Are You Hungry For Hope?

I love how the new year brings with it an automatic dose of optimism. The whole world breathes a collective sigh of relief that, "Yes, this year will be better than the last." It's a time of looking ahead, of making plans, and going after new dreams. It feels like hope.

But I'm curious what holds me back. Because even as I sit here at my desk, with piles of to-do lists filled with things I can be working on—all of which will be very beneficial to me—I find myself more often than not paralyzed. A writer's block, of sorts. It's a feeling that my phone must have right before it completely loses its charge. The gas tank is nearing E, and the sputtering is so deafening I think I'm gonna take a nap.

It all comes down to where I place my hope.

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My Year In 100 Words

I’m filled with gratitude for how my year has held so many beautiful experiences: all of them have to do with people — I can’t live fully in isolation. A trip to Whistler, BC or a tour of four baseball stadiums in four days is nice, but it’s awesome with a great friend. My Pilgrim Man CD released a series of beautiful exchanges with like-minded travelers. Filming “1 Message” with AKA and the crew was an honor. I survived the flood, a couple snowstorms, and a half marathon, but my dog’s cancer at year’s end broke my heart. Still, hope reigns.

What Makes Christmas Great?

Christmas is a crazy, beautiful time of year. I love listening to carols, especially the old classics. I also love looking at lights and elaborate decorations. I also love time together with family and friends. But looking back over the multitudes of Christmases, the best part has always been the hope of what presents I might get.

I loved making wish lists as a kid. Going through the big Sears toy catalog and picking out what looked the most awesome. I didn't always get what I wanted, even though I admit I was completely spoiled. I got more than I really needed, certainly.

I would spend most of December trying to find hidden boxes throughout the house...hidden in closets, or under beds. And then when gifts would be set out under the tree, I would shake and rattle the wrapped boxes, trying to determine the contents.

When I try to put profound, grown-up words on what makes Christmas great, I come up with this: Christmas is great knowing that someone who loves you, is planning something special, specifically with your joy in mind. They are preparing something for you - to bring you happiness. This to me, is HOPE. The hope that someone who loves me is preparing something special for me - specifically with my joy in mind.

Still I have to admit that as I get older, I pretend it doesn't matter so much that I didn't get anything good for Christmas. "Oh socks! I love them! This sweater is beautiful - it's so soft!" But I can't escape the ache - the feeling that there should be something more. Something more in line with my heart's deepest longings. It's not greed...it's HOPE!!

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Another Friend In Prison

It's no secret to those who know me that I'm friends with a lot of guys in prison. Today I found out about another—an old friend from high school who is currently sitting in prison awaiting trial for possibly killing his girlfriend. Somehow this one feels different. Maybe because I never knew any of the guys I now know in prison before they were ever incarcerated. My heart breaks for him and his family. And I wish I was closer to Los Angeles, so I could go visit him...and just catch up.

I've known several incarcerated men over the past 16 years since deciding to start a grassroots prison ministry. This decision takes me inside the walls of a local prison each Friday morning when I  get to hang out with a small group of guys for a weekly Bible Study. Sometimes we open the Bible, sometimes we don't. Sometimes we talk about sports, politics, TV, music, movies...anything really, that a group of guys would talk about it. But my number one goal is to cut through all the religiosity that so many of us have been living under most of our lives. I want to get to the bottom of it, and find out what's real, what's not...and what really matters.

The thing I find the most common is the thinking that if you're good enough, you'll make it to Heaven. That if somehow God deems you worthy of salvation, then you'll receive it. But ultimately, there's no way of knowing until you actually meet Him face to face, so you better do your darndest to be good! To me, this flat out disregards the need for Jesus to have died on the cross. Because of what Jesus did, my entrance into Heaven is no longer on my shoulders—it's on His. Grace is a free gift. No strings attached.

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Pilgrim Man Commercial

While t-shirts and slogans say "life is good," Mark Smeby has written an amazing anthem of hope for those of us who know sometimes it isn’t, and that we all need God’s grace and encouragement to make it through. More than a slogan, this is a beautiful song of truth, encouragement and hope. Who doesn't need to hear that?
~Jennifer Martin, Worship Pastor, Church of the Redeemer, Nashville