Articles

This last week, Central Oklahoma experienced a natural disaster. Do you ever wonder why natural disasters occur on earth? I mean, other than reasons science tells us about like soil erosion, seismic activity, tectonic movements, air pressure, and ocean currents; why do they happen? It may seem that, during these times, it’s easy to ask, “Where was God?” We can be assured that God does use natural ...

Literally hours before this photo was taken, this entire rose bush and each individual bloom was laying flat on the ground, not only covered, but encased in ice from a recent storm. Have you ever looked closely at a rose? Have you noted the wonderful delicacy of each silky petal? What a marvel to me that such a fragile living thing could be held in ice, but afterwards be so perfectly and completel...

Let's talk "tracers." Tracers are projectiles (bullets & cannon caliber ammunition) with a small pyrotechnic charge in their base. It ignites and burns very brightly when fired and makes the projectiles trajectory visible to the naked eye. They are usually loaded as the fifth round in a rapid shooting firearm like a machine gun. The path they leave can then help to point out where that ammunition ...

It’s the Lord’s money, of course, as you already know! I thought this would be a good time to discuss the importance of being good stewards of our possessions. We recently had large expenses that were not budgeted for this year, but we were able to cover these without going into debt. This is thanks to our elders and our excellent money manager, Sarah Kriwanek! My job is to keep their success runn...

If you know me, you know I don’t believe in dress codes for the church…… buuuut the subject of what we wear in public is not quite so simple as to be dismissed in the name of being against a dress code. Judging from passages that mention it (1st Timothy 2:9 & 1st Peter 3:3 for example), modesty in the first century and before seemed to be a matter of avoiding ostentation, that is the wearing or di...

I love it. Line in the water, just waiting for the first stirring of a nibble. Then “BOOM!”, they bite hard, you set the hook and feel that life on the other end of the line as you reel him in. There is just nothing else like that kind of excitement. Remember that time the apostles had fished all night and caught nothing (Luke 5:1-11)? Jesus told them to go out into the deep and let down their net...

The United States of America is not the church. We understand that, right? But is it wrong to love and honor America as our nation? “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore, whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive co...

The above is a question asked by Pontius Pilate after Jesus told him that he had come to testify to the truth (John 18:33-38). There he stood, the man “in power”, not realizing he was speaking with his own creator and Lord of all. He could never have encountered a more suitable authority for answering his question. Apparently, however, he did not ask in order to receive an answer. Reality is truth...

I am constantly examining myself. Something I have discovered is that I struggle with procrastination. It is very easy for me to let life take over and procrastinate. Not in just my priorities, but in my everyday relationships as well. Whether it be neglecting text messages and emails for days, putting off a school paper one more time or letting my yard get out of hand; procrastination is a consta...

I woke up this morning with a “crick” in my neck. I’ve heard of these, but never had one before. Naturally, I figured I could just stretch it out throughout the morning to ease the pain. Unfortunately, by the time I had gotten to work, the “crick” was so bad I decided to go buy an Icy/Hot patch! I’m glad to tell you that after an hour, I could finally turn my head again. Between this adventure and...

Dear Brethren, the City of Choctaw has mandated that masks be worn from September 6th through October 6th of this year. Here are a few particulars from the City’s document itself, Ordinance 830-2020. Actual quotes are underlined: Section B. Definitions, paragraph #1 – “Face Covering” means a covering that fully covers a person’s nose and mouth. The term “Face Covering” includes, but is not limited...

I was just reading about the church in Ephesus (Revelation 2:7). They had problems with some guys there who were false apostles and liars. I wonder what kind of trouble that caused, especially among the weaker members of the church. There were also people there called “Nicolaitans” whose behavior was so bad that God said he hated it. Jesus warned the church in Smyrna (Revelation 2:8) that some of ...

Boom! Everything is different now. As shepherds, we used to agonize over cancelling a worship assembly because of icy roads or stormy weather. Who ever imagined the present circumstance? We used to joke about how the back pews always filled up first, and that having to sit near the front was the penalty for coming late. Now we only have every other pew available. Our loved ones go to the hospital,...

Joshua 1: 8-9, “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” I’ve been thinking about this passage lately. I know t...

Jesus’ apostle Paul wrote: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘BUT THE RIGHTEOUS SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.’” Romans 1:16-17 So just how is God’s righteousness revealed in the gospel? Paul returns to this idea a...

Man’s worst plagues are not of the body, but of the mind and spirit. Anxiety, guilt, fear, pessimism, negativity, hatred, apathy, depression and their cousins torment us beyond any physical malady we may face. These are the very troubles addressed by Jesus, the Great Physician. Do you see how the earth renews itself? It is not by accident that all the mechanisms necessary to produce clean air, fre...

There is only one truly great profession, and that is that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the Living God. It was made by Jesus’ apostle, the one he called “Cephas,” also known as Peter (Matthew 16:16). Whoever walked on water? Peter walked on water. Well, sure, he began to sink after a bit, but there were eleven other guys in the boat who never got out. Peter got out, and he walked on water with ...

Today at lunch, I spilled my drink. It was a dramatic experience not only because it was a mess, but because I was looking forward to drinking it. So, when my delicious soda fell off the desk and hit the floor, I let out an audible, “NO!” I sat there staring at the wasted liquid seep into the carpet. I was so disappointed. In fact, it almost ruined my afternoon. A drink affected my attitude to the...

Is kindness real? Can you touch kindness? Can you hear it or smell it? You can see an act of kindness, but you’re not really seeing the kindness itself, just an outward expression of an otherwise invisible character trait. What about joy? Is joy real? You may see someone so filled with it that they jump up and down and shout, but those are only behaviors we may exhibit when we are joyful. Is anyth...

There are four references to the God of the Bible in the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America. They are as follows, with emphasis being mine: 1st paragraph “…the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them…" 2nd paragraph “…that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights…” Last paragraph “…appealing to the Su...