A Source of Hope

My name is Pastor Paris and I lead The Journey Church in Hastings. I’ve been a pastor in our town for 39 years now. What some of my colleagues and I hope to do is spread a little cheer and a truck load of hope. In these short articles we will try not to be preachy, but rather simply share what we have learned over many years from reading God’s written word. We have a bit of an advantage in that we have read the account of the end of the story, and God encourages us even in that.

Life has had an awful lot of bad news these days. The news is just short of flat out depressing. We are focused on disease, dying, hospitalization, racism, hatred, and the like. We are being told this is a new normal and that we will never return to what we once enjoyed. Maybe You need a little boost of hope today.

As a young adult, before I became a Christian, I used to just try and force my will upon life. I worked harder, made more sacrifices and pushed the obstacles out of my way. My success rate was pretty dismal, however. Since I became a follower of Jesus Christ, I found that the load no longer rests on my shoulders. God Himself said that He had a good plan for my life if I would just use His tools to live by.

“Jeremiah 29:11 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.

When I first read these words I couldn’t believe it was possible, but now after 43 years of faith I have come to realize that God is just the way He describes Himself. So, if you are burdened about life and can’t find hope then open a Bible and start to read the book of John in the New Testament. You will meet the real Jesus in those pages and come to trust that He loves you more than you can imagine.

Written by Pastor Paris Pasch of The Journey Church in Hastings