Hope Archives | Council Fire

April 27, 2026

April 27, 2026

Biblical Advice for Grief

“God blesses those that mourn, for they will be comforted.” Matthew 5:4 (NLT) God knows you will experience grief in this life, but you’re not meant to go through it alone. Relying on God and others can relieve your sorrow. Ecclesiastes 3:1a-4 says: “To everything there is a time . . . a time to weep . . . a time to mourn, . . .” (KJV) John 11:35 says, “Jesus wept.” (KJV) Jesus felt deeply the pain of Lazarus’ death. I was raised in a culture where open grief was not normal. I recall standing by a family that […]

April 25, 2026

April 25, 2026

This Side of Heaven

“We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 (NASB) On this side of heaven, we may never understand how all things can work together for good for God’s children. If we trust God, He will turn all these into opportunities for spiritual growth. My daughter and I both had dreams of a very dark storm coming our way. I believe God was preparing me for what was coming. My husband had been sick for a few weeks and had lost […]

April 23, 2026

April 23, 2026

God at Work

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 (NASB) When you experience hard things in life, it is difficult to believe that God has anything to do with what is happening. Early in my Christian walk, my older brother died a violent death at the hands of another family member. This was the first death in my immediate family that I had experienced. I went through many emotions during that time. It was a big test on my faith […]

April 22, 2026

April 22, 2026

Praying in Jesus’ Name

“You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4 (NASB) Years ago, back in northern Manitoba, we met a young teen girl who was desperately asking for help. There were three of us in the home at the time, and she had been lying down in one of the rooms when she asked for help. So, I went in there, and prayed for her. As I knelt down beside the bed and began to pray, the other person in the home […]

April 20, 2026

April 20, 2026

Hiding God’s Word

“Your word I have hidden my heart, that I might not sin against You.” Psalm 119:11 (NKJV) I remember memorizing Psalm 23 in Sunday school. That earned me my first Bible! I like that the teacher said memorizing Scripture is like hiding God’s Word in our hearts. As I grew older, I realized what a treasure God’s memorized Word is. Keeping God’s Word with us this way serves in several ways. It is a reminder to not sin against Him and to draw on His many promises. It also helps us to be encouraged in moments we may experience fear […]

April 18, 2026

April 18, 2026

Clocks and Watches

“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31 (NKJV) I remember the first time I heard someone say, “I have a watch that does not have to be wound up every day; it runs by a battery.” In those days our watches and clocks didn’t have batteries to run them—they had a spring inside that was turned and turned until it was tight. Then the “time teller” was ready to go for another day. […]

April 17, 2026

Flight

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV) Imagine we are living in the 1700s. We’ve carried water from the lake or creek, chopped wood for the fire, and started a stew for supper. (You men brought game home yesterday.) How difficult would it be for us to believe the tale of an odd-looking stranger who shows up with a wild story about a machine called a “747”—that we can walk into, with all of our luggage, […]

April 16, 2026

April 16, 2026

He Knows Your Needs

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:33 (NKJV) When I attended Key-Way-Tin Bible Institute in the early 1990s, I began to learn what it means to trust in the Lord for everything. To get a diploma, three years were required. I did not know how I was going to pay for the three years. I was out of high school and didn’t have a job. I gave my life to Jesus on January 14, 1994, and the Bible school staff graciously worked it out so that […]

April 15, 2026

April 15, 2026

Realizing Potential

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2 (ESV) It just sits there. There’s an old 1964 Mercury “Shorty” school bus behind my dad’s place that’s been sitting there since 1976 when one of my brothers blew the motor on it. It’s a sweet little three-window bus that I sometimes wonder what it would take to fi x up, rebuild, restore, and customize . . . it would sure turn heads […]