All Resources
How to Care for Hurting or Grieving People
At Hope, we value all people, regardless of their life or faith condition. As small group leaders, you have a unique role in that you will be on the “frontlines” with people who are experiencing varying life and faith situations. Specifically, you will find that...
Who [IRL] Should I Listen To?
In this episode, the team discusses wise counsel and who we should listen to in real life. The LDI Crew also considers characteristics of people who may be considered wise...
Who Should I Date?
In this episode, the LDI Crew tells you exactly who you should date! NOT. Instead the team discusses all things dating, including wisdom in how we think about dating,...
Both & Neither
As a mixed race person, my experience with understanding my own racial identity has forced me to uncomfortably exist between two sides. When interacting with either side of my heritage, it’s hard to not feel like an illegitimate misfit. Even now as I write this...
What is Your Name and How Do You Pronounce It?
Being Asian American in the United States, I often get asked these questions: “Where are you from?”, “Are you Chinese?”, and “What is your name and how do you pronounce it?” My usual reply is that I am ethnically Hmong while being born and raised in Milwaukee,...
What Makes Hope, Hope?
A great part of my job is taking people out for a cup of coffee and hearing their stories. It also gives me a chance to hear people’s impressions of Hope. What brought them here? What keeps them coming back? If I had to boil it down to a couple comments that people...
The Asian American Identity
Identity is something I have struggled with my entire life. I am a Japanese-American born in the United States to immigrant parents. My first language is not English and growing up I considered Japan my second home. I have had the opportunity to spend portions of...
Gender Roles
The conversation surrounding gender roles in the church has been an interesting one for me to consider because of the tension I’ve wrestled with regarding this topic, especially as a wife and also a woman who works in ministry full time. Until this year, I didn’t...
Shouts and Songs From Two Mountains
Understanding the message of the Old Testament and applying it today is a lot like watching the film “Fight Club.” Only at the end of the movie does the viewer discover that the two main characters are (spoiler alert!) one and the same. Moreover, a second watch is in...
Grieving Unmet Expectations
Expectations. We all have them. Whether they are known or not, whether they are met or not. They can be sneaky and can reveal a longing, a desiring or a hope we didn’t know we had until that expectation was not met. Expectation is defined as the state of expecting or...
Killing Sin: Confession, Contrition, Community
“Do you mortify; do you make it your daily work; be always at it whilst you live; cease not a day from this work; be killing sin or it will be killing you.” ― John Owen, The Mortification of Sin Recently someone sent me a video of a leopard in India caught on camera...
Combatting Idolatry in Our Lives
You might have heard the phrase in your life (maybe by your parents) that ‘you are what you eat’. Now, obviously we know that our parents or teacher isn’t telling us that if we eat enough doughnuts or pizza that we will literally turn into that food but our bodies to...