May 2025

Hidden Evolution

[337 words] While growing up in the 1970’s, I enjoyed watching the numerous nature programs that were offered on television. Even though we only had access to four channels, there always seemed to be the opportunity to see such programs a few times every week. There were the National Geographic Specials, The Undersea World of…

Words of Comfort

[515 words] We recently studied Isaiah 40. It starts: “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem…” (v.1-2a) Among the many other thoughts that these verses stimulate, I began to consider the words I would want to hear at the end of life. What words would bring me comfort? The news? Would…

Knowing Is Not Doing

[249 words] I once read an article about how termites had eaten through a large stack of pamphlets entitled “Control of Termites” in the mailing room of the University of California at Berkeley. One would naturally expect that university buildings would be free of termites, because at such a center of higher education so much…

Looking Like Someone Else

[351 words] We are all familiar with the phrase, “We all have a twin in the world somewhere.” My friend and brother in Christ, Mason, has the record for “look a likes” I think. He will occasionally post a picture of someone he has met that looks like him. It is amazing to see how…

Medicine for the Deadly Disease

[251 words] In January 1925, a diphtheria epidemic emerged in Nome, Alaska. At that time, Nome was a remote town in the Alaskan interior. It was hard enough to get to Nome in the warmer months but during the dead of winter was considered impossible for many except the hardy men known as dog-mushers. Often…

Five Reasons to Attend Bible Class

[201 words] ONE: Because we love the Lord and His Word. We want to study the Bible and learn all we can about the One we love and serve. It is a great place to learn about God (1 John 2:3-6). The more we know the more we love Him (John 17:3). TWO: Because we…

A Test for Spiritual Maturity

[325 words] The church of Corinth faced a problem: they were divided around personalities and preferences for different preachers and teachers, aligning themselves with Apollos, Paul, or others. Despite their affinity for spiritual gifts, Paul was deeply concerned with the unity and maturity of the congregation. In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul wrote, “For…

The Second Mile Club

[536 words] Jesus said, “Whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two” (Matt. 5:41). If Roman soldiers and messengers needed help to carry out a commission, they had the authority to enlist the aid of regular citizens. That is what happened when soldiers made Simon the Cyrenian help Jesus bear his cross.…

More Foolish Than I

[365 words] There was a king who had all his world could afford. The thing he loved most, however, was laughing. Once, while being entertained, a jester came along wishing to join the festival of activities and perform for him. His opportunity came, and he put together the best amusing show he had ever done.…

Christ is the Center, Focus, and Key

[310 words] Christ is the center, focus, and key to the inspiration and interpretation of the Bible. This is why the books of the Old and New Testaments fit together so well into one cohesive and comprehensive whole. Taken together, they present the progressive unfolding, revelation, and communication of Christ. 1. The Law (Genesis-Deuteronomy) prepares…

Work Our Wings Off

[202 words] Beekeepers know that a bee’s age is determined by the condition of its wings. Because bees constantly work, their wings get a lot of wear and tear. Young bees have wide, well-formed wings, whereas older bees have narrow, torn, and tattered wings. The bee does not die of old age. It dies when…

He’s Coming

[272 words] In the last chapter of the last book of the Bible, we have recorded the last words of our Lord to us. Here’s something He says to all mankind: “Behold, I am coming quickly and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. I am…

Encourage Others

[89 words] Encourage our elders as they lead us by example. Encourage our deacons to labor as faithful servants. Encourage our preachers to only preach the truth. Encourage our ill members as they fight health issues. Encourage our weak members to hold on to our hope. Encourage our strong members that there is work yet…

Your Child Deserves…

[81 words] …to hear you pray earnestly and often. …to go to worship and Bible classes with you faithfully. …to see you sacrifice for the Lord. …to hear you talk to others about becoming a Christian. …to go with you to visit the sick and bereaved. …to hear you praise the church and her leaders.…

About Purity

[83 words] How is a young person to stay pure? This is a question that David asks in Psalms 119:9. We find the answer there as well; by taking heed according to the Word of God, or through living by the Word. We must, as the Psalmist says, “write them on our hearts” in order…

An End to God’s Patience

[98 words] Our God is a God of infinite virtue. His love is boundless. His mercy is absolute. His grace unhindered. But even our God in time will say, “enough.” With the world of Sodom, with the world of Noah, with the nation of Israel the time came when God said, “I will go no…

Did You Know This About the Book of Isaiah?

[147 words] We are all familiar with the fact that the Bible contains 66 individual books, 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New.  But did you know that the book of Isaiah is structured like a miniature Bible? The first 39 chapters of Isaiah are filled with condemnation and judgment upon immoral…

Did You Know This About Jeremiah?

[116 words] Jeremiah was a prophet who lived during the time when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC. He was known as the “Weeping Prophet.” Jeremiah was mistreated by just about everybody, even his own people. The chief governor of the temple had Jeremiah beaten and put in the stocks (Jeremiah 20:1-2).…

Did You Know This About Lamentations?

[111 words] Jeremiah, the writer of Lamentations, was known as the “Weeping Prophet.” This book expresses deep grief over the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC by the Babylonians.  Lamentations consists of five poems, each one laid out in acrostic fashion. Jeremiah begins each poem with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and works…

Did You Know This About Ezekiel?

[160 words] While Jeremiah was known as the “Weeping Prophet,” Ezekiel on the other hand was told by God not to cry. Specifically, God told Ezekiel that he was about to lose his wife, and he should not mourn or weep. His behavior was to be an example to Israel of how they should behave…

Bible Quiz: Matthew 14:13-21

[74 words] After hearing of John the baptizer’s death, Jesus departed by boat and went to a __ place by __. Jesus felt __ for the multitude that had followed Him on foot from the cities. The disciples said they only had five __ and two __. “…and looking up to __, He blessed and…

Bible Quiz: Matthew 14:22-36

[68 words] “And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the __ by Himself to __.” “But the __ was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the __, for the wind was contrary.” When Jesus came to them walking on the water, the disciples thought He was a…

Bible Quiz: Matthew 15:1-11

[116 words] The scribes and Pharisees accused Jesus of allowing His disciples to “transgress the __ of the elders” by not __ their hands before they eat. “He answered and said to them, ‘Why do you also transgress the __ of God because of your __?’” “But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or…

Bible Quiz: Matthew 15:12-20

[69 words] “Then His disciples came and said to Him, ‘Do You know that the __ were __ when they heard this saying?’” True or False: Jesus said the Pharisees were blind leaders of the blind. Peter asked Jesus to “explain this __ to us.” “But those things which __ out of the mouth come…

Quotes and Sayings (May 2025)

“I desire to have both heaven and hell ever in my eye, while I stand on this isthmus of life, between two boundless oceans.” — John Wesley “What one generation tolerates, the next generation will embrace.” — John Wesley “The greatest proof that the Bible is inspired is that it has stood so much bad…

On the Lighter Side (May 2025)

Don’t Press There”When I press my forehead with my finger, it really hurts,” a patient complained to his doctor. “And when I do the same to my cheek, it’s also painful. Even if I press on my stomach, it hurts. What can it be?” Stumped, the physician sent him to a specialist. The man returned…