About this podcast
Listen to Hope-Full Living! Hope-Full Living is a daily devotion written by seniors, for seniors. The devotion is released quarterly, and now is available to listen to as a Podcast. Listen anywhere today!
Episodes
The newest 50 of 1,212 episodes
- Was It That Much Better? · 2 minI have been known to wax poetic about the “good ol’ days.” I love to think about how much “simpler” life was and how much happier I was. Was I really happier, though? Were things…
- Looking Back · 2 minWhen you read Psalm 13 from the beginning, verses 5-6 are a surprise ending. The psalmist begins, “How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face…
- What Is Past Is Prologue · 2 min“What is past is prologue” is the inscription on a statue outside of the National Archives building in Washington, D.C. This phrase also describes God’s work in our lives. Here…
- Surprise Provision · 2 minDuring a period when my husband was between jobs, we struggled financially. I was homeschooling our children and had a part-time job, but our savings were running out. One day we…
- Childish or Mature? · 2 minBoy, do I wish the conclusion of that verse described me all the time instead of just part of the time! I’m reaching the three-quarter-century mark this month and sometimes think…
- Dust · 2 minWe certainly know dust. It’s a never-ending chore to clean it up. This verse includes a litany of reasons we should bless the Lord. He forgives! He heals! He redeems! He crowns…
- Why Worry? · 2 minLeave life in God’s hands. We need not worry because He knows the plans for us, and He has perfectly orchestrated everything according to His will. As a high school student, I…
- Words and Works · 2 minFaithful words and kind works are God’s gifts to His people. Many seniors, with lengthy life experience, know this to be true. We hear Jesus in John 14:10, declaring that His…
- Lord of Bliss · 2 minWhat is bliss for you? A juicy steak? A day spent fishing? Your grandchild’s giggle? Jesus is called “Lord of Bliss” in the hymn, “What Wondrous Love Is This” (LSB #543) — a…
- Loose Threads · 2 min“If your baby is late enough, you might get the bird done,” my doctor teased, seeing the crewel embroidery I was stitching before my obstetric appointments. I finished the bird…
- Living and Loving · 2 minWhen connecting with others who appear in our lives, we love to see them as God’s children and care about them. We look into their eyes and listen attentively to their story. We…
- Past, Present, and Future · 2 minThe roll call of the faithful saints is listed in Hebrews 11. These are the men and women who persevered and experienced God’s faithfulness despite trying and uncertain…
- Hall of Faith · 2 minMy image of the “great cloud of witnesses” in Hebrews 12:1 used to be everyone I’d ever known cheering me on in a long, grueling race. Then I noticed the word “therefore” and…
- Fall Back · 2 minDespite the extra hour of sleep I get when we turn back our clocks an hour each fall, I don’t like the time change that brings the darkness earlier each evening. Less light in…
- Wonders of Old · 2 minWhy is it so easy to remember the things we want to forget? We try very hard to put our sins and failings out of our minds, but those thoughts come crawling back in. A psalmist…
- Delivered From Death · 2 minIn my retirement, I spent 12 years doing hospital visitation for a chaplaincy service. That required me to spend time with people in their final hours. I discovered something as…
- Discover Good · 2 minGod promises that we will discover good when we give thought to His Word. But how do we do this in our everyday lives so that we can grow in our trust in the Lord? A dedicated…
- What Ails You? · 2 minTopics for conversation become limited as we age. The usual invitation to converse is something like, “Hi. How are you doing?” — sometimes accompanied by a strategic exit before…
- A Lesson From Contrast · 2 minHave you ever had a run-in with something red? Perhaps a sock that strayed into the laundry, wine for a birthday toast that, oops, spilled on the carpet, or little Johnny…
- The Main Thing · 2 minOn October 31, 1517, Martin Luther made public his 95 Theses. In doing so, he stated that the main thing we need for the assurance of God’s forgiveness is not living a good life…
- Don't Dry Your Hair! · 2 minFresh out of the shower with my hair in a towel, I started my Bible study when an HVAC truck pulled up at my house. Since I was in my robe, I grabbed the house phone, called the…
- Memory Stones · 2 minEvery time I visit my neighbor, I pass stacked stones next to her door. This cairn, seen by her children and now grandchildren, witnesses to specific God-sightings from their…
- Like an Angel in Disguise · 2 minMy husband was undergoing rehab at a facility, and that day wearied me. Finally, I was leaving, my purse and one bag over one shoulder and another bag in my hand. I dreaded…
- Who's Your Provider? · 2 minThe day my husband, David, lost his job was one of the scariest days of his life. How would he provide for his wife and his two little girls? He was our primary wage-earner. A…
- Rock of Ages · 2 minIt all started while climbing a ladder to clear debris from my gutter. It felt like when you bend over and quickly stand up. Except I hadn’t bent over. After a battery of tests…
- Promises Kept · 2 minI watched my granddaughter play volleyball, unaware that my husband, coaching a team in a different state, was collapsing from a heart attack. I didn’t know — but God did. God…
- Some Assembly Required · 2 minIn 2020, COVID-19 changed the way we do church. Many congregations began to livestream services on the internet. After the COVID-19 pandemic subsided, the advantages of this…
- Loved by God · 2 minWe are loved by God, not because we chose to be loved and certainly not because we deserve this love. It is simply because He loves us. When I fell in love with my beautiful wife…
- A Package Deal · 2 minRead Psalm 22 and THEN read Psalm 23, and you will feel the hope that comes from reading on! These psalms appear in this sequence in the original Hebrew manuscript. First, Psalm…
- Sticks and Stones · 2 minSticks and stones are usually not thought of as good or valuable. It wasn’t my birthday. It wasn’t Christmas. But my then 5-year-old grandson, Lukas, brought me a gift. It was…
- Puzzlemaster · 2 minMy husband and I spent many hours sitting side by side assembling jigsaw puzzles. Our marriage of nearly 54 years was a huge puzzle that was sometimes fun and sometimes…
- Unfailing · 2 minAs children, my brother Dan and I delivered newspapers. Periodically, we could buy Mom a sweet treat at the drug store. Dad and Mom provided love, shelter, and food daily. They…
- Look Back With Love · 2 minHow often do we hear that it is better not to dwell on the past? You know, don’t look back — yesterday is gone. Well, that depends on how we look back. Whether we focus on the…
- The Cookie Jar · 2 minAs I think back, I admit I am a little confused about whether my childhood cookie jar featured “Little Red Riding Hood” or “Porky Pig.” I do remember that it was usually filled…
- A Renewed Spirit · 2 minAs my husband lay in a hospital bed from an unknown condition, the uncertainty of his future overwhelmed me. Realizing that sometimes the unknown can cripple one’s spirit more…
- God Is Good · 2 minLife is full of ups and downs that include joyful moments and painful struggles. Yet through everything, one truth remains unshakeable — God is good. His grace and mercy surround…
- Safe With Jesus · 2 minA psychologist on the “Today” show mentioned that the root of anxiety is not feeling safe. I’m not sure if I agree, but it made me think. Have you ever felt the pins and needles…
- God's Gift of Reading · 2 minMy parents read to me and regularly took me to the library. I read in bed, on the sofa, and in our treehouse. What a blessing to fall in love with books. When I became a…
- Don't Leave the Nest Yet! · 2 minDo the words of Deuteronomy 6 apply to grandparents as well as parents? I hope so. I want to share the message from Moses before our five grands leave the nest. In these Old…
- Never, Ever All Alone · 2 minDo you ever get the feeling that you are all alone? Maybe it seems like no one really cares what is happening in your life. Perhaps you live alone, and it is difficult to leave…
- Gain or Loss? · 2 minRemembering: At the end of April 2021, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, I “retired” after 17 years as volunteer leader of “LifeLight,” an in-depth Bible study. I led Tuesday evening…
- Surely Goodness and Mercy · 2 minWhen I was directing handbells, one of my favorite ringers was Shirley. As she walked into a rehearsal, I would say, “Shirley, goodness and mercy is here.” Not only did God’s…
- I Am From ... · 2 minMy daughter assigns her college-level poetry students this icebreaker on the first day of class: Write a free-verse poem, each part beginning with “I am from ….” Recall the…
- Remember · 2 minAccording to one commentator I read, the word “remember” appears 137 times in the Bible. One interesting passage in Deuteronomy is when God exhorts the Israelites to “remember.”…
- Our, Us, We! · 2 minWhen Jesus taught the crowd to pray the Lord’s Prayer, He used plural pronouns: our, us, and we. Why didn’t He teach, “My Father, who art in heaven, give me this day my daily…
- Hymn Singing Connects Us · 2 minThe word “hymn” derives from the Greek word, hymnos, which means a song of praise. The act of singing is a complex physiological and emotional experience that engages our…
- Connected · 2 minI am often connected to my phone. Through it, I hear from coworkers, family, and friends. Pictures, videos, and texts might come my way, or I can search for faces of loved ones I…
- Dysfunctional · 2 minThe women picked up their books and prepared to leave Bible study. “These Bible stories are not the same as the ones we learned in Sunday school,” one woman commented. “Adultery…
- Safe at Home! · 2 minDuring the summer I enjoy watching baseball. I especially like to see the play when a man is on third base, and the batter makes a sacrifice bunt so the man makes it home safely…
- We Are Family · 2 minImagine you’re at a wedding reception, and you hear the song, “We Are Family” by Sister Sledge. You flock to the dance floor with everyone else and find yourself belting out, “We…
