Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
More often than not, when I hear people speak or when I am reading I hear what I call, “TITLES” in my head. This morning while reading it happened again. What I read was, “Where is you faith,” but what I heard was “Where IS you Faith?” Is your faith in yourself? Is in the government, your job, your bank account, your friends, or is it in GOD?
So many times because of disappointments, distractions, and let downs we tend to lose our faith in God or we just lay it aside not really realizing that it was ever missing. When we do that we unknowingly are putting our faith in ourselves or other things and not in God. Through the distractions and disappoints that arise in our lives the enemy has lulled us in to putting our shield of faith down. God does not want us worrying about anything at all. I know that is a hard thing to comprehend sometimes especially when life is hitting you hard but its the truth. We see from the scripture God is saying, “What are you worrying for, if I can feed the birds, if I can clothe the fields with beautiful flowers, then surely I can handle what you need.” Its our job to BELIEVE that, to put our faith and trust in Him and His word.
Philippians 4:19 And My God shall Supply ALL my needs according to His riches in Glory by Christ Jesus.
So today, I challenge you to ask yourself, “Where IS my faith, where did I lay it down?”
Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. (1 John 4:1 NLT)
I’ve done my share of following the trendy crowd of TV evangelists. It is really easy to turn on the TV, get a good word in quickly, and go about your day. There are excellent TV programs and evangelists that promote the word of God correctly.
There are some evangelists on social media who give an encouraging word during the day. However, it is necessary to acknowledge that some of the messages delivered through media avenues such as TV, radio, internet, social media are not always aligned with the word of God. Some messages sound good and they make sense, but are they spiritual or worldly? That is why John said that not everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit should automatically impact or overrule our belief. There are people who manipulate the Word for their own purpose. Paul communicated the same message to the Galatians in 1:6-7 by saying, “I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ.” If Christians were being led astray even back then, how much more are they being misled now. We have to test the spirits against the word of God.
Media faith should be rated PG for parental guidance. God is our Father in heaven. He desires that our whole heart to be devoted to Him. As His children, he wants us to listen and view media faith responsibly. In order to do that we must screen what our eyes see, ears hear, and our heart receive. We have to discern the truth of what is being said. Media faith needs to be a supplement to our faith and not a replacement. Anything that we hear through media channels should be our confirmation of God’s message to us. In doing so, we are testing the spirits.
Spreading Good News is definitely aligned with God’s purpose. It is still our responsibility to spend personal time with God, test the spirits, and discern the truth of media preaching.
Do not remember the former things nor consider the things of old. Isa 43:18
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. Phil 2:5
Happy “RE”New Year!! I actually started this blog on New Years Day but due to unforeseen events I could not finish it. So January 2 was my second attempt to “RE” start what I had already started, and I was well on my way, got to the end of the blog and hit the wrong button and LOST IT ALL!!! So here I sit having to “RE” do it all over again!! Isn’t that where we find ourselves at the end of every year. Having to “RE”start things we had already started in the beginning of the year?
The prefix “RE” means to do again, to start over, or to turn around. Ha! Ha! Ha! Jokes on me right! God sure does have a sense of humor. At the end of every year we sit down and “RE”view the previous year. The progress we made, the obstacles we did or didn’t overcome. The promises we made to ourselves that we kept or didn’t keep. We make New Year “RE”solutions to better ourselves in the upcoming New Year. We are going to lose that extra 50 pounds, we are going to get out of debt, finish school, etc, etc,…But aren’t those the same goals we had in previous years? I mean seriously, take a look back over your life right now and ask yourself, “Just how many of those goals have I actually accomplished?” Do you find yourself having to begin all over again on goals that you set in the beginning of last year? Why do we have to keep “RE”starting over again every year? Good question, the answer is YOU CAN NOT BEGIN A NEW YEAR WITH AND OLD MIND. If you take your old mindset into the new year the only thing that will have changed is the date on the calendar.
The Lord spoke to me and said in 2013, THE NEW IS UP TO YOU!!! If you want to experience a NEW YEAR like never before then YOU have to do something about it! God had already given us everything we need to succeed in life. First of all He sent His Son Jesus to die on the Cross so that we could have eternal life. (John 3:16) With the acceptance of Christ and what He has done for us, we gain a NEW life and a clean slate. That’s called “RE”pentance. We have turned from the way we were living before we accept Christ and the sacrifice He made for us and we have a chance to start fresh. All the mistakes we made, are making, or are gonna make are forgiven.
Secondly, He has given us His word, with which we must “RE”new our minds. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the “RENEWING” of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (Rom 12:2) The word of God has the ability to give us a NEW mind. Our old ways of thinking and doing things will change once we “RE” make our mind over with what the word of God says about us. When our minds are changed our lives will change. There is Power in the Word of God, but in order to experience that power working in our lives we have to work the word. How do you do that, you ask?
Your mind and life will be “RE” made over as you read and speak the word over your circumstances. Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. (Prov 18:21) You must search the Word of God for the scriptures that pertain to your situation and start speaking them over your life even when it looks like nothing is happening. On January 1, when I sat down to begin this blog the unforeseen circumstance wanted me to bring my old mind into the New year. The thoughts that I was having were screaming, “this year is gonna be just like last year, you are not gonna see anything different just more of the same struggle and fight, BUT, THE DEVIL IS A LIAR AND AIN’T NO TRUTH IN HIM! I know what promises God has given me concerning certain situations so when circumstances arise that scream otherwise its my job to STAND on what the Word says, even if I have to do so with tears in my eyes. You see its important that you watch your words and not speak against what God has promised. That is exactly what the enemy wanted me to do that day. He wanted me to agree with him that the only thing that had changed was the date on the calendar, he wanted me to give up on coming back and starting this blog all over again. He made sure I didn’t have the time to do it either. I may have had to wait a couple of days but you can best believe God had a plan.
IF you want to experience the newness of 2013 then you must realize that the “NEW IS UP TO YOU!” You must realize the new has to begin in your mind. Make a decision to search the word and watch your life change for the better.
Father God,
We come before You now asking You to forgive us where we have fallen short. We thank You for the gift of Your Son, as well as Your Grace and mercy. God the Your Word says that YOUR Grace is sufficient for us and YOUR strength is made perfect in our weaknesses. Help us God to accept that and press on towards the life You have predestined us to live. Empower us with Your spirit that we may do what we know to do when the enemy comes against us. Give us wisdom in all areas of our lives as we walk in the NEWNESS of this NEW year. Help us to realize that every test we have walked through in 2012 will bring forth a testimony to encourage someone else in 2013. We thank you for keeping us and all that You have done for us in the past, present and future in Jesus Name AMEN!
But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. ISAIAH 40:31
I know it’s been a minute since I have written anything, I have been trying to gather my thoughts. I am still in the P.E.C.K.ing process and lovin it. Although I have hatched and am on my way to the “New Beginning” that God has for me, I have learned some things in the process. It is my prayer that you can learn from this process as well.
Sometime in August, I listened to Bishop Jake’s preach a message entitled, “Don’t Die In The Nest”. This was way before The Woman Thou Art Loosed conference. It’s funny how God had me to hear that message even before I heard “The Pecking Order and knew that I was a “Chick” that wanted out. I understand this message even more so now as it ties right in with what was preached at the conference.
Since I have hatched I’ve noticed lately that I have just been sitting in the nest not really doing anything, feeling comfortable, yet uncomfortable at the same time if that makes sense. The nest is a comfortable place, it was designed to be that way, at least for a while anyway. It was also designed to be a place of protection from the elements of the outside world, but it’s not a place for me to stay forever, especially after hatching. Now part of this sitting is necessary for my growth. As with any baby chick it is necessary to be fed by their parents. It is during this process that God has to hand feed me the necessary food and encouragement that I will need in order to gather the strength that I need to fly out of the nest. I have received some of this necessary nourishment while at other times just like a stubborn child I refused to eat what I knew was only going to help me.
God has begun to stir my nest because it has become a place of comfort. Sure I have hatched and I’m free, I’m out of the shell, but there is more to this then meets the eye. The process of life is always evolving. That New Beginning I talked about in my previous post, it can only take place as you spread your wings and fly out of the nest. Like the egg I had to peck my way out of was a place of frustration so now the nest has become the same. My Father is stirring the nest. He is saying it is time to spread your wings and learn to fly. Get out of the comfort zone or you will die here. Life will pass you by. I have noticed my self struggling to fly lately. So since I am a baby chick I decided to research the “Fledging Process”, which is the process in bringing up a young bird until it is ready to fly.
After the bird reaches a certain age the momma bird will start to fly over the nest with the food causing the baby bird to stretch upward out of the nest. As the baby continues to struggle to reach upwards its strength continues to grow. The baby will have days where it is ready to stretch and reach and days when it will say I give up, not today momma, this is too hard, but the momma never gives up on its baby, daily she encourages her baby bird with the reward of what is to be if the baby continues on in this process of fledging. Soon the baby bird will then have gained enough strength to hop out of the nest and take its first flight and once out of the nest the baby is rewarded.
After reading about the fledging process it all begin to make more since to me especially since I felt like I had hatched but wasn’t going anywhere. It almost felt like I was going back to place of frustration I mentioned earlier. I guess I didn’t realize that I would need to grow stronger in some areas before I could take off and fly. I needed to deal with some fears and other issues that were still trying to hold me down as well. I didn’t realize that the mistakes and struggles I was facing were actually there to strengthen me. They are a necessary part of the process of becoming all I am created to be.
I read the following quote today that kind of summed it all up for me. It’s by C.H. Spurgeon, taken from a book written by John Stotts entitled, The Birds Our Teachers. It reads:
“Brother, your failure, if you fail, will begin in your faith. The air says to the eagle, Trust me; spread thy broad wings; I will bear thee up to the sun. Only trust me. Take thy foot from off yon rock which thou canst feel beneath thee. Get away from it, and be buoyed up by the unseen element.’ My brethren, eaglets of heaven, mount aloft, for God invites you. Mount! You have but to trust him.
Isn’t that the key to it all? Trusting God. Taking that step of faith out into the unknown. Yesterday in church my pastor said, “Your Blessing is in motion.” How true is that. You cant just sit there and expect things to change in your life. You have to make a move. That requires trusting God. Sometimes we don’t make moves because we aren’t sure of where we are going or what lies up ahead but if we wait on God, trust in Him and spread our wings so we can fly He will lead us right to the place where we belong.
I don’t know what flying out of the nest means for you, it could be a new job, a change in your life style, a change in the way that you think. It could mean anything. I only know it’s time to step out. Its time to get moving. Time is running out. You have gained enough strength know and its time to spread your wings. God has been stirring the nest and just like the egg was an uncomfortable place so has the nest become such a place. Don’t let life pass you by my friend spread your wings and fly.
“My people are foolish and do not know me,” says the LORD. “They are stupid children who have no understanding. They are clever enough at doing wrong, but they have no idea how to do right!” Jeremiah 4:22
Jeremiah 4:22 is speaking to me right now! I believe I have encountered some very foolish people as of late. I spend a good bit of my time trying to teach my kids in the way they should go and then somebody in their folly tries to counteract what I have taught them. For example, several times in my path driving to and from the exit of our residence, there is usually someone in the street. It’s ok to be in the street, but if you see a car coming, then common sense should alert you to move, correct?
Yesterday as I was driving in, there was a lady and a man right in the middle of the road. They appeared to be discussing tree trimming. The lady moved out of the way and positioned herself on the sidewalk. The man, however, turned his back, continued writing on his notepad, and then turned around. He literally jumped as if to be surprised that there was a vehicle directly behind him. I find it very difficult to believe that his man did not even hear a car approaching or notice the fact that the lady moved away from him for a reason.
The old Monica would have blown the horn and had a few choice words for this fool. My kids were in the car and I sat there patiently, waited until he moved and drove right by. I could not help but think of the example I was setting. I was more troubled by the man in street and him giving the impression to my kids that it’s okay to be in the street with your back turned to potential traffic. Granted pedestrians have the right of way, but even I teach my kids not to abuse it by quickly getting out of the way of cars.
I see and sense a lot of people acting superior, authoritative, and indignant by purposely getting in and remaining in someone’s way just like that man was. That type of behavior can set off a chain reaction of sin from people who do not know God. Even though I am believer, these situations are disturbing.
Another neighbor, parks their car illegally in a place that is clearly convenient for them. However, their illegal parking place makes it difficult for me to park my car or get out of my parking space. I have thought about having that person’s car towed or putting a note on their window. In the meantime, I’m praying for that person to recognize and become aware of the impact of their actions.
I have done and said many foolish things in my life. There comes a point when a person should definitely take responsibility for their actions and be mindful how their actions impact other people. More importantly, there is a lot to be said about just being plain ole’ considerate. I have learned that God can and will be heavy handed about correcting people when He needs to.
The Lord is right. We are foolish! We are foolish in how we act, in what we say, and how we treat people. Every day that goes by we can choose not to be. I had to turn that man in the street and the neighbor over to God. We need to be praying for people like this to wise up, do the right thing, and set better examples.Proverbs 26:4 says, “Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be just like him.” Instead, say a prayer and let God handle the fools who cross your path too. I am already in agreement for the Lord to move on our behalf.
16He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. 17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. 18 They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support. 19 He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.
Psalm 18:16-19
Suicide is never an easy topic to discuss, but at one time I had to face it in my life. I went through about a four year period where I was just stuck spinning my wheels in grief. There were days that I didn’t want to get out of bed. There were times when I just wanted to be alone. There were times I just wanted to scream because I could not communicate what was going on with me.
I was grieved to the point of thinking suicidal thoughts. I would run and hide in the bathroom or the closet because while I was suffering and struggling to survive, so much was demanded of me at the same time. I felt like I would be better off dead. I imagined I would stab myself in the heart because that is where I hurt. My heart ached as if something in me had died. I thought about an overdose because that was less of a mess and I wouldn’t hurt any more.
I sought the Lord, over and over again with no relief. I finally told someone close to me how I felt. That discussion was even worse than what I was thinking of doing. The other person asked me why I wanted to kill myself and told me that it didn’t make sense. I remember being upset thinking well, what good is it to talk to someone when you end up feeling worse off than before you said anything?
It occurred to me that when you announce that you want to die or you thought about harming yourself, everyone will not understand. You cannot just talk to anyone about your situation. It helps to talk to someone who has been in that situation. When I found someone to relate to me I was able to get more in touch with the root of my issue.
You see, when you go through something that wounds you to your soul, it’s hard to recover. Yet, the people around you tell you, you need to get over it. You want to and you just can’t- at least not on their timeline. You have to work through your grief on your time, not somebody else’s. When you get to the point where you want to die, it’s dangerous that the desire is in you. It’s not too late to get help. Be prepared because it may take overcoming some hurdles to get resolve.
I finally had a breakthrough realizing that although I hurt deep within my soul, there was a reason for it. I got into my bible more, and it became clear that God had a plan for my life. The devil has never, ever wanted me to succeed. Satan also knows the plans God has for my life and he knows it’s good! I am such a threat to the enemy he has to plot to take me out by my own hand! I couldn’t make the devil’s plan for me easy. I fought back. I empowered myself with God’s word. The word led me to Psalm 18:16-19. I was emotionally flooded as if in ocean waters. God rescued me because he delights in me. He delights in you too!
The American Foundation of Suicide Prevention (AFSP) reports that “every 14.2 minutes someone in the United States dies from a suicide”( AFSP, Facts and Figures, 2009). By the time you finish a 30 minute lunch break close to 30 people have died by their own hand. In one day, the number of people is over 1,300.
Praise God that I never attempted what I was thinking. Yet, I’m sharing this today because I know somebody is thinking about it. Please do not suffer in silence. Get help. I am living proof that the best times of your life are yet to come. Let God show you how much He delights in you.
I remember clearly when I was going through that time in my life wondering why you made me and why you allowed me so so much misery. It seemed like you were not even there, but you were. You delivered me, you rescued me, and you saved me.
You gave me a testimony to share with other people. Thank you! I pray that the right people who need to read this will know that you are speaking to them personally and there is a reason for the struggle. Trust and believe in God’s plan and do not give the devil a “W” in his game against you. To God be the glory. AMEN!
Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumes, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, says my soul, Therefore I HOPE in Him!
LAMENTATIONS 3:22-24
What does the Voice of Hope sound like to you? Have you ever heard it? It doesn’t have to be an audible voice. It could be the voice that comes from listening to another share their story. Especially if there story is liken to something you are going through and they are telling you how they made it.
One of the definitions for the word voice is, something likened to the speech as conveying impressions to the mind. That is what this blog site was designed to. As we share our life experiences and struggles it is our desire that the voice with which we speak is conveying hope in your mind. The kind of hope that says, you know what, if they went thru that and God brought them thru then surely He can do the same for me. God is no respecter of persons, (Romans 2:11) and He loves you just as much as He loves me.
One thing we lack in our lives is transparency. People don’t want you to know their struggles. They just want you to see them shining, later for the ugly parts of life. Just get to the good part. We see the effects and scars but the story of how they made it over is hidden out of fear of judgement or shame. I can only speak to you from my experiences and in return this should offer you some kind of hope. How can I give you directions to get to New York if I have never been there myself? Sure I can maybe sorta guide you but if I have actually driven there myself and I know the ins and outs of the city then surely that would give you a little more confidence in taking directions from me, wouldn’t it?
When you are going through things in life you need to find someone with which you can identify with. Someone that can say, “Hey, I been there and done that and because I made it through you can too.” A couple of years ago I found a lump in my breast and fear was waiting to greet me with thoughts of dying at a young age. I knew I had better get a hold of those thoughts or else they would overtake me and win. The first thing I did was search the bible for healing scriptures so I could speak them over my life, then I asked God to put a song in my heart to carry me through, and He did. The song was by, Dewayne Wood, it’s called “Let Go.” I also knew of some women of faith who had battled breast cancer and won so I read their testimonies. The purpose of doing these things was to feed my faith. I also went on the Susan G. Komen website to read the stories of women who had cancer. Doing those things gave me hope during that dark scary time in my life. Turns out it wasn’t cancer (Praise God!) but just in case it had been I was getting myself in the position to hear the voice of hope come from others experience.
When you see that someone else has overcome the same thing that you maybe be struggling with and they survived it, that gives you hope. I was listening to Bishop Jakes on TV the other day and He was talking about this very same subject. The man he was interviewing was talking about a time in his life when he had lost his job and had his car repossessed. He felt like he had failed his family. He was struggling on the inside and was too ashamed to tell anyone. He said, he would go to church and look around at all the people who he “thought” had it all together and he would leave church feeling worse than when he went in. Then one day he met a fellow who had been through the same exact thing he was going through and he shared his story of how he made it through that season of his life. Hearing this mans story encouraged him so much. It gave him some hope and placed something within him that said, “EVERYTHINGS GONNA BE ALRIGHT!” People love to share the glory but not the story that goes with it.
In your everyday life you may come across hurting dying people. I don’t mean dying from a sickness or anything like that. I mean dying for lack of hope or strength to carry on. All you have to do is look around they’re everywhere. The things you have been through in life may not have been all that good but like I said before God can use it for your good. Especially to help another person. No experience you have in life will God waste. Just take a look at Saul in the bible, he was a murderer, he killed Christians for a living. (Acts CHAP 9) Then one day God got a hold of him and not only changed his name from Saul to Paul but He changed his life forever. He was forgiven, his past was wiped clean, and he became a new person. That story alone should give you hope. Surely if God could give a person like Paul a new life, imagine what He could do for you! Paul went on to become the author of thirteen books of the New Testament and its in those books that you can find, if your listening, “THE VOICE OF HOPE!”
[The Lord said,] ” My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may work through me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 New Living Translation
No one likes to admit when they are weak. At least I don’t think I know of anyone who does. Who wants to admit they’re flawed??? I mean to expose things about yourself puts you in such a vulnerable position. Exposure leads to all kinds of mental attacks. After all YOU talk to YOU more than anyone else. You know what I mean. Those conversations you have in your head about yourself. The things you tell yourself about yourself. I shared some things in my previous blogs and in doing so I found myself in that place of vulnerability. The mental attack I came under ALMOST got me, I said, ALMOST. It was like the enemy, who knows, I have a purpose tried to distract me. God would then take me back to the first blog I posted, PRESERVING IN THE FACE OF DISCOURAGEMENT, and say, keep going, I AM WITH YOU! SO with shaky hands and a trembling heart I press on.
I received an email from Tyler Perry the other day that really struck a cord with me. This email came right on time as I was being overcome with these negative thoughts and emotions. The email was entitled, “DON’T LET PEOPLE DEFINE YOU.” As I sat in my car and thought about those words that had come at the exact moment I needed to hear them, I realized it was not people, who I have allowed to define me as much as it was me allowing what people THOUGHT about me to define me.
I titled this post I KNOW WHO I AM, because there was a time in my life where I didn’t know who I was. I just felt like I was just here, I existed, for no real apparent reason. When I became a born again Christian I did so because I didn’t want to go to hell. I had read a book by Pastor John Hagee, that scared the living day lights out of me. It scared me to the point of salvation.
It wasn’t until I started attending church and reading my bible that I found out that my salvation brought me more than just a ticket to heaven. I found out that I do have purpose, I am here for a reason and that God would use everything in my life that had already happened for HIS good. I came to realize that the things I had gone through in life God would use to propel me into what He had for me and at the same point in time the enemy would try to use it to paralyze me.
My past and the events that led me to Christ is MY TESTIMONY. If God had removed all the hurdles I had to overcome in my life then I would not be properly prepared for where He is taking me. Everyone who comes to Christ has a story of how they overcame. The bible even states in Revelation 12:11, that they overcame by Blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.
I refuse to be defined by what the enemy thinks of me. I Am who God says I am. It took me a long time to get to this place and I will fight tooth and nail to stay here. I heard some one once say, “GOD CAN HEAL YOU EVERYWHERE YOU HURT,” and He has begun that process in my life and I will not be controlled by or defined by anything other than THE WORD OF GOD. God wants all us to experience His love and freedom, the joy and peace that can only come from walking with Him. SO if you don’t know Jesus Christ as YOUR PERSONAL SAVIOR, you can. All you have to do is pray this simple prayer and you to can proclaim to the world YOU NOW KNOW WHO YOU ARE!
Heavenly Father I come to You now acknowledging that I need a Savior. I have tried to live this life in my own strength. I believe that You sent Your only son to die on the cross for my sins so I can be free and have eternal life. (JOHN 3:16) I am asking You to come into my heart, wipe the slate clean, and give me a fresh start as well as new perspective on the life You know give me, this I ask in JESUS NAME AMEN!
THE VOICE OF HOPE 