Dear Friends,

Welcome to our first Hope E-Report—a message we hope will strengthen your faith in God’s prevailing love for us all.

The central theme of this month’s report is becoming grounded in our Hope. We will look at five points that in different ways can help us anchor our joyful Hope in Jesus more firmly.

They are . . .

* Three things to memorize

* Connecting with like-minded people

* Experiencing the joy of bringing Hope to others

* Exploring an exciting and liberating new way of understanding God’s commands

* Discovering the power, purpose and joy of prayer

This last section on prayer is a bit longer, so I suggest a short break before diving in. It’s a very important part of our life in Jesus and it deserves a fresh start!  

Three Things to Memorize

My purpose in writing Hope for All was to not only introduce the idea of Jesus as Savior of All but to ground us in our Hope while equipping and empowering us to share it effectively with others.

As we have all memorized things in school, there are certain things that are very important to put to memory in our context as well. Consider the importance of memorizing the following three things:

F i r s t   P e t e r   3 : 1 5

“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” (1Pe 3:15 NIV)

We need to know why we have hope for all so that we can explain it to those who long for it and want to know the basis for our hope. Our love for hurting people should compel us to know this clearly so that we can bring them hope, peace and joy when the opportunity arises.

Not only can this help others, but think what it does in our own lives. It reinforces the foundation of our convictions and conclusions. This only happens if we often remind ourselves of why we have Hope. That’s why memorizing key points in our Hope is vital to an enduring and stable faith.

A n c h o r s  o f  H o p e :  A n  O u t l I n e  

This short and simple book—Hope for All, provides a broad foundation on 10 key biblical themes (or Anchors) which support our Hope. It’s a concise, ready-made defense of it.

In order to more firmly anchor these 10 themes in my own heart and mind, I made a simple summary outline highlighting the key word of each anchor: 

History, Fire, Judgment, Greek, Death, Justice, Fatherhood, Nature, Promises, Prophecy. 

Of course, in order to fully appreciate and benefit from the following summary outline, you must first carefully read and re-read Hope for All and discover for yourself the truth of each Anchor. In this way you can elaborate on them as the Holy Spirit guides you in your conversations with people. Now, memorizing this simple outline will help anchor your hope, build your confidence in sharing it and equip you in defending it.

1 Biblical History demonstrates Hope

2 Fire transforms us

3 Judgment has purpose

4 Ancient Greek terms affirm Hope

5 Death is NOT hopeless

6 God’s Justice assures Hope

7 God, as our Father assures Hope

8 God’s Nature assures Hope

9 God’s Promises proclaim Hope

10 God’s Prophecies confirm Hope

G o d ’ s   P r o m i s e s

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” (Philippians 4:8)

The final thing I encourage you to put to memory are your favorite promises of God, those that have impacted your life—those that are especially noble, just, lovely, of good report and praiseworthy to you.

I use “Q cards” (I cut 11 x 8 paper into 8 sections) and keep them handy so I can read through them from time to time. I especially enjoy them on my walks outside. They remind me of God’s great love, mercy, goodness, patience and kindness toward us all. Meditating on God’s hope-for-all promises naturally lead us into prayer, worship and praise.

And that’s not all it does . . . Often, I find myself quoting these promises when I’m encouraging others in conversation. At the very least, my Q card meditations enhance my own peace and joy, grounding me in my faith and hope. You cannot bring Hope to others if you don’t have it yourself.

Get Connected

Another way to anchor ourselves in our Hope is to have a friend (or friends) who also embrace our hope with us.

There is a huge benefit in engaging in a community in which we have space to grow and feel encouraged around our Hope—Jesus the Savior of ALL.

In my experience, celebrating our Hope in the context of community has been equally powerful with the Scriptures in anchoring my Hope. To that end, Kimberly Weynen and I invite you to learn more about our community at

www.HopeForAllConnection.com  We look forward to meeting you and helping you connect with others.

Also, join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/groups/HopeForAllConnection/

Sharing Our Hope is a Joy

I’m overjoyed by the excitement and gratitude I’ve received already from those who have read Hope for All. You too can experience this joy with me when you share it with others.

There’s something dynamic and inspiring to me when holding Hope for All in my hands and gazing on that open tomb with the sunlight shining through and the cross of Christ in the center.

We prayed that God would give us the right cover to encapsulate this awesome message of Hope. And I believe He did.

This profound imagery enhances my delight in sharing this book with people.

The title of my first book, Hope Beyond Hell, makes a radical statement that for many, draws them into the book. But, for most Christians, it’s too much to handle at first glance. Hope for All, on the other hand, avoids that; it’s easily received. Also, it’s shorter and simpler.

Once someone embraces Hope for All then Hope Beyond Hell becomes an ideal sequel. It expands and enriches our understanding. Hope Beyond Hell is available as a free audio book on our website. You can listen to it while you are driving.

“I Should You Not”

Often, when people first discover that Jesus is the Savior of ALL, it sounds almost too good to be true.

Many of us are coming out of a culture that has done a whole lot of “shoulding” on us: “You should ‘love the Lord… with all your heart.’” “You should ‘love your neighbor…’” “You should ‘honor your father and mother’.” It’s called the Law.

Did you ever get discouraged because you never seem to do everything you know you should do or should not do? Even the Apostle Paul felt this way:

“What I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.”  (Rom 7:15 NIV)

But what if God’s commandments can also be seen prophetically as a list of promises which He has determined to fulfill in all of us?

Wow! Can you wrap your mind around that possibility?

Take some time to really think through what pastor and author, Peter Hiett (Mdiv. Fuller Seminary) is saying in this Novel Motion Picture Film (21 min): “I Should You Not.”

This last section on prayer is a bit longer, so I suggest a short break before diving in. It’s a very important part of our life in Jesus and it deserves a fresh start!  

Discover the Power, Purpose and Joy of Prayer 

Many think that because God is sovereign and will accomplish all His will on earth, they need not pray for it to happen. Well . . .  I think this falls short of what God intended.

Christ Himself prayed regularly and continues to pray even now. (Heb 7:25) And we, being members of His body, are also called to pray.

“We always ought to pray and not lose heart.” (Lk 18:1)

The words pray, prayer(s), and praying—excluding its other forms like supplication, petition, asking, intercession, etc., are mentioned over 500 times in Scripture! With that in mind, consider the following radical and exciting fact. It helps me understand the critical role prayer plays in our lives:

God has given humankind dominion over the earth. (Gen 1:26-28)

This means that God has delegated to us a measure of His authority and power in Christ:

“Greater works than these you will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do.” (Jn 14:12-13)

God empowers us as world changers! We are not called to passively watch the world go by, but to engage it:

“In this manner, therefore, pray . . . Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Mt 6:9-10)

“Let your light shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven (Mt 5:16)

Note! We can do nothing without His power (Jn 15:5) and prayer taps into that power.

The world is full of hurting people.  When Jesus saw the crowds He was moved with compassion for them because they were distressed and dispirited (NAS) like sheep without a shepherd. Then He prayed that His Father would send laborers into this harvest of suffering humanity. (Mt. 9:36-38)

All human beings long for hope, peace and joy—in essence, the Gospel. The Gospel reveals God’s unfailing love for all people in Jesus Christ.  “Scripture . . .  announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed . . . [a].’” (Gal 3:8 NIV)  “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring Good News.” (Rom 10:15) Like Jesus said, let us pray for such laborers.  

The Apostle James said that the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous person avails much. (James  5:16) A righteous person is a compassionate, loving person like we see in Jesus.  

The Amplified Bible says: “The heartfelt and persistent prayer of a righteous [compassionate] man [person]  . . . can accomplish much…” In other words prayer has to be real—from the heart; we pray because we care, not because we have to. Love spawns and empowers prayer; after all, God is Love. (1Jn 4:8, 16)

Here’s another radical thought we need to embrace:

Paul urges us to not worry about anything, “but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God which surpasses every thought will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:6-7 HCSB)

Do you desire greater peace in your life? Do you long for the power of God to work in and through you?  Then I urge you to take prayer seriously. When Jesus talked about prayer, He did not say “and if you pray…” but “when you pray…” He expects you and I to pray.

“And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites.” (Mt 6:5)

“But you, when you pray, go into your room…in the secret place.” (Mt 6:6)

‘And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions.” (Mt 6:7)

“Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them and you will have them.” (Mk 11:24)

Now here’s where the rubber meets the road in changing our world! The Apostle Paul exhorts us to pray for all people: “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men.” (1 Tim 2:1)

Prayer is central to our life in Christ, both privately (Mt 6:6) and corporately:  “If two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done.” (Mt 18:19)

Be careful though, to not let prayer become a burden on you, but instead a delight. It’s a privilege to pray—to partner with God in bringing His Kingdom to the earth! (Mt 6:9-10)

Consider another awesome thought . . . “His commands (to pray, etc.) are not burdensome!” (1Jn 5:3) Why are they not? Because God works in us both to will and to do His good pleasure! (Phil 2:13) He empowers us to do all His will (Eph 3:20) and that includes prayer.

Prayer is not complicated. If you have not done it before or have done it very little, start by talking to God as though he is right there by your side, because He is. Speak from your heart about what is important to you, what you are going through and what your desires, aspirations and dreams are. Nothing is taboo.

God is interested in you and everything about you. He wants to connect with you in a tangible way that helps you. That’s what talking to God does. And as you talk to Him, be listening for what He might be saying to you deep in your spirit.

I like talking to God out-loud as I walk outside under His beautiful sky while appreciating His natural creation all around me. Cultivate moments like this in your life. They will strengthen your faith and foster peace and joy in your heart.  

If you still wonder about the importance of prayer in our lives, see . . . More Passages on Prayer 

In closing . . .

I want to be as effective as I can in proclaiming the Victorious Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world. I imagine you do too. Will you agree with me in prayer for each other? “If two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done…”

Pray that God will inspire and energize us in our vision to bring hope, joy and peace in Jesus to the world. Let us model Him in prayer and in loving our neighbors as ourselves whoever and wherever they are. Let’s encourage and support each other in this task. We can make a difference! I invite you to call me so we can explore what we can do together. (956) 280-1708

Let’s pray . . .  

“Lord, we thank you for your great Hope-for-All promises and particularly for transforming us and filling us with your love for suffering humanity. Empower us to bring good news of great joy to the whole world. Let your kingdom come, your will be done. Be glorified in us and in all the earth! In your precious name we pray.” 

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Rom 15:13)

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