Articles

The Sea of Galilee is no pond, being 13 miles long by 8 miles wide. It was on this body of water and “a long distance from the land” that the apostles found themselves battered by waves and a contrary wind in the middle of the night (Matthew 14:22-33). Matthew here records that Jesus came to them, walking on the sea. That’s just how he writes it, without any fanfare or embellishment, he just says ...

Here in the Oklahoma City metro area, I have seen churches called “The Rock”, “Revive church”, “The Well”, “Cathedral of Praise”, “Church of the Harvest”, “Crossings Community church”, “Eagle’s Crest Fellowship”, “Grace Fellowship”, “Life Church” and a whole bunch more. You’ve seen’em I’m sure. Jesus said he would build his church, and he did just that. But did he give it a name? We should know th...

They talked endlessly. Since there was no need to express and explain, their communication moved beyond the speed of light, yet the time taken by the exchange was imperceptible. However, the deconstruction of what was said would take much of history to unravel, but if we stopped the clock or slowed it down to hear the Divine Trialogue, these would be the points they considered. "Let us make man," ...

There is an old saying, “Be careful who you trust, the devil was once an angel.” This saying comes from the interpretation by some scholars that Satan was once an angel or cherub in the Garden of Eden-Ezekiel 28:1-19. Although this is an interesting subject, I’d like to focus on the meaning of the saying rather than the theology of that passage. This saying carries a heavy weight with it. If an an...

Our daughter and her family attend a large congregation of the Lord’s church. When I visit them there, I am a stranger, except of course when I am with one of my three young grandchildren. Members of their congregation young and old will invariably approach us calling my grandchild by name and introducing themselves to me. Each time, I see my grandchild respond with happy smiles, a warm embrace or...

There are at least 46 verses in the bible that contain the word “zeal.” The definition of zeal is: a strong feeling of interest and enthusiasm that makes someone very eager or determined to do something. This word is often used to describe people in the church as well as local churches themselves. One would think that a word like zeal would always be a good thing for the Christian, but that isn’t ...

Sunrise. A glimmer of light on the horizon. I can see it; but only if I am up, in a good position and the weather is sufficiently clear. Wherever I am, it comes and is soon “gone”. That majestic sunrise, however, keeps right on moving, becoming sunrise after sunrise for the next folks in line to the west. The sunrise never stops, and it never has since God put his “greater light” in its place on t...

One of the most common things I hear in our society about God is that he can help us achieve anything including the impossible. This claim is not unfounded as angels, Jesus, and even God himself make this claim throughout the Bible. Focusing on just one instance in Mark 9:14-29, a man asks Jesus to release his son from the bonds of an unclean spirit that had taken over the boy’s body. The man goes...

What is your purpose for Bible study? If it is a kind of vague, “well, I just want to know more Bible” sort of purpose, it probably won’t hold your interest very long. For this reason, I offer a sample list of specific, purposeful approaches to Bible study that I hope you DO find interesting: From the gospels….. 1)Using any of the gospels, record the place & number of Old Testament quotations the ...

My daughter has this sign hanging in her son’s room. I think it is appropriate for any time of the year, but especially this time of year…. PRAY: To have eyes that see the best in people; A heart that forgives the worst; A mind that forgets the bad; And a Soul that never loses faith in God. —Author unknown Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the prope...

It has long been held that preachers can’t count. I suppose it’s because they usually overestimate the size of attendance or count the unborn babies as present. All humor aside, it is true that preachers do place a certain importance on “numbers” because numbers reveal certain things about a church. 1. Numbers Reveal Commitment You may have 1,000 people at church but if this represents only 50% of...

Bring Mark, for he is useful” Mark was useful. For nearly 2,000 years it has been written down in the word of God that Mark was useful. Mark was so useful that of all the disciples Paul may have asked for, the apostle instructed that Mark be brought to the Roman prison where his execution appeared to be imminent (2nd Timothy 4:11). Do you know the back-story of how in Acts 13:1-13 Mark had left, “...

It’s that time of year when the scene all around us changes. Leaves have changed into beautiful colors and fallen off the trees. It’s chilly in the mornings turning into the perfect 72 degrees by mid-day. The days have gotten shorter leaving us with more time to look up at the stars. It’s hard for a Christian to come into the Fall season and not be in awe of the creation in which we live. I often ...

The memory of the righteous is blessed.  Proverbs 10:7“Remains”. It is a word we often use to refer to the body of a loved one who has died. That description, however, misses a much more profound truth. What truly remains of those we love are our memories of them, the impact they made on our lives and how their influence even after they are gone, continues to change us and mold us into who we...

Fill a bucket with water right to the top. See how many steps you can take with your bucket before some of the water splashes out. Sometimes our lives are just like that. We carry burdens like over-filled buckets in our hearts, our minds and our souls that wear us down, and with the least provocation, what we are carrying splashes out. These burdens may be doubts, misgivings, fears, guilt, suspici...

Recently, I had an encounter with about 10-12 of our teenagers. They had been asked a simple question, “If someone asked you what you believed in, how would you answer?” After several minutes of silence, it was clear they did not know how to respond. At another activity they were asked, “Who said, ‘I am not my brother’s keeper?’” and again, no response. Now, I’ve been in and taught the younger cla...

Delusion is the belief or altered reality that is persistently held despite evidence or agreement to the contrary, generally in reference to a mental disorder. Self-delusion is the act of deluding oneself on purpose. Someone who retreats into a false reality to escape the one around them. In our society, self-delusion is an accepted way of life. We spend our time obsessed with tv shows, video game...

It is about making disciples by telling folks about Jesus. He said, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15). Like Jesus, when we try to reach folks with this saving message we face rejection or ridicule. Friends may be lost and family members may start to avoid us. Yes, I seem to remember him saying something like, “If they have called the head of the house ‘Beel...

For more than a century, the study of dinosaurs has been limited to fossilized bones. Now, researchers have recovered 70 million-year-old soft tissue, including what may be blood vessels and cells, from a Tyrannosaurus rex. “ From, “Scientists recover T-rex soft tissue”, March 2005, msnbc.com Science cannot explain 70 million year old tissue that is “soft and transparent” as well as “stretchy and ...

The Holy Spirit must have considered the following to be an important point, seeing he had Solomon state it so frequently. “There is nothing better for a man than to eat and drink and tell himself that his labor is good. This also I have seen that it is from the hand of God. For who can eat and who can have enjoyment without Him?” Ecclesiastes 2:24 “I know that there is nothing better for them tha...