Encounters with Hope

03/31/2026

What if our life is a speck of dust? You know, the dust you see laying on your coffee table. You know you need to "pledge" that stuff off of there but can't find a minute to do it. So you just swipe it with your hand as you walk by. That dust.

Not all of it. Just one piece of it...

What if our life is the length of that piece of dust?

If you stacked 1 Quintillion pieces of dust on top of one another, it would be 334 times the distance of the Earth to the Sun. The stack would pile 11 times the distance of Earth to Pluto (which I still call a planet!)

If you tried to count one number per second, it would take you 31.7 BILLION years to get to 1 Quintillion.

That's eternity....and then...it starts all over again.

My life...one speck of dust.

Eternity...I cannot even wrap my brain around that idea.

This issue of what is on the other side really kind of matters, and to just assume it will all work out well is not the same as hoping the weekend plans work out well. It's heavy stuff.

So coming face to face with truth and eternity and our place in the cosmic story is beyond important.

I do know this. Every religion on the planet, including secular humanism and atheism, is mankind's effort to be good enough to reach something better. To reach paradise or create paradise here.

Only in Jesus, does God love our specks of dust so much that God pursues us. He comes to us. He comes down to deal with the whole problem of sin and pain and dysfunction in the world. And He does it by dying...on a Cross...because the truth of our being "good enough" is that we cannot be good enough to reach a holy God or to create paradise here.

According to God, our "goodness" cannot save our eternity or our present world. Not because He is unkind and ungracious, but because He is completely pure, separate in His goodness and perfect in His nature and character.

God Himself says it this way:

We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind. - Isaiah 64:6

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God - Romans 3:23

That sin is so serious that it derails the present and the eternal. Paradise is not an option on our own and life continually works to remind us of that fact.

But God provides the answer.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. - John 3:16

The door way to eternity in Paradise is not a religion, a set of rules or an idea to attain to. It's a Person Who loved us enough to die for our sin. By Jesus' work on a Cross and His resurrection from the dead three days later (witnessed by 500 people who were willing to die for that message), we can find hope in this life and assurance for eternity.

That's why Jesus rode in on a donkey. To sacrifice Himself for the hope of abundant life here and eternal life in Paradise with Him and the other specks of dust that dare to believe in Him.
One day the door will close, and the One Who rode in on a donkey will return on a white horse for battle. Evil will be dealt with once and for all, and those specks of dust in union with Jesus will reign with Him forever on a new heaven and a new earth for eternity.

This Easter season, don't get religion. Don't let the sin of other "Christians," of Church hurt, or the busyness of racking up glory and stuff and pleasure for this speck of dust keep you from Jesus. Don't buy the lie that you must "clean yourself up" before you can come. Just come! Come and follow Him, and your life will never be the same. On this speck of dust...or eternity's.

Romans 10:9-13
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame." For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

03/12/2026

Identity is at the core of who we are as people. It goes right to the very heart of things, doesn't it?

The heartbeat of our identity beats to the rhythm of who we really believe we are.

Just like a human heart is made up of different parts I don't know the names of, I suppose several "parts" make up our identity. Our ethnicity, political preferences, family name, race, physical possessions, societal status, money, career, relationships, sexuality, our appearance, gender, talents, our kids, sports team, or a host of other things may determine how we see ourselves.

The state of these things often determines how we feel about ourselves and how we feel about others. Identities can war against each other!

Some of these identities are terrific, blessings, and important parts of who we are. Some are less important. But in the end, any of them can be taken away. Appearance fades, possessions rust, a job can be lost, political parties lose and fail us, loss and grief bring us to our knees, and ultimately death can stop the very heartbeat of our identities.

Moreover, there is always someone else that seems to be at a higher "status" level to whom we are tempted to compare ourselves. And then we lose heart.

God settled the identity issue when He created human beings.
"So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." - Genesis 1:17

The sin of Adam and Eve harmed the image of God in humans, but it did not eliminate it. Every human still has eternal value.
Jesus died on a Cross for the sin of humankind to atone with His blood every wrong so that every person who believes on Him might be adopted as sons and daughters of God. And in that sonship/daughtership, the image of God in humans is restored.

That is your value. That God suffered and died so that in life and death, your identity is rock solid and never "less than" someone else's.

At the Cross, every human is of equal value, in equal need, yet for those who believe, equally adopted into the greatest and truest identity of all - sons and daughters of God. There, the image of God is restored, significance, purpose, and value are recognized, and the heartbeat of our identity beats to the rhythm of the words...."Be Loved."

It's when the other parts of our identity beat in rhythm with THAT heartbeat, that comparison doesn't even matter anymore, shame is annihilated, things of less importance fade, and the eternal security of union with Jesus becomes the foundation of a healthy heart, a peaceful present, and a secure future!

02/05/2026

As Sunday’s Super Bowl matchup nears, starting quarterbacks Drake Maye and Sam Darnold are using their platforms to honor Jesus.

02/01/2024

"Three Times What We Prayed For" - Latest Encounter Generation, Inc. stories unfolding around the world.

What an honor to partner with our friends in Myanmar, Pastor R. and his team in southeast Asia. In a land where to be Burmese is to be Buddhist culturally, the Gospel is so counter-cultural and invokes persecution from both Buddhists and the brutal Communist military regime in power now in Myanma...

05/09/2022

A couple of weeks later than was planned, but here is Episode 1 of my new video podcast from Season 1: The Unveiling - Making Sense of the Book of Revelation and the End Times. Episode 1: Can You Trust It? Brought to you by Encounter Generation, Inc. Thanks for listening. Hope you like it. Please share if you do.

Encounter (The Podcast): The Intersection of Life and Truth Season 1: The Unveiling: Making Sense of the Book of Revelation and the End Times Episode 1 - "Can You Trust It?" Is Bible prophecy worth our time? Why study it at all? Is Bible prophecy trustworthy? It is believable, and can you build your...

03/24/2022

As you probably are aware, since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, nearly 3.7 million refugees have left Ukraine.* Somewhere around 6.48 million people have been displaced within the country.* I am very close friends with very close friends of a pastor in that country who has been primarily helping people still displaced in Ukraine or trapped in occupied cities. He has been helping rescue people out of dangerous places as well as helping provide basic needs for those who have fled with only the clothes on their back. He is also getting aid to people trapped in war zones. Our non-profit, Encounter Generation, Inc. has already sent some funds to him. We are planning to send more, and you can be part of helping the people there. One of my good friends worked closely with him for several years on the ground in Ukraine. He is a credible man, working with other people and groups on the ground as well. He sent pictures and video after the first funds were sent. 100% of every penny you give to this cause will go to the people (minus the credit card fee if you choose to give that way). Also, the first $1,000 given will be matched dollar-for-dollar, doubling the impact. To give, please click on the link below. If you choose the online giving option, please choose the fund, "Ukraine Relief." I know things are tight here at home for many, but we are honored to have an open door to help so many people in such a dire situation. I will post pictures as I can. Donations are tax-deductible. Thank you for considering being part of this effort.

Click Here to Give Online To give securely online, please click on the blue, online giving link just above. You can give one-time gifts or set up recurring donations and more! All donations are tax-deductible. For Adopt a Village donations, please check the project with which you want to partner by....

03/17/2022

Starting the end of April, David will be leading a weekly video podcast called "Encounter." The 15 to 20-minute podcast will dive into the Bible and the intersection of our lives and truth. Planning to start out with the "End Times," a look at Revelation, current events and how these powerful and relevant realities affect our everyday lives. More details to come. Hope you'll join in!

11/25/2021

Happy Thanksgiving to our Encounter Generation, Inc. family. To our partners and friends both stateside and overseas, we are so thankful for you and pray you have a blessed holiday! - David and Amanda

08/19/2021

New August 2021 Update on EGI happenings around the world

08/19/2021

08/17/2021