Articles

These recent weeks have really been hot. When I go out to work, even early in the morning, it doesn't take long for me to be covered in sweat. I don't mind working but I could do without the sweat and the heat. A drink of cool water every now and then really helps. With our days high temperature being around 100 plus degrees, I am reminded of what Jesus taught about the rich man and Lazarus (Luke ...

Since the beginnings of Christianity, the sign of the fish has been used as a symbol of the faith. Although there is no mention of its use in Jesus’ teachings, or that of His apostles or prophets, in many ways it seems an apt symbol to use, assuming any symbol at all should be employed as it has been. But why use the fish? Perhaps the best place to begin answering this question is in the spe...

We humans form habits. The Bible tells of some who were a part of the church, but had developed the habit of forsaking the assembling of the church. The writer warns that that is a bad habit that can lead to a “terrifying expectation of judgment”, Hebrews 10:26-27. The best counter to that bad habit would be to develop the good habit of attending the assemblies of the church on a faith...

Decisions determine destiny. Every person reading this article is headed for heaven or hell. Neutral you cannot be! Sorrowful or sublime tomorrows by God’s grace and Christ’s Covenant are the forecast potential of every person. John, by inspiration, succinctly stated these sobering sentiments, entwined with a personal plea: “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the ...

Sometimes God surprises us. Not just with big things but with random blessings that sprinkle our day with evidence of His constant love and incredible kindness towards us. Here are a few random blessings that immediately come to mind.  1. The sweet smell of newly mowed grass floating into your car as you drive by on a cloudless summer day. 2. An unexpected apology from an estranged friend. 3....

I found out the secret of losing weight fast! Before I tell you my secret though, I have to tell you how I discovered it. Linda and I had just returned from visiting her relatives, but while I was there, everyone kept commenting on the weight I had lost since they had last seen me. I basked in the “loser’s glow” limelight for a while; actually beginning to believe I looked &ldquo...

(from Genesis 3:1-24)   Life gets tougher when you don’t do what is right Adam and Even had it made in the garden. Every need was fulfilled and they were together with God, the source of all good things. They crossed an obvious line into disobedience against what they knew to be right and their whole lives changed. Don’t listen to a liar, especially one who doesn’t have your...

While there is no passage outlining the exact order of that final day, we can read of each of the following events and know that they will be included:  First of all, that day will come at a time when we are not expecting it:  For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will. Matthew 24:44  …you yourselves know full...

I have known a lot of people through the years who made it a practice to avoid the issue of their need for Jesus. They do so in the vain hope that their own morality will be their salvation. Actually, what they are counting on is that their lack of gross immorality is their ticket to not being punished. You can see this idea in popular movies such as “Ghost” (1990... man, has it really...

One thing the quiet of night affords you is the time and silence to hear yourself think of all the things that might go wrong with your life. It must have been such a moment that drove my youngest daughter, Emilie, to seek some reassurance one stormy night long ago. Her falling asleep was interrupted by thoughts of the possibility of losing one’s salvation. "What if", she asked, "a person does som...

Maura Kelly and Rebecca Webber give us some sobering statements about speech. They were seeking to determine if cursing and slanderous speech are to be recognized as a crime or condoned as a proper privilege under the label of free speech, which is protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution.¹ It is obvious there is no clear or settled conclusion in our nation. They reported that som...

On July fourth, 1776, the Continental Congress of the thirteen American colonies declared their independence from Great Britain. A new nation was born taking upon itself the responsibility for self-government. But the founding fathers, and indeed other national leaders who followed them, understood that without the dependence of individual citizens on Almighty God, our form of government would be ...

  Just wondering if the average “Joe” is at all familiar with modern abortion techniques? I thought that since, among other reasons, this is a hot political issue, you should be aware of just how some of them work. You may want to sit down before you read these.  First there is the “suction aspiration method” which utilizes a very powerful vacuum. The vacuum hose ...

I have observed that there is sometimes confusion over what place pride should play in our lives. As I see it, there are two kinds of pride. One I would refer to as “virtuous pride” and the other, “arrogant pride”. I believe that all pride, both virtuous and arrogant, is based in our individual concepts of rightness. What I mean is that each of us has a concept of something...

Here’s a story to think about from an unknown author. One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, “My son, the battle is between two “wolves” inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The o...

Somewhere around 1995, the Choctaw congregation tried something new. Blue prayer cards were printed up and members were encouraged to write down a prayer request which would be honored at the end of each service. The original intent was to make it easier for members to ―come forward or respond to the invitation. The cards would be filled out and the members would bring them forward to the front wh...

The title is taken from the book of Nehemiah chapter four and verse six. Here is described the progress of the Israelites as they rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem after returning from exile in Babylon. It was a huge undertaking, and they had many detractors, but nothing stopped them simply because they were committed. Each one of them knew why they had come back and each one must certainly have had ...

The Differences Between Holy Spirit Baptism and Great Commission Baptism (part #2)   Below is a continuation of last week’s article highlighting some of the differences between Holy Spirit baptism and the baptism of the great commission.   HSB is not required for all believers, whereas GCB is required               Nowhere...

The recent storms that spawned at least a dozen tornadoes across the state also sparked a spike in some people‟s faith. I don‟t doubt the sincerity of folks who were “thankful to God” for being safe through the killer winds but I sometimes wonder where that faith lies when skies are blue and the weather is calm. I suppose that it‟s human nature to look towards heaven when times get rough and then ...

Last week we noted the news report about President Jimmy Carter  leaving the Southern Baptists because of their views on the role of  women in the home and church. The singular question I believe we should ask is, "What does Jesus teach us about the role of women in the church?" After all, if we   claim to be His followers, we should follow Him in this regard as well as in...