Articles

The earthquake woke me up.  I was napping last Saturday noon trying to ward off a nasty head cold when the 4.5 quake, centered in Jones, OK, rattled me out of a feverish sleep.  At that same moment my wife, Lise, came to the bedroom door to inform me that Charles Branch had died… two seismic events in a single moment. Dr. Charles Branch, noted neurosurgeon, father of five, elder in the L...

Ever been in awkward situations where we 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 b...

Dave Stone told about a mother who called up to her son to get out of bed. “’It’s time to get ready for church.” He yelled back, “Mom I’m not going.” She said ‘Why?’ He replied, ‘The people are mean to me and the service is boring. Why should I go?’‘I’ll give you two reasons,’ she shouted. ‘One, you’re 40 years old; and two, you’re the preacher!’”¹That preacher had Jonah’s mindset. Masses of peopl...

It sounds good to those of us in leadership here at Choctaw.We believe that a full-time or at least a part-time man on staff whose focus would specifically be ministering to our young families and young people could prove to be a great asset.We live in an age when the security of our families and the innocence of our children are under attack.  Dysfunction and divorce are rampant.  Drugs...

It has been said "that if we don't learn from history we are bound to repeat it".  Just look back throughout history and you will easily this statement is verified. That includes Biblical history.  The "father of lies", Satan, has been busy changing history through his lies since the dawn of mankind in the  garden.  By twisting the scriptures, he caused man to sin against God a...

God has given national governments the responsibility to “bear the sword” for the purpose of keeping order by punishing evil.  Jesus’ apostle Paul made this very clear in Romans 13:1-5 calling governments (including the Roman government) God’s “deacons” whose intended purpose is to “bring wrath on the one who practices evil”.Obviously some abuse power.  Such abus...

Have you thought about heaven lately? Paul was emphatic in Colossians 3:2, as he wrote: “Set your mind on things that are above, not things that are upon the earth.” The verb “set” (phroneite from phroneois an  imperative that means to seek or strive for, to be intent on—cf. J.H. Thayer’s, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, p. 658). Have You been that dedicated—concerned—having “seek...

Thankfully, during nearly 2,000 years since its establishment in Jerusalem, the kingdom of God has never shut down.Nations come and nations go.  Our beloved country, the United States of America, was begun by men who understood both the tenuous nature of nations and the eternal nature of God’s kingdom as well.  Benjamin Franklin was one of those men:“I have lived, Sir, a long time, and t...

The church has always relied on men who could be counted on to carry out important matters discreetly and competently. In I Cor. 16:3 Paul refers to such men who were to safely transport a money gift from the Corinthian church to the church in Jerusalem, some 800 miles away:  “...When I arrive, whomever you may approve, I will send them with letters to carry your gift to Jerusalem…”It’s inter...

How many times has it been lamented, “All good things must come to an end”?Specifically, two good things have now come to an end here at Choctaw.Billy VanCuren is stepping down from the eldership so that he and Judy can take full advantage of his retirement.  Just this week a “little bird” overheard Judy say, “Billy has been all around the world without me, but we have never gone around the c...

At a recent Celebrations Service for a Sister-in-Christ, the preacher noted, “We are not bodies with a soul, but we are souls in bodies for a season!” That is why Tryon Edwards stated: “This world is the land of the dying; the next is the land of the living.”¹ Herman Hooker adds, “Death is as the foreshadowing of life. We die that we may die no more!” (12,000 Inspirational Quotations, p. 101). Tha...

We are entering my most favorite time of the year...fall.  Maybe it's yours too.  I love the more pleasant weather, the vivid changing of the leaves, but most of all - the clouds.  This is the time of year God provides us with milder temperatures, the brightest of blues skies, and punctuates them with marshmallow puffs of white clouds.  A divine palate of color for our eyes. Ye...

One day you pick up a box or a book and “snap”, you join the legions of back pain sufferers.I experienced the usual therapy and advice from my doctor who said, “use your meds to manage the pain as best you can”. This experience is not without its good side however, since it has taught me several lessons:1.Pain is a Fact of Life. We try so hard to avoid any type of discomfort that when it comes, we...

In Galatians 6:9 Paul exhorted, “Let us not be wary in well doing.” the term weary (Gk. egkakeo) basically means to lose courage; faint; despair; give in or give up. It covers a tiredness inside and outside. In our busy, demanding, challenging world, have You been there? Are You there now? Paul’s plea is, “Don’t do it!”First of all, Paul qualifies the circumstances or activity where we dare not “l...

INTRO:As Christians, we are our brother’s keeper whether we realize it or not.  How we care for each other in society, family or the church is a true measure of our moral health.  Of course there is a higher expectation for us in the church because how we care for each other is not only a measure of our spiritual health but a way of witnessing the sincerity of our faith.  Our concer...

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I haveloved you, that you also love one another.  By this all men will know that you areMy disciples, if you have love for one another”,   John 13:34-35How will all men know if we are Jesus’ disciples?  Jesus made it clear above.“This is My commandment, that you love one another just as I have loved you”John 1...

We see the above phrase first in Genesis 1:28 when God gives this simple, but  necessary instruction to Adam and Eve adding, “fill the earth”. We see it again in Genesis 9:1 & 7 after the flood when God tells Noah and his family to do the same.This was, and I believe remains, God’s plan for humanity (especially His people) given long before He gave ...

I've often been uncomfortable in leading a prayer with the words "I love you, Lord." After all, who am I to say these words to such a one as God?Think of it. God, the Perfect One; the Almighty; the being who created me and everything else in this universe; The God of mercy who saved me from destruction and forgave me all my sins. How would I be worthy to be in a loving relationship with Him? ...

I’m learning more from my three-year old grandson.  He keeps reminding me how to pray.  For instance, his prayer a few nights ago went:“Dear God, Tank you for Antoni and Austin (his brother and himself), and pwease help us to be kind…and pwease help me not to fall off my bed.  In Jesus name we pway…Amen!”Talk about from the heart!  He talks to his heavenly Father so simply, so ...

This article is for all who have obeyed the gospel by putting their faith in Jesus and being baptized into his death. Do you really believe that you are saved?The singular message of the Bible from Genesis through Revelation is that God is at work to save you and me from the consequences of our own sin. Yep, that’s really what the entire book is all about.Why does God want to save us?&nb...