Articles by Bob Chilton

Many of you may have seen this quote on Facebook: "The tongue has no bones but it can break hearts." I thought this was a great statement and helps remind us to be careful what we say. It is so easy to let our brains slip out of gear while engaging our tongues. A tongue, without cerebral guidance, is a vehicle out of control. Someone is most likely to get hurt. The scriptures have m...

Larry Jon Wilson, singer and song writer in the 70’s, wrote a song titled "Through the Eyes of Little Children". It was a poignant reminder that children are observing our behavior, and most likely will develop much of their own ways by patterning ours. In March, the elders began encouraging us as parents and grandparents to read & study the scriptures with our kids and grandkids, and to pray...

Each day reminds me that I'm one year closer to my time to die. That's not meant to be morbid nor sad, but it is reality. I have thought about this for many years and have concluded that I am (we are), "living the dream". We go to sleep, dream for a short while, and we wake up to continue with whatever life deals us. Our dreams are short compared to our daily lives. But dreams aren't reality....

I know that you are just like me and have never or would never judge anyone.  We don't pay any attention to their appearance, or skin color, or religious convictions, etc.  That's us, right?  But I find myself GUILTY.  I catch myself passing judgment on all sorts of situations involving people.  As the old saying goes, "You gonna believe your lying eyes, or...?' Regrettabl...

A few years ago this was the slogan of the phone company.  The idea of course was to use the telephone to call someone far away so they could collect a little more money from your account. They no longer use that slogan (perhaps they figured out a better way to collect more money thru "fees").  But the original idea, touching someone through contact was a good one.  I believe it sho...

The hermit crab is a small crustacean found in ocean waters worldwide. It is a fascinating little creature closely related to crabs, though not a true crab. It has a soft underbody protected with a shell on its back. But the shell is not his. It is an empty, borrowed one from some other animal. In fact, it uses anything it can fit into as a home and it continually moves from one "home" to another ...

One baptism? Yes, one, according to Ephesians 4:5 quoted above.  Which baptism is the one, then; since many are mentioned in scripture? I believe we find the answer in Acts 19:1-7. Here, we are told that while in Ephesus Paul baptized (immersed in water) 12 men in the name of Jesus.  Paul did exactly what Peter taught thousands to do in Acts 2:38. He was doing the same thing Philip ...

When you have an infection possibility, what do you do? If you step on a nail you seek medical attention and most likely a tetanus shot. A cut or scrape deserves at least some Neosporin and a Band-Aid to help protect from infection. We get it about our bodies and infections, but what about our spiritual infections? Satan is THE INFECTION to our soul, period! He will look for the tiniest scrat...

What's the difference? Each could be the same stone. It is simple a matter of where they are and how they are used. The stumbling block becomes so by being placed in such a way as to make someone trip or fall. The stepping stone could be the same block, but placed in such a way as to help someone navigate an easier path thru possible hazards. And we are all familiar with a building block, when use...

"The Winner"As I write this article, the nation has gone lottery crazy. One point five billion (with a 'B") dollars is the amount to be paid for picking the correct Powerball numbers. For just $2 you, and your government, would receive an astronomical amount of money..."easy street" from now on. And the fact that you have a little less than one in 292 million chances of winning doesn't seem to det...

Some wise person somewhere once said, "It's not where you start...it's where you finish that counts!" We see that all the time in sports, in business and in life itself. Someone starts in the back of the pack and perseveres to get to the front. One can start with nothing and end up wealthy, (especially in our great country), or someone can start with lots and end up with nothing. That holds true i...

Luke 9:23..."Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily,and follow Me."Three of the four Gospels quote this teaching from Jesus. It must be important for us to bear a cross, some type of burden in our life. We must pick up that cross each day and carry it just as Jesus carried His. Actually, it was our burden of sins which He bo...

The National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS) "alerts and communicates information about terrorist threats by providing timely, detailed information to the public, government agencies, first responders, public sector organizations, airports and other transportation hubs". By using available information the NTAS issues a concise summary of a potentially dangerous, even lethal, threat. It is extreme...

I am mostly certain everyone is familiar with the Secret Service of the United States. It was created to primarily protect and serve our national leaders and their families in our great country. The Secret Service, working mostly behind the scenes, conducts its daily process with few acknowledgements. Yet the daily government business would be hard pressed to continue without secret service partic...

God inspired Matthew to include five mothers in Jesus’ genealogy, 1:1-17.#1 Tamar - She was the mother of Perez, whom she had with Judah after she disguised herself and deceived him, pretending to be a prostitute (Genesis 38:1-30). Tamar, her immorality notwithstanding, courageously stood up for herself, having been cheated by Judah. Judah would confess when finally confronted with his sin, “She i...

The Elders at Choctaw are calling us to consider February as a "Month of Prayer" to help encourage us to walk and talk with God. Our desire is to establish a relationship with the Creator similar to Adam's before sin entered the world and God walked with him as a friend.God has always wanted to dwell in and with man, but the sin problem is always in the way. Thankfully, He prepared a way through t...

Ever been in awkward situations where you would like to say something to someone but just don't know what to say. A death in a family, and you would like to offer condolences but you just don't know what to say. You find a person you know has developed an incurable illness...and you don't know what to say. Maybe it's a suicide, a divorce, or a parent with a "problem child" - a wayward brother or s...

PHRASES WE LOVE ANDWANT TO HEAR"Congratulations, it's a ........!""You Passed!""You are the ONLY One!""Your the Winner!""I now pronounce you....!""Your tests came back negative!""I pretty sure we got it all!""I missed you!""I love you __________....!" (fill in the blank)"I'm so proud of you!""How can I help you?""I'm going to let you go with a warning..."Feel free to add your own phrase(s) to the ...

No one wants to hear that their identity has been stolen. Someone else using your good name for their own personal gain is a terrible thing to do. The idea that someone else would violate your personage by stealing and destroying your reputation is despicable. And to make things worse, it is becoming one of the most common of crimes to date. It takes forever to wade through the red tape trying to ...

A couple of weeks ago I received a practical example of escaping the law. Apparently, as was pointed out to me by an OKC Motorcycle policeman, my foot was weighing far to heavily on the accelerator. I was unaware of my speed so he wished to remind me with a friendly but expensive document. After confirming I wasn't a fugitive from justice he proclaimed my judgment...45 in a 25 construction zo...