June 2022, Vol. 41, No. 6

Tragedy in Uvalde, Texas

[256 words] Inevitably, when bad things happen to good people, folks ask “why?” and “where was God when the bad thing happened?” At the time of the writing of this article, we have had several tragedies in the Unites States. The one closest to home was the shooting in Uvalde, Texas, where nearly 20 people…

It Is My Body

[451 words] Abortion is likely the leading discussion in the spring of 2022. It may very well be for some time. Abortion is the murder of a living child in the womb, and is supported by many. Supporters of abortion do not want to call this action murder. They want to have all believe that…

The Unopened Love Letters

[276 words] “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways,” is perhaps one of the best-known lines of poetry ever written. But do you know the story of the creator of those words? Elizabeth Barrett was a poet who lived many years with her parents. Her father was bizarre. He had forbidden all…

The Toddler’s Creed

[288 words] Children are special people, especially toddlers. They have a rather unique view of the world. Someone has shared this insight into their thinking, called, “The Toddler’s Creed”: If I want it, it’s, mine. If I give it to you and change my mind later, it’s mine. If I can take it away from…

The Mirror

[204 words] I don’t like mirrors. Mirrors make me look fat. They make it seem like my hairline is in full retreat. Mirrors make my face older, my hair thinner, my shape more rounded. I don’t know what is wrong with these mirrors. I know what you are thinking, you are going to say there…

Why Your Family Needs to Be in Worship

[241 words] It is important for family to worship together. The God who created each and ordained marriage and the family knew the importance of families worshiping together. To a woman who had miserably failed in her family life, Jesus said, “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the…

Paradoxical Commandments of Leadership

[136 words] People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered.Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.Be kind anyway. If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies.Succeed anyway.  If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you.Be honest and frank anyway. What…

Am I Strong?

[338 words] How do I know if I am strong? There are numerous ways to measure physical strength. One example of a physical strength test would be the bench press. Each year at the NFL combine players demonstrate how many times they can press 225 pounds. Fifteen to twenty-five times seems to be about the…

A Judgment Jesus Reserves for Himself

[519 words] I know of no congregation of the Lord’s church that can claim perfection. If churches are composed of people, they will have their problems. It is true that we are saved people (Acts 2:47), holy people (1 Pet. 2:9), and sanctified people (1 Cor. 6:11). But we are also weak people (Matt. 26:41)…

Self-Pride

[464 words] How easy it is for us to become puffed up and prideful. We all have talents and areas in our lives where we excel. We receive complements, awards, promotions at work, and other recognition for the good job that we may have done. Each of us at one time or another have probably…

Summer Plans

[404 words] It is coming faster than we would think, and not soon enough for kids in school! Summer is near, and that means a whole different kind of busyness for a lot of families. Vacations, camps, travels, and family reunions quickly fill up the calendar (if they haven’t already)! Consider three ideas to help…

Watch Out for the Traps

[349 words] Once there was a little fly who saw a spider’s web in the corner of the room. “I’ll fly away from it,” he thought; “For if I should get one foot in it I might get two, and soon I would be caught all together.” Wasn’t this little fly a wise fellow? In…

The Threefold Witness of Good Character

[447 words] In 3 John 12, we have reference made to a fine Christian individual. In fact, this short verse is all that is said of this man of God, but what is said of him and the standard he sets is truly amazing. The verse begins by saying of him, “Demetrius has a good…

When You Are Blessed

[195 words] How do you respond when you are blessed? Do you respond gratefully when someone says something nice to you, or does something for you? Picture a wife who spends two hours making a delicious meal for her husband because she wants to give him something special. The husband eats it without comment and…

The Great Transition

[243 words] Making big changes or transitions in life can often usher in things like anxiety, apprehension, and even down right fear. Moving from one stage of life to the next can be really hard. I think one of the most difficult transitions comes between adolescence and adulthood. Making that transition well is super important.…

Memorial Day

[247 words] “Since the first shots fired in the Revolutionary War, Americans have answered the call to duty and given their lives in service to our Nation and its sacred founding ideals. As we pay tribute to the lives and legacies of these patriots on Memorial Day, we also remember that they sacrificed to create…

A Man of Many Hats

[336 words] Have you ever heard the phrase “He is a man of many hats”? I can remember hearing this growing up. I remember thinking how funny a man would look with a stack of hats on his head. The real meaning goes back to the days when everyone was wearing hats and different professions…

In the Doing of It

[427 words] Nothing will motivate us more than becoming better at what we do. As we dedicate ourselves to having Jesus at the center of our thoughts, our actions, and our words, we will begin to be motivated by “Christ being formed in us” (Gal. 4:19). This does not happen by accident but it has…

God and the Big Bang

[300 words] I was surprised to learn the Big Bang Theory is credited to Georges Lemaître (1894-1966), a Belgian Catholic priest. It’s concerning that an alleged “man of God” promoted such rubbish. Lemaître postulated that the observable universe began with the explosion of a single primeval atom. Aside from contradicting God’s Word (Genesis 1:1), this…

Beauty and Substance

[87 words] Beauty is skin deep, but it does not even exist at skin level when a woman of beauty fails to understand her role in the Lord’s eyes. She is like a ring of gold in the snout of a pig because she lacks discretion (cf. Prov. 11:22). What does “discretion” mean in this…

Have You Stumbled?

[78 words] Stumbling is considered a bad omen in many countries. When Napoleon’s horse stumbled as he led his army to attack Russia in 1812 many of the French soldiers thought they should immediately turn back. Napoleon continued the advance, but it turned out his soldiers were right. When it comes to faith, stumbling is…

Thieves of Time

[28 words] Dwelling on past mistakes…Failing to make decisions…Failing to follow through on plans…Procrastinating…Laziness…Not sticking to the task at hand…Doubting God’s ability to help…… This content is for Annual and Lifetime Members only! Please log in or register to use our free church bulletin resources, or start an Annual Membership and get bulletin articles weekly…

Because of Sin

[78 words] Our Lord arrived at the Gardenwith darkness in full array, He poured out His heart to the Father,as He fell on His face to pray.He was carrying a heavy burden,And from it He must not run.  With love He promised faithfullynot My will, but Yours be done.The cup of the cross was bitter,yet…

Let All Creation Bless the Lord

[130 words] Let all creation bless the Lord,till heaven with praise is ringing.Sun, moon, and stars, peal out a chord,stir up the angels’ singing.Sing, wind and rain! Sing, snow and sleet!Make music, day, night, cold, and heat:exalt the God who made you. All living things upon this earth,green fertile hills and mountains,sing to the God…

Today

[123 words] I shall do so much in the years to come,But what have I done today?I shall give out gold in princely sum,But what did I give today?I shall lift the heart and dry the tear,I shall plant a hope in the place of fear,I shall speak with words of love and cheerBut what…

There is a Green Hill Far Away

[122 words] There is a green hill far away,outside a city wall,where our dear Lord was crucifiedwho died to save us all. We may not know, we cannot tell,what pains he had to bear,but we believe it was for ushe hung and suffered there. He died that we might be forgiven,he died to make us…

Just a Weaver

[84 words] My life is but a weaving,between my God and me,I do not choose the colors,He worketh steadily. Of times He weaveth sorrow,and I in foolish prideforget He sees the upper,and I the underside. Not till the loom is silent,and the shuttles cease to fly,will God unroll the canvas,and explain the reasons why. The…

Bible Quiz: Revelation 6:7-11

[84 words] The fourth seal revealed a __ horse.What was the name of the one seated on this horse, and who followed with him?“And __ was given to them over a __ of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.”“When He opened the __ seal,…

Bible Quiz: Revelation 6:12-17

[65 words] When the sixth seal was opened, there was a great __ and the sun became __ as sackcloth.“And the __ of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree __ its late figs when it is shaken by a __ wind.”What receded as a scroll?Men tried to hide themselves in the __…

Bible Quiz: Revelation 7:1-8

[53 words] Verse one mentions three things that are numbered “four.” What are they?“Then I saw another __ ascending from the east, having the __ of the living God.”“Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the __ till we have __ the servants of our God on their __.”How many were sealed?From how many…

Bible Quiz: Revelation 7:9-17

[75 words] “After these things I looked, and behold, a great __ which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the __ and before the __…”They wore white __ and had __ branches in their hands.“These are the ones who come out of the great __, and __ their…

Quotes and Sayings (June 2022)

“Let us go singing as far as we go; the road will be less tedious.” — Virgil “The misfortunes hardest to bear are those which never happen.” — James Russell Lowell “I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.” — Mark Twain “What one has,…

On the Lighter Side (June 2022)

A farmer was driving along the road with a load of fertilizer. A little boy, playing in front of his house, saw him and called, “What’ve you got in your truck?” “Fertilizer,” the farmer replied. “What are you going to do with it?” asked the little boy. “Put it on strawberries,” answered the farmer. “You…