2020 Archives - Page 12 of 37

On the Other Side

September 12, 2020/in 2020, Daily Messages/by Joe Albright

Dial Hope is made possible by folks who donate so the word of God’s love might reach others through this ministry. Perhaps, you would like to do the same. Check out our website – www.dialhope.org.

There’s a story about a sick man who turned to his doctor and said, “Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side.” Very quietly, the doctor said, “I don’t know.” The man replied, “You, a Christian man, do not know what is on the other side?”

The doctor had his hand on the doorknob. From the other side, came the sound of scratching and whining. As he opened it, a dog sprang into the room and leaped on him with an unbridled show of sheer joy.

Turning to the patient, the doctor said, “Did you notice my dog? He’s never been in this room before. He didn’t know what was inside. He knew only that his master was here, and when the door opened, he sprang in without fear. I know little of what is on the other side of death, but I do know one thing… I know my Master is there and that is enough.”

Let us pray: God of Hope, in life and death we belong to you. Help us to trust you completely so that we are free to live life to its fullest today. There is so much that we don’t know. But, we do know that you hold the future and that you hold us. Amen.

Building Bridges

September 11, 2020/in 2020, Daily Messages/by Joe Albright

Once upon a time, two brothers who lived on neighboring farms fell into conflict. One morning, a young carpenter stopped by one of the farms – wanting to know if the farmer had a little work. Yes,” said the older brother. “I do have a job for you. Look across the creek at that farm. That’s my younger brother’s farm. Last week, there was a meadow between us, but he took his bulldozer and dug a small river between us. Well, I’m going to do him one better. I want you to build an 8-foot high fence between us. The carpenter said, “Show me the nails and the tools, and I’ll do a good job for you.”

The older brother had to go to town, so he left for the day. At sunset, when he returned, his eyes opened wide, and his jaw dropped. There was no fence there at all. The carpenter had built a bridge that stretched from one side of the river to the other! And his younger brother was coming toward them, his arms outstretched.

The two brothers met in the middle, and tears were shed. They turned to see the carpenter leaving. “No, wait! Stay a few days. I have a lot of other projects for you,” said the older brother. “I’d love to,” the carpenter said, “but I have many more bridges to build.”

Friends of Dial Hope, the carpenter’s job is our job too! We are called to be bridge builders.

Jesus once said, “Blessed are the Peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.”

Let us pray: Loving God, in our own lives, help us to build bridges. Help us to be instruments of your peace and reconciliation. And as we do, may we experience anew your peace, your comfort, and your amazing grace. Amen.

Twenty Years Old Today!

September 10, 2020/in 2020, Daily Messages/by Joe Albright

Twenty years ago today, the ministry of Dial Hope was born. On September 10, 2000, my friend Roger Kunkle began recording daily messages of inspiration and hope. Every morning, he would wake up at 4 am and record a new message. He wanted folks to be able to hear a voice of encouragement at any time of day or night.

Of course, our technology has come a long way in 20 years! But our vision is much the same. We want a message of hope to be accessible to as many people as possible. We want to spread ripples of hope all across the globe. To that end, I offer a heartfelt thanks to all of you who have supported our mission over the years.

Today, my prayer for each of you is in keeping with our vision. May you personally know God’s unconditional love for you, in the very fiber of your being. May you experience and accept that gift, and then share it with a world desperately in need.

Let us pray: We thank you, O God for your love that knows no limits. We thank you for your claim on each of our lives, and for opportunities to serve you. May your Spirit continue to move in a mighty way. Bring healing and meaning and wholeness to this world and to our lives. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Changes Along the Journey

September 9, 2020/in 2020, Daily Messages/by Roger Kunkel

Today’s message was written by Rev. Roger Kunkel, founder of Dial Hope.

Lilian Carter, the mother of Jimmy Carter once said, “Every time I think I’m getting old, and gradually going to the grave, something else happens.” It is so true – life is filled with delightful detours if we are looking for them. Some changes of pace just happen to us; others we create along the way. In either case, the lives of alert, awake, flexible humans display creative change. As someone noted, “Happiness is the art of making a bouquet of flowers right around you.”

Let us pray: “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help. My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth.” God of love, we know in our bones that you are there, even when our bones are aching from loneliness or disease. We know in our minds that you are the center of our lives, even when our heads hurt from trying to figure out what to do next. We know in our hearts that you are love, even when we feel that love has vanished from our lives. We know in our souls that you have made us and shaped us for a reason, even when our inner core feels empty and devoid of purpose. Lord, spread your mantle of comfort and grace over those who are hurting this day. With love and appreciation, we remember the men and women serving our country in faraway places. Watch over them and their families back home. Fill our hearts now with contagious enthusiasm, joy, and hope as we partner with you to make this day a masterpiece. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

We Are the Church

September 8, 2020/in 2020, Daily Messages/by Joe Albright

A friend was telling me that when he first came back to the church as a young adult after he married, they weren’t sure about this church thing. He was especially skeptical. He used to say things like I believe in God, not an institution. But he was having a hard time in his marriage, so he agreed to go – just to test the waters. By no means did he intend to get heavily involved.

But there was a problem. They were trying to do this in a small church, and it’s kind of hard to hide out in a small church. When one of the youth asked them to come help with the youth group, they couldn’t say no.

Later, he told me, looking back on those moments – hanging out on Friday nights eating pizza with a bunch of teenagers – helping them think about dating, and colleges, and sports and how God fits into all of that – made him think about his life – how God fit into his marriage, his work and relationships.

Over time, through these young people who he grew to know and love, he came to realize that the church is so much more than an institution. It is people – people who love God and who are trying to love this world God made.

I pray today that you would have a group of people to walk with you on this journey of faith.

Let us pray: Loving God, we realize that we can’t make it alone for very long in life. We need you, and we need others. We also realize that relationships are often demanding. They require forgiveness and love. So today we ask for an extra measure of your grace. Help us do the hard work of connecting deeply with other people who are also on the journey of faith. Grant us patience, and open hearts. Through them, may we experience your compassion, your hope, and your joy. Amen.

Out of the Brokenness

September 7, 2020/in 2020, Daily Messages/by Joe Albright

Many years ago I remember hearing about the Royal Palace in Teheran, Iran.

Apparently, an architect planned for the walls of the royal palace entry to be covered with sheets of beautiful mirrors from Paris. But when the shipment of glass arrived, they discovered that every mirror had been smashed in travel. The entire shipment was destroyed, and the grand entry could not be completed.

Just as the workers started gathering the broken pieces together to discard them, however, the architect said, “Wait a minute. I’ve got an idea!” He then took a hammer and broke some of the larger pieces into tiny pieces. He gathered them up in his hands and walked over to the entry. He then put some glue on the wall and arranged the tiny pieces. He did this over and over until he had an enormous montage of broken mirror pieces. At no point were the mirrors broken alike and at no point was the angle exact.

I’ve heard that the result is breathtaking. The grand entrance is a dazzling brilliant display of prisms, reflecting light in every direction! One visitor stood in awe and described the result like this: “Broken to be more beautiful!”

But of course, this incredible work of art was only possible in the hands of a master artist.

As I think about many of you who connect with Dial Hope I know the brokenness and hurt that some of you are feeling. Of course, I don’t know all of it. But I know some of it. And I do know this: every single one of you has been through difficult moments at one time or another. You have felt brokenness in your own lives.

But the promise of the gospel is that we worship a God who picks up the broken pieces… We worship a God who wastes nothing. In God’s hands, even our failures, our past mistakes, the tragedies we’ve experienced and our brokenness, and the brokenness of the world around us can be transformed and even redeemed.

Thanks be to God!

Let us pray: You are the Master Artist, O God. We ask you today to pick up the broken pieces of our lives and the broken pieces of our nation and the world around us. Grant us a willingness to work with you as you work within us. Give us open hearts and spirits as you shape us and reshape us more and more into your image. We remember today that you have promised to make all things new. For that, we give thanks. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

What Are You For?

September 6, 2020/in 2020, Daily Messages/by Roger Kunkel

Friend of Dial Hope, one of the common mistakes in religion is made by people who try to live on negatives, people who are whiners. They are against that but do not seem to be emphatically for something of their own allegiance. They can tell you with deep emotion what they are against, but if you ask them what they are really for, they have no clear answers. To be a Christian is not to be against things; we must be positive in our faith and action. We must be filled with joy and hope. We must be for Christ and his truth and his way of life. Life is never boring, never ho-hum…it is always TA-DA!

Oliver Wendell Holmes once said, “I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving! To reach the port of heaven we must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it – but we must sail, not drift, nor lie at anchor.”

In the New Testament, Paul wrote in Il Corinthians, Chapter 1:20, “For in Jesus Christ, every one of God’s promises is a YES.”

Let us pray: O God of china-blue skies and dazzling sunrises, we thank you that this day is filled with promise and possibility. Grant us boldness to move beyond security to the risk of faith, the joy of service, the laughter of love. So often we are like Jonah. We hear your call, then resist your Word, running from you as far as we can. We think that you cannot possibly use us. But we forget that where we see no way, you can create one; that when you call someone, you also provide gifts of service. Forgive our resistance and excuses. Enable each of us to see where our call lies, and to serve you with contagious enthusiasm, spontaneous emotion, and unrestrained joy. Reshape our hearts until every fiber within us yearns to do your will. Through the grace of Jesus.

Bitter to Sweet

September 5, 2020/in 2020, Daily Messages/by Joe Albright

There is a great story in the book of Exodus about a time when the Israelites were dying of thirst. They come to a location where there is water, but it is bitter that they can’t drink it. When they cry out to God, God shows Moses a simple piece of wood. When Moses threw the wood in the bitter water it became sweet – and the people could drink!

Scholar Murray Andrew Pura makes the point that God could have led the people to a new location where the water was better, but he didn’t. God kept the people where they were and he made the bitter water good. Pura writes, “Often we want desperately to change location. If we can just get somewhere else, everything will be all right. Unquestionably, there are times God has to change our geography… But there are other times when he asks us to trust him to alter what is sour and foul and repugnant to us.”

In your own life, maybe you have felt a need to change jobs, or locations, or relationships. Like the Israelites, I hope that you will commit your situation to prayer. Listen, and allow God to lead.

Let us pray: You are the God of new beginnings, new life, new possibilities. You are also the God who makes all things new – even us. We trust you with our situations, with our deepest concerns and anxieties. We pray today for guidance. We pray especially for those who long for transformation – from bitter to pure and sweet. Meet each of us where we are this day; through Jesus Christ. Amen.

You Matter to God

September 4, 2020/in 2020, Daily Messages/by Joe Albright

A second grader once asked his teacher how much the earth weighed. The teacher googled the answer. “Six thousand million, million tons,” she answered. The little boy thought for a minute and then asked, “Is that with or without people?”

The story is funny but it is true. People matter! People especially matter to God.

In John 3:16, we find, For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son…

In 1 John 4:10 we read: For this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son…

Then, one of my favorites, in Romans, chapter 8: In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

No matter where you are on the journey of faith, I pray that you would know God’s love for you in the very deepest part of your being.

Let us pray: Today, Gracious God, we claim these promises from the scriptures. And we thank you for your unconditional love and grace. Help us accept and embody these your gifts; through Jesus Christ. Amen.

We Are God’s Plan

September 3, 2020/in 2020, Daily Messages/by Joe Albright

Renaissance scholar, Erasmus once told a classic story that was designed to stress the importance of our role in God’s purposes for the Earth.

In the story, Jesus returns to heaven after his time on earth. The angels gather around him to learn what all happened. Jesus tells them of the miracles, his teachings, his death on the cross, and his resurrection.

When he finishes talking, Michael the Archangel asks Jesus, “But what happens now?” Jesus answers, “I have left behind eleven faithful disciples and a handful of men and women who have faithfully followed me. They will declare my message and express my love. These faithful people will build my church.” “But,” responds Michael, “What if these people fail? What then is your other plan?” And Jesus answers, “I have no other plan!”

In the book of Acts, Jesus tells the eleven disciples, “You will be my witnesses.” You will be the evidence of my love for this world. Your actions, your generosity, your forgiveness, your compassion will be a witness to the gospel.

It is beautiful to me that God gives us a role to play in the story of salvation. It is also beautiful to me that in finding our place in this story, in taking on our role, we too experience grace upon grace.

Let us pray: God of hope, may the words we speak and the actions we take on your behalf become the seeds of the new heaven and the new earth that you have promised. May your healing Spirit fall afresh on us this day. Amen.