Hope Archives | Council Fire

October 18, 2026

October 18, 2026

God Promises His Presence

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 (NIV) We were on a bus, on our way home from visiting the Vancouver Zoo. A father and son boarded, and the dad had a big bag of popcorn. “Can I have some popcorn?” the son asked. “Hold out your hands,” the dad replied. The boy opened up both hands as wide as he could. “Open wider,” said the dad. The little boy strained to open his hands wide. […]

October 17, 2026

October 17, 2026

What Fears Do You Face?

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace.” Philippians 4:6-7a (NLT) We humans feel all kinds of emotions when something unexpected happens. This was very real to me this past winter when I was told over the phone by my doctor that my test results indicated stage two cancer. I didn’t have any words to say, except “Okay.” I kind of went numb for a while from the news . . . thinking I had just received my death sentence. After […]

October 14, 2026

October 14, 2026

Before the Rescue

“The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” Exodus 14:14 (NKJV) I love the gritty, last-minute deliverance stories in the Bible. It makes me want to cheer when God wins another seemingly hopeless battle. But how about the time before the rescue, before the miracle? The Israelites faced a hopeless situation. They just got set free from the evil clutches of Egypt and headed towards their Promised Land. No more slavery. God’s presence in a cloud by day and a pillar of fi re by night to guide them. No worries, right? But wait . . […]

October 13, 2026

October 13, 2026

Untapped Potential

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” 1 Peter 4:10 (ESV) I just love old guitars! A bunch of years back we were singing in a really remote fly-in community, and I couldn’t believe what I saw hanging on a friend’s back wall. It was a 1956 Gibson ES125—I was just wowed by this half-century-old guitar. I was even more speechless when my friend gifted it to me! Two weeks later, I was getting the old Gibson ready to go to work— new strings, new strap, new case—getting […]

October 10, 2026

October 10, 2026

Together for Good

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 (NIV) What does a good marriage look like? It’s a question looked at from different angles—whether we’re single and thinking about it, engaged, happily married, not-so-happily married, or divorced . . . our current life status will influence how we answer that question. Our upbringing will go a long way toward our minds on the issue. My parents’ marriage […]

October 7, 2026

October 7, 2026

Our Great Provider

“The Lord always keeps his promises . . . The eyes of all look to you in hope; you give them their food as they need it . . . You satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing.” Psalm 145:13b,15,16b (NLT) Sometimes God provides for us in unusual ways. I shouldn’t have been surprised because I knew this story about Elijah. The Lord had told him to camp near a brook. His food supply was the unusual part—God told birds to bring him food! “The ravens brought him bread and meat each morning and evening, and he drank […]

October 6, 2026

October 6, 2026

The Answer

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 (NIV) The girl was 10 when her mom took her to see Kerry. She had lived in pain since birth. Doctor after doctor had seen her; they’d tried a whole bunch of different remedies, but the pain in her back and hips never left. The mom brought her to Kerry because she was hoping against hope that maybe, just maybe, her daughter could find some relief. Kerry is our daughter-in-law. She’s also a Registered Massage Therapist & Osteopath, and she’s really good […]

October 5, 2026

October 5, 2026

Fruit of the Spirit

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT) When my oldest niece was just a young girl, I worked on a craft with her one day. We cut out fruit shapes from differently colored construction paper, and we made nine pieces of fruit. On each piece I wrote the words: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control. On top of each piece, we made a small enough hole so that we could put a […]

October 1, 2026

October 1, 2026

Be Still and Know

“He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.’” Psalm 46:10 (NIV) While attending Bible college in Flagstaff, Arizona, I went through some hard trials. Just about every Sunday, we would travel to the Hopi Reservation to do children’s ministry. After the church service, the pastor—standing at the door—would shake hands with me and quote the Bible verse, “Be still and know that I am God.” One night in my room, I was praying, crying, and pouring out my heart to the Lord. All of […]