February 28, 2026 • 49 mins
A weekly program of word and music featuring an eclectic mix of Christian music and teaching by Pastor Tom Cullen and Brian Evans.
Mac Wigfield starts the program with southern gospel classics.
Produced at Straight Path Studio in Uxbridge, Ontario, Canada.
Christian Artists featured are:
Gold City
Jeff and Sherri Easter
New Journey Trio
North Point Worship
Tenielle Neda
Michael Austin Harris
Westminster Abbey Choir
Hope Darst
Reflections Trio
Keith Green
Lincoln Brewster
Thank you for listening to HOPE TODAY. This is a program developed at Light & Life Programming, a registered charity. We are listener supported. If you would like to help with this ministry, donations can be made through our website at www.lightnlife.ca.
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Episode Transcript
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Brian (00:07):
Welcome to Hope Today, our program of inspiration, joy,
and faith.
Thank you for joining us overthis next hour.
The question of our programtoday is, how do I overcome
fear?
Listen for answers todaythrough the music and as Pastor
Tom Cullen helps us understandin the moments ahead.
As always, let's begin withgospel music and encouragement
(00:30):
with Mac Wigfield.
Mac (00:34):
Well, good morning.
This is Mac Wigfield.
This is Gold City singing Benot afraid.
(03:21):
So a little faith is all thatyou need, and we hear folks say
that's easy for you to say.
Faith?
Faith is a gift.
(06:22):
So then faith means what?
That's right, faith meanstaking God at his word.
And faith has the advantagethat when it is there, fear is
not.
Tom (10:39):
I love that song by Gold City.
Be not afraid.
The Lord will calm the storm ifwe believe.
It brings us to the question ofthe day.
What do I do with my fear?
There are so many fears thatrob us of our resources,
paralyze our thoughts, anddisturb our sleep.
What are we to do with them?
We'll explore the question inthe time we have together.
(11:01):
May the Holy Spirit minister toeach of our hearts as we affirm
with North Point worship thatthere is nothing that God cannot
do in giants.
(14:04):
Sixty some years ago, a famousBaptist preacher made this
comment about the times in whichhe lived.
He said, These are the dayswhen fear is in the very air we
breathe.
At the time, the superpowerswere building their atomic
weapons at an alarming rate andwere becoming embroiled in the
Cold War.
I believe that if this creaturewere alive today, he would
(14:28):
again say, These are the dayswhen fear is in the very air we
breathe.
For everywhere we look in oursociety, there are people who
are fretful, nervous andirritable, and physically ill.
So that we may be on alert andon alert.
(14:52):
If we had no fear at all, wewould probably be for the life
of it.
One minute it could be oneminute.
(15:27):
If you do, you will find thathe is right there with you.
(16:25):
And Neil Need us sings, Jesus,you come.
(18:54):
I know, I know it may soundtrite, it may sound simplistic
to say, when you face fear, callout to Jesus.
But consider who Jesus is.
He is the King of Kings andLord of Lords whose kingdom
extends to all spheres of life.
This is the point of the Gospelof Mark in chapter 4, verse 35,
(19:14):
to the end of chapter 5.
All through that passage, weare made to see that Jesus isn't
just any man.
He is the Lord, the one withauthority over the natural world
as he calms the storm with aword.
He is the one who rules overthe spiritual world and causes
demons to quiver and fear andobey his command.
(19:35):
His kingdom and authorityextends to the physical world,
as demonstrated by his healingof a woman who had been subject
to bleeding for twelve years.
To every sphere of life knownto humanity and even beyond the
Prince of Peace rule.
And the extent of his kingdomand rule has not diminished with
(19:56):
the passing of time.
He is a still crowned Prince ofPeace.
He is a still in command.
He is a dill gives a peace toall those who seek him with
their whole heart.
So to say, turn to Jesus in themidst of your fear.
Would be trite and simplistic.
If Jesus were a dead martyrrotting in a grave.
But because he is the risenLord who has promised never to
(20:19):
leave you or forsake you, youknow that you can turn to him
and be assured of his help,assured of his strength, assured
of his comfort, assured of hispeace in the midst of your
fears.
You will be able to sing of thegrace that overcomes, of the
grave where Christ rosevictorious, and like Michael
Austin Harris, for the rest ofyour days, his love will be your
(20:43):
anthem.
Brian (24:03):
A hymn that continues to bring much comfort in times of
fear is Abide with Me.
It is often included as part ofthe Remembrance Day Cenotaph
services.
One can only imagine theimmense comfort these words must
have brought to soldiers duringthe fear of war.
Henry and Anne Light lived in avillage close to the shores in
(24:24):
Devonshire, England.
There, for 23 years, hefaithfully ministered to his
seafaring congregation.
Henry had a lung condition, andit did not help when some of
the seasons of the year by thecoast were so cold and damp.
In his early fifties, hiscondition had deteriorated into
tuberculosis.
(24:45):
On September the 4th, 1847, atthe age of 54, Henry preached
with difficulty what would behis last message to his
parishioners.
That afternoon, before he leftfor Italy to hopefully regain
strength and health, he walkedalong the coast in pensive
prayer.
Retiring to his room, heemerged one hour later with a
(25:08):
written copy of Abide With Me.
Some said that he had writtenit within that hour, while
others said that he had justdiscovered the words as he was
clearing out his desk drawer.
The speculations of boththoughts were probably true.
Henry's lines gave out twomonths later while in Italy.
It was during the memorialservice held in the fishing
(25:29):
village back home and led by hisson-in-law, who was also a
minister, that Abide with Me wassung for the first time.
Here is Westminster Abbey Choirsinging Abide With Me.
Tom (28:50):
How can we be rescued from our fears?
Tony Evans told him how one dayhis granddaughter came running
(30:04):
to him in the backyard,screaming his name and crying.
She was visibly afraid.
And then Tony Evans discoveredwhy right behind her was the
neighbor's dog barking at herheels.
And the little girl ran to hergrandfather and jumped up into
his arms and she cried and criedand cried while the dog and
barked and barked and barked andfinally both of them.
(30:25):
And Tony Evans' granddaughterlooked down at the dog.
Look at her grandfather.
And then look at the dog again.
And this time she started.
And when you get connected withJesus Christ, whatever you
(31:07):
fear, shrink inside.
I'm sure that your fear isreal.
But Jesus Christ is real too.
And he's greater than thatwhich you fear.
Trust him today, and he'll leadyou out of darkness into his
light.
Here is hope darst with peace.
Be still.
(31:28):
That tells us something aboutthe nature of the peace that
(35:09):
Christ brings into a life.
In the words of Philippianschapter 4, verse 7, it is a
peace that passes allunderstanding.
Certainly the disciples did notfully understand what had just
happened.
It was outside their realm ofexperience.
The peace that Jesus broughtwas beyond anything the
disciples had ever known.
It was not of this world.
(35:30):
And this is the good news.
For peace, as the worldcommonly understands it, comes
when the subring sky is clear,and the sun shines brightly,
when the bank account is full,and when the mind and body are
free from ache and pain.
But this is not true, Peter.
The good news is that the peaceJesus brings is a calmness of
(35:51):
soul amid the terrors oftrouble, a serene quiet in the
midst of the howling winds andthe thrashing waves.
We can understand the peacethat comes when everything is
going right.
But this is a peace whichpasses all understanding, a
tranquility that comes to us inthe midst of life of storms and
light of ears.
This is the type of peace thatenabled Paul to sing praise to
(36:16):
God while getting into theprison wall.
This is the type of peace thatthe early Christians experienced
as they faced the hungry lionsand certain death.
This peace enabled them torejoice in these situations.
They rejoiced that they hadbeen deemed worthy to suffer for
the sake of the gospel.
This is the type of peace whichcomes to us.
Yes, to us, in this time,through faith in Jesus Christ, a
(36:41):
peace that passes allunderstanding.
So, when sorrow like seabillows roll, though Satan
should buff it, though trialshould come, we are able to sing
with the reflections trio, Itis well with my soul.
(40:49):
But there are other songs thatare beautiful, thoughtful
prayers, and the only thing wecan do is bow our head and pray
in humility.
Here is such a song.
Keith Green sings Rushing Wind.
(44:27):
These are days when fear is inthe very air we breathe.
They are difficult days.
Do you know the one who canhelp you is within the sound of
your voice?
When the storm swept up andalmost swamped the boat, the
disciples called out to Jesus,saying, Teacher, don't you care
if we drown?
And Jesus awoke and called inthe storm.
(44:51):
It made all their efforts withthe sail and the oar seem so
futile when all they needed todo was to call out to the one
asleep in the boat.
Have you ever prayed about yourfears?
I know how often prayer seemsso familiar and at times so
conventional that we overlookits power and its effectiveness.
But have you ever prayed aboutyour fears?
(45:12):
Spoke to God plainly andhonestly regarding your fears
and asking him to take themaway.
I know we sometimes don'treceive answers to prayer in
ways we expect, but I do notknow of any person who prayed
honestly and earnestly for peaceof mind and has not received a
fresh heart and a new hope.
The one who can help you iswithin the sound of your voice.
(45:35):
It could be said that these arethe days when fear is in the
very air we breathe, and rightlyso.
Life is difficult.
Our world has changed, evil andpain are present realities.
But hear the good news.
Jesus, the Prince of Peace, theSon of God, is traveling
through the sea of life with us.
He is with us, experiencing andknowing our fears, willing to
(45:58):
bring peace to any who call outto him.
Good news.
Fear may be in the very air webreathe, but peace through faith
in the person of Jesus Christis in our boat.
So our souls say Amen asLincoln Brewster sings, Let the
Praises Ring.
Brian (48:44):
We hope that you were encouraged today.
It's been such a blessing forus to be together with you.
We pray that you will know thepeace of God in your days ahead.
Hope today is produced atStraight Path Studios, and your
friends are pleased to bring itto you.
We look forward to being withyou again next time.
In the meantime, remember thatGod loves you.
Welcome to Hope Today, our program of inspiration, joy,
and faith.
Thank you for joining us overthis next hour.
The question of our programtoday is, how do I overcome
fear?
Listen for answers todaythrough the music and as Pastor
Tom Cullen helps us understandin the moments ahead.
As always, let's begin withgospel music and encouragement
(00:30):
with Mac Wigfield.
Mac (00:34):
Well, good morning.
This is Mac Wigfield.
This is Gold City singing Benot afraid.
(03:21):
So a little faith is all thatyou need, and we hear folks say
that's easy for you to say.
Faith?
Faith is a gift.
(06:22):
So then faith means what?
That's right, faith meanstaking God at his word.
And faith has the advantagethat when it is there, fear is
not.
Tom (10:39):
I love that song by Gold City.
Be not afraid.
The Lord will calm the storm ifwe believe.
It brings us to the question ofthe day.
What do I do with my fear?
There are so many fears thatrob us of our resources,
paralyze our thoughts, anddisturb our sleep.
What are we to do with them?
We'll explore the question inthe time we have together.
(11:01):
May the Holy Spirit minister toeach of our hearts as we affirm
with North Point worship thatthere is nothing that God cannot
do in giants.
(14:04):
Sixty some years ago, a famousBaptist preacher made this
comment about the times in whichhe lived.
He said, These are the dayswhen fear is in the very air we
breathe.
At the time, the superpowerswere building their atomic
weapons at an alarming rate andwere becoming embroiled in the
Cold War.
I believe that if this creaturewere alive today, he would
(14:28):
again say, These are the dayswhen fear is in the very air we
breathe.
For everywhere we look in oursociety, there are people who
are fretful, nervous andirritable, and physically ill.
So that we may be on alert andon alert.
(14:52):
If we had no fear at all, wewould probably be for the life
of it.
One minute it could be oneminute.
(15:27):
If you do, you will find thathe is right there with you.
(16:25):
And Neil Need us sings, Jesus,you come.
(18:54):
I know, I know it may soundtrite, it may sound simplistic
to say, when you face fear, callout to Jesus.
But consider who Jesus is.
He is the King of Kings andLord of Lords whose kingdom
extends to all spheres of life.
This is the point of the Gospelof Mark in chapter 4, verse 35,
(19:14):
to the end of chapter 5.
All through that passage, weare made to see that Jesus isn't
just any man.
He is the Lord, the one withauthority over the natural world
as he calms the storm with aword.
He is the one who rules overthe spiritual world and causes
demons to quiver and fear andobey his command.
(19:35):
His kingdom and authorityextends to the physical world,
as demonstrated by his healingof a woman who had been subject
to bleeding for twelve years.
To every sphere of life knownto humanity and even beyond the
Prince of Peace rule.
And the extent of his kingdomand rule has not diminished with
(19:56):
the passing of time.
He is a still crowned Prince ofPeace.
He is a still in command.
He is a dill gives a peace toall those who seek him with
their whole heart.
So to say, turn to Jesus in themidst of your fear.
Would be trite and simplistic.
If Jesus were a dead martyrrotting in a grave.
But because he is the risenLord who has promised never to
(20:19):
leave you or forsake you, youknow that you can turn to him
and be assured of his help,assured of his strength, assured
of his comfort, assured of hispeace in the midst of your
fears.
You will be able to sing of thegrace that overcomes, of the
grave where Christ rosevictorious, and like Michael
Austin Harris, for the rest ofyour days, his love will be your
(20:43):
anthem.
Brian (24:03):
A hymn that continues to bring much comfort in times of
fear is Abide with Me.
It is often included as part ofthe Remembrance Day Cenotaph
services.
One can only imagine theimmense comfort these words must
have brought to soldiers duringthe fear of war.
Henry and Anne Light lived in avillage close to the shores in
(24:24):
Devonshire, England.
There, for 23 years, hefaithfully ministered to his
seafaring congregation.
Henry had a lung condition, andit did not help when some of
the seasons of the year by thecoast were so cold and damp.
In his early fifties, hiscondition had deteriorated into
tuberculosis.
(24:45):
On September the 4th, 1847, atthe age of 54, Henry preached
with difficulty what would behis last message to his
parishioners.
That afternoon, before he leftfor Italy to hopefully regain
strength and health, he walkedalong the coast in pensive
prayer.
Retiring to his room, heemerged one hour later with a
(25:08):
written copy of Abide With Me.
Some said that he had writtenit within that hour, while
others said that he had justdiscovered the words as he was
clearing out his desk drawer.
The speculations of boththoughts were probably true.
Henry's lines gave out twomonths later while in Italy.
It was during the memorialservice held in the fishing
(25:29):
village back home and led by hisson-in-law, who was also a
minister, that Abide with Me wassung for the first time.
Here is Westminster Abbey Choirsinging Abide With Me.
Tom (28:50):
How can we be rescued from our fears?
Tony Evans told him how one dayhis granddaughter came running
(30:04):
to him in the backyard,screaming his name and crying.
She was visibly afraid.
And then Tony Evans discoveredwhy right behind her was the
neighbor's dog barking at herheels.
And the little girl ran to hergrandfather and jumped up into
his arms and she cried and criedand cried while the dog and
barked and barked and barked andfinally both of them.
(30:25):
And Tony Evans' granddaughterlooked down at the dog.
Look at her grandfather.
And then look at the dog again.
And this time she started.
And when you get connected withJesus Christ, whatever you
(31:07):
fear, shrink inside.
I'm sure that your fear isreal.
But Jesus Christ is real too.
And he's greater than thatwhich you fear.
Trust him today, and he'll leadyou out of darkness into his
light.
Here is hope darst with peace.
Be still.
(31:28):
That tells us something aboutthe nature of the peace that
(35:09):
Christ brings into a life.
In the words of Philippianschapter 4, verse 7, it is a
peace that passes allunderstanding.
Certainly the disciples did notfully understand what had just
happened.
It was outside their realm ofexperience.
The peace that Jesus broughtwas beyond anything the
disciples had ever known.
It was not of this world.
(35:30):
And this is the good news.
For peace, as the worldcommonly understands it, comes
when the subring sky is clear,and the sun shines brightly,
when the bank account is full,and when the mind and body are
free from ache and pain.
But this is not true, Peter.
The good news is that the peaceJesus brings is a calmness of
(35:51):
soul amid the terrors oftrouble, a serene quiet in the
midst of the howling winds andthe thrashing waves.
We can understand the peacethat comes when everything is
going right.
But this is a peace whichpasses all understanding, a
tranquility that comes to us inthe midst of life of storms and
light of ears.
This is the type of peace thatenabled Paul to sing praise to
(36:16):
God while getting into theprison wall.
This is the type of peace thatthe early Christians experienced
as they faced the hungry lionsand certain death.
This peace enabled them torejoice in these situations.
They rejoiced that they hadbeen deemed worthy to suffer for
the sake of the gospel.
This is the type of peace whichcomes to us.
Yes, to us, in this time,through faith in Jesus Christ, a
(36:41):
peace that passes allunderstanding.
So, when sorrow like seabillows roll, though Satan
should buff it, though trialshould come, we are able to sing
with the reflections trio, Itis well with my soul.
(40:49):
But there are other songs thatare beautiful, thoughtful
prayers, and the only thing wecan do is bow our head and pray
in humility.
Here is such a song.
Keith Green sings Rushing Wind.
(44:27):
These are days when fear is inthe very air we breathe.
They are difficult days.
Do you know the one who canhelp you is within the sound of
your voice?
When the storm swept up andalmost swamped the boat, the
disciples called out to Jesus,saying, Teacher, don't you care
if we drown?
And Jesus awoke and called inthe storm.
(44:51):
It made all their efforts withthe sail and the oar seem so
futile when all they needed todo was to call out to the one
asleep in the boat.
Have you ever prayed about yourfears?
I know how often prayer seemsso familiar and at times so
conventional that we overlookits power and its effectiveness.
But have you ever prayed aboutyour fears?
(45:12):
Spoke to God plainly andhonestly regarding your fears
and asking him to take themaway.
I know we sometimes don'treceive answers to prayer in
ways we expect, but I do notknow of any person who prayed
honestly and earnestly for peaceof mind and has not received a
fresh heart and a new hope.
The one who can help you iswithin the sound of your voice.
(45:35):
It could be said that these arethe days when fear is in the
very air we breathe, and rightlyso.
Life is difficult.
Our world has changed, evil andpain are present realities.
But hear the good news.
Jesus, the Prince of Peace, theSon of God, is traveling
through the sea of life with us.
He is with us, experiencing andknowing our fears, willing to
(45:58):
bring peace to any who call outto him.
Good news.
Fear may be in the very air webreathe, but peace through faith
in the person of Jesus Christis in our boat.
So our souls say Amen asLincoln Brewster sings, Let the
Praises Ring.
Brian (48:44):
We hope that you were encouraged today.
It's been such a blessing forus to be together with you.
We pray that you will know thepeace of God in your days ahead.
Hope today is produced atStraight Path Studios, and your
friends are pleased to bring itto you.
We look forward to being withyou again next time.
In the meantime, remember thatGod loves you.
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