October 2022, Vol. 41, No. 10

Was It That Great?

[244 words] We’ve all heard the phrase before, “the greatest thing since sliced bread,” but as it turns out this greatest thing didn’t start out so great. Otto Rohwedder invented the first bread slicing machine, built to slice bread by the loaf. His prototype and blueprints went up in smoke in a fire in 1917.…

The Lesson of the Gloves

[256 words] I once read a story about a young preacher. Hershel and his wife were two young adults who were new to the ministry and to the town where they served. As many young adults, they had more bills than money. But there was hope. You see, Hershel was asked to preach a wedding.…

Tampering with the Election

[547 words] Voter fraud is not new. We should not be surprised. Politics brings out the worst in people—pride, greed, lust for power, and dishonesty. Why would anyone think we have risen above ballot box manipulation? Many times in our history corrupt men have used intimidation, false registration, bribery, and vote alteration to steal elections.…

The Grind

[457 words] “Back to the grind” is a transitional phrase bridging a brief or extended period of relaxation to the resumption of laborious or repetitive activity. Numerous studies have shown that taking breaks increases focus and productivity. Yet, experience teaches us that it can be difficult to get moving again after a period of rest.…

Trust God With a Stone in Your Hand

[510 words] I hope that title got your attention. Let me explain what I mean by it. David was a man who trusted God. He wrote in Psalm 62:7-8, “In God is my salvation and my glory; The rock of my strength, And my refuge, is in God. Trust in Him at all times…” God…

Simply Read

[254 words] Have you not read? This phrase is used several times by Jesus when someone was asking him a doctrinal question (Matthew 12:3, 19:4, 21:16, 21:42 Mark 12:26). Many times these questions were asked as traps to try to force him into offending a particular audience or to make him look bad. Yet Jesus…

A Religion of Relationships

[258 words] Too many people claim or act like Christianity is simply a religion of beliefs. And while belief is a crucial part of Christianity, it is much more than that. I contend that Christianity, in reality, is a religion of relationships. Take a look at John 15, for example. In verses 1-11 we can…

The Opportunity to Do Good

[306 words] We live in the land of opportunity. Every person has the opportunity to do an extremely vast number of things each day. We have choices when it comes to employment. We have choices when it comes to living. We have choices when it comes to entertainment. We have so many choices that usually…

Those Who Know Your Name

[320 words] Names have always been special to God. In Scripture we often find God using names to convey ideas. For example, the prophet Hosea assigned names to his children that stood as indictments of Israel’s sins (Hosea 1:3-9). The Almighty would even change a person’s name to teach a lesson. Abram became Abraham. Sarai…

The Power of Our Silent Influence

[226 words] On a recent beautiful warm Saturday morning, a Christian friend and I were having breakfast at a local restaurant. At a nearby table, we noticed a young woman sitting quietly reading her Bible. She was absorbed in the text, occasionally looking up to consider what she had read. She never said a word,…

What Kind of ‘Sorry’ Are You?

[587 words] While growing up in middle Tennessee I often had occasion to hear expressions used by country folks. Since many of them came from small communities, where everyone knew his neighbors’ foibles and failings, country folks could be unsparingly candid in their evaluation of others. One descriptive phrase that I particularly remember is the…

Easy Overview of the New Testament

[339 words] It isn’t uncommon today to hear someone say that it is impossible to understand the Bible. It seems to me that this is a reflection on God. Is God not powerful enough, smart enough, and loving enough to give us a Book we can understand? Certainly, He is. The problem, therefore, when it…

Great Things in First Peter

[372 words] There are at least nine different Greek words that are used in the New Testament which could be translated “great.” The word appears more than a few times in different books and letters. As we read our Bible, some of these great things stand out. At times, even if the word “great” is…

I Give Up!

[280 words] “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:7-8). For Christians to have a right relationship with God they may have to get to the point in life where they say, “I give up!” This is…

Keep Serving!

[183 words] One way to find joy in life, even through our own personal struggles, is to keep serving others. “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13). Being one who serves is part of what…

Acceptable Worship

[409 words] Religious people these days are clamoring for more exciting and appealing ways to conduct worship services. Lost in the shuffle is that fact that we do not determine what is acceptable worship. We merely recognize what God has authorized in His inspired word. Sadly enough, in an effort to attract larger crowds, some…

Everything We Need

[52 words] God doesn’t give us everything we want, but every good thing we need He provides. And so it alway will be. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17). BulletinDigest.com… This…

Truth About Character

[81 words] It has been said that a man’s character is like a fence. It cannot be strengthened by whitewash. That is why Jesus told the religious elite of His day that they were like “whitewashed tombs” (Matt. 23:27). They looked good on the outside, but were full of death and decay on the inside.…

Preach the Word, Church!

[66 words] Jesus tells us that He is the way, the truth, and the life, and no man comes to the Father but by Him (John 14:6). How does the world learn about Jesus? Through the truth of God’s word (John 8:32; 17:17). Who is going to take it to the world? The church  (Ephesians…

Purity of Heart

[45 words] Blest are the pure in heart,For they shall see our God;The secret of the Lord is theirs;Their soul is His abode.Still to the lowly soulHe doth Himself impart,And for His service and His throneSelects the pure in heart. John Keble1792-1866… This content is for Annual and Lifetime Members only! Please log in or…

Come, Sound His Praise Abroad

[128 words] Come, sound His praise abroad,And hymns of glory sing;Jehovah is the sovereign God,The universal King. He formed the deeps unknown;He gave the seas their bound;The watery worlds are all His own,And all the solid ground. Come, worship at His throne;Come, bow before the Lord:We are His works, and not our own;He formed us…

Our Savior’s Triumph

[133 words] Thou sweet gliding Kedron, by thy silver streamOur Savior at midnight, when moonlight’s pale beamShone bright on thy waters, would frequently stray,And lose in thy murmurs the toils of the day. How damp were the vapors that fell on his head!How hard was his pillow! how humble his bed!The angels, astonished, grew sad…

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…

A Persian Fable

[114 words] A Persian fable says: One dayA wanderer found a lump of claySo savory of sweet perfumeIts odor scented all the room.“What are you?”was his quick demand,“Are you some gem from Samarkand,Or pure nard in this plain disguise,Or other costly merchandise?”“No, I am but a lump of clay.”“Then whence this wondrous perfume–say!”“Friend, if the…

Bible Quiz: Revelation 13:11-18

[100 words] “Then I saw another __ coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a __.”The second beast caused the earth and those who dwell in it to __ the first beast.“He was granted power to give __ to the image of the beast, that…

Bible Quiz: Revelation 14:1-5

[91 words] Where was the Lamb standing?“And I heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of many __, and like the voice of loud __. And I heard the sound of __ playing their harps.””They sang as it were a new __ before the throne, before the four living __, and the __; and…

Bible Quiz: Revelation 14:6-13

[87 words] “Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the __ gospel to preach…”“Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His __ has come; and __ Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.”What was the city called that had fallen?Those who…

Bible Quiz: Revelation 14:14-20

[122 words] “Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of __, having on His head a __ crown, and in His hand a sharp __.”Out of what did the angel come in verse 15?“And another angel came out from the __, who had power over…

Quotes and Sayings (October 2022)

“I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house. So I have spent almost all the daylight hours in the open air.” — Nathaniel Hawthorne “Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting, and autumn a mosaic of them all.” — Stanley Horowitz “There is…

On the Lighter Side (October 2022)

The Mysterious Sound A man is driving down the road and breaks down near a monastery. He goes to the monastery, knocks on the door, and says, “My car broke down. Do you think I could stay the night?” The monks graciously accept him, feed him dinner, even fix his car. As the man tries…