Hope Hill Blog

I think it’s safe to say that Jesus was not gluten free. Jesus was all about that bread. At the beginning of John 6, he performs the miracle of multiplying the fish and bread, and later in the chapter he goes on to tell the crowd of people that he himself is the bread...

James Joyce is the author of a book of short stories called Dubliners, the last story of which is the longest and the most beautiful. In fact, it’s been called one of the greatest short stories ever written. The story is called “The Dead,” a name which seems...

If you were at church on Sunday, you may or may not have noticed a group of friends wearing matching black t-shirts. It just so happened that every member of our community group, which we named Best Church Group, unexpectedly wore our group t-shirt on the same day,...

There is a story -- almost certainly apocryphal -- about the famously tortured painter Vincent Van Gogh. It is said that he wanted to eat his yellow paint because he thought it was a happy color, and if he ate it, the happiness would then be inside him and lift his...

In John chapter 3, Jesus has an interesting conversation with a man named Nicodemus, who was a wealthy Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin, which was the legislative body of the Jews. In short, he was a part of the most highly educated and affluent circle of his...

I love the story of Jesus’ first miracle at the wedding at Cana (John 2). What a completely extravagant and joyful miracle to begin the work of his earthly ministry! But he is acting out a greater truth here; just as Jesus’ parables were always simplistic stories with...

When I hear that old hymn Rock of Ages, I hear it in my mind being sung in my father’s baritone. He sings: Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee; Let the water and the blood, From Thy wounded side which flowed, Be of sin the double cure; Save from...

In John 1:14, we read that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. This word “dwelt” is a very unique one in Greek; only John ever uses it, in this gospel and in the book of Revelation. In Greek, it literally means “to dwell in a tent” or “to tabernacle.” As in,...

I can’t even contain my excitement about beginning a study of the book of John. John is like a big flashing neon sign illuminating Jesus, and it’s so fun to read. John’s gospel gives us such a beautiful picture of Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God. It’s different in...

Easter can be a bit of a whirlwind. It’s the one day a year our whole family dresses up all squeaky clean, and that takes some work. We celebrate our risen Savior at church, then follow with our family gathering with all the cousins and aunts and uncles and...