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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 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 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 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 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 June 25, 2026   Scripture:  1 Kings 19   Prayer: Holy God, We come before you this morning in awe of your blessings and love.  Thank you, Lord, for the ways you continue to guide our lives.  Lord, we want more intimacy with you.  We are desperate to know you better.  In these next few moments of silence, Jesus, please speak to us.  We need 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.  This summer, we are working our way through the Old Testament books of 1 & 2 Kings.  Today's reading is 1 Kings 19. This is a great chapter.  Elijah has been doing God's work and things have gotten really hard and really scary.  After he kills the prophets of Baal, Ahab's wife, Jezebel, decides that Elijah needs the same fate.  This is kind of the last draw for him.  He sits down and tells God that he wants to die.  Enough is enough.  He is tired and depressed.  Maybe you have been there.     But what I love is how God cares for Elijah.  He sends an angel who makes sure that Elijah has food, drink and sleep.  Then, he instructs Elijah that its time he mentors a younger prophet.  He tells him exactly where to go and what to do.  Now, Elisha will come on the scene and provide the support and succession plan that Elijah needs.  When we do God's work, every one of us needs to be sure we are taking care of our physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.  How easy it is to give, give, give, and work, work, work, without taking time for Sabbath and self-care.  Why do pastors burn out so quickly?  Why do some churches have such a problem with turnover?  Because this is not easy work.  In ministry, you give of yourself.  You can feel isolated.  You may deal with a lot of criticism and complaining.  While most of us who make ministry our profession don't get death threats like Elijah, the stress is heavy.  I see this in ministry volunteers as well.  God knew exactly what Elijah needed and he knows what we need.  Rest is huge – Sabbath is essential.  It's actually a commandment, but it's one we too often ignore.  We would never think of ignoring the other commandments, but Sabbath seems to be something we rationalize away.  We can't – we weren't designed to constantly work.  Taking care of our physical bodies and our emotions is also critical.  And what about our spiritual disciplines?  Ministry without abiding with Jesus is not really ministry, it's just doing tasks.  That's a real recipe for burn-out! I also think it's important to think succession plan.  Elijah knew it was time to train up a successor.  None of us are so important that we should think the church or the Kingdom can't get by without us.  It was never about us in the first place!  It's always been about Jesus.  We can all be replaced and it's our job as a leader to find someone to apprentice, to guide, and to mentor.  More on Elijah, Elisha, and Ahab tomorrow. Blessings, Pastor Vicki          

Daily Dose of Hope June 24, 2026   Scripture:  1 Kings 18   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.  This summer, we are working our way through the Old Testament books of 1 & 2 Kings.  While the texts are fascinating, they are difficult!  I would love to hear your feedback.   Today's reading is 1 Kings 18.  God has called Elijah to come face to face with King Ahab once again.  Times are tense–the drought is severe; animals and people are dying.  Ahab blames Elijah for Israel's trouble.  Afterall, in Ahab's mind, Elijah has offended Baal (the Canaanite god of rain) and that is why the rain has stopped.  Elijah, amazingly brave and solid, denies Ahab's claim and turns it around–it's actually Ahab's fault because he has been so disobedient to the Lord, Yahweh, and it is he who is in charge of the rain.   What's interesting to me is that Ahab and the people of Israel were still worshiping Yahweh, but they also were worshiping the Canaanite gods of Baal and Asherah.  Elijah is tasked with challenging Ahab on this issue.  The king can't have it both ways; it's time to choose.  Will he choose the one true God OR the Canaanite gods?  Verse 21 is quite powerful, Then Elijah stood in front of them and said, "How much longer will you waver, hobbling between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!"  But the people were completely silent.    Elijah then proposes a contest to demonstrate who is really God–is it Baal or Yahweh?  The prophets of Baal spent hours calling on Baal to light the altar, complete with dead bull and wood, on fire. They dance around it, then begin to cut themselves and allow their own blood to be shed, begging Baal to respond. Not surprisingly, Baal is silent.  But when Elijah calls on Yahweh, the one true God, to light the altar (bull, wood, twelve stones to represent the tribes of Israel, and lots of water), God demonstrates his power in an awesome way.  Everything is consumed in flames and the water is quickly soaked up.  It's only then that the people acknowledge that the Lord is God.   We may think that we're far removed from Ahab and the people of Israel during Elijah's day.  Granted, we probably aren't bowing down to Baal and worshiping Asherah.  But the reality is that we try to serve Yahweh along with other gods as well.  What other gods vie for attention in your life?  Money, power, jobs, family, boats, travel, food, exercise, retirement plans, golf, you get the idea.  There are so many things that we put before God or at least on the same level.  We may think this is harmless but it is insidiously dangerous.  What have you allowed to creep into your life and take on the same level of importance as worship, as ministry, as mission, as Scripture, as tithe, as God? Blessings, Pastor Vicki    

Daily Dose of Hope June 23, 2026   Scripture:  1 Kings 17   Prayer:  Almighty God, We belong to you.  Sometimes, we get distracted and wander.  Forgive us, Lord.  Help us stay fully focused on you.  Help us remember who and whose we are.  In these next few moments of silence, Lord, help us hear a word from you...Jesus, this is your day, we are your people.  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 are currently working our way through 1 & 2 Kings.    Our reading for today was 1 Kings 17.  The chapter begins with Elijah proclaiming to King Ahab that there would be no rain for the next few years until the one true God declared it so.  This is particularly important because the main Canaanite god, Baal, was worshiped as the god of rain.  By Yahweh stopping all rain and dew, he is declaring that HE alone is God and that Baal is a fake god with no power.  The Scripture doesn't explicitly state the response of King Ahab but we can guess it wasn't good, for God tells Elijah to leave the area and go hide by Kerith Brook.    As you read through the chapter, Elijah's obedience and trust in God are quite remarkable. He trusts God to provide provisions for food and water through animals and people!  My favorite aspect of this chapter is how God uses an impoverished outsider, the widow of Sidon (a city in what is now Lebanon), to provide care and nourishment to one of the most faithful of all of God's prophets.  Keep in mind that a widow would have been one of the poorest and most vulnerable people in that world.  And yet, God chooses her and she (possibly out of desperation) agrees to be part of God's plan. As a result, she and her son are saved from the drought, the ensuing famine, and even illness.  At the end of the chapter, her faithfulness to Elijah is rewarded with God bringing her son back to life.  By being faithful and open to God at work, this widow puts to shame many others who rejected the one true God.   How often God uses the weak and lowly to shame the powerful.  I think this is something we all need to reflect on today. When have you personally seen this at work?   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope June 19, 2026   Scripture: 1 Kings 15   Prayer:  Almighty God, As we close this week, 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 daily Bible reading plan.  We are currently working our way through 1 Kings.  I don't know about you, but some of this is really hard to read.  The kings are leading the people astray in detestable ways.  It's easy to almost have a visceral reaction to it.   Today's reading is 1 Kings 15.  Here, we begin the saga of various kings reigning over both Israel (the Northern Kingdom) and Judah (the Southern Kingdom).  In the Northern Kingdom, there is a quick turnover of leadership, which naturally leads to instability.  There is also a blatant disregard for God's laws, including what has become a culture of pagan worship.  We will see God occasionally send a prophet to hold the king accountable, and regardless of whether the king changes his behavior, we can see the Lord attempting to be in relationship with his people and call his people back to him.   In the Southern Kingdom, there were also a number of leaders, some who disobeyed God and others who made an earnest attempt to follow God's law.  In today's chapter, we meet King Asa, who does what was right in the Lord's eyes.  He cleans up the pagan symbols and altars, the shrine prostitutes, and brings the precious articles back to the temple.   What's interesting is that in the Southern Kingdom, even when the kings are disobedient, God extends grace because of David's obedience and devotion.  In some ways, God gives them a pass because he remembered the faithfulness of their forefather David.  Even when the kings were sinful, God kept his promise.  He promised that a descendent of David would sit on the throne forever and he made it so.    Our God is a God who keeps his promises.  How many of you need to hear today that God keeps his promises?  Even when we fall away, God keeps his promises.  Even when life feels hard, God keeps his promises.   Below is a list of just a few of God's promises.  On this day filled with so much uncertainty because of the storm, let's focus on God's promises:   1.         God promises to always be with you.  Matthew 28:20 (and surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age), Hebrews 13:5 (Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."  Romans 8:38-39 (For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.)   2.        God promises strength.1 Cor. 10:13 (No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind.  And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.), 2 Cor. 12:9 (But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me), Phil. 4:13 (I can do all this through him who gives me strength.), Eph. 6:10 (Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.)   3.        God promises peace.  John 14:27 (Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.), John 16:33 ("I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart! I have overcome the world.")   4.        God promises to answer prayers.  Luke 11:9 ("So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.), John 16:24 (Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.). Matthew 7:8 (For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.   5.        God promises to take care of your needs. Matthew 6:32-33 (For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.), 2 Cor.9:8 (And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.)   6.        God promises freedom from sin.  John 8:36 (So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.), Romans 6:22 (But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.), Romans 8:1 (Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus...)   7.        God promises everlasting life.  John 3:16 (For God so loved the world...), I John 5:13-14 (I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life...) On the podcast, this is when the discussion with Emmy Roberts begins.  Tune in! Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope June 16, 2026   Scripture: 1 Kings 12   Prayer:  Lord, We need you. Our world is unstable and unjust. It is a place where innocent people die and power and control take precedent over mercy and compassion.  While we know that sin and brokenness are everywhere, it is still hard to take it in.  We don't know which way to turn.  So, we need you.  We need your peace, your justice, and your wisdom.  Help us be the people you have called us to be, even when it's hard.  Fill us with your courage to speak truth and grace.  More of you and less of me.  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.  This summer, we are making our way through the Old Testament books of 1 & 2 Kings.  We have read about the death of David, seen Solomon take the throne, read about the building of the Temple and royal palace, watched Solomon grow in wisdom and wealth, and then read as he gradually lost his way.  In response, God raised up adversaries to come against Solomon.  And then, Solomon dies at the end of chapter 11. Today's reading is 1 Kings 12.  Rehoboam, the king who succeeded Solomon, has the ability to unite his people but his own arrogance gets in the way.  Listening to poor counsel and his own ego, he instead decides to rule with a heavy hand and oppress the people.  When those in the Northern regions hear about this, they decide it's time to separate from Judah.  They want nothing to do with Rehoboam and reject his rule over them.  They boldly state that they will not have a descendant of David in authority over them. What an avoidable mess.  With one bad decision, Rehoboam tears down what David and Solomon worked so hard to build.  The truth is that it's a lot easier to break apart what belongs together than restore what's already broken.  Can you think of examples of this in your own life?  Relationships, families, organizations, churches–it is so much harder to restore than it is to dismantle.  Friends, what broken things in your life need restoration?  Take a moment and pray for that right now.  Jesus Christ is the only true way to restore and rebuild.  Lean into Jesus. Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope June 15, 2026   Scripture: 1 Kings 11   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 back 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 Old Testament books of 1 & 2 Kings.   Today's reading is 1 Kings 11.  Okay, let's start with the most obvious observation – 700 wives and 300 concubines!  Really?  Did he even know all of their names?  And these women were from many pagan nations all around Israel.  They brought their gods into the palace.  They raised their children worshipping other gods.  What in the world was Solomon thinking?  Where is the wisdom?  Also, I've always found it amusing that the Scripture said that Solomon loved all these foreign women.  How can you love so many women at once?  Maybe lust would have been a more appropriate word.  I didn't do a deep Hebrew word study here but that might be in order soon.   The Scripture says that these women led Solomon astray.  And he didn't just go a little astray, he became totally absorbed in the worship of pagan gods.  He did much evil in the eyes of the Lord.  While it's still shocking, we could kind of see this coming. Those with absolute power and tremendous wealth have a hard time not getting distracted and to say Solomon was distracted is an understatement. The author of 1 Kings says that Solomon's wives led him astray but let's be real, hearts begin to drift far before we make that bad decision. Solomon had probably gradually, slowly been becoming more self-absorbed, self-reliant, and focused on his own wants and needs. Self-importance and arrogance is the beginning of thinking that we don't really need God. We don't need to seek God's will. We've got it all covered.  Who comes to mind from our own society that might be in a similar predicament?   Now, Solomon has broken covenant with God.  He has not held up his end of the deal.  God continually warned him that his prosperity and blessing were contingent on obedience and faithfulness.  Now that Solomon has betrayed God, God will lift his hand of protection.  We begin to see God raise up specific men to come against Solomon.  The united Kingdom will not last.    More tomorrow...   Blessings, Pastor Vicki    

Daily Dose of Hope June 9, 2026   Scripture:  I Kings 7   Prayer:  Almighty God and Risen Lord, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, We come before you today with praise and a sense of awe.  You are amazing.  You offer new life.  And yet, we still struggle to keep focus on you.  We struggle to not stray into the ways of the world.  Lord, please help us gather our scattered and distracted thoughts.  Help us take a moment of silence and remember who you are...Holy Spirit, speak to us today.  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 Church daily Bible reading plan.  This summer, we are digging in to 1 & 2 Kings.  Between these two books, we will cover roughly 400 years of ancient Israeli history.  Yesterday, we read about the building of the temple and today, we encounter another building project.   Today's reading is 1 Kings 7.  This first part of this chapter describes the building of Solomon's palace.  The very first line is interesting to me.  While Solomon took seven years to build the Temple, he took thirteen years to build his palace.  That right there should make us raise an eyebrow or two.  While the temple construction is detailed, Solomon's personal palace is even more. It is also much larger and thus, most likely more expensive. Remember, he used conscripted labor for his own palace. This can't help but send up red flags for the reader. While Solomon asked for wisdom, it appears he doesn't always use it.   The second portion of the chapter goes into, in great detail, the Temple furnishings.  Again, God's Temple is being outfitted with beautiful things by the best artisans.  This makes me feel better after reading about the palace, but we have no idea how the furnishings in the palace compare.    The question we will continue to ask as we witness Solomon's time on the throne, "Is this palace and all of Solomon's wealth a sign of God's blessing OR a sign of self-indulgence?" We all would be wise to reflect on this question in our own lives as well.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope June 8, 2026   Scripture:  I Kings 6   Prayer:  Almighty God, Thank you for a new day and a new chance to give you glory and praise.  You are an amazing God.  How incredible it is that you, who created everything, know my name.  You know every hair on my head.  While I am so grateful for your love and care, it is sometimes difficult for me to adequately wrap my brain around your expansive love and mercy.  Help me be a better reflection of you, Lord.  Help me see others through your eyes.  Help me be merciful, kind, and good.  Lord, I know I fall short.  So often.  But I want to do better.  In these next few moments of silence, Jesus, hear my prayer...  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.  This summer, we are digging in to 1 & 2 Kings.  King Solomon has taken the throne and is starting out pretty well. Our reading for today is 1 Kings 6.  In this chapter, we get a play by play of the building of the temple.  Everything about the temple is impressive.  It's huge and ornate.  Solomon seems to spare no expense.  Just to be clear, this temple is known in history as the First Temple.  And it has huge theological and cultural significance for Israel.  It would replace the portable Tabernacle, transitioning God's presence from a tent to a permanent sanctuary.  It would serve as the literal and spiritual center of Israelite worship and secure Jerusalem as the place where worship and festivals would occur.  The inner sanctuary would house the Ark of the Covenant, which is what held the tablets with the Ten Commandments.  It also was the fulfillment of a promise that God made to David, a sign of God's faithfulness.  This was huge!  Throughout the stories of Solomon, there is a pattern that develops.  Solomon does some kind of activity and we wait to see if God approves.  We can see that here as well.  Solomon is building the temple with great attention to detail.  Then, we see God give his approval.  Of course, approval is always dependent on covenant faithfulness.  If Solomon keeps the commands of God and walks in obedience, then he will prosper, the temple will remain, and God will be with Israel. This leads us to an important point.  Kings and temples can fall.  God is God over everything.  God can easily bring down a temple, a monarch, or a whole nation, if they repeatedly disobey.  On the contrary, God can protect and expand the territory of a king and a nation if they obey the ways of God.  As I read this, I can't help but think of what is to come.  God will make good on his promise: the kings do not stay obedient, the people stray, and the nation will fall. What are your thoughts on Solomon thus far and the building of the Temple?  How is God speaking to you through these first six chapters of 1 Kings?   More tomorrow.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope June 5, 2026   Scripture:  I Kings 5   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 back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Daily Bible reading plan.  This week, we have starting digging into 1 Kings.  Our reading for today is 1 Kings 5.  I'm going to do a short devotional on today's reading and then we will be joined by Emmy Roberts, who leads our youth (and does a lot of other stuff) here at New Hope.  She is wonderful and I know you are going to enjoy having her with us on the Daily Dose. On to today's chapter - now that there is peace in Israel, Solomon decides that it is time to begin work on the temple.  As you might recall, David had wanted to build a temple for the Lord but God had declined.  Instead, God simply wanted David to lead the people.  God also made a covenant with David that one of his descendants would be on the throne forever.  In the covenant (refer to 2 Samuel 7), God also mentions that one of David's descendants "will build a house for my name."  That descendant is Solomon.  Thus, Solomon hatches a plan.  He makes an alliance of sorts with the King of Tyre who can provide labor and lumber. As we read in the chapter, the men of Israel also had to play a role in the manual labor required for the massive undertaking.  Solomon enlists the very unpopular practice of conscription, forced labor, but he does not make slaves of the people.  They work in shifts.  This required tremendous coordination, management, and skilled labor.  I was trying to think of a more modern equivalent to compare this to, maybe the making of some of the larger cathedrals.  What kinds of massive undertakings do you know of that humans have taken to please the Lord? Now, for those who are listening to the podcast, welcome to my discussion with Emmy Roberts...

Daily Dose of Hope June 4, 2026   Scripture: 1 Kings 4   Prayer:  Almighty God, As we move into our Thursday, 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 to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Daily Bible reading plan.  This summer, we are digging into 1 and 2 Kings. One thing I haven't mentioned yet is that, throughout these readings, we will be joined by Emmy Roberts, our youth lead.  Every Friday (that's tomorrow), she will join me for additional discussion.  I'm really looking forward to this and think it will offer us new insights and depth.   Today's reading is 1 Kings 4.  The events of this chapter take place in the early to middle years of Solomon's reign (he reigned a total of forty years).  Solomon was king over a huge amount of territory, from the Euphrates River to the north to the border of Egypt on the south, and there was a large population for him to oversee.    The first section of the chapter lists Solomon's religious and civic leaders.  I always find it interesting when specific names are mentioned in lists throughout Scripture.  These were real people.  They had jobs, families, and a place in their community.  If you get a chance, go back and look at some of the names.  The names may sound unusual to us, but try to imagine what it might be like for these individuals to live during the reign of King Solomon and be in service to him.    The second part of the chapter focuses more on Solomon's wealth and wisdom, particularly in regard to the prosperity of the nation.  The prosperity of the nation was completely connected to God's blessing.  As long as Solomon and Israel were in obedience to the law, the blessing would continue.  This was a time of unparalleled peace for the Hebrews as well.  They were well-fed and they weren't fighting anyone.  Many scholars say this time in Israel's history is actually a foretaste of the happiness and peace we will experience in heaven.  Kind of an interesting thing to think about.   This chapter also mentions the Proverbs that Solomon wrote.  This book of wisdom literature make it clear their purpose – to help people walk in wisdom or one might say to live well.  And the main ingredient in doing so is right relationship with God: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom" (Proverbs 1:7; 9:10; 15:33).  But as we read the proverbs, we will begin to see how these "wise words" are really intended to build good character, to foster traits like honesty, integrity, hard work, and self-control.  They address basic areas of human life.  They might not be super interesting reading but they do make sense to people.  If you have some extra time today, be sure to read through some of the Proverbs.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki    

Daily Dose of Hope June 3, 2026   Scripture: 1 Kings 3   Prayer: Dear God, You are amazing!  How awesome it is that you who created all things are also so intimately involved in our lives.  We give you glory and praise for who you are.  We are so thankful for your love.  We want to know you more.  We want and need to hear your voice.  Help us set aside our scattered thoughts and focus on you.  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.  This week, we have started digging into 1 Kings.  King David has died and his son, Solomon, is now firmly on the throne.  After yesterday's chapter, we are left wondering exactly what kind of king Solomon is going to be.   Today's reading is 1 Kings 3.  It seems that Solomon starts his reign out fairly well.  Solomon was following God's laws, making the appropriate sacrifices, and walking with the Lord.  Although, do notice that the people were still sacrificing in the high places.  These high places were shrines or raised platforms on top of hills in the open air.  The Scripture says that the people were doing this because the Temple had not yet been built.  I wanted to point this out because, even after the Temple is built, the people struggle to dismantle these high places.  And this is where the people are tempted to sacrifice and worship to other gods, not just the one true God.  Keep an eye on this as we progress through 1 & 2 Kings.   Back to the chapter - Solomon recognizes his own immaturity and lack of experience and asks God for a discerning, obedient heart so that he can administer wisdom in his kingdom.  This pleases God because Solomon doesn't ask for selfish favors, but rather the ability to help other people.  In response, God grants wisdom, wealth, and fame to Solomon.  The only caveat to all this is that Solomon continues to obey God's commands.    In the last part of this chapter, we get a glimpse into Solomon's new wisdom being tested.  As Solomon begins to rule, he is also very prolific in his wisdom writings, penning Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon.    More tomorrow.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope June 2, 2026   Scripture: 1 Kings 2   Prayer:  Holy God, Thank you for this day and thank you for the ways you provide and care for us.  We rejoice in your powerful and mighty name.  As we read through the Scripture today and reflect on what it means for us, help us hear a new word from you.  Help us set aside the distractions of the day and really listen for your voice.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Daily Bible reading plan.  For the summer, we are digging into 1 and 2 Kings.  These Old Testament texts offer us so much of God's truth and I look forward to what we will learn.  Today, we read 1 Kings 2.   This chapter begins with David about to die.  He wants to provide some advice to his son, Solomon, the new king of Israel. It's troubling advice, as he provides spiritual wisdom quickly followed by political strategizing that will lead to bloodshed. The first part of his advice is Godly and sounds like the wisdom of a man after God's own heart: Follow God's laws and walk in obedience to him and then you will prosper. But the second half of David's advice is about securing the kingdom. All sense of faithfulness is now gone out the window: Avenge your father, kill those people who have done us wrong, and ensure your place on the throne. Hmmm...On the one hand, David tells Solomon to follow God and keep Torah. On the other, he tells Solomon to avenge, kill, and break Torah.   I we were to read 1 & 2 Samuel, we could do a pretty good assessment of David's life. Overall, he was a faithful man who rarely wavered from following the Lord. He definitely had some rough patches though, in which he fell away and sinned horrifically against God and other people. And those times definitely mar how we view him.  At the same time, he was always repentant and turned back toward God. Over this last little portion of his life, however, it seems that David consulted God less and in many ways grew angry and bitter.  He had made a mess of his family life, allowed horrible things to happen in his household, and generally tried to dismiss it.  I'm wondering about his regrets.   What can we learn from King David's life? He is referred to as a man after God's own heart. He wrote many of the Psalms which we read over and over again and use in worship and song. He loved God and his allegiance was undeniable. On the other hand, he was a human king and there were many times in which lust, fear, and arrogance ruled the day.   After David dies, Samuel doesn't waste a lot of time.  He takes his father's advice and runs with it.  This means eliminating political rivals, including his half-brother Adonijah.  You might have noticed that Adonijah asked to marry his father's former attendant, the virgin Abishag.  Solomon sees this request as a covert political ploy to take the throne, as marrying a former king's attendant was seen as a claim to the royal lineage.  He also kills Joab (the general) and Shimei (who was a long-time problem for King David).  There is absolutely no grace.  I can't help but wonder what this means for Soloman's reign as king.  Is this a sign of what's to come?    Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope June 1, 2026   Scripture: 1 Kings 1   Prayer:  Holy and Almighty God, We come to you today in humility but also with expectancy.  As we start a new reading plan, we need to hear a word from you.  We need to sense your presence and be reminded of how you walk alongside us.  We want to learn and grow.  Challenge us, Lord.  In these next few moments of silence, help us settle our mind and gather our scattered thoughts, focusing on you and you alone...In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Daily Bible reading plan.  For the summer, we are digging into 1 and 2 Kings.  This should be a really interesting and even challenging reading plan and I'm looking forward to journeying through it with all of you.    Let's start by talking a little bit about these two books.  There isn't conclusive evidence as to who actually wrote 1and 2 Kings.  Tradition credits Jeremiah as the author but there is little indication that is true.  What we do know is that the book was written before the Jews went into exile by someone very familiar with Deuteronomy, as well as other historical texts related to the monarchy.  Thus, it could have been any of the prophets. Regardless, 1 Kings covers roughly 120 years of ancient Israel's history.  2 Kings covers about 250-300 years.   I Kings follows the book of 2 Samuel, which covers the turbulent, 40-year reign of King David.  2 Samuel goes into detail about David's military and political victories and his rise to power as a "man after God's own heart."  David loved the Lord.  But the author of 2 Samuel also doesn't hide King David's moral failures (think about what happened with Bathsheba), and the devastating family drama and violence that follows.  It almost leads to the collapse of the kingdom.  If it's been awhile since you've read it, it's definitely an interesting read and it will help with this study.  2 Samuel reads almost like a soap opera at times.    And that leads us to the book of 1 Kings. This book is going to bring us from a thriving, united Israel under King Solomon to a divided nation which just cannot get along.  Solomon builds the first temple, asks for wisdom from God, but then gets caught up in womanizing and idolatry.  His downfall isn't pretty and leads to the split of the nation of Israel.  By the end of 1 Kings, we will be introduced to Elijah.    Let's move to chapter 1.  King David is now very old and sick.  David's history of poor/permissive parenting is continuing to cause problems.  Because David is weak and vulnerable, one of his sons, Abdonijah, decides to take control of the throne.  Abdonijah doesn't ask for his father's permission or his blessing.  Rather, he manipulates the situation to ensure that he gets to be king. His arrogance is a bit appalling but seems in line with David's other sons.  Abdonijah recruits powerful people to support him.    This whole scene creates a serious issue. David had promised Bathsheba that their son, Solomon, would be king.  The way things were going, it wouldn't be long before Abdonijah had Solomon killed to ensure that he would have no rivals for the throne.  Both Bathsheba and Nathan the prophet step in to inform King David.  They have to move quickly.  David summons equally powerful men to support Solomon.  Then, they place Solomon on David's own mule as a sign that he is the next king.  Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint Solomon as king and he is placed on David's throne.    Keep in mind that the previous kings were not chosen this way.  With both Saul and David, the prophet Samuel communicated God's choice for king.  With Solomon, things are different.  This is to signal the beginning of the Davidic dynasty, which will eventually culminate with Jesus Christ.  God has kept his promise to David.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope May 5, 2026   Scripture: 2 Timothy 4   Prayer:  Almighty God, Thank you for a new day and a new chance to give you glory and praise.  You are an amazing God.  How incredible it is that you, who created everything, know my name.  You know every hair on my head.  While I am so grateful for your love and care, it is sometimes difficult for me to adequately wrap my brain around your expansive love and mercy.  Help me be a better reflection of you, Lord.  Help me see others through your eyes.  Help me be merciful, kind, and good.  Lord, I know I fall short.  So often.  But I want to do better.  In these next few moments of silence, Jesus, hear my prayer...  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 is our last day in Paul's letters.  We have gone through all thirteen pastoral letters.  Tomorrow, we start the sixteen names of God.  I do hope you have the reading list.  If you don't, it will be posted on the church website and Facebook page today.  Just so you know, the name of God we are covering tomorrow is  YHWH, THE SELF-EXISTENT ONE and the Scripture reading is Exodus 3:14-15, 6:2-3, Psalm 83:18, and Isaiah 42:8.   Today's reading is 2 Timothy 4.  Paul is getting ready to die.  He expresses to Timothy that his life has been poured out as a sacrificial drink offering.  He has given his whole life to the work of God in this world.  It's been hard but God has given him the ability to persevere, to keep going, to not give up.  He says that he has finished the race of life, fought the fight, all the while keeping strong in the faith.  None of this was done in his own power but through the power of Jesus working in him.    As I read through Paul's letters, we see how often he encountered obstacles.  This has been especially evident in 2 Timothy.  Paul has been abandoned by friends, imprisoned, tortured, shipwrecked, rejected, been in fear of his life, and yet he kept on going.  I often wonder if he ever contemplated quitting.  Regardless, he never did.  He continued to get up in the morning and do what God had called him to do, even when it was really hard.  At the end of your life (as Paul was at the end of his), what will be your thoughts about what you've done for Jesus?  I often say that when we are on our deathbed, all that matters will be who we've loved, who's loved us, and what we've done for the Lord.  Where do you stand in those categories?   As we close this season of reading Paul's letters, I'm going to take a moment and let you know some of my key takeaways: ·      Salvation is a free gift from God.  It comes through faith in Jesus and nothing else.  Legalism was an issue in Paul's day and it's still an issue in ours.  Anyone who teaches that anything additional is needed for salvation besides faith in Jesus Christ is a false teacher. ·      The church is the body of Christ on earth.  Jesus is head of the church.  ·      The church consists of a very diverse group of believers, with a variety of gifts, who are intended to love one another fiercely.  The church, by how it behaves and loves, should be a witness to the world for Jesus. ·      All people are equal and should be treated as such. ·      A transformed life should have some fruit.  It should be evident that someone has been changed by Jesus through their words and behavior.  These things are an indicator of inner character. ·      Church leaders should have high integrity and will be held to a higher standard. ·      The resurrection is real and we are to live as resurrection people – transformed, new creations who have set aside the old and seek a new way of being human. ·      We should be looking forward to Jesus' return and the future resurrection of believers.   I hope you will be joining me for our new reading plan, starting tomorrow, on the names of God!    Blessings, Pastor Vicki    

Daily Dose of Hope May 4, 2026   Scripture: 2 Timothy 3   Prayer:  Almighty God and Risen Jesus, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, We come before you today with praise and a sense of awe. Even though you are incredibly mighty and take care of us in such fundamental ways, we struggle to stay focused on our faith.  Help us gather our scattered and distracted thoughts.  Help us take a moment of silence and remember who you are...Holy Spirit, speak to us today.  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 are almost done with our letters from Paul.  What a journey it's been!  I would love to hear what you have learned from these thirteen letters.  We will finish this reading plan on Tuesday, and then go directly into the names of God.  If you were in worship today, I hoped you picked up the new reading plan.  If not, or if you live outside our geographical area, then there will soon be a link on our website and our Facebook page.    Today's reading is 2 Timothy 3.  In this third chapter, we find Paul giving Timothy advice about staying strong in the faith.  The world will always be a source of temptation and evil, there will be false teachers, and there will be many challenges.  He tells Timothy to stay grounded in what Paul taught him and in Scripture.   In order to not be swayed by the winds of the world (no matter what century one lives in), we have to be grounded in God's Word.  God's Word is authoritative and offers us a basic instruction manual of sorts.  While we don't understand every story and verse, there is a purpose for every single word.   Some of my favorite Scripture from Paul is Colossians 2:6-7, So then, just as you received Jesus Christ as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.  Just as in Paul's time, the world will bear down on us, providing all kinds of temptations and distractions.  We have to commit to grow our roots down deep into Scripture so that we won't be uprooted and swayed when hardship, challenges, and temptation enter our world.  Obviously, we need to do this as individuals but we also have to commit to do this as a body of believers.  We meet Jesus on the pages of Scripture AND God's Word provides a metric by which we can measure everything in our lives.  It's essential.  Together, rooted in Scripture, we will be immovable.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope May 1, 2026   Scripture: 2 Timothy 2   Prayer:  Lord Jesus, You are Lord of all.  How often we forget that.  There are times we even put ourselves in your place.  Forgive us, Lord.  Help us to remember that you are God and we are not.  Help us simply live the way you have called us, serve the way you have called us, and love the way you have called us.  We know that we fall short over and over again.  We need you.  All the time, we need you.  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 have been journeying through Paul's letters and we have made great progress.  We are now in our final pastoral letter, 2 Timothy.   Today's reading is 2 Timothy 2.  Besides the outside persecution that the church in Ephesus was experiencing, Paul also addresses another serious issue: in-fighting.  There were quarrels and fights within the Ephesian church, literally translated "word battles", that threatened to unravel the young church.  The church members were battling over doctrinal viewpoints and had formed factions.   Paul encourages Timothy to plead with the Ephesian believers to basically remember who and whose they are, to remember what was most important, and to explain how arguments within the church have the potential to damage the Kingdom.   How often have modern day churches been unraveled over word battles?  It's amazing to me how easily distracted we get.  We forget who we represent and get pulled into doctrinal arguments that really don't matter that much.  We read books, we listen to podcasts, and we think we know a lot.  Others think they know a lot too and we get pulled into debates that really aren't that important.  It's then that it's helpful to remember Paul's admonition in this chapter which is basically, "Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David—that is my gospel." Succinct, clear, confident. And we remember again that the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is not a bunch of words or slick interpretations but is about resurrection—the powerful and loving act of God—remaking our world into the place he always intended it to be. We major in the minors as some people say.  Are you currently engaged in any word battles with other believers?  It's time to put them to rest.    Blessings, Pastor Vicki   May 6 – YHWH, The Self-Existent One – Ex 3:14-15, 6:2-3 • Ps 83:18 • Is 42:8 May 7 – Elohim – The Mighty Creator – Gen 1:1, 1:26-27 • Ps 90:2 • Ecc 12:14 May 8 – El Shaddai – Lord God Almighty – Gen 17:1-2, 28:3, 35:11, 43:14, 49:25 • Ps 91:1 May 11 – El Elyon – The Most High God – Gen 14:18-20 • Ps 7:17, 52:2, 78:35 • Dan 4 May 12 – El Olam – The Everlasting God – Gen 21:33 • Is 40:28, 26:4 • Jer 10:10 • Ps 90:1-2  

Daily Dose of Hope April 29, 2026   Scripture: Titus 3   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 back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible reading plan.  We have been journeying through Paul's letters and we have made great progress.  We are currently finishing up the book of Titus.   Our reading for today is Titus 3.  In this chapter, we see that Paul didn't want the Cretans to cause a scene and stir up political discontent.  What was most important was the spread of the Gospel.  Creating political conflict would not help the cause of the young church and Paul wanted to be sure they understood that.  Again, they were not to get involved in quarrels and arguments that simply weren't that important.  They needed to show the world that there was something different about them: humility, gentleness, and kindness.  Rather than get involved in political messes, they should get involved in doing good in their community.  It simply wasn't about them and their personal preferences; it was about reaching people for Jesus.   How much more could we all do for the Kingdom if we worried less about personal preferences and politics and focused more on spreading the Good News of Jesus?  Wow!  We get so distracted with things we have very little control over.  Again, don't major in the minors.  Keep laser focus on what truly matters – Jesus.   I wrote this list of questions for myself but thought I would share: -How much time do I spend thinking about politics and conflict rather than Jesus Christ and sharing the Gospel? -How often do I get frustrated or angry over politics and things I can't control instead of focusing on loving others and things I can control? -Do people know me for what I'm against or for what I am for? -Am I viewed as someone who is humble, gentle, and kind?  If not, then why not? -Is Jesus central to my thoughts?   Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope April 28, 2026   Scripture: Titus 2   Prayer:  Lord, Oh, how we need you. Cleanse my heart, cleanse my speech, cleanse my actions. I want the world to see that I belong to you and you alone. More of you, Jesus, 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 Church daily Bible reading plan.  We have been journeying through Paul's letters and we have made great progress.  We are currently in the book of Titus. Our reading for today is Titus 2.  In this chapter, Paul gives very specific instructions to young and old as to how to behave and conduct themselves as followers of Christ. As opposed to the false teachers in chapter one, Paul wants Titus to teach sound doctrine, which includes that behavior should be consistent with belief; there are certain virtues that Christians should live up to. Doing otherwise damages their witness in the community. Titus himself, as the leader, must also be an example of living a blameless, virtuous life.  Unfortunately, we have all seen the consequences when a Christian leader fails to live righteously and it almost always has terrible ramifications for the Kingdom.  Bottom line:  There should be a direct link between theology and ethics. If we truly believe that God has been revealed and salvation has come, that those who believe are freed and cleansed from sin because of the blood of Christ, and that receiving Christ makes us new creations, THEN we should act accordingly. We are no longer slaves to the mess of the world. We have the ability to change, to act differently, to behave in a way that demonstrates the Spirit within us. Our behavior, our ethics, our speech should all testify to who and whose we are. How are you doing in this right now?   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Acts 8:18–23 gives a sobering look at Simon the Sorcerer—a man drawn to spiritual power but not transformed in heart. His story is a reminder that not everything that looks spiritual is rooted in God. Even today, appearances, influence, and charisma can sometimes mask motives that aren’t aligned with truth. Discernment is essential in a world full of voices claiming authority. Scripture calls believers to test what they hear against God’s Word and to pay attention to fruit, not just presentation. True spiritual leadership reflects humility, repentance, and alignment with Christ—not control, profit, or self-exaltation. Highlights Not everything that appears spiritual is genuinely from God Simon’s story reveals the danger of pursuing power over transformation Discernment requires evaluating teaching against Scripture Jesus teaches that spiritual truth is revealed through “fruit,” not appearance False teaching can be persuasive, charismatic, and still misleading God calls believers to wisdom, testing, and spiritual awareness True faith is marked by humility, repentance, and Christlike character Links & Resources: Have an idea for our newsletter? We want to hear from you! Take our survey below: Take Our Survey! Do you want to listen ad-free? When you join Crosswalk Plus, you gain access to exclusive, in-depth Bible study guides, devotionals, sound biblical advice, and daily encouragement from trusted pastors and authors—resources designed to strengthen your faith and equip you to live it out boldly. PLUS ad free podcasts! Sign Up Today! Full Transcript Below: Encountering Modern Day Simon the SorcerersBy Vivian Bricker Bible Reading:“When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money and said, ‘Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.’ Peter answered: ‘May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.’” - Acts 8:18-23 There are many false teachers who distract us from the true Gospel. These individuals tend to be charismatic, confident, and deceptive in their dealings with others. How many megachurch pastors have we seen step down from positions of authority because of scandal? As followers of the Lord, we must be discerning. It takes time, focus, and a close walk with Jesus to recognize wolves dressed as sheep. God will help us discern true followers of the Lord from those who are not. Unfortunately, there are many people who claim to be Christians, only to disown Him through their actions. While we cannot judge someone’s salvation, we can weigh what they say and do against Scripture. Intersecting Faith & Life: Simon practiced sorcery (Acts 8:9). His acts amazed the people, and he often boasted of his greatness. The people of Samaria believed he was someone special, even calling him “the Great Power of God” (Acts 8:10). However, once Philip shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ, they rejected Simon the Sorcerer and followed Jesus instead (Acts 8:12-13). In Acts 8:18-23, we see the true condition of Simon’s heart. He wanted the same ability to give the Holy Spirit to anyone on whom he laid his hands. Peter was angered by Simon’s desire and rebuked him, urging him to repent and turn to the Lord. Simon’s actions revealed that he was “full of bitterness and captive to sin.” There are many leaders within cities, organizations, and companies who are similar to Simon the Sorcerer. Although we are told Simon believed Philip’s message of the Good News of Jesus Christ, he was still influenced by the sin within him (Acts 8:13). His main focus was power. Peter could see through Simon’s duplicity, and we need to ensure we are doing the same. As followers of Christ, we must be aware of those who claim to be believers but peddle the Word of God for profit. We must also be cautious of anyone who professes faith but denies Jesus through their actions. Jesus tells us, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit” (Matthew 7:15-17). Anyone who denies the Lord in their actions or tries to use the Gospel for monetary gain should be rebuked. If they are a true follower of the Lord, they will turn to the Lord in repentance and ask for forgiveness. However, if they continue in their wicked ways, it is right to assume they never knew the Lord. Have you come across anyone who is like Simon the Sorcerer? What are some ways you can become more discerning of leaders and individuals? How can you gauge their heart? Pray with me: Dear Jesus, please give me discernment to know who Your true followers are and who are not. Uncover the Simons in my life. Guide my heart away from false teachers and toward You. Bless me with the confidence to rebuke these individuals, as Peter did, and give me the boldness to stand up for You. In Your Name, I pray, Amen. Further Reading: 2 Peter 2:1-3 1 John 4:1 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Daily Dose of Hope April 24, 2026   Scripture: 1 Timothy 6   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 daily Bible reading plan.  We are currently walking through the letters of Paul and today, we are finishing our eleventh letter, I Timothy.  Today's reading is 1 Timothy 6.  As we close Paul's first letter to Timothy, we find more advice reflecting the time, place, and culture of Paul and Timothy, specifically regarding slaves having respect for their masters. Paul's words in NO WAY justify or encourage slavery. Slavery was certainly a reality in the Roman Empire (scholars estimate possibly a third of all people living at the time were slaves). People sold themselves and their families into slavery simply to have access to food. It was an ugly existence. But throughout Scripture, including Paul's letters, there is much talk of freedom and equality in Christ. While Paul was pretty revolutionary in many of his teachings, as far as we know, he didn't tackle the institution of slavery. He did try to create parameters around it, however, but his primary objective was to spread the Good News of Christ. I'm grateful for the many Christ-followers who came hundreds of years after Paul and did make a stand against the institution of slavery. Their courage and determination also came from their faith in Jesus and they used Jesus' teachings and also many of Paul's writings to oppose the ownership of other humans. Slavery is still a reality around the globe. The Global Slavery Index estimates that over 40.3 million people are currently trapped in modern day slavery, the vast majority being women and children. (globalslaveryindex.org) This includes what we typically think of as human trafficking but includes forced labor around the world, including in many of our supply chains. It is a multi-billion-dollar industry. As Christ-followers, we should be actively working against human trafficking and other kinds of slavery. Slave owners and human traffickers prey especially on the poor and vulnerable. Jesus clearly taught and demonstrated that every single human life has value. He lifted the status of women and children and demonstrated extraordinary love toward the poor and oppressed. Paul wrote in Galatians 3:28, There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Paul closes the letter with another warning about false teachers.  Anyone who teaches something contrary to Jesus, then they are "conceited and understand nothing."  Those are Paul's words.  He also says to beware of people who encourage conflict and quarrels, or those who are overly interested in financial gain.    And then there is a final charge to Timothy.  He wants Timothy to focus on righteousness and encourage others to do so as well.  Again, Paul emphasizes that Timothy command those who are rich to not be arrogant and to put their trust in what has eternal value.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope April 21, 2026   Scripture: 1 Timothy 3   Prayer:  Almighty God, We rejoice in your holy name.  We give you glory.  Thank you for a new day.  May we experience you, today, Lord.  May we hear your voice and hear you when you call us.  We want to do your will.  We want to say yes.  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 walking through the letters of Paul and we are currently in 1 Timothy. Today's reading is 1 Timothy 3. Paul has turned his attention to qualifications for overseers and deacons in the church.  An overseer would have been similar to a pastor, someone who presides over a single congregation, probably in a house church.  The deacons would have been specific people who served in the church, possibly assisting in church admin functions or in missions.  This text indicates that Paul had struggled with some strong-willed and difficult leaders in the church.  It's highly possible that some of the church leaders were bad influences, living too similarly to the pagan culture around them.  We aren't privy to the details but we do know that Paul felt the need to give some basic parameters for who could lead within the young church.  They needed to be people with integrity, people who were mature in their walk with Jesus, and people who were respected by their family and community. Each church today has some kind of vetting process for their clergy.  If they don't, then they certainly should.  Our process in the Global Methodist Church is fairly rigorous and you can be assured that our clergy have gone through a process to ensure their theological qualifications but also their spiritual maturity and integrity.  There is also a renewed focus on accountability.  The reality is that all of our church leaders, lay and clergy alike, are highly visible.  Their ability to withstand the distractions and temptations of the world and stay grounded in the ways of Jesus is huge.  There is so much at stake.  Please take some time today and pray for your church leaders. Blessings, Pastor Vicki    

Daily Dose of Hope April 17, 2026   Scripture: 1 Timothy 1   Prayer:  Heavenly Father, We come to you today rejoicing in your holy name.  You are such a good God.  It's so hard for us to conceive that the God who put the stars in the sky and put the planets into motion is the same God who loves us and has numbered the hairs on our heads.  We thank you so much for your love and care.  Open our minds and hearts as we approach your Word today.  Help us hear a word from you.  How we yearn to hear from you, Lord.  We need you.  Over and over again, we need 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 journeying through the letters of Paul chronologically.  We are starting our eleventh letter today; can you believe it?  I would love to hear about what you have been learning from these readings.  We have covered a lot of ground. Today's reading is 1 Timothy 1.  In this letter to Timothy, Paul gives instruction to his younger friend about how to lead the churches in Ephesus.  Paul intends to travel there soon but expects to be delayed and thus, writes this letter to encourage and guide Timothy. But this is not a private letter.  It was written to Timothy with the intention that these instructions be read aloud to the churches.  It's not a very long letter, but Paul addresses a number of topics in it, including doctrine and a warning against false teachers, public worship, guidelines for pastors and deacons, moral instruction, social responsibilities, and how to deal with material possessions.  This all would have been in reaction to struggles the churches were encountering.  Towards the end of this first chapter, Paul gives a mini testimony.  He speaks about being a blasphemer and a persecutor (v. 14) but Christ showed grace toward him.  From a worldly perspective, there wasn't much hope for him.  But no one is beyond the grace of God.  In fact, Paul says that Christ's grace was poured out abundantly, and overflowed, in his life.  And then, Paul makes some pretty strong, definitive statements.  He is responding to the deceptive and false teachers who were confusing the new believers. Read through verses 15-17 again... Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.  But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.  Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. Paul makes it clear that the Gospel message is trustworthy, unlike the hollow claims of the false teachers. Christ came into the world to save sinners. Thus, the Gospel message is true AND universal.  Jesus came to save the whole world.  The Gospel is also personal. Paul speaks of his own experience of the Gospel.  He was a pretty bad sinner and Jesus even saved him.  Why did God show him this amazing mercy and grace?  To demonstrate his immense patience as an example to others who might believe in him.  Have you experienced the Gospel as trustworthy, universal, and personal?  Do you know it as TRUE?  Do you understand that Jesus' offer of salvation is for all nations, all tribes, all people? Finally, have you personally experienced Jesus as your savior?  Have you said YES to Jesus' offer of grace, repented of your sins, and decided to live a life following Jesus? If not, today can be your day!  Maybe you need to recommit your life to Jesus. You've wandered, you've walked away, or you've simply been going through the motions.  Today is the day to make a new commitment to Jesus Christ. Blessings, Pastor Vicki    

Daily Dose of Hope April 14, 2026   Scripture: Colossians 3   Prayer: Almighty God, We belong to you.  Sometimes, we get distracted and wander.  Forgive us, Lord.  Help us stay fully focused on you.  Help us remember who and whose we are.  In these next few moments of silence, Lord, help us hear a word from you...Jesus, this is your day, we are your people.  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 journeying through Paul's letters and we are currently in Colossians.   Today's reading was Colossians 3.  In this chapter, Paul begins a discussion on sanctification, encouraging the believers at Colossae to grow in their walk with Christ and reflect Jesus in all they do.  He implores them to live differently than those around them; they have a higher calling.  The false teachers were concerned with life on earth but Paul is telling the Colossians that there is so much more for which to live.   Paul begins by speaking of the vices that must be set aside as Christ-followers.  Then, he begins to speak of virtues.  I love this!  He speaks of these character traits like clothing; "clothe" yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.  Because they are new people in Jesus Christ, they put on new clothes that represent that new life.  One can accept Christ and receive salvation, but it is a process learning how to live like a believer.  It takes practice putting on these new clothes and yet it is so very important.  They must also learn to forgive one another and love each other.    We take these concepts for granted in today's church because we talk about love and forgiveness so often.  But this would have been new stuff for these early believers.  For many, it would have been a drastic shift from their previous life.  While we talk a great deal about love and forgiveness in the modern-day church, I think we also still are figuring out how to live out these concepts.  If you ask people who left the church why they did so, it often amounts to being mistreated by a church member or being turned off by hypocritical behavior.    It would probably do all of us some good to do an assessment.  How much do we reflect compassion in our interactions with others?  How often do we reflect kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience?  How loving have we been toward others over the past week?  How forgiving have we been?  Take a moment and think about each virtue.  Rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10.  What areas need work and how might you practice living these out?   Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope April 10, 2026   Scripture: Colossians 1   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, everyone, to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily reading plan.  We have been journeying through Paul's letters and today we begin Paul's letter to the Colossians.   The author of Colossians is Paul but he mentions that it is also from Timothy.  When Paul wrote this letter, the church at Colossae was facing threats from false teachers.  As we read this, we will find a clear theme: the centrality of Jesus Christ.  While details aren't known, there was apparently a movement within the town to remove Christ from the church.  Thus, Paul goes to great lengths in this short little book to describe the person and work of Jesus and what it means to live as a Christ-follower.  While Paul did not start the church at Colossae, he very much feels responsible for it.  Therefore, Paul writes this letter with much urgency from a Roman (or possibly Ephesian) prison cell.    Today's reading is chapter 1.   I would like to highlight verses 15-18, The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 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. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.  Here we see the emphasis on the identify of Jesus Christ. Notice how in the previous verses Paul speaks about Jesus as Savior, as the one who rescues and redeems us.  Now, Paul is speaking of Jesus as Lord.   This section is considered a hymn to Jesus Christ and it is rich in theology.  Jesus is the visible manifestation of God, God in human form; Jesus is God and nothing less. God's character can be seen in Jesus Christ.  Let that sink in. But there is more.  Jesus was present at creation and serves as Lord over all creation. He is supreme over all things.  Jesus is Lord and everything exists to reveal his glory.  Then, Jesus as creator and redeemer are brought together again.  Jesus, who is head over all creation is also head over the church, his body.  Obviously, Jesus existed without the church but the church cannot exist without Jesus.  The church is the visible body of Christ in this world but Jesus serves as the head of the church.  A body can't function or exist without a head.  The church cannot function or exist without Jesus.    It almost seems laughable to me that there was a movement within Colossae trying to remove Jesus from the church. A church can't be a church without Jesus. It's totally absurd. And yet, even as I write that, I realize that there are probably many churches in existence right now that basically function separate from Jesus.  Maybe they are religious social clubs or possibly political organizations but they aren't the body of Jesus.  This could have happened gradually and slowly.  After all, we live in a very distracted, self-reliant culture.  I have to admit, even the thought of this is so, so scary to me.  How can we ensure that Jesus stays central in all we do at New Hope?  Pray, friends.  Pray diligently and specifically that Jesus stays at the core of all we do.   We will chat again on Monday.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki    

Daily Dose of Hope April 9, 2026   Scripture: Philippians 4   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 Church daily Bible reading plan.  We have been walking through Paul's letters and today we finish the letter to the Philippians.   Today's reading is Philippians 4.  Philippians 4 is one of my all-time favorite chapters in the Bible!  Why?  Because in the midst of living in a society that strives to be happy and fails, Paul shares with us the keys to true joy.  We are going to just focus on v. 4-8 today but be sure to read through the whole chapter.  It's truly a beautiful end to his letter to the Philippians.   Philippians 4:4 is a great verse to memorize.  Paul writes, Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!  Have joy in God.  Be joyful in the Lord always.  What's interesting to me about this letter that Paul uses some form of the word joy fourteen times in these four short chapters.  He is serious about joy.  And he isn't at some resort somewhere drinking good wine and eating steak.  Not at all, he is in a Roman prison cell.   Paul is in a dank, dark, poorly ventilated Roman prison cell.  Keep in mind, Roman prison cells were designed to strip a prisoner of dignity.  They were filthy, often crowded.  Unlike today, there was no such thing as being condemned to serve a sentence in prison.  Although people could spend a lot of time in prison, it was time in which they were awaiting trial to then be given their real punishment, which could very well be death.    Paul, at the time he wrote this letter, has probably been in prison for about four years.  He had no idea what was going to happen to him.  He had been charged with inciting riots among the Jewish communities in different cities and he was simply waiting to hear whether or not he would be put to death.    And yet, Paul writes to rejoice in the Lord always.  To the world, this wouldn't make any sense.  What makes sense to the world?  Well, seeking happiness.  Happiness is based on your happenings.  When your happenings, your circumstances, are going really well, when you feel really good, when things are going your way, then you are happy.  But joy is something else entirely.  Our world doesn't really understand joy.  Joy is not a feeling or an emotion.  Joy is not dependent on circumstances or whether things are going our way.  No, joy is a fruit of the Spirit, it's the manifestation of God in the midst of ALL circumstances.  It's an orientation that declares every day is a gift from God.   But Paul goes on in verses 5-7,  Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. When tragedy hits, when we are in the midst of despair but when we know that God is near, then it creates space for a different response than anxiety.  Rather than constant worry and anxiety, we can move to prayer and petition.  So now this is beginning to make a little more sense.  When we are gentle and know the Lord is near, we seek God in prayer.  This isn't a formula by any means but Paul is saying that one generally follows the other… Choose to REJOICE --- Be gentle/be like Jesus --- Know God is near ---- Seek God in prayer. This in turn, will lead to less anxiety and more thanksgiving.  Why?  Because gratitude does something to our heart.  When we are thankful, we are reminded of God's faithfulness.  We are reminded of all the times God has shown up and taken care of us. I recently read that there are two kinds of people:  Those who are currently facing hard circumstances and those who will soon be facing hard circumstances.  Think of what Jesus said in John 16:33, In this world you will have trouble, but take heart because I have overcome the world.  This is the reality.  When, not if, we face trouble, we have 2 choices:  anxiety or rejoicing.    Anxiety is generally how the world responses.  Sometimes, it's how we respond to.  But it is the world's go-to response.  It leads to more distress, more seeking escape in things like food, alcohol, drugs, sex, shopping, anything that will bring pleasure, no matter how short-lived.   God is calling us to respond differently:  by rejoicing.  Rejoicing reminds us who God is, who we are, and that we are not alone.  REJOICING leads to peace.  Anxiety leads to inner conflict and misery.    Let's end this part of our discussion with verse 8, Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.  I would encourage you to memorize this verse.  This is about changing our thought life.  It's a method/strategy for dealing with worry and anxiety.  So often, we get in a loop.  We play the tape over and over again in our head.  What if this happens?  Why did that happen?  What will I do if this occurs?    I'm wondering if Paul, in his Roman prison cell, sometimes fell prey to this kind of thinking.  It's like he is telling us, "look, you think you can't rejoice but you can.  Stop thinking about the bad stuff and start thinking about that which is true, that which is noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or worthy of praise."    This means turning off the news.  It means turning off Facebook.  It means removing the external sources of negativity from your life as much as possible.  Focus on what is worthy of praise.  What things in your life are worthy of praise?     Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope April 7, 2026   Scripture: Philippians 2   Prayer:  Holy God, Thank you for your incredible mercy.  Your compassion is never-ending and your love is powerful.  We are overflowing with gratitude.  Help us demonstrate this same compassion and love toward others.  May we become people of grace and see people through your eyes.  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 been on a journey through Paul's letters, in chronological order.  We started our eighth letter yesterday and that is Philippians. As I mentioned, this is one of my very favorite books of the Bible, not just because it is short and sweet, but simply because it expresses so much gratitude.  We also know that Paul wrote this letter from a prison cell.  That really puts things in perspective.    Today's reading is Philippians 2.  There is so much substance in this chapter and we could probably spend a week on this chapter alone.  Paul begins the chapter with this amazing narrative about the attitudes that should characterize Christians. We should be of a similar mind, having a mutual love for one another that looks like Jesus' selfless love.  In fact, the one person to whom we should compare ourselves is Jesus Christ, the ultimate example of humility, sacrifice, and love. This is often referred to as the Christ Hymn.  This is some of my favorite Scripture and I can read it over and over again.   One element of this Christ Hymn that we need to at least mention is how Jesus became a human and emptied himself of being God (called kenosis).  He actually set aside his glory to become one of us and die on a cross.  He is God and yet he went through all the pains and trials of humanity to redeem us.    If you get a chance today, simply take some time to meditate on verses 1-11.    Paul then begins speaking to the Philippians about working out their salvation with fear and trembling.  First, obedience to God was a central concept for Paul.  Whether he was present with them or not, the expectation is that they should stay obedient to the faith.  With salvation comes an expectation of obedience. What does that mean?   We know, and Paul has certainly established this in other writings, that salvation is a free gift.  We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. If we have said yes to Jesus, then we receive salvation. However, once saved, we don't simply go on living exactly the same way (if we do, then maybe there was no real heart change to begin with). Thus, our attitudes, behavior, and speech should demonstrate our new life in Jesus in some way. When Paul says we work out our salvation through fear and trembling, he is getting at this point. Yes, salvation is a free gift but then we begin to figure out how to live as saved people. We grow in obedience to Jesus, we live out those attitudes that Paul speaks of earlier in the chapter (humility, love, sacrifice), and we begin the process of becoming more like Jesus.   What has your sanctification process been like?  How are you working out your salvation with fear and trembling?   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope April 3, 2026   Scripture:  Ephesians 6   Prayer:  Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner.  Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.  I am so far from where I should be.  Help me see others through your eyes.  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 journeying through Paul's epistles, his letters, which we find in the New Testament.  We are about to complete our seventh letter, the book of Ephesians.   Today's reading is Ephesians 6.  Okay, this is our last day in the book of Ephesians.  Paul begins by talking about children honoring parents, fathers not exasperating children, and both slaves and masters having respect for each other.  Can I just say how extraordinary this would have been?  Children didn't have a lot of value in first-century culture.  We would expect Paul to want them to honor their parents but to tell a father not to frustrate their child, not to lead them to a place of anger, would be really different from the culture around them.  And for slaves and masters to have mutual respect for each other?  This is a total reorienting of relationships because of Jesus.    Let me be clear – by Paul addressing slaves and masters, he is not expressing any kind of sympathy for slavery.  Not at all.  Rather, this was something that existed in the Roman empire.  It was not ideal at all, but it was the reality for Paul in the moment.  In the Roman empire, the poverty level was astonishing and it wasn't uncommon for people to actually sell themselves and their families into slavery to simply survive.  This was not the kind of slavery we think of as Americans; the African slave trade was abominable and a different kind of horror.  So slavery in the Roman empire was different, but the Roman slaves were still slaves and vulnerable to their masters' whims.    What Paul says is that Christ totally reorders our relationships with one another.  Rather than being based in power, they are founded in love and respect.  I can't overestimate how revolutionary this would have been.  Slave and master, according to Paul, could sit side by side and worship the Lord as equals, even if they weren't equals in the culture around them.   But let's keep going.  When we take a look at the first-century church, we see the Holy Spirit at work in amazing ways.  But we also see opposition.  As we've mentioned over the past few days, Ephesus was a very pagan city.  One of the largest and most famous temples, the Temple of Artemis, was in Ephesus.  Worship of other gods was everywhere.  Forces working against God were everywhere.  While the church was growing and experiencing signs and wonders, it was also experiencing resistance and opposition.  Evil was present and real.   Evil is still present and real. True, it is no match for the Holy Spirit but for us mere humans, we need to be sure to stay strong in the Lord and his mighty power.  If we don't, we can easily and without our knowledge, be used by the evil forces of this world.  I often say that most of the time, we don't make the devil work that hard because we do such a good job making bad choices.  But we must be aware that evil is out there, tempting us, and looking for our weak spots.  The enemy wants us to experience defeat and discouragement, rather than the freedom and victory we can experience in Jesus.    So what's the answer?  Paul tells us to put on the whole armor of God.  How might we do this in practical ways?  Off the top of my head, I immediately think of frequent prayer and dwelling in God's Word.  By making these two things a priority in your life, you will know God better, stay connected to the Spirit that dwells within you, and you will have a growing awareness and knowledge of God's truth, wisdom, and love. But what else does Paul say in chapter 6?   ·Verse 14-Put on the belt of truth.  Our belt is what holds our clothes on the body. Our integrity holds our lives together.  Are you a person of integrity? ·Verse 14-Put on the breast plate of righteousness.  The breastplate would have protected vital organs on a soldier.  Any crack in the breastplate would have been dangerous.  Any crack in our righteousness is dangerous, as it allows impurity and evil to creep in. ·Verse 15-Put the gospel of peace on your feet.  Our foundation needs to be the peace of Jesus Christ.  The enemy will try to steal our peace and if that happens, we stumble.  How's your foundation holding up lately? ·Verse 16-Hold up the shield of faith.  Paul says that the shield protects us from Satan's arrows.  Prayer and Scripture are two ways to stand firm in faith and protect ourselves from those fiery arrows. ·Verse 17-Put on the helmet of salvation.  A helmet protects our brain; damage to the head has horrible consequences.  Because of our salvation by grace through faith in Jesus, we are new people, called to have the mind of Jesus.  When we seek to have the mind of Christ, evil has a much harder time creeping into our thoughts. ·Verse 17-Hold up the sword of the Spirit, which is God's Word. God's Word is the most powerful weapon against the evil one..  Think of Jesus being tempted by the devil in the wilderness-he used Scripture to fight back.  Knowing and dwelling in God's Word is critical if we are to push back anything the enemy throws at us.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope April 2, 2026   Scripture:  Ephesians 5   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 back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.  We are journeying through Paul's epistles, his letters, which we find in the New Testament.  We have now completed the first six and we are on our seventh letter, the book of Ephesians.   Today's reading is Ephesians 5.  Paul is imploring the Ephesians to live as God's holy people.  Jesus has fulfilled the Old Covenant.  The law is no longer what makes people holy.  Those to whom Paul is writing would be Christians, with the Spirit of the Living God within them.  They are being sanctified by God's grace.  It's only through the Holy Spirit in them that this is possible and they can even seek holiness.  This standard is actually harder – it's a circumcision of the heart.  Paul is asking the Ephesians to seek this high standard because of who they represent.  I love verses 8-10, For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord.   But I don't want to neglect the second half of this chapter because I think it's incredibly important.  It's here that Paul speaks of mutual submission, Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Mutual submission - it's what marriage is all about.  Of course, if you grew up in Christian circles, you know how badly the whole of Ephesians 5 has been distorted. The focus has been on wives submitting to husbands.  But before Paul talks specifics, he says this: submit to one another out of reverence to Christ.  Then, he talks about wives submitting and husbands loving.    We should note that this discussion would have been revolutionary at the time.  To say women had a low social and legal status in the Roman Empire is quite the understatement.  And here is the Apostle Paul telling the Ephesians that marriage is a covenant and that there needs to be mutual submission between the parties.  That means women submitting to men (which would have been the norm at the time in that culture) but also that men should submit to their wives.   Husbands submitting to wives?  That would have been unheard of!    To make it even more earth-shattering, Paul says that husbands should love their wives in the same way that Christ loved the church.  How much did Christ love the church?  He died for the church!  He is telling these guys to love their wives sacrificially.  Wow!  We read these words through our twenty-first century eyes and we may think something like, "How outdated and sexist."  But the truth was anything but the sort.  Paul's words elevated the status of wives in significant ways. They were to be loved and valued.  There should also be unity and fidelity in the marriage relationship, which means only one wife and no affairs.  Paul wants Christian men to understand that holiness within their marriage is also important.  It demonstrates that those who are "in Christ" do life differently.  They are new people in Jesus and the church, as the body of Christ, is drastically different than the culture at large.    We could probably stop there and that would be enough.  But wait, there's more.  Paul is using the marriage relationship as an analogy.  The relationship of the husband and wife in marriage points to the beautiful relationship between Christ and the church.  Just as there needs to be unity between husband and wife, there needs to be unity between Christ and the church.  So let's be real, the universal church has messed this up a bit.  Sometimes, the church demonstrates unity with Jesus and sometimes it doesn't.  I'll stop here today but I ask you to reflect on this question: Does New Hope demonstrate unity between Christ and his church?  What do we do well?  How do we struggle with this? And how do we do better?   We'll chat again tomorrow.    Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope April 1, 2026   Scripture: Ephesians 4   Prayer:  Almighty Father, Thank you for loving us despite our many faults.  Thank you for showing us a different way of doing life.  Help us seek holiness in all we do.  Help us become the people you desire us to be.  As we work through today's Scripture and devotional, I pray that you speak to our hearts.  Help us see things differently.  We want to hear from you.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Scripture reading plan.  We have been journeying through Paul's letters and we are currently in our seventh letter, the book of Ephesians.   Today's reading is Ephesians 4.  Paul has been discussing the new life we have in Christ and the new faith community that is created, what we call the church.  The church, as the body of Christ, is an entirely new kind of community-a family of people who belong to Jesus and to one another AND love one another with the extravagant love of Christ.  But this unique community has standards. Look at verses 2-4.  This body of believers should be humble, gentle, patient, and bear one another in love.  There should be unity among them as a demonstration of to whom they belong.    While there is unity, there is diversity in gifts and strengths. Jesus has made sure that his church has everything it needs to become mature and effective.  Thus, some people are given the gifts and graces to become apostles, others prophets, still others evangelists, pastors, and teachers.  Jesus obviously excelled in all these categories, but we don't.  Thus, we need one another desperately to build up and strengthen the body of Christ.   Historically, the church has focused more on pastors and teachers than the apostles, prophets, and evangelists.  If we look at the state of the Western church, you can see how badly this has hurt us.  We are incomplete, we are missing some of these critical roles, and without them we are ineffective.  We need everyone to build up the church.  Here is a quick summary of these roles: ·      Apostles are the entrepreneurs of the church, starting new mission and ministries, leading the church into new territory.  Without apostles, we get stuck in the same place, not responding to the changing needs of our world. ·      Prophets often stand on the fringes of the church, as God's messengers, speaking hard words into the family of faith.  We have pushed the prophets aside because we tend to not like hard words. ·      Evangelists are the salespeople of the faith. They are particularly gifted at sharing the Good News of Jesus with people who don't get know him.  We are ALL called to be evangelistic but certain people are truly gifted in leading new people to Christ.  We need them. ·      Pastors are shepherds of the flock.  They nurture and protect the congregation.  They are essentially the caregivers of the flock, ensuring and guarding the spiritual health of the people. ·      Teachers are the communicators of the faith. They help the people remain Biblically grounded, teach the next generation about Jesus, and ensure that the church is faithful to God's Word, growing in their knowledge of Scripture and doctrine.    Think about your unique gifts. Are you an apostle, a prophet, an evangelist, a pastor, or a teacher?  How can you use your gifts to build up Jesus' church?   Have a wonderful day.  We will talk again tomorrow.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki    

Daily Dose of Hope March 31, 2026   Scripture: Ephesians 3   Prayer:  Almighty Father, Thank you for a new day and thank you that your mercies are new every single morning.  How grateful we are that we can start afresh and anew each day.  Forgive us for the many times we fell short, for when we weren't loving, for when we were easily angered, for when our patience wore thin. Today, help us represent you well.  In all things, may we be reminded who and whose we are.  We are yours.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Scripture reading plan.  We have been journeying through Paul's letters and we are currently in our seventh letter, the book of Ephesians.   Today's reading is Ephesians 3.  Paul starts out the chapter by talking about God's amazing plan for the Gentiles.  They are now co-heirs and equal members of the body of Christ.  They fully share in the promises of Jesus.  And this plan not only brings unity to Jesus' church, but it offers all Christ-followers the ability to access God confidently and directly.    We find a beautiful prayer in verses 16-19 that Paul offers for the people in the Ephesian church.  He starts by asking God to strengthen them by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Remember, Ephesus was a very pagan city.  The church there dealt with opposition on a daily basis.  Paul knew they needed supernatural strength.  The same could probably be said of us today.  The sources of our distractions and opposition are different but still powerful.  How do you personally need God's supernatural strength today?   Next, Paul prayed that they would be rooted in Jesus' love and understand how expansive and deep his love truly is for his people.  In understanding this, it would change how they interacted with one another and with the unbelieving world.  Having a solid understanding of God's extravagant love for us, we can extravagantly love others. Think about that...when we experience God's love so deeply, it's much easier to act in love toward others, even when they aren't very lovable. I've had to deal with some pretty unpleasant people over the past few months who I didn't feel like being loving toward. But then I read this verse and God quickly reminded me-he loved me when I wasn't so lovable. Because of his deep love for me, I can respond to others with love, period.    Finally, Paul prays that as they have this full understanding of God's love, they will be filled with the fullness of God.  What might it be like to be filled with the fullness of God? I'm not sure I've gotten there yet but I sure want to get there. It sounds like there could be nothing better!   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope March 30, 2026   Scripture: Ephesians 2   Prayer:  Lord, Let us start by thanking you for a new day.  You are the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the one who was, and is, and is to come.  You are all powerful and all knowing.  We give thanks for your love and wisdom.  We give thanks for your presence.  Help us, Lord, gather our scattered thoughts.  Help us set aside distractions and listen to what you have for us today.  In these next few moments of silence, hear our prayers...Jesus, we love you.  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 journeying through Paul's letters, reading them in chronological order.  Just a reminder, there are thirteen letters and we are currently on our seventh!    Our reading for today is Ephesians 2.  Central to our belief as Christians is that Jesus was not only resurrected but also exalted to a high place. In fact, he sits at the right hand of the Father right now. The amazing thing is that we as believers receive new life in Christ AND we also are exalted with him in the heavenly realms. Today's Scripture states that the purpose of this is that we can be shown the incomparable riches of his grace.   Think about that for a moment. The Message translation says it a different way: Once God has us where he wants us, he will have all the time in the world to "shower grace and kindness upon us." We get to know and experience Jesus' amazing love for us right now. We are exalted with him and he continues to shower us with grace and love. Wow.   But there is more. Our salvation is totally and completely based on faith and nothing else. We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus alone. There is nothing else needed to be saved. At the time Paul wrote this, there were plenty of people who said that circumcision and following the law were also necessary to be saved. Paul has made it clear that NOTHING else is needed-we are saved by the amazing grace of Jesus and all we have to do is have faith. God knows us well and he did this so that we couldn't brag about our salvation because it was totally his doing and not ours. Again, wow.   But there is still more. We are also God's handiwork. Other translations say "masterpiece." We are created by God to do good things that God designed us specifically to do. If you needed a Scripture to illustrate the phrase "God don't make no junk," this could be it. You are God's masterpiece. He lovingly designed you. You are not a random experiment. He had YOU in mind when he made you. Your gifts and talents were also not random but were given to you by God to do good things for his world. You are a masterpiece and you have a purpose. Let that sink in.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope March 27, 2026   Scripture: Ephesians 1   Prayer:  Holy God, Thank you for this day and thank you for the ways you provide and care for us.  We rejoice in your powerful and mighty name.  As we read through the Scripture today and reflect on what it means for us, help us hear a new word from you.  Help us set aside the distractions of the day and really listen for your voice.  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 working our way through Paul's New Testament letters, in chronological order.  Yesterday, we finished the book of Romans and today we begin our seventh pastoral letter, the book of Ephesians.   Paul's letter to the church at Ephesus is quite extraordinary!  The prose is both beautiful and powerful.  It speaks to who we are in Jesus, new life in Christ, and what we must now do about it.    The church at Ephesus, in modern-day Turkey, was established on Paul's second missionary journey.  On his third missionary journey, Paul spent 2-3 years in the city. He addressed false doctrines and pagan practices.  In his letter to the church of Ephesus, written roughly ten years later, Paul commends the Ephesian church on their faith and love. They have done well and we see that expressed in this letter.    There is a lot to say about this first chapter, but I want to focus on the middle portion. Paul states how he has heard of their faith and love, and he gives thanks for them and their dedication to Jesus.  He lifts them in prayer, specifically that they will know God even more and will be given supernatural wisdom and revelation.  While he is pleased with their spiritual maturity, he is still praying for them, that they continue to grow in holiness.  Paul wants them to truly have the knowledge of God, which can't be gained by study but only through God himself.    As I reread this, I couldn't help but think about how we are never done growing spiritually.  We never get to the point in our walk in which we can say, "That's it, I've made it, no more study, prayer, or service needed for me!"  If we aren't dead, we aren't done.  God isn't done with any of us yet.    One more thing I want to mention. Paul speaks of believers being marked by a seal.  In the ancient world, a seal was the personal sign of an owner who was sending something very important. It also indicated that what was received was genuine, in that it was truly from the person who it said it was from. The Jews thought of circumcision as a seal ,in that circumcision indicated they belonged to the one true God. In today's Scripture, the apostle Paul is saying that we as Christians are also marked with a seal, the seal of the Holy Spirit, which guarantees to whom we belong and that what we believe in true and genuine. In Christ, you are marked with the most important seal in the world! If you have said yes to Jesus, then the Holy Spirit has marked you. You are claimed. You can be assured that you are a child of God.    Blessings, Pastor Vicki    

Daily Dose of Hope March 26, 2026   Scripture: Romans 16   Prayer:  Holy God, We start by praising your name.  You are a good God, a mighty God, and a wise God.  Work in our lives.  Speak to us.  We need you, Lord.  Over and over again, we need you.  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 Church daily Bible reading plan.  We are working our way through Paul's New Testament letters, in chronological order.  Today, we are finishing the book of Romans and tomorrow we begin the book of Ephesians.   Our reading for today is Romans 16.  The final chapter of Romans has this beautiful section of greetings to the people that Paul has worked with and encountered in his ministry.  I love how this was obviously a letter for regular people.  This was not a letter intended for religious scholars.  Rather, Paul sent it to people he cared about in an effort to help them in their own lives and ministries.   Another interesting note is that out of twenty-six people who are listed as special workers in ministry, nine are women.  This is especially impressive because Rome was a male-dominated society and women had little, if any, social and legal standing.  But in the church, things were different.  There is also a variety when it comes to the names: some of Jewish, some are Latin, and many are Greek.  While I'm sure the early church had its issues, it appears to be a diverse mix of men and women, from different cultural and religious backgrounds.  Essentially, it was a great picture of the Kingdom of God.   God's Kingdom is universal, with people from all races, cultures, and stations in life.  In God's Kingdom, men and women serve alongside each other.  It's a place in which every single human life has value and no one is better than another.  God's values are actively at work: love, justice, mercy, righteousness, hope, and freedom for the oppressed.  Somewhere in the history of the church, it got off track.  The church became less Kingdom-focused and more about growing the institution.  It began to resemble the culture around it.  Certain people were excluded, corruption crept in, sin invaded.  It's hard to read a church history text because it seems so far from the church Paul was trying to establish.   Paul also warns his dear friends about avoiding division and those who seek to create it.  He actually says to stay away from people who create conflict in the church.  Wow.  That's handy guidance.  Be aware, be vigilant, listen to the Holy Spirit, and don't be deceived by the evil one.    As much as the church has gone through, we know that the powers of Satan and the powers of men cannot defeat it.  I think of Jesus' words in Matthew 16 when he tells Peter that it's on that rock, his confession of Jesus' Lordship, that Jesus will build his church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. The church has and will prevail, despite all our brokenness and sin.  God's mercies are new every single day!  As a church, we can pray and strive to be a better picture of God's Kingdom.  In fact, my on-going prayer for New Hope is that we will become a multiplying congregation-multicultural, multiracial, and multigenerational.  I pray that we will be the kind of place where people from all walks of life find a place of belonging, a place to be nurtured and loved.  I hope you will join me in this prayer.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki      

Daily Dose of Hope March 25, 2026   Scripture: Romans 15   Prayer:  Lord Jesus, Mighty God, Holy One...We come to you this morning with humility and gratefulness.  Thank you that your mercies are new every morning.  Thank you that you continue to love and guide us, even though we mess up again and again.  Thank you for your patience and your never-ending care.  Lord, we are so very grateful.  Help us, on this Wednesday, to right our attitude.  We belong to you and we are under your authority.  Help us see others the way you see them.  Help us produce fruit in our lives.  Oh, Lord, how we need your help.  Please, Jesus, may we hear your voice today.  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 walking through Paul's letters, chronologically, and we are currently towards the end of Romans.    Today's reading is Romans 15.   We can tell that Paul is beginning to close his letter in this chapter.  He shares his plans to head to Jerusalem and then to Rome on his way to Spain (we don't think Paul actually made it there) and he implores the Christ-followers in Rome to pray for him.    But before we get to Paul's planned journey, let's talk about some of the main themes in the chapter.  This idea of God's faithfulness runs through the chapter and even the whole letter.  Paul talks about God's steadfastness and truth, and then he does a great job linking Old Testament Scriptures with God's acceptance of the Gentiles.  Paul pulls from Deuteronomy, Isaiah, and the Psalms.  Basically, he is saying that God's faithfulness and his promises extend from the Jews to the Gentiles.    Now let's talk about the trip that Paul is referring to.  Now, Paul knew a trip to Jerusalem would be dangerous.  There were plenty of people there who wanted to see him executed for his work as a Christian missionary.  Paul asks his Roman brothers and sisters to join him in the struggle by praying to God on his behalf.  The ESV uses the phrase "strive together" with him in prayer, and the term comes from the Greek word for agonize.    I think this is one of the gifts of the Christian walk, when the body of Christ gathers and agonizes together, to pray for a specific person or situation.  While our solitary prayers are important, there is something that happens when we raise up our voices together.  We know that we know that we know that we aren't alone.  We are lifted up, encouraged, and empowered to keep going.  Who is it who needs to know you are praying for them today?   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope March 23, 2026   Scripture: Romans 13   Prayer:  Holy and Almighty God, We come to you today in humility but also with expectancy.  We need to hear a word from you.  We need to sense your presence and be reminded of how you walk alongside us.  In these next few moments of silence, help us settle our mind and gather our scattered thoughts, focusing on you and you alone...In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back, everyone, to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that goes along with the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.  We are currently journeying through Paul's pastoral letters and we find ourselves in Romans.  This is our sixth letter.   Today's reading is Romans 13.  This chapter begins with a text about submitting to the governing authorities.  This is an interesting one, considering that most of the disciples and even Paul did not obey the governing authorities, continuing to preach the Gospel many times after being thrown in jail and told to stop.  And throughout the ages, many Christians have boldly (I would say rightly) challenged their governments in times of war and persecution.    So remember, when something doesn't seem right on the surface when we read Scripture, we need to go deeper.  I personally think that Paul is teaching that authority as a structure exists because God is a God of order, not chaos.  In a perfect world (and we know that doesn't exist but stay with me here), government exists to provide law and order, to punish evil, and protect the innocent.  Government is God-created and should be a good thing.  But to honor or submit to the government does not mean never to question or even challenge it.  This Scripture does not teach blind obedience, even though some might have you believe it.  Why?  Because our ultimate submission is to God first.    And Paul is not saying every command from every leader automatically equals the will of God.  If that were the case, Daniel would have sinned by praying to God when the law said not to.  The apostles would have been sinning when they preached the Gospel after being told not to.  Paul would have been sinning when he continued to spread the Good News.  We submit to God first.  He is our ultimate governing authority.  Thus, we can honor our leaders and pray for them, but the laws of God always trump the laws of man.  Governments are intended to protect us and provide accountability but they never replace God's perfect laws of justice, love, and compassion.  Respect for the laws of the land NEVER replaces the laws of God.  Hope that helps.   Let's move on in the chapter.  Paul goes on to say that love actually fulfills the law.  When we say yes to Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes and makes a home within us, changing us from the inside out.  We become new people and that change should be obvious in how we treat people, the words we speak, and how we behave.  Paul is getting at this truth.  He makes the point that because the day of salvation has come, we should behave accordingly.  We should experience salvation to its fullest now as we will experience salvation in its fullness in the future when Jesus returns.   There is an urgency to this.  We aren't supposed to sit around, eat bonbons, and think, "One day I'll get my act together."  Rather, the time is now.  Not only do we never know what the future holds, but we also know to whom we belong and who we represent.  Of course, we will mess up here and there, but overall, our speech and actions should reflect mature Christ-followers, people who are striving for a life characterized by holiness.  This isn't legalistic but comes from a true desire to look more like Jesus.    Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope March 19, 2026   Scripture: Romans 11   Prayer:   Almighty God, we start by pausing before you.  Help us set aside the distractions of the morning or the day and focus on you.  In these next few moments of silence, help us gather our scattered thoughts and think only of you...Help us be still and know you are God.  God, we rejoice that we can freely read your Word and we are grateful that you speak through it to us. It's truly a miracle.  Holy Spirit, we also invite you to join us as we seek to grow deeper in relationship with you.  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 working our way through Paul's letters.  We are now in our sixth pastoral letter, the book of Romans.  Don't forget to let me know what you are learning.  Offer feedback – let me know about your big takeaways.   Today, our reading is Romans 11.  Paul is stating that because Israel rejected the Gospel, the Gentiles had the opportunity to receive it.  Interestingly, Paul says that the salvation of the Gentiles was meant to instill a desire in the Jews for the same amazing gift.  But that didn't necessarily happen.  At the same time, the Gentiles really didn't do anything to make the Jews jealous of this gift.  Think about it, Gentile Christians throughout the centuries have had the opportunity to share the love and grace of Jesus Christ with Jews, to demonstrate the abundant life that comes by walking closely with Jesus.  While that may have happened occasionally, more often we see Jews treated with persecution, oppression, and violence.    Do you have any Jews in your sphere of influence or circle of friends?  What are their thoughts of Jesus?  Spend some time right now praying for their salvation and how God might be calling you to share the story of Jesus with them.   There are two other things I want to mention from the chapter.  The first is this idea of being grafted in.  Paul compares Israel to the natural branches of an olive tree and the Gentile believers as the branches of a wild olive tree.  Some of the natural branches, the Jews, have broken off, but the wild branches, the Gentiles have been grafted in.  Because of this, the Gentiles are now can receive God's promises and receive salvation.  We are part of God's Kingdom, his family.   While the Gentiles have been grafted in, that doesn't mean that God is done with Israel.  Paul is making a point that God's purposes won't be complete until Israel is grafted back into God's people.  All people, Jews and Gentiles, were intended to share in the promises of Abraham and his seed.  This is all part of God's full redemptive plan.    The last thing I wanted to mention was the doxology at the end of the chapter.  When I first read the chapter, it seemed out of place. But upon further reflection, it makes sense.  Paul is overcome by God's mercy and grace.  He begins the doxology with a groan or sigh.  Think about it - Paul has just gotten done discussing God's plan of salvation for all people and how this demonstrates God's goodness, mercy, and incredible wisdom.  Paul is finding all of this so incredibly powerful and needs to stop his letter to simply write some words of worship before he moves on.  He is overwhelmed with gratitude to God and worship seemed the most appropriate response.   When was the last time you were overwhelmed with gratitude or thanksgiving to God for what he has done?  What is your response?   Blessings, Pastor Vicki    

Daily Dose of Hope March 18, 2026   Scripture: Romans 10   Prayer:   Almighty God, We thank you for a new day and we praise your perfect name.  We are grateful that your mercies are new every single morning.  Help us see you in this day.  Help us recognize your voice.  Lord, help us reflect you today in our words.  Help us reflect you in our behavior.  Help us remember who and whose we are.  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 working our way through Paul's letters chronologically.  We are now in our sixth pastoral letter, the book of Romans.   Today's reading is Romans 10.  Romans 10 is packed with substance.  There are two things that strike me in this chapter.  First is Paul's discussion about the heart.  He is making an argument that the law is not what makes someone righteous, but their belief in Jesus.  He is speaking of a new circumcision, essentially, a circumcision of the heart.  It isn't about what we do or what is done to us (in the case of a baby boy being circumcised), it is about our heart.  Do we believe in Jesus?  Do we love Jesus?  Have we made a commitment in our heart to Jesus Christ?    Keep in mind this was a total 180 degrees from what the Jews knew and believed.  I think sometimes we are pretty hard on the Jews.  Why don't they just believe?  Well, this was really different from everything they had been taught about being right with God.  Paul seems to get this struggle and it frames his arguments with Hebrew people.  He is anguished that they don't believe.  While it is a huge shift, he knows how much better life is when Christ is at the center.  As we can all imagine, the law (works) is a terrible thing to build your life around because you are never good enough.  On the other hand, with Jesus, he has declared us good enough because of his saving work on the cross, not because of anything we have done or haven't done.  This totally levels the playing field, as Paul expresses in verse 12.  It doesn't matter if one is Jew or Greek for all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.  This is great news, everyone!   The other piece that made an impression on me this morning was Paul's emphasis on sharing the good news.  Starting with verse 14, he writes, How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"  And that is still the case today, isn't it?  How can anyone know if they have never heard?  I think we make the assumption that most people around us, like neighbors, coworkers, golf buddies, and gym friends, know about Jesus.  Often, people have a vague idea about Jesus or even an incorrect view of Jesus.  Yet, they must know and profess Jesus to be saved.  I've also learned that some people, especially younger ones, truly have no idea what it means to believe in Jesus Christ.    Friends, the harvest is tremendous but the workers are few.  How can they believe if they have not heard?   Blessings, Pastor Vicki