Be Devoted to One Another: His Story
“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
-Romans 12:9-12
Romans 12 is really a remarkable chapter. It encourages us to use our differing gifts to build one another up (vv. 3-8). It goes on to define the love we are called to have for each other; one that is sincere, dedicated to goodness, devoted, self-sacrificing, and zealously serving ...
The Last Enemy
Welcome to Hope Mommies In the Word devotionals. Over the past several weeks, we have been narrowing in on specific truths of the gospel to learn how they direct and inform us in our grief. As we study these truths together, we’d love you to use the comments as a place to dialogue with us about what you are learning and share your answers to the questions below. We pray that you hearts will be encouraged as you dig into God's Word each week with us!
Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every ...
The Lord Is My Portion
Growing up as an only child, I never had to worry about who was going to get the biggest or the best portion.
Who got the chocolate chip cookie with the most chips? Me.
Who always got to sit in the front seat on the way home from school? Me again.
Who got all of my parents' attention? Yep, that would be me.
As I got older though, I began to see that the portion I wanted, the portion I envisioned myself having, didn't always go to me.
That other girl got the lead in the school play.
That boy didn't want me as his girlfriend.
That family got to take ...
Living Hope: 2023 Retreat
The pain of losing a baby is very real and can make us feel so alone, but no tear or prayer has gone unnoticed by God. In our brokenness, we need to be reminded that we have a Father who cares deeply for us, His daughters, and that we have a Savior who rescues us from death and gives us hope for a future beyond this broken world. But along with hope for tomorrow, we also need hope for today, and our God is a God who does this! I’ve seen Him do it in great measure in my own life, and in the lives of women cared for and loved by Hope Mommies.
Do you need to be reminded ...
Kristen’s Story
Shortly after our oldest son, Kason, turned a year old, my husband and I began planning to expand our little family. After struggling with unexplained infertility with Kason, we did not know if it would take months or years to become pregnant again. But in May of 2014, I became pregnant with our daughter.
My pregnancy was perfect! It wasn’t until a week before our due date that any worry invaded my mind. It was a Friday when I noticed that I was not feeling her move as I normally did. I kept trying to convince myself that all was fine and that there was nothing to ...
Honor One Another: Her Story
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in Him.”
-Lamentations 3:24
2006 started off as a year filled with promise. Wondering if the Lord may choose to add a fifth baby to our growing family, and desiring to be open to Him and His blessing in our lives, we pressed on in anticipation that this year would be a year filled with hope. His answer seemed to come quickly as almost instantly we discovered that we would be welcoming a new little one in the fall.
My previous pregnancies had been mostly uneventful, with some complicated deliveri...
Honor One Another: His Story
It was a startling wake up I wasn’t expecting. “Ken, I think I lost the baby!” Quickly our plans for this Easter day faded and the new plan included a trip to the hospital.
The celebration of Easter or Resurrection Day is about life—Christ risen to life after a cruel death, and new life for all who believe because Christ rose from the grave. Easter 2006 was a celebration of life but not in the way we had expected. After having four children without major pregnancy complications, and currently at 16 weeks without any issues, a miscarriage was not even on our ...
Betrayal and Peace
Welcome to Hope Mommies In the Word devotionals. Over the next several weeks, we will be narrowing in on specific truths of the gospel to learn how they direct and inform us in our grief. As we study these truths together, we’d love you to use the comments as a place to dialogue with us about what you are learning and share your answers to the questions below. We pray that you hearts will be encouraged as you dig into God's Word each week with us!
"But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table."
Luke 22:21
READ:
Jesus was betrayed by ...
Joy is Possible
I sat down at the kitchen counter with my Bible and prayed "Lord, show me the verse. Your word is so rich, so full of truth, that I don't even know where to begin. Lead me to the verse that will be etched on my son's gravestone. The verse that will point me to you, that will become our family's theme, so to speak."
And as I flipped through my Bible, eyes scanning, I stopped at Psalm 16:11.
You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand there are pleasures forevermore.
Psalm 16:11 (NIV)
Tears dripped from my ...
Finding True Joy
Rejoice. Be glad. Delight.
Friend, do these words describe you in the midst of your grief? Or does the mere mention of the word rejoice cause you to scoff? Perhaps, sad, downcast, and burdened feels more accurate. It is entirely natural, perhaps even normal, if rejoicing seems like the last thing of which you’re capable. The loss of our children is certainly not a thing in which we rejoice. And the pain of that loss can create a fog of sadness so deep we often can’t see through it. The things in which we once found joy now seem hollow; joy and happiness seem elusive. ...
