Articles

Not every child has the privilege of learning from an early age about God, his son, Jesus and his Holy Spirit.  I did. My mother never failed to see that I was present when and where these things were being taught.  She made sure that I had plenty of opportunities to rub shoulders with people who were living lessons in Christianity. What a wonderful environment those people created. &nbs...

Imagine someone with tattoos that cover both arms.  Done?  Good.  Now imagine an older person with white hair and a shuffling gait. Ever see a guy in public wearing a sharp looking suit & tie, or a middle aged lady with brightly colored spiked hair? Picture someone with a cigarette or maybe a young girl with a short skirt and a blouse that shows a little too much cleavage.How about ...

Paul described the members of the church as a body. Each part being necessary for the proper function of the system (I Cor. 12:12-27). Many parts - one body. We realize that none of us are the "eye", or the "ear" of the church...but it certainly paints a clear picture of the different parts of Christ's body - the Church to which we belong.  Our spiritual body also consists of multiple parts: ...

With all of this talk about family, I became interested in my ancestry.  What I have found out is downright amazing.  As I traced my DNA, it provided some astounding and marvelous insights as to my spiritual lineage. My “D” (Divine relationship) informed me I was related to God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:18-20).My “N” (Nature) could be traced all the way back to Noah (Genes...

First…..Go where you want to lead others.  Children instinctively sense hypocrisy.  If you want your children to grow closer to the Lord Jesus Christ, they must see you making the effort to grow closer to him.  Decide now to be willing to grow, which means being willing to change.If you plan to lead your family closer to God, you must plan to lead your family closer to God (y...

Have you ever seen a child get his heart truly broken? Have you seen the suffering in their eyes as the tears cascade down their cheeks?  Have you heard their cries bursting from their mouth as they can't totally comprehend how anyone could hurt this much?  Have you agonized over wanting to help, and not knowing how?  Especially if that is your child who's hurting. And even though y...

Ephesians 5:25 says this: Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself up for her. It can’t be a question of whether or not a husband will jump in front of a speeding car to save his wife.  Of course I’m sure God expects a man to be willing to do that if necessary...but I don’t believe the apostle meant for us to get such a limited idea of hu...

Paul wrote that it was a very small thing to him to be judged by others (1st Corinthians 4:3-6), and that he would not even judge himself since such judgement belongs only to God.  Later, however, he wrote telling the same saints to examine themselves to see whether or not they were in the faith and so as not to "fail the test" (2nd Corinthians 13:5-6).  Is there a difference between "ju...

Have you seen the pictures of those being saved from Harvey’s destruction?  What could be said of them?  “You look horrible.”  “Your clothes are a mess.”  “When is the last time you showered?”  “Have you even fed your children today?”  “Why do you live in a flood zone?”  “Why didn’t you leave everything and run to safety?”  “Why weren’t you prepared for this...

With the big day upon us I offer a few reminders to parents and kids to help get us started on the right foot: Parents: You are the primary teachers Even though the schools provide instruction in the Sciences and Arts, you remain the primary teachers and most influential figures. Moses reminded parents to, "…teach your sons." Deut. 1:18 School reflects the society we live in, parents r...

That’s the number I have counted so far of congregations of the church noted in the New Testament. Some congregations are specifically mentioned while in other places there would simply be mention of some disciples in a particular locale.  Paul seems to refer to multiple congregations in Galatia and on the island of Crete (Galatians 1:1-2 & Titus 1:5) but does not identify how many there are,...

Excitement is extremely high concerning the total eclipse which appeared from Oregon to Florida on Monday, August 21, 2017. The accumulated details, the accurate predations, the path of the eclipse, the exact minute of its total coverage of the sun at different locations are all downright amazing! Dale Denwalt in The Oklahoman, August 20, 2017, p. 18A, pinpoints to the minute the eclipse beginning...

You can only reach those who want to be reached, but you won’t reach anyone without trying to reach them.  Give God an effort to bless.  Even God cannot bless an effort you do not make  If I love God with all of my mind, like Jesus said to do (Matthew 22:37), won’t I spend time using my mind to imagine ways to reach my friends? 1st Peter 3:15 teaches us to b...

Jesus did not stutter when he called the devil the father of lies (John 8:44).  Jesus also stated very clearly that the devil is the one who deceives the whole world (Revelation 12:9).  I believe he is still at work, trying to deceive us every day, and that his favorite place to spread lies is within the church. He wants us to avoid meeting with the church believing that we are unworthy....

The Egyptians are coming!  The Egyptians are coming!  What will we do!?  Oh look, God parted the sea for us and then brought the sea back again to destroy the Egyptian army.  Did not see that coming. We are going to die of thirst in this desert!  God doesn’t care about us!  Oh look, God brought abundant water from a rock after having Moses strike it with his staff.&nb...

Oft told has been the story of the lad who explained his falling out of bed with the words, “I went to sleep too close to where I got in!” That might be the sobering and sad epithet of some members of the church. Too many have mistakenly taught, “...and now complete your obedience by being baptized into Christ” (cf. Galatians 3:26f; Romans 6:3,4). That converting act is not a completion, but a new...

Does fake news makes you angry? Not as angry as fake worship likely makes God. Jesus said, “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers”- John 4:23 Jesus had just said that the Samaritans did not know what they were doing with regard to worship in 4:22. Is it possible to not...

God is ever evident, while the best of men are quite limited! Watching major TV analysts, who are skilled, highly trained professionals, batter one another over some moral issue or legal procedure, it breeds skepticism that a man like Moses could lift a staff over the Red Sea and make dry land appear (Exodus 14:10-16) until...I take a breath of fresh air, and realize over 7 billion people all arou...

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 with ...

While there can be a danger or an abuse in comparing ourselves with other brethren (II Corinthians 10:12), Paul did exhort Timothy to be an example (II Timothy 4:12f), and Peter presents Jesus as an example, in whose steps we are to follow (I Peter 2:21-24). Note an example of some Bible students Jim Waldron presented in his Newsletter (Vol. 51; No. 3; May, 2017). These students were graduate...