Articles

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...

Ah! Now, let me see—In the seed there is a tree;In the tree there is a trunk;In the earth the roots have shrunk;In the roots the juices flow,Rising upward, and on they go,To sprout out into branches, leaf, stem,Producing flower and fruit on many a limb;Which in multiple colors, we collect for food;Pleasing our palate: tasting so good;Containing also many a seed,To repeat the process, as God decree...

Decisions, DecisionsAccording to various studies people make about 612 decisions each day. Some are involuntary where the brain sends messages to your body to follow through on and others are voluntary because you have to make a conscious choice.When making these voluntary decisions the basic question most people use to decide is, “What will benefit me the most?” Of course this is the correct ques...

Is There a Lesson Here?When God sent his prophet Elijah away to hide from king Ahab, he eventually sent him to a widow in the little town of Zarephath likely just out of reach of Ahab’s authority (1st Kings 17:1-16).God had withheld rain from Israel long enough for food to be scarce. When Elijah approached the Lady, she was gathering a few sticks to kindle a fire so she could cook the la...

Satan loves to use the word “not” to tie up or bind the real truth.  Think Genesis 3:4…“you surely will not die”.  With one word he changes the truth to a lie. He turns the meaning from what we know to be wrong into what seems to be right with simply one word.  He doesn’t need to possess us, he just “whispers” in our thoughts.Think about the society we live in today.  Satan say...

I had home renovations to be done recently and asked one of our members, Calvin Vernon, if he would contract the job. He said that he only worked for people he loved. I answered that I only hired workmen that I trusted so we got off on the right foot.After weeks of dust & debris, not to mention thousands of dollars, Lise and I now have a remodeled home that is wonderful to live in. The entire expe...

When people compliment you on your friends, you know your friend is special. Such was the case when many people noted the kindness and generosity of our friends, Allen and Barbara Arnold, from Oklahoma.They and their family organized and carried out our move Oklahoma City to San Diego, California. From loading a twenty-six foot truck and driving it while towing our other car in a three vehicle con...

What is in the Bible?The Bible is a collection of writings that cover the three ages of human history.The first age covers the time from the creation until Moses received God’s law on Mount Sinai. It is called the Patriarchal Age because God spoke directly to many patriarchs, or heads of families such as Noah, Abraham, Isaac & Jacob.The second era is the called the Jewish, ...

Trends And The TruthIn a literal whirlwind of tornadic proportions, let’s pause to gain some perception of facts. David L. McKenna was on target when he wrote: “Having bent over backwards to separate church and state in lower schools and maintain academic freedom in higher education, modern man has filled the value vacuum with secular religion. Its creed is: man is God; reason is truth; values are...

You won’t see that headline in any news broadcast or newspaper, but Oklahoma has the attention of our nation.  Tragedies normally bring out the best and/or the worst in people.  The recent storms again have shown one of God’s teachings and Oklahoman’s have dazzled the nation with it – “foot washing”!Commentators, reporters, and networks continue to be amazed with the “caring”, “concern” ...

The story is told of three junior devils coming before Satan as they prepared to visit earth in order to destroy men’s souls. The first one said that he’d try to trick men by telling that there is “no heaven”. Satan replied that people have a natural hope and that this lie would not work very well.The next one stepped up and said that he would try to convince people that there is “no hell”. The de...

The tornado missed my house by several miles. Storm chasers described its wicked course while reporters chronicled the  destruction and death in real-time images that mesmerized viewers huddled around their T.V.’s, unable to look away. A familiar spring ritual in Oklahoma.Politicians made speeches and promises while first responders scrambled to organize a rescue of those trapped in the debri...

Jesus is recorded as saying in Matthew’s gospel 10:32, “Everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven”. In this context he was speaking of those who would be brought before the authorities for their faith in Jesus as the Son of God and charged with doing evil.The Greek word which is twice translated “confess” is a compound word made up of...

To the objective reader, there are four blatantly obvious references to the God of the Bible in the Declaration of Independence of the United States. They are as follows, with emphasis being mine:1st paragraph“…the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and ofNature’s God entitle them…2nd paragraph “…that they are endowed by their Creator with cer...