Tag Archives | Hope

Starbucks and the Holy Spirit

With the constant flood of negativity in our culture, it seems like our world is getting worse and worse. But I want to share a story with you to give you hope in both the power of the human spirit and God’s presence. *** I was in Charlotte, North Carolina getting ready to watch the Carolina Panthers take on the Washington Redskins. Early Sunday morning before the game, I was driving to meet my parents at their hotel when I had the urge to […]

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Life in the Desert

A twenty-something friend reached out to me recently, just to talk. He had abandoned the idea of God in his late teen years after religious culture and hell-fire-and-brimstone left a bitter taste in his mouth. I can’t say I blame him for spitting it out. Now, after ten years of tasting all that life has to offer, he is weary—thirsty for something that life isn’t providing. Sure, he’s successful, and he’s a great guy. But he’s sinking. He’s in the midst of some […]

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A Reader Asked Me Three Very Difficult Questions. Here Are My Answers.

A listener named Annie sent me an email and asked me where everything at www.mattham.com began. Then she asked me three very challenging questions: What were your thoughts? What did you struggle with? What answers have you found? After giving it quite a bit of thought, I decided to answer those questions here. In fact, I would challenge each of you to ask yourself these questions. In essence, our thoughts, our struggles, and our perspectives are always leading us somewhere. […]

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“Pray for your Daughter”

Six years ago, my wife and I were weary from a two-year battle with infertility. A battle that left us resting on our own strength to start a family. A battle we were losing. The Enemy was ever-present, firing a barrage of attacks in an attempt to destroy our marriage. We were sinking and we were afraid. The world told us to give up. Like a boxer, battered from round upon round of relentless beatings, we contemplated throwing in the towel […]

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A Letter to Matthew

When my wife was fourteen-years old, she lost her father to cancer. A spot on his tongue spread eventually stealing his capacity to speak, and then, his life. But just before he died, he wrote each of his children a letter. As you can imagine, my wife treasures her letter from her father. After my cancer diagnosis in 2014, I decided to write my children a letter, starting with my oldest, Matthew. I share this letter with you as encouragement to do the same for your children. ◊♦◊ Matthew, […]

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Beauty for Ashes: Overcoming Shame

As we were getting the boys ready for bed, I caught my oldest son, MJ, watching inappropriate videos on his mom’s cellphone—something he knows he’s not supposed to do. To make matters worse, when I confronted him about it, he lied to me. “I just picked up mom’s phone to check the time,” an attempt to cover his disobedience. Seeing his sweet, innocent spirit give in to the temptation to lie to his father pierced my heart. My first response […]

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This Homeless Man Didn’t Want My Money, He Wanted Something Else

Aside from a perimeter fence, the only thing that separates our rear property line from the parking lot of College Acres Baptist Chuch is a narrow row of trees. Except for Wednesday night and Sunday morning, the lot stays quiet—and quite peaceful I might add. But not too long ago, it provided the setting for a fateful encounter with a homeless man who taught me one of life’s greatest lessons. It is a lesson that will serve us in more […]

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