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A New Week for Hope to Sing

in Hope

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The birds outside my window sing fortissimo this morning, like they’ve been storing up their song for a while. Like they know last week was long and held cause to pause.

I know how they feel. I bet you do, too.

We don’t get everything right in this country, but this we do: When tragedy hits us square in the jaw, our strengths blast brighter than any weakness. The heartbeat of our nation is the people inside it, and when evil touches some of us, we all mourn with those who mourn.

We are helpers, not hinderers.

Some people will use their free will to push evil onto open city streets or closed-in hiding places. But in the end, evil doesn’t get the final say. Sometimes Hope pulls back a corner and sometimes Hope charges forward with floodlights. Either way, evil comes to a grinding halt and we rejoice with those who rejoice.

Hope brings a new song.

May you hear it strong this new week.

Sing God a brand-new song!
Earth and everyone in it, sing!
Sing to God—worship God!

~ Psalm 96: 1-2 The Message

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Filed Under: Hope

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Comments

  1. Bev Duncan @ Walking Well With God says

    April 22, 2013 at 1:31 pm

    All I can say, Kristen, is “Amen!”
    Blessings to you girl,
    Bev

    Reply
  2. Maureen says

    April 22, 2013 at 3:02 pm

    Oh yes! It is hard to hope when this sort of thing happens – evil seems so loud and obnoxious and threatening. But hope, as you said so well, sings fortissimo! Love that thought. I’ll hold it close.

    Reply
    • Kristen says

      April 22, 2013 at 8:34 pm

      Me too, Maureen. xo

      Reply
  3. Elise Daly Parker says

    April 22, 2013 at 5:42 pm

    Today in my Moms In Prayer group we praised God because He is good, yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Our hope is in Him alone. Bless you!

    Reply
    • Kristen says

      April 22, 2013 at 8:34 pm

      That’s a good word for me, Elise. Thank you.

      Reply
  4. Mary says

    April 22, 2013 at 6:44 pm

    What a beautiful reflection, Kristen. Thank you!!

    Reply
  5. Lisa says

    April 23, 2013 at 9:49 am

    I love how we all come together strong after something like this. Not that I want something like this to happen, but there is blessings in the coming together.

    Reply
    • Kristen says

      April 23, 2013 at 9:59 am

      Exactly, Lisa. Exactly.

      Reply
  6. Amy says

    April 23, 2013 at 9:56 am

    I like the Mr. Rogers quote that I heard. When bad things happen, we can look for the helpers. There are always people who are helping. I have shared that idea with my kids because it is so easy to focus on the bad people or the bad thing that happened. Birds are singing in the snow this morning…definitely a sound of hope.

    Reply
    • Kristen says

      April 23, 2013 at 9:59 am

      I heard that quote for the first time only recently. A very appropriate word for the events of last week. And yep ~ the birds are still singing in the snow here, too. Hope reigns.

      Thank you, Amy.

      Reply

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This week brought to you by family heart-to-hearts This week brought to you by family heart-to-hearts around the fireplace, tulips on the table, and my first trip of the year to the garden store. ⁠⁠
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Never underestimate the ministry of flowers for you and your family. ⁠⁠
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"Home is never simply a threshold you cross. It is a place you make and a place that might make—or unmake—you. In this halfway space, we would begin to learn the costs of stepping into the role God first gave in a garden: to be, like Adam and Eve, the makers and caretakers of a particular place." ⁠⁠
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Holler if you're a fellow expert at coming up with Holler if you're a fellow expert at coming up with worst-case scenarios and making plans to divert them. ⁠⁠ 📣
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In this particular case, I thought I had foreseen every possible problem. I took measures to ensure the best possible outcome. I’m not talking about anything outlandish or expensive. Rather, I used good ol’ hard work and productivity to take care of things responsibly.⁠⁠
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Yeah, it's easier for me to daily assess the risk of doing something than to lean into trust.⁠⁠
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I write more about this at my second online writing home, @incourage. Visit the link in my profile to read more. 💛
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Remember my post from a few weeks ago about our fr Remember my post from a few weeks ago about our friend Ryan, a USAF vet, who lost all all feeling and control from mid chest down due to a sudden spinal stroke?⁠⁠
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This is his wife, Rebecca, and she is one of my dearest friends in the whole wide world.⁠⁠
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Sometimes when a change comes that turns our world upside down, God works through others to turn it right side up again.⁠⁠
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This gal has surely been a turn-the-world-right-side-up gal in my life, and now I'd love it if *we* could help do the same for her.⁠⁠
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As Ryan undergoes physical therapy and rehab in the spinal cord unit of the VA hospital in Denver, we would like to help Ryan and Rebecca defray the many costs not covered by insurance following this spinal stroke, such as:⁠⁠
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▫️Outfitting Ryan and Rebecca’s home for needs regarding Ryan’s limited mobility.⁠⁠
▫️An outfitted vehicle that’s wheelchair accessible.⁠⁠
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These needs and several more are on Ryan and Rebecca's own dime, and they cost a shockingly WHOLE LOTTA DIMES. ⁠⁠
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