August 2021, Vol. 40, No. 8 Archives

Loose Leaf Paper and #2 Pencils

[278 words] “Parents that treat the church as optional, shouldn’t be surprised when their children treat Jesus as unnecessary.” — Unknown “Going back to school” is once again upon us! In our part of the world, August always means “school” will soon be starting! Education was always important to my parents, especially my father. My…

Mourning Without Moaning

[202 words] In His “Sermon on the Mount,” Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4). Did you see that? Read it again just to make sure you got it right. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” There you have it; what Jesus…

Time Management

[289 words] Living the way God wants us to live requires the proper consciousness, commitment, and management of time. Paul exhorted, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is”…

Open Your Eyes and Heart, and You Will See

[235 words] There is a theory among some Christians that maybe God created the world and the things in it through the organic evolutionary process. This is an obvious attempt to combine macro evolution (being taught in our public schools) and the Bible. But if we read the Bible carefully, we see that this cannot…

That Little Extra

[143 words] At 211 degrees water is hot. At 212 degrees, it boils. And with boiling comes steam. Steam when channeled correctly can re-move stains, kill weeds, disinfects, and can even power an engine. One degree makes all the difference. In the Bible Jesus states, (Mat 5:40-41), “If someone wants to sue you in order…

The Mediation Of Christ

[519 words] The Master said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). Jesus Christ is our Savior, our Mediator, our High Priest, and our Advocate. Jesus Christ is our SAVIOR. The angel directed Joseph to “call His name Jesus, for He will…

‘My Precioussss…’

[470 words] Gollum/Smeagol is one of my favorite literary characters in Tolkien’s Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Gollum talks to himself obsessively over the One Ring—even after he loses it in the deep caverns of the Misty Mountains. He constantly seeks his “precious” ring which Baggins finds. While Peter writes some two thousand…

Are You A Good Listener?

[251 words] James tells us that we should be a people who are “swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” (James 1:19). There is certainly a gift that can be learned in becoming a better listener. James is concerned with the anger of man, within the context of this particular verse, when he…

What Can One Person Do?

[291 words] Nearly eight billion people now inhabit this planet! What difference can one person (you) make? Oh, sure, the President of the United States is only one person, but he can make a huge difference. A multi-millionaire can make a noticeable difference. But ordinary folks like you or me – do we really matter?…

What You Can’t See

[345 words] Sometimes I know when I’m in error. I’ve been around enough to know the sins that I am most tempted by. When my willpower fails and I commit one of these sins I know immediately afterward that I did wrong. God, forgive me for “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak”…

The Word Of God Is…

[286 words] Powerful: “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes…

Signs of Grace

[370 words] Paul began his second letter to the Thessalonian church with these encouraging words, “We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brethren, as is only fitting, because your faith is greatly enlarged, and the love of each one of you toward one another grows ever greater; therefore, we ourselves speak proudly…

When It Comes to Jesus, Never Assume

[196 words] It was about 8:30 when the rather fierce-looking father of the girl entered the parlor where the young man was courting her. The father had his watch in his hand. “Young man,” he said, “do you know what time it is?” “Y-y-yes sir,” stuttered the frightened lover, as he scrambled out into the…

Help in Time of Sadness

[322 words] Numerous are the occasions that may cause us to feel the emotion of sadness. Seeing someone we love make sinful choices will break our hearts. Seeing someone we love go away (either temporarily like moving or permanently like dying) will cause a wellspring of tears to overflow. Scripture prepares us to expect times…

The Gospel Message in “Modern” Language

[588 words] Language is constantly changing (and not always for the better!). With texting and posting on social media have come a whole host of abbreviated words and phrases. I do not know them very well, but I do know a few of them. Likely you do, too. Using some of them, let me offer…

Lessons from a Messed Up Church

[591 words] Corinth was a busy metropolitan city in the days that Paul helped start the church there. But Corinth also had a much-deserved reputation for moral bankruptcy. Folks who were in the practice of using prostitutes were said to have “Corinthianized.” This term later came to be used to describe moral decay in general.…

Can Our Conscience Be Our Guide?

[316 words] “Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another” (Romans 2:15). You may have been told, “Let your conscience be your guide.” The conscience sits in judgment of man’s actions. According to Romans 2:15…

Giving Thanks

[209 words] The Apostle Paul gave us an important charge. He said: “Always and for everything give thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father” (Ephesians 5:20). This means going to God in prayer and thanking him for what He has given us. And doing this every day. The word…

Two Battlefronts

[581 words] A Christian friend from a third world country told me, “America is in a war.” That war is inside our land. It is a moral and spiritual conflict. We have been saying this for years, and we sense it now more than ever. To hear someone who was raised in such a different…

We Gather Together

[438 words] As a young teenager, I was introduced to the song, “We Gather Together.” Some of you may remember it as a song used to celebrate Thanksgiving. I never really gave it much thought until this week when it came to mind as I read a bulletin article on worship. I googled the song…

Bible Quiz: 1 John 2:12-14

[72 words] True or False: John wrote to children, fathers, and mothers.“I write to you, little children, Because your sins are __ you for His name’s sake.”“I write to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the __.”True or False: John wrote to the young men because they have “overcome the wicked…

Bible Quiz: 1 John 2:15-17

[52 words] “Do not love the __ or the __ in the world.”“If anyone loves the world, the love of the __ is not in him.”What are the three types of temptations John says is in the world?True or False: The world will never pass away.“…but he who does the __ of God __ forever.”…

Bible Quiz: 1 John 2:18-23

[93 words] True or False: There is more than one antichrist.“They went __ from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have __ with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.”“But you have an __…

Bible Quiz: 1 John 2:24-29

[86 words] True or False: Those who have the word of God abiding in them also will abide in the Son and in the Father.“And this is the __ that He has promised us—__ life.”True or False: No one was trying to deceive the Christians to whom John was writing.“And now, little children, __ in…

Quotes and Sayings (August 2021)

[238 words] “If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” -Milton Berle “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” -Thomas Edison “Faith does not eliminate questions. But faith knows where to take them.” ― Elisabeth Elliot “We need never shout across the…

On the Lighter Side (August 2021)

[181 words] Miniature GolfIt was at a miniature golf course on a brutally hot day when I saw a father with 3 kids. “Who’s winning?” I asked cheerfully. “I am” said one. “No, I am” said another. “No,” the father said, “their mother is!” Well That Makes SenseVacationing in Vermont, I picked up the local…