  Forgive us for when we begin to think that things are "ours."  Soften our hearts.  Help us become more generous.  Lord, I give you my whole self.  I want to offer myself as a living sacrifice; may I be pleasing in your sight.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.  We have been working our way through the Old Testament books of 1 & 2 Kings this summer.  Today, our reading is 2 Kings 7.   At the end of yesterday's chapter, we read about how the king of Aram and his large army laid siege to Samaria, the capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. This led to a famine and a great deal of anguish among the people. People were desperate, going so far as to resort to cannibalism.   The king of Israel is horribly distraught and seeks out the prophet Elisha.  At the beginning of today's chapter, we hear the prophet's response.  Elisha says that the Lord has spoken and that by that time tomorrow, there will be fine flour and barley available at affordable prices.  The officer who was present with the king was highly skeptical and you can see his response. He says, "...even if the Lord should open the floodgates of heavens, could this happen?" Elisha declares that it will but that because of his cynicism and lack of faith, he wouldn't get to enjoy any of it.   As we read through the chapter, we begin to see how God takes care of the situation. The Aramean army is scared off and the Israelites get to enjoy the plunder. Food becomes readily available and the siege is over. Once again, the Lord has spoken through Elisha.   Over the next few days, we will continue to see Elisha at work. What's fascinating to me is that Elisha served as prophet of Israel for six decades. His words were often unpopular and not always heeded, but he persevered. It takes a strong person to be a prophet. I wanted to mention that God is still giving people the gift of prophecy; certain people bring a message from God to his people. Just like in Old Testament days, prophets are often ignored, maligned, and/or pushed to the fringes. The reality is that rarely do prophets bring a message of approval. They typically bring a word from God that challenges the faith community and the religious leaders.  I have known several people with the gift of prophecy and they typically have a difficult time finding a church that accepts them.   Have you known someone with this gift? What's been your reaction to it? If you haven't known a prophet, how do you think you might respond? How does reading about Elijah and Elisha affect your view of prophets?   Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope July 8, 2026   Scripture: 2 Kings 6   Prayer:  Holy God, We rejoice and give praise for the ways you care for us.  We rejoice and give praise for how you continue to forgive us and give us second and third chances.  Help us seek lives characterized by your holiness.  Help us seek pure hearts.  Lord, in these next few moments of silence, hear our prayers and help us bring together all our scattered thoughts and focus on you...It's in your name we pray, Amen.   Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.  We are currently working our way through 2 Kings.   Today, our reading is 2 Kings 6.  In this chapter, we see God continue to do miracles through the prophet Elisha. It appears that Elisha has developed a much more amicable relationship with the king of Israel. When Aram went to war with Israel, Elisha used his prophetic skills to warn the king of Israel when harm was eminent so he could be on guard. Not surprisingly, this frustrated the king of Aram who suspected he had a spy in his ranks. But one of his officers knew that it was in fact Elisha who was providing the king of Israel with the information he needed to protect himself. Thus, the army of Aram is sent to capture Elisha.   Later in the chapter, the army of Aram has surrounded the town of Dothan, where Elisha was living in order to capture him. Elisha prays to the Lord, asking for the army to be struck with blindness and God does it. This allows Elisha to lead the army out of Dothan and into Samaria. Once in Samaria, the soldiers' sight returns. The king of Israel asks Elisha if the men should be killed. But Elisha wants to show them mercy, so the king feeds them and sends them back home.   Some reflections from today's text: ·      When in doubt, show mercy. God is a merciful God.  We are called to be merciful people. ·      Err on the side of grace. We've been shown immense grace; let's be sure to demonstrate it toothers. ·      Believe that God is on your side. Your God loves you and wants the best for you. Trust in that.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope July 7, 2026   Scripture:  2 Kings 5   Prayer: Jesus, Oh, how we need you! We need you to work within us and through us.  Change our hearts, O Lord, so that we can bring glory to you. More of you, less of me. Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church Bible reading plan.  We are currently working our way through 2 Kings.   Today's reading is 2 Kings 5.  The chapter begins with Naaman, a decorated military hero who is afflicted with leprosy.  Leprosy in those days was horribly isolating.  In the Old Testament, leprosy is mentioned 55 times but really included a wide variety of different infection skin diseases.    Naaman, who is from Aram (modern day Syria), is told by a servant girl that there is a man of God in Israel who could cure him.  As we read, he goes to Israel and meets the prophet Elisha who gives him a method to be cured.  Naaman is more than a bit arrogant and is appalled that Elisha doesn't come out to greet him and give him some elaborate healing presentation.  It's interesting that Naaman almost misses his healing because of his arrogance and pride.  He thought he deserved some big deal ceremony, when really all he needed to do was be obedient.  I hope he was grateful for his own servants who encouraged him to go ahead and follow Elisha's instructions to bathe in the Jordan River seven times.    How often does our own arrogance and pride keep us from missing God's blessing in our lives?   Naaman is incredibly grateful for his healing, he recognizes the power of God, and wants to give Elisha all kinds of valuable gifts.  Elisha, in typical true man of God fashion, declines.  But Elisha's servant, Gehazi, overhears and decides he is going to get rich off the whole situation.  Maybe Elisha doesn't want Naaman's gifts but he does!  By this time, Naaman is traveling home.  So Gehazi runs out to him and makes up a story about some prophets who need a talent of silver and two changes of clothes.  Naaman, of course, gives him the supplies.    Elisha knows exactly what happens and he severely scolds Gehazi when he returns.  I don't know, I kind of feel sorry for the guy.  He was probably very poor.  But he did lie and he betrayed Elisha.  Thus, the leprosy that Naaman had was given to Gehazi.  Tough justice.  Greed does not pay.   I would love some of your thoughts on this story.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope July 6, 2026   Scripture:  2 Kings 4   Prayer:  Almighty God, We are in awe of you.  You are all-powerful and all-knowing.  You are the one who was, and is, and is to come.  We give you all the glory and praise.  We rejoice that you, the one who created all things, also cares so deeply for us.  We are overwhelmed by your love and grace.  Thank you so much, Lord.  As we think about our day to come, help us set aside our scattered thoughts and focus on you...Oh Lord, how we need you.  We pray this in your powerful name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.  This summer, we have been working our way through 1 & 2 Kings.  Today, our reading is 2 Kings 4.   This is really a beautiful chapter. The stories we find here demonstrate God's power and his desire to care for those who are suffering and in need. Throughout the Biblical narrative, God walks closely to the poor and vulnerable. In this chapter, God works through the prophet Elisha to provide for an impoverished widow, resurrect a young boy, and feed hungry prophets.   The chapter begins when a widow of a deceased prophet comes to Elisha quite distressed. After her husband passed, she has significant debts to pay and no way to pay them. She is worried that the creditor will come to take her two sons as payment. Debt slavery was not uncommon in ancient civilizations.  When the poor could not pay their debts, they were often forced into physical labor to repay them. Debt slavery could last years (it wasn't as if there was any accountability). We see throughout the Old Testament the prophets speaking out against the oppression of the poor and this would have certainly constituted oppression.  People who were desperate had very few options.  There were no safety nets, even for wives of prophets.    The prophet Elisha sees the woman's desperation and quickly moves into action. First, he asks her what she has; she has a little olive oil. Next, he tells her to ask her neighbors for as many jars as possible. Once the jars are in place, he has her fill them up. The olive oil continued to flow for as long as there were empty jars. Then, she could sell the oil and pay her debts, protecting her boys from being forced into slavery.   I love how God uses something the woman already has–olive oil–to provide a solution to her problem. I can't help but think, even when we feel like we have nothing of value to offer, there is always something. God has gifted us with talents and resources that we can use to solve our own problems and make an impact in the world. Obviously, we can't do this on our own. We need God to work through us and in us. We may also need to lean on the body of Christ for help and wisdom. But God will provide for us what we need. Trust in that.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope July 3, 2026   Scripture: 2 Kings 3   Prayer:  Holy God, We come before you today in humility and awe.  You are a good God.  You, who put the stars and planets in motion, also created us.  You care about the most minute details of our lives.  You have numbered the hairs on our head.  Thank you for loving us.  Thank you for caring so much.  Help us be put even a small reflection of your love toward those around us.  More of you and less of me, Jesus.  Amen.   Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.  This summer, we are working our way through 1 & 2 Kings.  Today's reading is 2 Kings 3 and we will have our weekly discussion with Emmy Roberts, youth and next gen lead for New Hope.   While Elisha had clearly taken the place of Elijah in serving as the Lord's prophet to Israel, he had yet to prove himself.  We see God speak clearly and powerfully through Elisha.  There is a fair amount of drama in this chapter.  It begins by introducing Joram, Ahab's son, who succeeded him as king of Israel and while not as wicked as Ahab, Joram was still a sinful king.    Then, the narrative focuses on an issue with Moab, which has decided to no longer pay tribute (in the form of sheep) to Israel.  This angers Joram so he partners with Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, to squash the Moabite rebellion.  But their joint armies soon run out of water and food.  In order to figure out what's going on, Jehoshaphat asks for a prophet of the Lord to shed light on the situation.  This is when Elisha is called in.  It's clear that Elisha has significant animosity toward Joram.  He knows he is a sinful king who does not honor the Lord and he really doesn't want to offer his advice.  The presence of Jehoshaphat, a man of God, calms him down and he finally agrees to offer prophecy.   God speaks powerfully through Elisha, saying that he will fill the land with pools of water so they can all drink.  That is exactly what happens.  Water fills the land by morning time.  In an interesting twist, the Moabites see the sun hit the water and believe that the pools are filled with blood, thinking the armies of Israel and Judah have slaughtered each other.  So the Moabites are caught off guard when the two armies (Israel and Judah) rise up and fight. Moab is defeated.   Probably the most distressing aspect of the chapter is the last portion of text.  In a desperate attempt to win, the Moabite king sacrifices his first-born son on the city wall, thinking it may appease the false god Chemosh.  Of course, the Israelites are outraged at the sight.    Evil comes in all forms.  From Joram to the Moabite king, evil is present in our world. From my human perspective, I often wish God would just swoop down and just eliminate all the evil in the world so that suffering and pain could be banished for good.  I mean, God is all-powerful.  But that isn't the way God operates.  Plus, the reality is that we are all a complex mix of good and evil.  It's important for me to remember that God dealt with evil through the quiet strength of the cross.  And we trust that he is still dealing with evil in ways that we can't see or understand.  Eventually, we know that Jesus will return and deal with evil for good.  Until then, we seek to be light in a dark world. Now, listen to the podcast for our going deeper discussion with Emmy. Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope July 2, 2026   Scripture: 2 Kings 2   Prayer:  Almighty God, We give you glory and praise.  Thank you for the ways you care for us.  Thank you for the ways you care for our church.  Lord Jesus, help us set aside our scattered thoughts.  Help us push away distractions and truly focus on you.  In these next few moments of silence, Lord, hear our prayers...Holy Spirit, guide our reading and devotional time today.  May we hear a word from you.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.  We have now finished 1 Kings and we have started 2 Kings.  We are witnessing that Israel's prosperity depends on obedience to the Lord and they are struggling with obedience!   It's also been fascinating learning about the prophets who are diligently trying to steer the kings in the right direction.    Our reading for today is 2 Kings 2.  Here, we find Elijah taking his mentee/student on a farewell tour to greet the prophets at Bethel, Jericho, and Gilgal.  Elijah will soon leave the earth; that much is repeated multiple times.  It almost seems that Elijah wants to take this final journey alone but Elisha insists on staying with his master.    As the chapter progresses, Elijah is taken to heaven and Elisha becomes the one in charge.  Some thoughts:   -The Elijah and Elisha relationship is a really special one. Elijah has mentored and poured himself into the younger student.  As a result, Elisha is now ready to lead.  Who might God be calling you to mentor?   -Godly leadership often involves making hard decisions and sacrifices.  We have seen that in Elijah's ministry and we will soon see it in Elisha's ministry.  Is God calling you to a hard decision?  Has he asked you to make a sacrifice for his Kingdom and you are dragging your feet or hesitant?   -Godly leadership is repaid in unexpected ways. Elijah and Elisha had a bond and were very much dedicated to God and one another.  They were like father and son. Elijah's ministry bore much fruit in unexpected ways over his years as a prophet.  In the end, God brought him directly into heaven–no long, extended dying process.  Godly leadership is hard but it also has many rewards.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope July 1, 2026   Scripture: 2 Kings 1   Prayer:  Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful. And kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And you will renew the face of the earth. Lord, by the light of the Holy Spirit you have taught the hearts of your faithful. In the same Spirit help us to relish what is right and always rejoice in your consolation. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.  This summer, we've been working our way through 1 & 2 Kings.  Yesterday, we finished 1 Kings and today, we begin 2 Kings.  I would love to hear your feedback.  What did you learn from the book of 1 Kings?   Our reading for today is 2 Kings 1.  We immediately find that the clash between Elijah, a prophet of Yahweh, and the Israelite monarchy continues.  Despite past warnings, Ahaziah, the king of the Northern Kingdom, is worshiping and consulting with other gods. Thus, Yahweh, the one true God will continue to demonstrate that he is supreme.   In today's chapter, Yahweh demonstrates his power and supremacy through the sending of fire. The king has become injured and wants to see if he will recover from his injury. He sends some messengers to consult the god, Baal-Zebub, to provide guidance on his recovery. One has to stop and wonder what in the world he was thinking. Why is he intentionally snubbing Yahweh to consult a false god?   His messengers are met by Elijah the prophet who expresses God's anger at the situation. Through Elijah, God makes it clear that Ahaziah will not recover but rather will die in his bed. In an attempt to get more clarity (or possibly a new prophecy), the king sends several groups of soldiers to summon Elijah. The first two groups are consumed by fire.   Ahaziah, clearly not learning the lesson, sends a third group. This group pleads for mercy from Elijah, as they know their lives are in danger. They are allowed to live, Elijah addresses the king, and Ahaziah dies shortly after.   What are we to make of this? I don't understand why the king of Israel insisted on consulting Baal rather than Yahweh. But what I do know is that God wants us to always consult him first.  When we are in trouble, instead of trying to figure it out ourselves, God desires that we reach out to him FIRST. God loves us, God truly wants the best for us, and God wants to lead us in his direction. We may think we are so much better than Ahaziah but in many ways, we do exactly the same thing. We may not consult a false god, but we try to do life on our own. Yet, we have a God who is powerful and good. Seek God first. Listen. Obey.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki    

Daily Dose of Hope June 30, 2026   Scripture: 1 Kings 22   Prayer: Amazing God, thank you for giving us life in Christ Jesus.  We ask you to continue to strengthen us in Jesus Christ, driving roots deep into the soil of who he is, your Son. May the Holy Spirit well up thankfulness in our hearts to overflowing every day. Thanks be to God through Christ Jesus. Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.  This summer, we've been working our way through 1 & 2 Kings.  Today, we have come to the final chapter in the book of 1 Kings. You made it!  While the story is far from over, I hope these past few weeks have been insightful for you.  These Old Testament passages are filled with truth, sometimes really hard truth, but well worth our time digesting them and allowing God to speak to us through them.    Today's reading is chapter 22.  In it, we find Ahab, king of Israel, forming an alliance with Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, in order to go to war with Syria (Aram) over the region of Ramoth Gilead. In an effort to ensure they would win, they seek the guidance from the prophets of Israel.  Ahab quickly summons four hundred prophets who claim to speak for Yahweh and enthusiastically proclaim that God will guarantee their victory. Jehoshaphat is a bit wary of these four hundred prophets, as they were most certainly on King Ahab's payroll and willing to say whatever pleased the king.  King Jehoshaphat asked for a true prophet of the Lord.  Ahab is hesitant but has Micaiah summoned to prophecy on the topic as well.  Ahab actually says he hates Micaiah because he never says anything good about him. Rather than take this to heart and consider there may be an issue with his own actions, he simply blames Micaiah. Interestingly, Micaiah prophecies victory for Israel and Judah over Aram but also that Ahab would be killed in battle.  Ahab, with his typical arrogance, dismisses Micaiah with anger but is indeed killed in the battle.  2 Chronicles 18 tells the same story from a slightly different angle. How often do we surround ourselves with people who will tell us what we want to hear?  Obviously, Ahab made a habit of this.  He liked his paid prophets because they petted his ego and agreed with him.  They didn't call him out on his behavior or idolatry.  Micaiah, on the other hand, told it like it was.  I'm wondering if we sometimes do the same.  We hang out with people who tell us what we want to hear or think exactly like we do.  We listen to news and podcasts that reinforce our own ideas.  Do we allow ourselves to be challenged?  I can't help but think that's the importance of constantly digging into God's Word and spending lots of time in prayer.  We need to listen to God so God can share his truth with us.  Sometimes this truth will reinforce what we know or be exactly what we want to hear.  Other times, it will be hard truth that convicts us and points us in another direction.  But this is how God stretches us, grows us, and helps us better reflect Jesus. Do you allow God to challenge and convict you and how? Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope June 29, 2026   Scripture: 1 Kings 21   Prayer:  Abba Father, We come to you today, grateful for your love and care in our lives.  Thank you for your presence and your peace.  Help us to gather our scattered thoughts and set aside distractions so we can focus on what you have for us today.  In the next few moments of silence, Lord, help me be still and know that you are God...We give you all the glory, Lord Almighty.  Amen.    Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.  This summer, we are working our way through the books of 1 and 2 Kings.  I don't know about you, but these are some hard texts to read.  The sin of the kings is unreal.  They are setting up their nations for devastation.  Today's reading is 1 Kings 21.  Up until this point, King Ahab has been evil in the sense that he turned away from God and engaged in idolatry.  Now, he is complicit in brutality as well.  When he doesn't get a nearby vineyard that he desires, he throws a tantrum and allows his wife, Jezebel, to do what she sees fit to ensure the vineyard is his.  Jezebel, with no hesitation or remorse, devises a plan to ensure that the rightful owner of the vineyard is killed.  The vineyard now belongs to King Ahab.  Not surprisingly, this angers the Lord.  God declares that the line of Ahab will be destroyed and that his wife, Jezebel, will be killed and eaten by dogs (which would be considered incredibly horrific because there could be no proper burial).   At this, we see a drastic change in Ahab. He actually shows remorse.  He puts on sackcloth and fasts; he humbles himself before the Lord.  This appears to be the first positive thing that Ahab has ever done.  God takes notice.  God decides to push back the destruction of Ahab to future generations.  You see, God always wanted to get Ahab's attention and have him turn from his evil ways.  He never wanted Ahab to be destroyed, simply transformed into a Godly king like David.  He wanted Ahab's heart to genuinely change.  God is incredibly merciful, always looking for way to redeem, always willing to give second chances.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki