Leave Hope Wherever You Go

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2 Corinthians 1:4 — He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.

There are certain signs on a road trip that can change the mood of the entire car.

“Rest Area, 42 Miles.” Nobody gets excited.

But then a different sign appears. Just one word changes everything:

“Buc-ee’s.”

Suddenly, everybody wakes up! You need a snack. Someone else needs coffee. Everyone definitely needs a bathroom break, and somehow, a quick stop turns into forty-five minutes where you’re walking out with beef jerky, homemade fudge, and a beaver shirt you didn’t know you needed.

Now here’s the funny part.

What started as a Texas thing is popping up all over the country. More locations are opening, including one right here in Ruston. It’s amazing how one place became something people actually look forward to.

And it makes me think.

God has a way of putting people on our path who leave us feeling better than where they found us.

Maybe it’s the friend who listens, the coworker who encourages you, the teacher who believes in you, or the stranger whose kindness shows up at exactly the right moment.

Sometimes the very comfort God has given us in our own hard seasons becomes the comfort we’re able to offer someone else.

The Bible reminds us that God comforts us in our troubles so that we can comfort others with the same comfort we have received from Him.

What we receive from God can become something we give to someone else.

So what if today, wherever God takes you, you became that person? The one who speaks hope. The one who chooses kindness. The one who reminds someone they’re not walking through life alone.

You never know. A few words filled with God’s love might become the stop someone needed most.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • Who is someone God has used to bring you comfort or encouragement when you were going through a difficult time?
  • What is a comfort God has given you in one of your own hard seasons that you might be able to offer someone else?
  • Is there someone in your life right now who may need a listening ear, a kind word, or a reminder that they’re not alone?
  • What would it look like for you to be the person who “leaves someone feeling better than where you found them” today?
  • Who might God be putting in your path today that needs the comfort and hope He has already given you?
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Can You Sit with Me

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Romans 12:15 — Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep.

Sometimes all we need to do is be in someone’s presence when they’re not feeling so good, when they’re having a bad day, or when they’re going through something difficult.

Yes, just sit in their presence.

We want to solve everything all at once. At least I do.

But that’s not my job.

We don’t have all the right answers or the perfect things to say. And honestly, sometimes there aren’t any words that can make someone’s pain go away.

But God doesn’t ask us to have all the answers. He asks us to love people well, and sometimes that means simply being there.

It reminds me of a story I once heard about a nurse who worked overnight. After her shift, she liked to stop at a park to watch the sunrise. One morning, she noticed someone sitting on a bench, crying.

So she went over and sat beside her.

She didn’t try to fix her. She didn’t rush to explain why everything would be okay. She just sat there and listened.

She was willing to enter into this woman’s sorrow instead of rushing past it—to share, even in a small way, the weight of what this woman was carrying.

They talked, and the nurse learned that this woman was facing one of the hardest seasons of her life. She had come to that park feeling completely alone, but that unexpected conversation gave her hope.

And I think that’s part of what Paul means when he tells us to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.

When someone is celebrating, we celebrate with them.

When someone is hurting, we don’t have to rush them out of their pain. We can be willing to sit with them in it.

Sometimes the best gift we can offer is simply showing up.

Because God often ministers His love and comfort through the presence of His people, reminding others that they are not alone.

So maybe today, instead of trying to fix someone’s pain, just sit beside them while they’re feeling it.

Listen. Pray. Stay.

You don’t have to have the answer to be part of God’s answer.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • When someone you love is hurting, is your first instinct to listen or to try to fix the problem? Why?
  • Is there someone in your life who might simply need you to show up and be present right now?
  • How can you become better at celebrating with others when they’re happy, even when their joy has nothing to do with you?
  • What makes it difficult for you to sit with someone else’s pain without trying to make it go away?
  • How might God use your presence, even when you don’t have the right words, to remind someone that they aren’t alone?
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When Everything Changes

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Matthew 24:35 — Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.

Life feels heavy for a lot of people right now.

I turn on the news and see rising gas prices, wars, uncertainty, and one more thing to worry about tomorrow. But despite all of that, I found it pretty interesting to hear that Bible sales are soaring.

Wow.

In 2025, more than 19 million Bibles were sold in the United States alone—the highest number in more than two decades. Bible sales were up 12% from the year before.

And I have to wonder if part of the reason is that when everything around us feels shaky, we’re looking for something solid.

That’s amazing.

Still, the truth is, a Bible sitting on a shelf won’t change your life.

But opening it might.

Not because every problem suddenly disappears. Not because gas prices go down or the headlines become less scary. But because God’s Word reminds us that what Jesus says is true, certain, and lasting.

Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.”

Heaven and earth may change. The headlines will change. Prices will change. Our circumstances will change. But Jesus’ words will never pass away.

That’s why God’s Word can anchor us when everything else feels uncertain.

So, if you’ve been feeling overwhelmed lately, don’t start by trying to read the whole Bible. That will definitely overwhelm you.

But can I encourage you to open it?

Maybe start in the Psalms. Sit with a few verses and let God’s Word remind you who He is—and who you are, too.

And if you’d like to go through the Bible Recap with us at 88.7 The Cross, it’s not too late. That can help you understand a little more of what you’re reading.

Because sometimes the greatest peace doesn’t come from knowing what’s going to happen next.

Real peace comes from knowing that God holds both tomorrow and today in His hands.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • What feels uncertain or shaky in your life right now? How might God’s unchanging Word speak into that uncertainty?
  • Do you tend to reach for God’s Word when life gets difficult, or is it something you struggle to make time for? Why?
  • What would it look like for you to move your Bible from the shelf into your daily life this week?
  • When you don’t know what tomorrow holds, how does knowing that God’s Word will never pass away give you confidence today?
  • What book of the Bible could you begin reading today—not to finish quickly, but simply to sit with what God is saying?
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When Jesus Rewrites Your Story

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Colossians 1:6 — This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your lives from the day you first heard and understood the truth about God’s wonderful grace.

You ever have one of those moments where your whole life changes in one conversation?

If you think about Saul from the Bible—who was also known as Paul—that’s his story.

This was a man on a mission. He was focused and driven, certain he was doing the right thing. In fact, the Bible says he was breathing out murderous threats against Christians. He thought he was fighting for God. After all, he had been trained in the synagogue.

Then a light from heaven stopped him cold.

It was Jesus who met him on that road and asked, “Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”

Can you even imagine that moment? Everything Saul believed about himself flipped inside out on a dusty road.

Jesus didn’t just change Saul’s destination. He transformed the traveler.

And that’s what God’s grace still does. Colossians says the Good News is “bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives.” That’s exactly what happened to Saul. The gospel didn’t just change what he believed; it changed who he was and what he did with his life.

And that’s what God’s grace still does in us. Once the truth of Jesus takes root in a heart, it keeps growing, keeps changing us, and keeps producing fruit in ways we may never have imagined.

The man who once hunted Christians would become the apostle Paul, carrying the gospel farther than almost anybody else in Scripture.

God’s grace doesn’t simply rescue us from our past; it redirects us toward His purpose.

Maybe that’s where you are today.

Maybe God isn’t asking you to abandon your life as much as surrender the direction you’ve been taking it.

When Jesus redirects your life, He isn’t taking something from you.

He’s leading you into something greater.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • Can you think of a moment when God changed the direction of your life? What did He teach you through that experience?
  • Are there areas of your life where you may be moving with determination but not necessarily in God’s direction? What might He be asking you to surrender?
  • Saul thought he was doing the right thing, yet Jesus completely redirected him. How can we remain humble enough to recognize when God is asking us to change course?
  • How has God’s grace changed you since you first understood the truth about Jesus? Where do you see evidence that He is still growing and changing you?
  • What part of your past do you need to believe God can redeem and use for His purpose?
  • If Jesus is asking you to change direction today, what is one step of obedience you can take?
  • What would it look like to trust that God’s redirection isn’t taking something from you, but leading you into something greater?
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Look How Far You’ve Come

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Philippians 1:6 — I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

Summer always ends in a flash.

Watermelon, late-night swim parties, and sleeping in disappeared the moment Mom pulled out the camera and asked me to stand by the front door for a picture.

As a kid, I never understood why those back-to-school pictures mattered.

I smiled, waited for it to be over, and wondered what there was to celebrate.

It wasn’t until college that I finally understood.

My parents had spent years doing the quiet, often unnoticed work of raising me. They corrected me, encouraged me, and loved me through every phase.

Those pictures weren’t really for me.

They were for them.

They marked another year of watching God faithfully shape their child.

And now, when I look at those old snapshots, I realize something else.

While I was busy growing up, God was patiently working on me.

Through every awkward phase, every hard season, every bad attitude, and every ordinary day, He never stopped shaping me into who He created me to be.

The parents and teachers who endured sleepy mornings, teenage moods, and all the growing pains were some of the people He faithfully used along the way.

As children, the end of summer felt like bad news.

But looking back, I can see that every season had a purpose.

The difficult ones grew perseverance.

The joyful ones revealed God’s goodness.

And none of them were wasted.

That’s the promise of Philippians 1:6.

The God who begins the work is the God who finishes it.

He’s still working in the seasons you don’t understand.

He’s still working when you don’t see progress.

He’s still working when you look at your life and wonder, “Am I ever going to get there?”

Maybe that’s why those old school pictures mean so much now.

They’re little reminders that while life kept moving, God never stopped working.

So before you rush into whatever season comes next, take a moment to look back.

Remember where you started.

Remember what God has brought you through.

Remember the people He used along the way.

You may discover that the God who has carried you this far is still faithfully finishing the beautiful work He began.

And I’ve got pictures to prove it.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • When you look back over the last few years, where can you see evidence that God has been working in your life?
  • What season of your life felt difficult at the time but now looks different in hindsight?
  • Who has God used to help shape you into the person you are today?
  • Is there an area of your life where you’ve become discouraged because you don’t see much progress? How does Philippians 1:6 speak to that?
  • What would change if you truly believed that God isn’t finished with you yet?
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The Seeds You Never See

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Matthew 13:31-32 — Here is another illustration Jesus used: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants; it grows into a tree, and birds come and make nests in its branches.” 

I was scrolling Instagram the other day when a youth group friend posted an old photo of us from middle school.

I laughed at the awkward hairstyles and clothes, but then I stopped looking at the fashion and started looking at the faces.

Most of us have grown up and drifted apart.

Yet for a moment, I was right back in those church hallways where Wednesday nights felt ordinary and life felt simple.

We didn’t know we were making memories back then.

We just showed up to play games, talk with friends, and learn about Jesus.

Looking back, I realize God is still in the business of planting mustard seeds.

Those evenings were seeds that felt too ordinary to notice.

But that’s exactly how the Kingdom works.

It starts small.

A seed slips into the soil, and for a while, nobody sees anything happening. Nobody knows what it’s becoming.

The people who shaped me most weren’t on a stage.

They were the ones planting those tiny seeds.

Volunteers. Youth leaders. Faithful friends who simply kept showing up and pointing us gently toward Jesus.

I doubt they thought they were doing anything extraordinary. They probably just thought they were serving at church.

But decades later, I can see that those little seeds grew roots.

And their fingerprints are still all over my life.

That’s the beautiful thing about faithfulness: you may never know what God is growing through your obedience.

Somewhere tonight, someone is doing that for the next generation.

Maybe it’s you.

Maybe it feels like just another youth group night. Another conversation. Another game. Another Bible study. Another Wednesday when you’re tired but you show up anyway.

Don’t underestimate that seed.

Because what feels small in your hands may become something much bigger in God’s hands.

Years from now, someone may look back at an old photo and remember the person who showed up.

The person who cared.

The person who pointed them toward Jesus.

And they’ll thank God for the seed you planted.

So keep showing up.

Keep loving.

Keep planting.

You may not see the tree yet, but God sees what the seed can become.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • Who planted a small “mustard seed” of faith in your life that eventually made a big difference?
  • Is there something you’re doing right now that feels ordinary or insignificant? How might God be using it?
  • Where might God be asking you to simply show up and be faithful?
  • What generation or group of people has God placed in front of you to encourage or point toward Jesus?
  • How does remembering that God controls the growth change the way you think about your role in planting seeds?
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You’re Not Your To-Do List

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1 John 3:1 — See how very much our Father loves us, for He calls us His children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know Him.

Have you ever had one of those days where you’re doing everything you can… and still wonder if you’re doing enough?

Maybe it’s getting the kids out the door, remembering the snack for the class party, answering texts, and keeping up with your calendar.

I recently had a conversation with a friend who has younger children, and she shared how much life had been feeling like that lately.

And I understood.

My own kids are in their 30s now, but I still remember those frantic feelings.

Somewhere between the grocery store and the carpool lane, it can become easy to forget who we really are.

That’s why I love Ben Fuller’s song “Who I Am.”

It reminds me of a truth we all need to hear sometimes: our value isn’t found in how much we accomplish.

The Bible takes that truth even deeper.

First John 3:1 says, “See how very much our Father loves us, for he allows us to be called his children, and we really are his!”

Think about that.

God doesn’t call us His children because we’ve accomplished enough.

We don’t earn that title by checking every box, getting everything right, or holding our lives together.

It’s a relationship we receive.

And that changes everything.

Because when I know who I am to God, I don’t have to prove who I am to everyone else.

So today, if you feel overwhelmed or like you’re falling behind, remember this:

You are more than your to-do list.

You’re more than your mistakes.

You’re more than the things you accomplish.

You are a child of God, deeply loved by the God of the universe.

So take a moment to listen to “Who I Am” today and let that truth sink in.

Because sometimes the most powerful thing we can do is stop striving long enough to remember who we are to Him.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • When do you most feel pressure to prove that you’re “doing enough”?
  • What does it mean to you that God calls you His child?
  • How might your choices change if you truly believed your worth isn’t based on what you accomplish?
  • What is one thing you need to stop striving for today?
  • When you feel overwhelmed, what truth about who you are in Christ do you need to remember?

 

LYRICS

I stand in front the mirror, But I don’t like who’s looking back at me
Wish I could see things clearer, like who I’m supposed to be
In every trial, lift me higher
Through the fire, hold me tighter
Remind me again, I was made for more

Who I am in the eyes of the Father, Who I am His love set free
Who I was I left at the altar, I am Yours Lord, I believe

It’s who I am – I’m a child of the most-high God and the most-high God’s for me
It’s who I am – I’m a child of the most-high God and the most-high God’s for me

Everything has been changing, You haven’t left a stone unturned
Anything I’ve been facing, I’ll keep standing on Your word
In the water, take me under
Fill my lungs to, to speak Your wonder
You brought me of the darkness, I was made for more

Who I am in the eyes of the father, Who I am His love set free
Who I was I left at the altar, I am Yours Lord I believe

It’s who I am – I’m a child of the most-high God and the most-high God’s for me
It’s who I am – I’m a child of the most-high God and the most-high God’s for me

You gave up everything, for me to have everything
For all of eternity, a song in my lungs to sing

I’m a child of the most-high God and the most-high God’s for me
I’m a child of the most-high God and the most-high God’s for me

Songwriters: Ben Fuller, David Spencer, Krystal Polychronis

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Letting Our Legacy be His Story

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Philippians 1:20 — For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die.

Now picture this.

There’s a group of kids standing around a hole in the ground right outside the entrance to the school.

The year is 1985.

We all dropped some treasures in—some memories, things that felt important at the time—and then we covered it up with dirt and walked away.

Nobody knew what the world would look like when it was opened again.

Well, you see, that was my middle school graduating class.

They finally opened that time capsule last year, and can I just tell you?

It was wild.

Looking at those old items felt like opening a message from another planet. There were pictures of hairstyles, toys, handwritten notes, and even a math book.

They were all things we thought would matter forever.

And for a few moments, I felt like I met the kid version of myself again.

Think about that.

Years after you’re gone, what would you want people to know about you?

I don’t think it’s what phone you carried or what trends you followed. Definitely not how many followers you had.

Because someday, every one of us leaves behind a time capsule of sorts.

It’s not buried in a stainless-steel container.

It’s buried in the lives of the people we’ve loved.

And when this life is over, I don’t just want people to remember me.

I want them to remember the Jesus they saw through me.

That’s what makes Paul’s words in Philippians so powerful. He says he wants his life to bring honor to Christ—to live boldly for Him, no matter what comes.

That’s the kind of legacy I want.

Because what endures isn’t what we possessed. It’s the love of Christ that found its way into someone else’s life because we were here.

You see, the greatest legacy isn’t being remembered.

It’s making Christ unforgettable.

So maybe the better question isn’t, “What are we leaving behind?”

It’s this:

Is the way I’m living today telling a story about Jesus that’s worth carrying into tomorrow?

Because long after our names are forgotten, the impact of Christ’s love can keep living in the people we touched.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • If someone opened your “life time capsule” today, what would your life reveal about you?
  • What does it mean to you to live boldly for Christ?
  • Who has helped make Jesus more real to you through the way they lived?
  • What part of your life currently brings the most honor to Christ?
  • What is one thing you could do today that might leave a lasting spiritual impact on someone else?
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Claimed by the Creator

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Isaiah 43:1 — But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine.”

I saw something the other day that took me straight back to being a kid in grade school. Someone was talking about decorating their kids’ textbook covers.

And I suddenly remembered, “Hey, wait a minute… I had book covers too.”

Now, this person was talking about having one of those pre-made book covers and kind of bedazzling it. But for me, it was brown paper grocery bags.

You’d cut them open. Fold them just right. And somehow, that plain brown paper turned into a masterpiece because you made it yours.

If it was my history book, I’d write in bubble letters, put stickers and doodles all over it, and if I was really proud of it, I’d write my name in big letters across the front.

Looking back, those covers never really lasted the whole year. Truth be told, they probably lasted three weeks before the corners got torn and the tape started peeling.

But for a little while, that book felt like it belonged just to me because it carried my name.

And it made me think about something else…

How God does something similar with our lives.

We show up a little torn and a little imperfect. Well, who are we kidding? A lot imperfect. We carry stories, scars, and plenty of worn edges.

But God doesn’t wait until we’re polished before He claims us.

Our Creator says, “I have called you by name; you are mine.”

Think about that.

God knows your name. He knows your story, your scars, your mistakes, and every worn-out place, and He still calls you His.

He doesn’t just repair what’s broken. He redeems what was overlooked. He chooses ordinary people—not because they’re impressive, but because they’re willing to place their lives in His hands.

The beauty was never in the paper.

The beauty was in whose name it carried.

So today, if you’ve been defining yourself by the tears, the wrinkles, the mistakes, or the worn-out places, don’t lose heart.

Remember whose hands you’re in.

And remember whose name is lovingly written over your life.

You are known.

You are chosen.

You are His.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • What part of your story makes you feel “worn” or imperfect?
  • What does it mean to you personally that God says, “I have called you by name; you are mine”?
  • Are you defining yourself by your past, or by what God says about you?
  • How does knowing God fully knows you—and still claims you—change the way you see yourself?
  • Who is someone in your life who may need to be reminded today that they are known, loved, and valuable to God?
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Hope in Life’s Riptides

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Nahum 1:7 — The Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in Him.

When you’re swimming, lifeguards are there for one reason: they see what you can’t.

If there’s danger, they move fast. If someone’s struggling, they jump in.

I’m so thankful that last summer there were lifeguards on the beach when my son got caught in a riptide. He’s a pretty good swimmer, but later he told me he couldn’t catch his breath. Every time he thought he was making progress, the current pulled him under again.

But praise the Lord, an alert lifeguard saw what none of us could and brought him safely back to shore.

And honestly, that’s such a picture of God.

Nahum tells us, “The Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in Him.”

There are moments in life when you feel like you’re drowning in stress, heartbreak, loneliness, or regret. Sometimes you don’t even have the strength to ask for help.

But God doesn’t wait for our strength. He draws near in our weakness.

He’s the safe refuge you can run to when life feels stronger than you are. He’s the One who remains good when everything else feels uncertain. He sees the struggle before anybody else notices, and He isn’t standing far away shouting instructions.

He steps into our mess Himself.

The Savior didn’t simply point us toward rescue.

He became our rescue.

So if life feels deep right now, don’t forget who walks on water. Trust Him. Run to Him. The God who is your refuge is already moving toward you.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • When life feels overwhelming, where do you instinctively turn first for comfort or security?
  • What does it mean to you that God is not only your rescuer, but also your refuge?
  • Can you think of a time when God protected or carried you through a difficult season, even if you didn’t recognize it at the time?
  • Is there a burden you’re trying to keep afloat on your own instead of trusting God with it?
  • How can you intentionally take refuge in God’s presence this week through prayer, worship, or time in His Word?
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