13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

There's Still Hope

I just witnessed one of the most shocking things I have ever seen on television. There is so much garbage strewn across our TV screens these days. At times it’s not even safe to sit in your own living room and subject yourself to prime time programming. You can’t be certain anymore of what you may see or hear that would be considered “inappropriate”, putting it nicely.  As a result, my wife and I don’t watch a whole lot of television.

There is one show my wife and I watch together - American Idol.  Personally, I love to see people pursue their dreams and to watch them grow in the process. Now if you watch the show, you already know what I’m going to say. But if you haven’t, I’ll give a little background.  Each week on American Idol there is an “elimination show” where the contestant with the least number of votes called in on their behalf gets sent home. Before they get to this announcement, typically all the contestants sing a song together based on the week’s “theme”.  This week’s theme was “Inspirational Songs”. When the song that was about to be sung was announced, I think my jaw dropped down about 3 feet and went right through my mom’s coffee table. The song the American Idol contestants sang on live TV with MILLIONS of viewers watching (Idol is TV’s top rated show) was none other than Hillsong’s “Shout to the Lord”.  I couldn’t believe it! It was beautifully performed and inspiring (if I say so myself). You can see it here: YouTube - Shout to the Lord: American Idol.

I was and still am both shocked, moved, and very proud of the Fox Network to do something so bold. There’s still hope for television! I wanted to dedicate this months devotional to Fox. Good on you, Fox – keep it up!

Maybe there is something that seems impossible in your life. Don’t give up hope.

Blessings!

Dan Owczarzak