April 2020, Vol. 39, No. 4 Archives

What Will We Tell Our Kids?

[392 words] Someday we are going to tell our children and grandchildren about 2020. We will tell them about this virus and all of these weird changes that we had to make. We will talk about social distancing and how big corporations turned over their production to provide essential medical equipment. Maybe we will end…

Shelter in Place

[398 words] “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1). Due to the COVID-19 crisis, many Americans have been told to stay home. That means do not go to work, do not go to school, do not leave the house at all unless…

Dealing With Chickens

[314 words] I loved visiting my Aunt Maureen and my Uncle Tolle Chapman in Nobob, KY when I was a little boy. They always had chickens in their backyard! I would spend hours watching the chickens peck the ground and interact in their little space. My aunt Margaret lived just up the road. She too,…

Quarantine is a Biblical Practice

[335 words] Peter’s first letter addressed the difficulties the church was facing in the first century A.D. Today, we are facing a pandemic unlike anyone has ever seen in our generation. To the faithful, the hardest thing is having to self-isolate away from our friends at the Lord’s church. We do this so we won’t…

Finding Some Normalcy

[300 words] The other day I talked about my work life during “limited shelter in place.” That reflects part of my strategy for dealing with all of this craziness: find ways to create normalcy. I have found times when I found myself stressed without really knowing why. That made me realize how disorienting a loss…

What it Takes to Be God

[310 words] In part of John’s glimpse of heaven, he saw four living creatures who did not rest from praising God saying, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come” (Rev. 4:8). In this saying of honor, three great attributes of God are given. Holiness. God is the Holy…

Lockdown Lament

[60 words] Alone and then, lonely – two different words,So alike and yet standing apart;One speaks of location, of not “being there,”The other, of bruising the heart. We may be at distance while we are confined,Unable to share the same space;Though love remains still and our hearts remain joined,How we ache for that sweet face…

The Christian’s Advantage

[257 words] There is not a person in the world who can live totally above sin. Paul told us in Romans 3:23 that “All have sinned” and in John 1:8 says, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” Everyone makes mistakes and fails a…

The Power of Hope

[408 words] Have you been struggling with some feelings of hopelessness lately? Whenever we have a hard time seeing the end in sight or we face uncertainty or are exposed to fears and anxieties, it can undermine our determination to have hope. Yet, over a hundred times in Scripture, God points us to the hope…

‘Do Not Be Afraid, Little Flock’

[209 words] In Luke 12, we read how Jesus told his followers “do not worry.” He said, don’t worry about getting the necessities of life or even how long you will live. He then pointed to world of unbelievers and said: “they worry about these things.” But you should seek God’s kingdom and He’ll take…

Are Monsters Due in Abilene?

[306 words] An episode of the classic TV show Twilight Zone was called “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street.” In this episode, the power goes out in a neighborhood. Someone suggests the possibility that this is the work of aliens and that one family is in cahoots with the invaders. Later power is restored…

Don’t Be a Mosquito

[420 words] I have loved living in Alabama for the past two years, but there’s one major problem I’ve run into since moving: the mosquitos. These bugs are a nightmare. The one good thing about the winter is there aren’t any of these blood sucking demons. It honestly seems like there are two kinds of…

Beating Cabin Fever

[451 words] All of us are being impacted by the temporary shutdowns and physical distancing. We need to do our part to take care of ourselves and our families. This week I want us to look at some practical ways to help us through this time. Our mental health is important and the stress of…

Keep Praying

[273 words] If there is one aspect that Jesus seems to emphasize in his teaching about prayer, it is that it is not a “one-and-done” thing (Luke 18:1-8, Luke 11:5-13). Prayer takes constancy to work. If I ask and don’t receive, it shouldn’t be taken as a reason to not pray anymore. Take the example…

Measuring Doctrines

[159 words] What did Paul mean when he wrote to Timothy, exhorting him to charge men not to teach a different doctrine (1 Timothy 1:3)? There are some doctrines easily understood and affirmed, but some are rather complicated and confusing. How can one know which doctrine (tprileaching) to oppose? We need to start here: “If…

The Gospel and Us

[169 words] In Rom. 1:14-16, Paul not only gives the importance of the gospel, but what our relationship should be with it. It is seen in the three “I am” statements. Concerning the Gospel… We Need to Realize Our Obligation (“I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise”,…

Is Our Savior Sleeping?

[540 words] Have you ever been afraid of your imagination? At times that fear can be so convincing that you truly believe that the worst case scenario is somehow inevitable. Try and make that opening question relevant to your life. Think about a specific event or experience where you were afraid of something that never…

God’s Promise

[284 words] Over the centuries, the enemies of God’s people have sought to harm the Lord’s family. Today, we are fighting a virus instead of soldiers. Our weapons are good sanitation and medical practices. But our greatest munition is our faith in God. Jesus Christ is the Great Physician (Luke 5:17-32). The most dreaded disease…

Cultivating Your Spiritual Garden

[528 words] Wisteria is beautiful. Despite its beauty, though, wisteria can be an invasive vine if it is not carefully cultivated, becoming genteel kudzu. As I had to go to a doctor’s appointment in Gainesville, Georgia, yesterday, I noted how much wisteria grows around that city. For the most part, it was not managed well.…

Bible Quiz: Hebrews 12:1-2

[59 words] The writer says we are surround by a cloud of __.What two things are we encouraged to lay aside?“…let us run with __ the race that is set before us…”Who is the author and finisher of our faith?“…and has sat down at the right hand of the __ of God.” Solution: Witnesses; every…

Bible Quiz: Hebrews 12:3-11

[56 words] “For consider Him who endured such __ from sinners against Himself…”“You have not yet resisted to __, striving against sin.”According to verse 8, if you are without chastening you are __.“Shall we not much more readily be in __ to the Father of spirits and live?”“Now no chastening seems to be __ for…

Bible Quiz: Hebrews 12:12-17

[47 words] “Therefore strengthen the __ which hang down, and the feeble __…”According to verse 14, what should Christians pursue?Which verse says a person can fall short of the grace of God?“…lest any root of __ springing up cause trouble…”Who was said to have been a “profane” person? Solution: hands, knees; peace and holiness; verse…

Bible Quiz: Hebrews 12:18-24

[70 words] To what mountain is verses 18-21 referring?“…the voice of words, so that those who heard it __ that the word should not be spoken to them anymore.”“And so terrifying was the sight that __ said, ‘I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.’”“But you have come to Mount __ and to the city of the…

Quotes and Sayings (April 2020)

[230 words] “The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year.” — Mark Twain “Elections should be held on April 16th- the day after we pay our income taxes. That is one of the few things that might discourage politicians from being big spenders.” — …

On the Lighter Side (April 2020)

The Yolk’s On You Q: What is the Easter Bunny’s favorite kind of music?A: Hip-hop! Q: What did one Easter egg say to the other?A: “Heard any good yolks today?” Q: Why shouldn’t you tell an Easter egg a joke?A: It might crack up! Q: What happened when the Easter Bunny met the rabbit of…