February 28, 2026 • 50 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:
Capstone Quartet
Common Bond Quartet
Kingdom Heirs
Paul Baloche
Bev Foster
Chelsea Moon & The Franz Brothers
The Enfield Hymn Sessions
Keith & Kristyn Getty
Stuart Townend
Carolyn Arends
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
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Brian (00:06):
Welcome to Hope Today.
During this next hour, you willfind peace and blessing through
music and teaching.
Love is something that we allwant to experience.
It is searched for in so manyplaces, but often it is so
fleeting.
Our question of the day is,does God love me?
The answers from God Himself,as explained by Pastor Tom
(00:29):
Cullen in our program today.
Before we get to those answers,here is Mac Weakfield and music
that brings such a blessing.
Mac (00:40):
Good Sunday morning.
How about some gospel music?
I don't want to give away anysecrets this early in the
program, but here's the capstonequartet.
God's love is a boundless love.
(03:07):
You remember going to Sunday school when you were just
a child?
I do.
I learned a song called JesusLoves Me.
Here's the common bond quartet.
Because most of us are a bitolder now.
They sing to us, Jesus stillloves me.
(06:57):
What does that really mean?
What are the implications ofthat?
Well, we have yet to find thedepths of the Father's love.
Here are the Kingdom Ayars.
Tom (10:18):
My name is Pastor Tom Cullen, and I have to confess
that sometimes I wish I had thevoice of an angel so that you
would hear the truth that I wantto share with you.
At the very least, I wish I hada Scottish accent.
Everyone seems to listen to apreacher with a Scottish accent.
I only want that so that youwould hear today's truth.
And that is God loves you.
(10:40):
We are moved to worship, O God,because of your love.
With Paul Belosh.
For those of us who have grownup in the church, we've heard
(14:28):
this verse so often that it hasthe danger of being like a piece
of art in our homes.
You know that piece of art thatyou have hanging in your living
room?
When you first bought thepainting, you studied and
treasured it with time.
It no longer captures yourattention.
You forget that it's eventhere.
These words are like that.
(14:48):
In fact, we reduce them simplyto a number that we hold up on a
poster of all games and thecontent of that version.
Meditate on it today.
That whoever believes in himshall not bear.
For everyone listening today.
(15:12):
Every individual needs to hearthese words.
That whoever believes in himshall not be turned away.
You were deeply loved from thestart.
(19:59):
The great God of the universe, with all that he has
to do, with all that is involvedwith being God.
He doesn't ignore you.
He doesn't turn his back onyou, but thinks of you with love
in his heart.
This is not a passing thingwith God.
God so loved you.
It is not a love that isdependent on circumstances.
(20:20):
This is an abiding love, aneverlasting love, an endless
love.
It is a love that will neverlet you go, never abandon you,
never leave you, never falter orwane.
Listen to how God is describedin the first chapter of James.
Every good and perfect gift isfrom above, coming down from the
Father of the Heavenly Light,who does not change like
(20:42):
shifting shadows.
James is saying, like the sunduring the midsummer, in that
hot hour of noon, wheneverything is so through and
through with light and warmth.
But then as the hours progress,the sun and the shadows
lengthen, and the jill of theevening comes.
And then the dark and his lovefor you.
(21:04):
It isn't like that.
It doesn't change like ashifting shadows.
That means God is love for you.
Never send it.
His love is always, always,always full moonday glory.
Oh God, it does not change.
Like a shifting shadows.
I have to confess that thereare times when my love grows
(21:25):
cold.
It's often based on people'sbehavior or actions.
I can be very difficult with mylove.
Not God.
God's love for you neverfalters.
It is an everlasting love.
You can submit in his face, puta crown of thorns on his head,
hang him on a cross, and stillhis answer toward you is love.
If we are faithless, he willremain faithful.
(21:49):
That is the dominant note ofScripture.
God's love for you never growscold, and he uses every chance
to break into your life to gainyour attention and tell you that
he loves you.
Even today, with our littleprogram, he is reminding you
that he still loves you.
No matter what you have done orwhat you will do, he loves you.
(22:10):
So Chelsea Moon and the Franzbrothers remind us in I stand
amazed.
Brian (25:51):
His mother, Susannah, wrapped him tightly in the wall
until his actual due date.
He then opened his eyes andcried.
At a young age, he and hisbrother were taken to London to
attend Westminster School, whereat the age of 13 he became a
king scholar.
After graduating, he enrolledin Oxford.
Neither Charles nor John hadreceived Jesus Christ as Savior
(26:15):
yet.
However, they grew seriousabout spiritual things.
They began to live theChristian life so methodically
that they were dubbed Methodistsby fellow students.
With their studies completed,the brothers volunteered to be
missionaries in the new landcalled America.
After a short time, they foundtheir ministry ineffective and
(26:36):
themselves in a spiritual crisisdepressed, they returned home.
It was in May 1738 that Charlesbecame aware of his need to
accept Jesus Christ by faith,and he found himself at peace
with God.
Within two days, his journalrecords that he began to write a
hymn.
It is uncertain which hymn hehad started, but most agree that
(26:59):
it was and can it be because ofhis vivid testimony, especially
told in verse 4.
This wonderful hymn can be thetestimony of us all.
Here is the Enfield hymnsessions.
Tom (31:50):
I mean, many of us never experienced love from our
parents, from our father inparticular.
Why would our heavenly fatherlove us if our earthly father
never did?
While reflecting on hischildhood, one man wrote this.
It was while sitting in thattree one day I realized that he
(32:11):
was never coming home.
It felt as though something hadactually broken inside my
chest.
I've always been afraid ofbeing abandoned ever since then.
It's hard to believe orunderstand God and all his
promises.
I don't mean that I don'tbelieve at all, but it's hard to
understand the love of God whenyou've missed out on the love
(32:32):
of your dad.
And isn't it true?
Sometimes our earthly rolemodels do not show us the love
of our heavenly father, so weend up with distorted views of
who God is and what his love islike.
David Mabel has written anexcellent book entitled, If God
is so good, then why do I hurtso bad?
And he outlines the fivemisconceptions of God that we
(32:54):
often pick up from our earthlyfathers.
You may sometimes think thatGod is the big just waiting for
an opportunity to beat on yousome more.
Or you may think that God isthe sugar daddy who showers you
with trinkets and toys to winyour favor.
Or you may think of God as theIceman, removed, cold, and aloof
despite all your attempts toget closer.
(33:15):
Or because of the model of yourearthly father, you may think
of God as being Mr.
Wizard able to magically fixall your problems.
Or you think of him as theShowda Woda Koda Automata judge
who cannot be pleased no matterhow hard you try.
Any of those resonate with you?
The idea is not to berate ourfathers.
(33:36):
Fatherhood is difficult, and weweren't the easiest of children
to raise.
The point is not to bring ourfathers down and blame them.
The idea is to understand thatGod is not like any of these.
Even though in Scripture He iscalled our Heavenly Father, He
has none of thesecharacteristics.
He is instead the perfectFather who is beyond our earthly
(33:57):
models, who loves us with aperfect love, an undying love.
Keith and Kristen Getty sing ofGod's love in His Mercy is
More.
(35:32):
But you may ask, how do I know?
What's the proof?
John 3 16 says, God so lovedthe world that he gave.
There's the proof.
Someone once said, You can givewithout loving, but you cannot
love without giving.
We know that.
If you really want to lovesomebody, then you show it in
the way that you give.
No giving.
(35:53):
No loving.
A child knows that he is lovedby his parents because they give
him attention, praise,discipline, care, direction,
love.
A wife knows she is loved byher husband because he gives it
to her time to borrow andencouragement and bored and
(36:27):
there was a lot of people.
Because we are so much unlikehim.
We are so unlike him in thehurt.
And we could not make a changeon our own, no matter how hard
we tried.
We always fall.
We need someone else arepresentative to live life
(36:50):
perfectly and obediently to Godand honor himself as a sacrifice
for our feelings.
And God in his great love forus.
He gives us his son as asacrifice so that whoever
believes in his son shall nothear it but have eternal life.
The good news is that God lovesyou.
If you're hesitating to believein God because you're waiting
(37:14):
for God to show his love towardyou, you don't need to wait any
longer.
God has shown his love for youonce and for all.
God has given his son.
Jesus died.
Jesus rose from the grave, andJesus is alive forevermore.
It's happened.
We read in the book of RomansGod demonstrates his own love
(37:34):
for us in this.
While we were still sinners,Christ died for us.
Oh, how deep the Father's lovefor us.
For you.
Here is Stuart Townsend.
(40:54):
He saw Jesus.
His testimony was simple.
I once was blind, but now Isee.
Do you see?
Truly, Jesus is what love lookslike.
Here is Carolina Ren.
(44:55):
When I think of my love for the people in my congregation,
I find that there are somepeople who are really easy to
love.
They are kind, generous, andsupportive, they have a heart
for God and a desire to do hiswill.
It's easy to love them.
But I can tell you that Iwouldn't give up my son for
them.
If it was a choice between mycongregation and my son, I know
(45:16):
which one I would choose.
God had that choice, and hegave up his son for you.
So that you and I could haveeternal life.
That is a God's life in us.
That's how much he loves us.
He willingly gave up his sonfor you.
Henry Morehouse was a greatpreacher, and it is said that he
(45:37):
preached on the love of Godfive nights in a row to a packed
audience in downtown Chicago.
His attack for each night wasJohn 3.16.
And people reveled in the greatlove that God has for each one
of us.
And in his closing sermon,Henry Morehouse said this
Suppose I was able to climb aladder up to heaven itself.
(45:57):
And while there I met the angelGabriel.
I would ask Gabriel, How muchdoes God love me?
And he would respond, HenryMorehouse, God loves you so much
that he gave his one and onlySon, that whoever believes in
him shall not perish but haveeternal life.
And so it is true for you.
God loved you so much that hegave his one and only Son, so
(46:22):
that when you believe in him,you shall not perish but have
eternal life.
His love for you is relentless.
When everything fails, his lovefor you will prevail.
There is nothing better thanhis love for you.
As Alan Froes reminds us inYour Love is our hope.
Brian (49:38):
Does God love you?
There is no doubt, there is noquestion.
Thank you for joining us for aprogram of hope today.
This presentation is producedat Straight Path Studios and is
provided to you by your friends.
We do hope you will join usnext time.
Until then, may you know God'speace each day.
Welcome to Hope Today.
During this next hour, you willfind peace and blessing through
music and teaching.
Love is something that we allwant to experience.
It is searched for in so manyplaces, but often it is so
fleeting.
Our question of the day is,does God love me?
The answers from God Himself,as explained by Pastor Tom
(00:29):
Cullen in our program today.
Before we get to those answers,here is Mac Weakfield and music
that brings such a blessing.
Mac (00:40):
Good Sunday morning.
How about some gospel music?
I don't want to give away anysecrets this early in the
program, but here's the capstonequartet.
God's love is a boundless love.
(03:07):
You remember going to Sunday school when you were just
a child?
I do.
I learned a song called JesusLoves Me.
Here's the common bond quartet.
Because most of us are a bitolder now.
They sing to us, Jesus stillloves me.
(06:57):
What does that really mean?
What are the implications ofthat?
Well, we have yet to find thedepths of the Father's love.
Here are the Kingdom Ayars.
Tom (10:18):
My name is Pastor Tom Cullen, and I have to confess
that sometimes I wish I had thevoice of an angel so that you
would hear the truth that I wantto share with you.
At the very least, I wish I hada Scottish accent.
Everyone seems to listen to apreacher with a Scottish accent.
I only want that so that youwould hear today's truth.
And that is God loves you.
(10:40):
We are moved to worship, O God,because of your love.
With Paul Belosh.
For those of us who have grownup in the church, we've heard
(14:28):
this verse so often that it hasthe danger of being like a piece
of art in our homes.
You know that piece of art thatyou have hanging in your living
room?
When you first bought thepainting, you studied and
treasured it with time.
It no longer captures yourattention.
You forget that it's eventhere.
These words are like that.
(14:48):
In fact, we reduce them simplyto a number that we hold up on a
poster of all games and thecontent of that version.
Meditate on it today.
That whoever believes in himshall not bear.
For everyone listening today.
(15:12):
Every individual needs to hearthese words.
That whoever believes in himshall not be turned away.
You were deeply loved from thestart.
(19:59):
The great God of the universe, with all that he has
to do, with all that is involvedwith being God.
He doesn't ignore you.
He doesn't turn his back onyou, but thinks of you with love
in his heart.
This is not a passing thingwith God.
God so loved you.
It is not a love that isdependent on circumstances.
(20:20):
This is an abiding love, aneverlasting love, an endless
love.
It is a love that will neverlet you go, never abandon you,
never leave you, never falter orwane.
Listen to how God is describedin the first chapter of James.
Every good and perfect gift isfrom above, coming down from the
Father of the Heavenly Light,who does not change like
(20:42):
shifting shadows.
James is saying, like the sunduring the midsummer, in that
hot hour of noon, wheneverything is so through and
through with light and warmth.
But then as the hours progress,the sun and the shadows
lengthen, and the jill of theevening comes.
And then the dark and his lovefor you.
(21:04):
It isn't like that.
It doesn't change like ashifting shadows.
That means God is love for you.
Never send it.
His love is always, always,always full moonday glory.
Oh God, it does not change.
Like a shifting shadows.
I have to confess that thereare times when my love grows
(21:25):
cold.
It's often based on people'sbehavior or actions.
I can be very difficult with mylove.
Not God.
God's love for you neverfalters.
It is an everlasting love.
You can submit in his face, puta crown of thorns on his head,
hang him on a cross, and stillhis answer toward you is love.
If we are faithless, he willremain faithful.
(21:49):
That is the dominant note ofScripture.
God's love for you never growscold, and he uses every chance
to break into your life to gainyour attention and tell you that
he loves you.
Even today, with our littleprogram, he is reminding you
that he still loves you.
No matter what you have done orwhat you will do, he loves you.
(22:10):
So Chelsea Moon and the Franzbrothers remind us in I stand
amazed.
Brian (25:51):
His mother, Susannah, wrapped him tightly in the wall
until his actual due date.
He then opened his eyes andcried.
At a young age, he and hisbrother were taken to London to
attend Westminster School, whereat the age of 13 he became a
king scholar.
After graduating, he enrolledin Oxford.
Neither Charles nor John hadreceived Jesus Christ as Savior
(26:15):
yet.
However, they grew seriousabout spiritual things.
They began to live theChristian life so methodically
that they were dubbed Methodistsby fellow students.
With their studies completed,the brothers volunteered to be
missionaries in the new landcalled America.
After a short time, they foundtheir ministry ineffective and
(26:36):
themselves in a spiritual crisisdepressed, they returned home.
It was in May 1738 that Charlesbecame aware of his need to
accept Jesus Christ by faith,and he found himself at peace
with God.
Within two days, his journalrecords that he began to write a
hymn.
It is uncertain which hymn hehad started, but most agree that
(26:59):
it was and can it be because ofhis vivid testimony, especially
told in verse 4.
This wonderful hymn can be thetestimony of us all.
Here is the Enfield hymnsessions.
Tom (31:50):
I mean, many of us never experienced love from our
parents, from our father inparticular.
Why would our heavenly fatherlove us if our earthly father
never did?
While reflecting on hischildhood, one man wrote this.
It was while sitting in thattree one day I realized that he
(32:11):
was never coming home.
It felt as though something hadactually broken inside my
chest.
I've always been afraid ofbeing abandoned ever since then.
It's hard to believe orunderstand God and all his
promises.
I don't mean that I don'tbelieve at all, but it's hard to
understand the love of God whenyou've missed out on the love
(32:32):
of your dad.
And isn't it true?
Sometimes our earthly rolemodels do not show us the love
of our heavenly father, so weend up with distorted views of
who God is and what his love islike.
David Mabel has written anexcellent book entitled, If God
is so good, then why do I hurtso bad?
And he outlines the fivemisconceptions of God that we
(32:54):
often pick up from our earthlyfathers.
You may sometimes think thatGod is the big just waiting for
an opportunity to beat on yousome more.
Or you may think that God isthe sugar daddy who showers you
with trinkets and toys to winyour favor.
Or you may think of God as theIceman, removed, cold, and aloof
despite all your attempts toget closer.
(33:15):
Or because of the model of yourearthly father, you may think
of God as being Mr.
Wizard able to magically fixall your problems.
Or you think of him as theShowda Woda Koda Automata judge
who cannot be pleased no matterhow hard you try.
Any of those resonate with you?
The idea is not to berate ourfathers.
(33:36):
Fatherhood is difficult, and weweren't the easiest of children
to raise.
The point is not to bring ourfathers down and blame them.
The idea is to understand thatGod is not like any of these.
Even though in Scripture He iscalled our Heavenly Father, He
has none of thesecharacteristics.
He is instead the perfectFather who is beyond our earthly
(33:57):
models, who loves us with aperfect love, an undying love.
Keith and Kristen Getty sing ofGod's love in His Mercy is
More.
(35:32):
But you may ask, how do I know?
What's the proof?
John 3 16 says, God so lovedthe world that he gave.
There's the proof.
Someone once said, You can givewithout loving, but you cannot
love without giving.
We know that.
If you really want to lovesomebody, then you show it in
the way that you give.
No giving.
(35:53):
No loving.
A child knows that he is lovedby his parents because they give
him attention, praise,discipline, care, direction,
love.
A wife knows she is loved byher husband because he gives it
to her time to borrow andencouragement and bored and
(36:27):
there was a lot of people.
Because we are so much unlikehim.
We are so unlike him in thehurt.
And we could not make a changeon our own, no matter how hard
we tried.
We always fall.
We need someone else arepresentative to live life
(36:50):
perfectly and obediently to Godand honor himself as a sacrifice
for our feelings.
And God in his great love forus.
He gives us his son as asacrifice so that whoever
believes in his son shall nothear it but have eternal life.
The good news is that God lovesyou.
If you're hesitating to believein God because you're waiting
(37:14):
for God to show his love towardyou, you don't need to wait any
longer.
God has shown his love for youonce and for all.
God has given his son.
Jesus died.
Jesus rose from the grave, andJesus is alive forevermore.
It's happened.
We read in the book of RomansGod demonstrates his own love
(37:34):
for us in this.
While we were still sinners,Christ died for us.
Oh, how deep the Father's lovefor us.
For you.
Here is Stuart Townsend.
(40:54):
He saw Jesus.
His testimony was simple.
I once was blind, but now Isee.
Do you see?
Truly, Jesus is what love lookslike.
Here is Carolina Ren.
(44:55):
When I think of my love for the people in my congregation,
I find that there are somepeople who are really easy to
love.
They are kind, generous, andsupportive, they have a heart
for God and a desire to do hiswill.
It's easy to love them.
But I can tell you that Iwouldn't give up my son for
them.
If it was a choice between mycongregation and my son, I know
(45:16):
which one I would choose.
God had that choice, and hegave up his son for you.
So that you and I could haveeternal life.
That is a God's life in us.
That's how much he loves us.
He willingly gave up his sonfor you.
Henry Morehouse was a greatpreacher, and it is said that he
(45:37):
preached on the love of Godfive nights in a row to a packed
audience in downtown Chicago.
His attack for each night wasJohn 3.16.
And people reveled in the greatlove that God has for each one
of us.
And in his closing sermon,Henry Morehouse said this
Suppose I was able to climb aladder up to heaven itself.
(45:57):
And while there I met the angelGabriel.
I would ask Gabriel, How muchdoes God love me?
And he would respond, HenryMorehouse, God loves you so much
that he gave his one and onlySon, that whoever believes in
him shall not perish but haveeternal life.
And so it is true for you.
God loved you so much that hegave his one and only Son, so
(46:22):
that when you believe in him,you shall not perish but have
eternal life.
His love for you is relentless.
When everything fails, his lovefor you will prevail.
There is nothing better thanhis love for you.
As Alan Froes reminds us inYour Love is our hope.
Brian (49:38):
Does God love you?
There is no doubt, there is noquestion.
Thank you for joining us for aprogram of hope today.
This presentation is producedat Straight Path Studios and is
provided to you by your friends.
We do hope you will join usnext time.
Until then, may you know God'speace each day.
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