When you find your path, keep running.

“And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” - Hebrews 12:1

I wish that I could tell you that the road is easy. I wish I could tell you that you will never experience setbacks, failures, and disappointments. I cannot tell you that.

I will encourage you to keep running no matter what. When you discover your mission and purpose, embrace it. When you are blessed with a divinely inspired vision for your life, never take your eyes off of it.

We all have a gift. We all have a purpose. We all have a contribution to make. We find our greatest fulfillment when we build our lives around fulfilling that purpose.

Some lovingly refer to this section of Hebrews as the faith hall of fame. There’s a long list of folk who found their purposes and lived into them. Let our names be written with theirs. Let us all find our paths, and keep running.

I’m Horace McMillon. This is 60 Seconds of Hope. Peace be with you.

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What it means to live by faith.

“Now the just shall live by faith.” - Hebrews 10:38

(Also see Habakkuk 2:4)

I’ve come to understand that we can’t always wait to see if love is stronger than hate, and if good will prevail over evil before we decide whose side we are going to be on, before we decide how we are going to live.

We can’t wait until harvest season to decide if we are going to plant. We have to cultivate the soil, plant the seeds, and tend to the crops long before we ever see a harvest. We have to trust. We have to hope. In other words we have to have faith.

In contemporary times we have come to associate faith with belief. Belief is no doubt a part of it for most of us. Nevertheless, the faith described in the scriptures is more of a determined commitment to a way of life and set of values that refuses to waver under duress.

If we desire to be just and equitable people we must live in faith, fully committed to our pathway.

I’m Horace McMillon. This is 60 Seconds of Hope. Peace be with you.

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Called to Hope

“O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is great power to redeem.” - Psalm 130:7

There are quite a number of people in my faith tradition and others who have given up all hope for this world. I understand the inclination. It’s easy to despair when we see the injustice and exploitation, when we see the human inflicted suffering that far too many endure.

Nevertheless, we have been called to hope. We have been called to trust in the redeeming power of God’s love. Not only can our individual lives be redeemed and restored, our communities, nations, and even the world itself can be redeemed as well. We have been called to live as if we believe these words are true.

According to the Gospel of Luke, Jesus saw his calling as living out the words of hope found in Isaiah. “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Let us go and do likewise.

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Don’t Suffer in Silence

“Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD.” - Psalm 130:1

We don’t have to pretend. It’s ok for us to say when we are not ok. When we are feeling afraid, or anxious, or alone we are invited to cry out and trust that there is a loving presence that hears us and understands. We are invited to believe that we are not alone and that we are not forsaken.

We are invited to be listening ears and loving presences for one another. We are invited to edify and encourage one another. We are invited to be there for each other.

Nevertheless, this texts encourages us to allow others to be that for ourselves. While many of us properly seek to serve, we also need learn to allow ourselves to be served and to ask for help when we need it. Don’t suffer in silence.

I’m Horace McMillon. This is 60 Seconds of Hope. Peace be with you.

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Shine Bright! Become Your Best Self.

“ I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well.” - Psalm 139:14

Do not let anyone use your past against you, or use your present circumstances to deny your future possibilities. A gold coin covered in mud is no less valuable than a shiny one. So it is with us. Each of us is the handmade creation of God. And God only does great work.

It is far past time for us to stop denigrating ourselves and each other. Most of us have to acknowledge that we have done and are doing some thoughtless things, foolish things, selfish things, reckless things, and even some evil things. These acknowledgments are not the end of our stories but the beginning of a new one.

Righteous people may fall many times, but they keep getting up. Let us be righteous people who are determined to learn and grow into the best version of ourselves, who are determined to let the light of our inner being shine bright.

I’m Horace McMillon. This is 60 Seconds of Hope. Peace be with you.

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“Be still, and know that I am God;” - from Psalm 46

Generally speaking, I emphasize how important it is for us to get up and get after it in life. That we are called to be active participants in facilitating what Jesus described as the Kingdom of God- a world where kindness and compassion reign supreme, human dignity is honored, and the least of these are cared for.

What I sometimes under emphasize is how important it is for us to rest, to pause, to center ourselves or perhaps more accurately to allow ourselves to be centered. Notice how many times in between the Gospel stories we repeat, Jesus took time for himself, by himself.

While we do experience God in loving relationships and in healthy community, we also experience God when we wait, watch, listen, and feel. As Elijah discovered, we hear God in the gentle whisper. (1 Kings 19:11-13) We have to quiet ourselves to hear it.

I’m Horace McMillon. This is 60 Seconds of Hope. Peace be with you.

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Our lives have meaning and purpose.

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” -Jeremiah 29:11

These words were written during extremely difficult times for audience Jeremiah was writing to. They were hard pressed by the great nations of the world and were on their way to being conquered and many carried away into captivity.

Three things to know about this passage: the word plan can also be translated purpose. The word for prosper here is shalom which is an all encompassing form of well being. The word “you” is plural not singular. (Skip Moen 2009 word study).

Taken together, it means that all of our lives have meaning and purpose. We are all part of something greater. The goal of the human endeavor is to create a world in which everyone can experience wellbeing and peace. This is God’s purpose for us.

May we all commit ourselves to living into this purpose.

I’m Horace McMillon. This is 60 Seconds of Hope. Peace be with you.

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God’s Love Is Ultimate

“Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people; praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime;” - from Psalm 30

I speak and write almost exclusively on God’s love for humanity and the hope, health, and wellbeing we as individuals and communities experience as we strive to live into that love.

My view of God’s love is frequently criticized by those who want to point to God’s wrath and by some who want to point to God’s justice.

Here are my answers. The scriptures say God’s very essence is love and that God’s love far surpasses any wrath we may imagine God has.

As far as justice goes, God’s justice is restorative not punitive. Like the father in the story of the prodigal son, God is eager to welcome us home and to restore what our terrible choices have stolen from us and each other.

God’s love is ultimate. Peace be with you.

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