Blog

Greetings, Blessings and Welcome to Living Hope Church!

Sam Hamstra | Sep 5, 2008

Welcome to the Web site of the Living Hope Church, a new congregation that gathers weekly in the southwest suburbs of Chicago. If you have been thinking that the next chapter in your spiritual journey includes a deeper relationship with Christ’s church, then you may want to check us out. We’re not for everybody, but we may be just right for you. And when you come, we pledge to meet you right where you are at … Read More …

Faith, Hope and Love

Sam Hamstra | Aug 30, 2008

"Faith, hope and love remain, but the greatest of these is love." Perhaps you have heard those words. They come from the pen of the apostle Paul and are recorded in his first letter to the Corinthians (13:13). Recently, I landed on that verse as I was developing a lesson on hope for what matters in life. That verse prompted a simple question in my mind: "How do I distinguish between faith, hope and love?" While … Read More …

If the Chicago Cubs Can Do It…

Sam Hamstra | Aug 12, 2008

And I am not referring to winning the World Series; that's but a dream. I am not referring to the fact that the Cubs sent eight players to Major League Baseball's annual All-Star Game: Geovany Soto, Kosuke Fukudome, Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Zambrano, Kerry Wood, Ryan Dempster, Carolos Marmol, and Aramis Ramirez. I am referring to the fact that those eight players hail from six different countries. There was one Cub each from Puerto Rico, Japan, Venezuala, … Read More …

May The Lord Go Before Us

Sam Hamstra | Jul 22, 2008

This past week I heard a great story about an American Christian couple living in Lithuania contemplating adoption. God had blessed this couple with three biological children but, through their volunteer interaction with a local orphanage, the couple wondered if God would have them provide a loving home for one or more additional children. As they prayerfully considered this option, they concluded that they would adopt another child, but, then, they couldn't decide whether to adopt … Read More …

American Patriotism and Christian Worship

Sam Hamstra | Jul 9, 2008

In Engaging with God: A Biblical Theology of Worship, author David Peterson summarizes one message of the Old Testament prophetic books: "These deal with the introduction of pagan ideas and practices into Israelite worship, or the attempt to worship other gods whilst still claiming to serve the Lord...." (pg 45). Reading those words I could not help but think about an experience this past Independence Day week-end while worshiping as a guest in an American Evangelical … Read More …

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