Articles by Mike Mazzalongo
Sometimes God surprises us. Not just with big things but with random blessings that sprinkle our day with evidence of His constant love and incredible kindness towards us. Here are a few random blessings that immediately come to mind. 1. The sweet smell of newly mowed grass floating into your car as you drive by on a cloudless summer day. 2. An unexpected apology from an estranged friend. 3. A mag...
Like many of you, I have had the experience of finally recovering from a nasty cold that never seemed to end. The experience led me to think about some very basic things that even the common cold can teach us. Here are seven that mine taught me: #1 - A 7 day cold does not last 7 days. Contrary to popular belief that you're in and out of a cold in seven days, the reality is that full recovery is of...
When you are forgotten, or neglected, or purposely set at naught, and you don’t sting and hurt with the insult or the oversight, but your heart is happy, being counted worthy to suffer for Christ, THAT IS DYING TO SELF. When your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, your advice disregarded, your opinions ridiculed, and you refuse to let anger rise in your heart, or even defend you...
Wang Zhiming (1907–1973) was a Miao pastor in Wuding County, Yunnan, China. Educated in mission schools, he later taught for a decade before being elected chairman of the Sapushan Church Council in 1944 and ordained in 1951. During the Cultural Revolution, Wang was arrested in 1969 for criticizing atheistic campaigns and refusing to denounce landlords. He was executed by a firing squad in a stadiu...
The recent storms that spawned at least a dozen tornadoes across the state of Oklahoma in the U.S. also sparked a spike in some peoples' faith. I don't doubt the sincerity of folks who were "thankful to God" for being safe through the killer winds but I sometimes wonder where that faith lies when skies are blue and the weather is calm. I suppose that it's human nature to look towards heaven when t...
Men like to watch. They like to watch sports or sit on the porch and watch cars go by. My father-in-law used to like sitting in his rocker and watch his children talk and interact with each other while his grandchildren played on the floor. He rarely said much, he just liked to watch his family as they gathered for meals and conversation taking great satisfaction in simply observing them. Fathers ...
Recent studies published in The Journal of Marriage and Family concluded that the feeling of dissatisfaction was a significant cause of stress, and depression in today's society. In other words, people rise to high levels of achievement, have lovely homes and healthy families but cannot seem to find contentment even when they possess all these things. This situation reminds me of the Apostle Paul ...
#10 – Don't need special clothing or haircut to be a member. #9 – No killing of others necessary. #8 – Men and women equal. #7 – No special perks for clergy. #6 – Founder is always alive. #5 – Teaching is always relevant. #4 – Lifestyle is always adaptable. #3 – Converts receive new life, not just new religion. #2 – Salvation is by faith, not human effort. #1 – NO MORE DEATH! “...the mystery which...
Justin Martyr was a Samarian Christian who lived in the second century. He was a Platonist philosopher who was converted to Christianity and became a strong defender of the faith. In one of his works, “Apology of the Christian Religion”, written in around 150 AD, he describes a typical Christian worship service of that day. “On that day which is called after the sun, all who live in the cities or ...
It seems that there are three elements that help identify the "modern" church. One is a focus on music in worship. Orchestras, choirs, even drama with music are a must if a church is to appeal to today's church goer. Another is the preoccupation with the miraculous. People want to go to a place where God reveals Himself to the congregation through healings, tongues, and a sure vision and knowledge...
So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. When all our enemies heard about it, and all the nations surrounding us saw it, they lost their confidence; for they realized that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.” (Nehemiah 6:15-16) These brief verses describe the completion of the repairs made to the wall surrounding the city of Jerusale...
The title says it all, doesn’t it? All the fuss and handwringing over the Artificial Intelligence (AI) phenomena is quite anxiety producing for unbelievers. They have nowhere to go. The machines they depend on (computers, software, information-times-a-trillion) now threaten to eat them alive. Frankenstein’s revenge is here with a single key stroke! Not so with God’s children, who fear God, not mac...
I have mixed emotions concerning this latest runaway hit streaming online called the “Chosen”. Imagine, a TV soap opera based on Jesus’ life! What is there not to like? Great production, realistic portrayals and aside from accurate reenactments of the familiar events in Jesus’ life and ministry, the writers have created fascinating back stories for each apostle that brings these little known chara...
They talked endlessly. Since there was no need to express and explain, their communication moved beyond the speed of light, yet the time taken by the exchange was imperceptible. However, the deconstruction of what was said would take much of history to unravel, but if we stopped the clock or slowed it down to hear the Divine Trialogue, these would be the points they considered. "Let us make man," ...
It has long been held that preachers can’t count. I suppose it’s because they usually overestimate the size of attendance or count the unborn babies as present. All humor aside, it is true that preachers do place a certain importance on “numbers” because numbers reveal certain things about a church. 1. Numbers Reveal Commitment You may have 1,000 people at church but if this represents only 50% of...
Curtis Hartshorne has been ministering with the Church of Christ in Checotah, Oklahoma since February of 2012. He works primarily in preaching and teaching. He leads evangelistic Bible studies with his wife Kathy, he does marital and parenting classes and counseling. Before Oklahoma, he preached for 25 years in Colorado. He has taught college level courses on Principles of Marriage and Death and D...
It has been eighteen months since my first serious bout of dizziness and nausea (during a men’s breakfast) which has since been diagnosed as Ménière’s Disease, a condition of the inner ear that causes hearing loss, tinnitus (ringing in the ear) and the reoccurring symptoms of vertigo and debilitating nausea. This condition has caused me to experience weight loss, fatigue and almost daily bouts of ...
Dave Laton has more than 40 years’ experience developing and managing education and training for business and industry, governmental agencies, academic institutions, and congregations of the churches of Christ. Dave holds degrees in education administration, business management, adult education, and a Doctor of Ministry in Religious Education Leadership. He is currently serving the deacon for miss...
Enough cowering! Enough hiding out and social distancing from getting things done because of the virus! Paul said that there would be “in season” and “out of season” times for preaching the gospel (2 Timothy 4:2) and for growing the kingdom. He did not mean that sometimes we work and serve, and at other times we should stop because it is inconvenient or dangerous. I believe he was exhorting the ch...
The year 2020 has brought several changes among the ministry staff here at the Choctaw congregation. We have seen the departure of our Youth, Family and Involvement Minister, Mike Coghill, which will bring about the eventual addition of another (new to us) minister at some point this year. Then there are the growing responsibilities taken on by our ministry intern, Titus West, as he is tasked with...