August 2024

Back to School: Hammer or Nail?

[183 words] Yes, it’s that time again! Our young people, teachers, and administrative workers are heading back to the old school “grind.” That routine includes daily interactions with a wide variety of people from all backgrounds. What a fertile ground for showing people the light of Christ! An old football coach used to say that…

Does Secular Education Benefit Christianity?

[304 words] It has always been God’s will that His people teach their children about Him. Speaking of His commands He said, “You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise…

First a String

[289 words] In November of 1847, a civil engineer named Charles Ellet Jr. was commissioned to build a bridge across the Niagara Gorge. As you can imagine the greatest challenge was the start. How could you get the first cable across an 825-foot chasm with 225-foot cliffs on either side?  The solution came from a…

A Second Chance

[227 words] In Luke 7:11-17, there is reported a very special interaction between Jesus and a widow who was now grieving the loss of her only son. Apparently the whole town of Nain felt sorry for her as they were mourning with her. Jesus had compassion on her—He raised her son from the dead and…

Spiritual Standards

[287 words] Several years ago, it was reported that the telephone operator in a town in Cape Cod received a call every morning asking for the correct time. Finally, overcome with curiosity, she asked the inquirer, “Would you mind telling me why you call about this time every day and ask for the correct time?”…

What Motivates You?

[370 words] We all could use some motivation from time to time to stay on the “strait and narrow.” And it’s always good to get advice from a seasoned Christian concerning matters like this. So let’s do so. Paul mentions in 2 Corinthians 5:9, “Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to…

‘Are You the Church That __?’

[357 words] I used to get phone calls frequently asking if we were the church that gave away furniture. There was another group in town that did. I do not ever get a call asking if we are the church mentioned in the Bible. People may not ask that question. Doctrine alone may not attract…

The Great Gift

[165 words] Everything we have, and everything we are is a gift of God’s grace (2 Peter 1:3-9). The fullest expression of grace is this: “We, who were once dead in trespasses and sin, but we have been made alive through faith in Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 2:5). Here is God’s grace in action. “And being…

The City of Can’t

[399 words] You may have never heard of the city of Can’t. It was founded by settlers who didn’t want to go any further, since it was too much work to keep going, so they sat down and said, “We Can’t!”  Can’t became a place simply because folks had it in their heads that this…

Leaving Something Behind

[192 words] Before officials at the Golden Gate Bridge of San Francisco started using electronic tolling, drivers had to pay cash to cross the bridge. Sometimes, people found themselves at the toll booth without the money necessary to make the crossing. The drivers couldn’t turn around because of the intense traffic. So, the toll booth…

Prodigals Do Come Home

[161 words] Prodigal sons or daughters need forgiveness. The good news is some do come home. While caring for pigs the prodigal in the parable recorded in Luke 15:11-32 came to himself and decided to return to his father. The story of the Prodigal Son is not glorious. He spent his father’s money to enjoy…

Real Zeal

[315 words] What do you call an aquamarine aquatic mammal that expresses genuine enthusiasm for gelatinous foods? A teal seal that feels real zeal for congealed meals! (Go ahead and groan, if you must.) No, I didn’t write that joke, though those who know my sense of humor could easily see me coming up with…

Why We Fail…Sometimes

[289 words] Let’s just face the facts: Sometimes we fail. However, Jesus never fails. Multiplying the loaves and the fishes is one of the most amazing of all Christ’s miracles. Jesus set aside laws of physics and science to multiply and magnify matter. At the same time He multiplied and magnified His name. When He…

The God of the Storm

[484 words] A storm spells trouble if you work outside. But not for God. He is the Master of bringing good out of chaos. The first book of the Bible shows that the conflict and confusion we cause cannot hinder Him. We talk about family troubles today. But this is as old as mankind. The…

Can I Really Know?

[168 words] One of the greatest weapons Satan has is the powerful weapon of doubt. Doubt in the Savior, doubt in the brethren, and doubt in ourselves. Doubt is the world’s most powerful weapon. Satan discourages Christians with these thoughts: “Are you sure you are a Christian? Do you really think you can stay faithful?…

God’s Side Of The Story

[134 words] Adam and Eve already knew God’s side of the story. God had warned them that if they ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, they would surely die. But the devil said, “You will not surely die. “For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes…

What Matters is Faith

[168 words] Two of the most prominent individuals in the Old Testament are David and Moses. One began to serve the Lord when he was a very young man. The other began to serve the Lord when he was much older. Whether young or old it didn’t matter. What mattered was their faith. One faced…

Mistakes of ‘Successful’ Men

[197 words] We have put “successful” in quotation marks, because these men were successful only from the world’s point of view. The rich young ruler was rich, religious, and young (Matt. 19:16-22). However, he loved material wealth more than the Lord, (1 Tim. 6:9-10).  The rich man in the story with Lazarus would have been…

How Wealthy Are We?

[90 words] No matter how much wealth the rich young ruler had, he could not ride in a car or fly in a plane, get a shot of penicillin, get a flu shot or take any of a multitude of patent medicines, have surgery, turn on an electric light, wash dishes in heated running water,…

Even When He is Silent

[74 words] A young girl whose name may never be known died in a Nazi concentration camp during World War Two. But her faith will never be forgotten. On the wall of the cell she occupied until her death, an Allied soldier found these words she had written: “I believe in the sun even when…

Special Dog

[98 words] A minister delivered a sermon in ten minutes one Sunday, about a third of the usual length. He explained, “I regret to inform you that my dog, who is very fond of eating paper, ate portions of my sermon which I was unable to deliver this morning.” After the service, a visitor from…

Christian: Label or Life?

[91 words] The New Testament teaches that the early disciples of the Lord bore the name of their Savior and Master (Acts 11:26). But, they did much more. They sought to bear His likeness, His image (Rom. 8:29). They walked in His footsteps, and developed His mind (1 Pet. 2:21). They “learned Christ” when they…

Omissions

[122 words] It is not so much the things I do that cause me to regret;It’s the little things I leave undone, the things that I forget: It’s the words I fail to utter, the songs I fail to sing,The letters I forget to write, that comfort they may bring. It’s the little acts of…

What Am I?

[63 words] The normal lifespan we far exceededBecause we were so badly needed.Though made by mortal manWe were used in God’s plan.Some of us were stepped uponBut we never complained or groaned.We were all essential every dayWe served right well the whole way.We literally covered God’s nationAs they went from station to station.What am I?…

Do It Yourself

[100 words] “How-to” books are the thing today.They fill up many a shelf.The Bible is the original oneOn how to help yourself.”How to Live Happily Ever After””How to Leave Worry Far Behind””How to Grow in Grace and Wisdom”Are these subjects on your mind?”How to Have A Blessed Marriage””How to be A Saint””How to Behave as…

Help me Lord

[48 words] Oh, Lord, don’t let me falter,Don’t let me lose my way;Don’t let me cease to carryMy burden, day by day.Oh, Lord, don’t let me stumble,Don’t let me fall and quit,Oh Lord, please help me find my “job”And help me shoulder it…. We are sorry, but this content is for Annual and Lifetime members…

Bible Quiz: Matthew 8:1-4

[53 words] When Jesus came down from the __, great __ followed Him. Who came and worshiped Jesus? “Lord, if You are __, You can make me __.” Jesus healed the man of his __. “See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the __, and offer the gift that…

Bible Quiz: Matthew 8:5-13

[78 words] When Jesus came to __, a __ came to Him pleased on behalf of his servant. “Lord, I am not __ that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be __.” Jesus said He had not found such great __, not even in __. “But…

Bible Quiz: Matthew 8:14-17

[61 words] Whose house did Jesus go to? The man’s mother-in-law was __ with a __. “So He __ her hand, and the __ left her. And she arose and served them.” That evening people brought to Jesus many who were __-possessed. “And He cast out the __ with a __, and healed all who…

Bible Quiz: Matthew 8:18-22

[70 words] “And when Jesus saw great __ about Him, He gave a command to __ to the other side.” A certain __ told Jesus he would __ Him wherever He went. “Foxes have __ and __ of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” “Then another…

Quotes and Sayings (August 2024)

“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” – William Butler Yeats “Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and you help them to become what they are capable of becoming.” — Goethe “The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the…

On the Lighter Side (August 2024)

The Good SamaritanSunday school teacher was telling her class the story of the good Samaritan. She asked the class, “If you saw a person lying on the roadside, all wounded and bleeding, what would you do?” A thoughtful little girl broke the silence, “! think I’d throw up.” — Golfing FunA golfer’s ball landed on…