Articles
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...
Much is changing in our culture. Morals once accepted as foundational to good character have been adjusted to fit a more “modern” view. This world puts pressure on any who profess Godliness to accept all kinds of immoral behaviors as approved. We are faced with nearly daily reports of those “coming out” in the news as they boldly and unashamedly boast of their same-sex lovers. We...
Marcus Smart, age 19, is an influential, popular, and highly publicized personality in this part of Oklahoma. As a freshman basketball player at Oklahoma State University, Smart received a whole list of awards for his athletic skills (Big 12 Player of the Year, etc.). He has garnered enough national attention that he was a cinch to go in the first round of the NBA draft—some even projecting him as...
I love everybody, but have decided that I will no longer perform wedding ceremonies for couples who insist on living together until the ceremony. Sinful behavior should be abandoned rather than condoned. Fornication is sin. We just don’t use the word much anymore. As the Lord’s people, we have a huge task facing us in attempting to counter culture’s heavy and pervasive sensual influence by teachin...
Based on what you know about God, what assemblies of his church do you believe he wants you to attend? (This is not a trick question)Which assemblies of God’s church do you believe he considers optional? In other words, which ones does he have no desire one way or another for you to attend?Imagine you are attempting to convert a lost loved one. First, practice putting into your...
In Exodus 21:2 we read the instructions that God gave the Israelites concerning the treatment of slaves. Although the Jews were involved in the universal practice of slavery at the time, the treatment of their slaves was governed by God’s restrictions and laws— a code that usually encouraged fair treatment and eventual liberation.The point to note here is that every area of the...
Are you ready to see Jesus? John’s words, as given in the title above, are proof you are going to see Jesus, and so will I. John even added that the ones who drove the nails and threw the spear into His side will see Him! Since He has all authority in heaven and on earth (Matt. 28:18), it is fitting that before Him every knee will bow and every tongue will confess“that Jesus Christ ...
Almost 3,000 years ago, Solomon wrote:“Guard your steps as you go to the house of God and draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools; for they do not know they are doing evil” Ecclesiastes 5:1I believe a modern paraphrase might be, “Check yourself as you go to church to make sure that you actually worship God rather than casually sin in His presence”.As I attend...