Gospel

a bible on a wooden surface with pine leaves and christmas lights

An “ongoing suffering” Christmas of silent, humbled, reverent awe

I will never forget it. Exactly one month after my second lifesaving brain surgery, I was able to sit at the piano and quietly play this Advent hymn. Pumped up with heavy medication, muscles and nerves shrieking in pain, our Lord gently tweaked the very direction of my earthly life Read more

By Lauri Hogle, ago
white rose in close up photography

Grief in this sad Christmas time

Lord Jesus, We grieve. We ache. We long. We cry. It’s a sad Christmas time for many of those reading this. The Advent and Christmas season often makes us feel more sorrowful because every song, every tradition, and every celebration suddenly seems distant from us, blocked from us. Like we’re Read more

By Lauri Hogle, ago
photograph of variety of fruits on a table

All good gifts around us

This week’s hymnwriter, a pastor’s kid, wrote this in serious illness, re-turning to the Lord after falling away for over twenty years:  We plow the fields and scatterthe good seed on the land,but it is fed and wateredby God’s almighty hand. (“We Plow the Fields and Scatter,” Claudius, M., 1782) Serious Read more

By Lauri Hogle, ago
people on dinner during ramadan

Thanking God for Jesus when I’m under attack

How I’ve desperately needed to sing daily of our Redeemer’s propitiating work on the cross as I suffer. When I’m under attack, I need to remember that He became sin in my place and completely took all the punishment for sin that I deserve.  Jesus paid it all, All to Read more

By Lauri Hogle, ago
brown gift box

God’s rewards as we suffer? “Oh, how I love Jesus!”

Lord God, I’ve often believed the lie that, other than relief from suffering in the end, there is no reward for this awful pain. That there’s nothing good I can do in this world, that my life can’t have good purpose if I’m suffering. I’ve often felt like there can’t Read more

By Lauri Hogle, ago
human standing beside crucifix statue on mountain

Have you ever heard of spiritual depression? 

Particularly when our bodies suffer from chronic illness or ongoing fatigue and stress, we can become prone to what Martin Lloyd-Jones describes as “spiritual depression” or joyless unhappiness, a temptation of Satan for a believer.  My harp on yonder willow lies, Silent, neglected, and unstrung; My cheerful songs are turned Read more

By Lauri Hogle, ago
crucifix on the roadside

Suffering and constant stress in this fallen world…with Jesus

I’ve pondered this question over the many years of my earthly suffering: How does the gospel apply to our daily lives? How does the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ have personal relevance to our times of suffering and constant stress as we live in this fallen Read more

By Lauri Hogle, ago
blue sky with white clouds

What if…tomorrow is the day?! Praise Him, praise Him!

Lord Jesus, When “what if” thoughts fill my mind, when agony over escalating evil weighs heavy, when hope-less fears arise, zoom me back to Your hope-saturated truth. “What if”…tomorrow is actually the day of Your return? The appointed, already-scheduled day… Because [the Father] has fixed a day on which he Read more

By Lauri Hogle, ago
lake water

In Christ Himself lies my peace as I suffer

As I shared last week, I recently underwent a week of lying flat in bed, staring at the ceiling, asking God to heal the pain-full problem with my brain’s cerebrospinal fluid. I couldn’t comfortably read or listen to anything. All I had was Jesus and talking to Him, hearing His Read more

By Lauri Hogle, ago
woman wearing black sleeveless dress holding white headphone at daytime

How does singing to God affect our emotions? 

I’ve recently realized that many who are reading this are like me….our suffering is ongoing, chronic, continual, likely permanent on earth, but with lots of ups and downs. No wonder our emotions follow that same pattern! We can’t be stoic about this. It hurts, we grieve losses daily, fears creep Read more

By Lauri Hogle, ago

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