For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn
the world, but to save the world through him.
John 3:16-17





Praise to God for a Living Hope
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
1 Peter 1:3

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.
Colossians 3:15



Love the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul and with all your mind
and with all your strength.
Mark 12:30




For in Christ all the fulness of the Deity lives in bodily form,
and you have been given fulness in Christ,
who is the Head over every power and authority.
Colossians 2:9-10

Thanksgiving

Given so much,
What have I done to
Deserve it?
Nothing,
Absolutely nothing.

No wonder my heart
Dances.

Ann Lewin
from "Unfinished Sentences"

Be at Peace

Do not look forward in fear to the changes of life;

Rather look to them with full hope that as they arise,
God, whose very own you are, will lead you safely
through all things;

And when you cannot stand it,
God will carry you in His arms.

Do not fear what may happen tomorrow;

The same everlasting Father who cares for you today
will take care of you today and every day.

He will either shield you from suffering or will give you
unfailing strength to bear it.

Be at peace and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations.

St. Francis de Sales

Lord, sometimes I'd like to see ahead
more clearly.
Dispel the mist
that swirls around the future
and makes my every move
a little problematical.
It would be nice, I feel,
if you could write
the next few steps of my itinerary
in greater detail.
I'd like a timetable reliably constructed,
its routes, departure and arrival times
defined with some precision.
I'm on the bus
and though the seats are reasonably comfortable
I'd like to see the way
more clearly than I do.

But when I think it through -
and that's an effort I don't always make -
I reckon that the reason
that my journey's not defined
is because you give me freedom
to choose the route I take.
Trusting me more, perhaps, than I trust you.
Your hope and expectation
that I'll step out
armed in the confidence
I've found from looking back
and seeing
that in good times and in bad
your presence gave me strength
I don't know what's to come
but that no longer matters
quite so much
as knowing that
whatever it may be
you'll be there
on the road with me.

Eddie Askew