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None the Worse for Success

We often speak of how well Joseph handled disappointments: sold into slavery; blackmailed and imprisoned; forgotten in prison for two years. Yet Joseph never forgot God. But what about his successes? “The LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man” (Genesis 39:2). As a young man, he rose to a place of trust…

Choose Jesus

If you have the ability to read and understand this right now, then by the time your life is over you are going to be a person who has the ability to make no less than a million choices. That’s right; I mean what I say! Have you ever thought about how many choices you…

Churches in Decline

Fifty years ago, congregations of the Lord’s people were booming in metro Detroit. Large buildings, with capacities of up to 1,000, were regularly built, and filled. As we sat at lunch with some brethren from one metro-area congregation, they mentioned that their building, built in 1968, had a capacity of 700. Current attendance is 60-65.…

Living Under the Influence

Peppermint Patty says to Charlie Brown, “Guess what, Chuck? The first day of school, and I got sent to the principal’s office. It was your fault, Chuck.” Charlie Brown responds, “My fault? How could it be my fault? Why do you say everything is my fault?” Peppermint Patty replies, “You’re my friend, aren’t you, Chuck?…

Some Kind of Ghost

I recently listened to a lecture of G. K. Wallace, recorded in the 1980s. He said he was in Paragould, Ark., holding a gospel meeting. Walking down the sidewalk one day, he heard footsteps approaching from behind, and a man tapped him on the shoulder. The man asked, “Are you saved?” Wallace said, “Yes I…

Abundance

We have more than we need. The average home today is just under 2,400 square feet. The average home size in 1950: 983 square feet. During the same period the average household size has dropped, from 3.37 persons (1950) to 2.6 (2009). Smaller home, more people, go figure. One income, hand-me-downs, and one or two…

Tarzan on the Vine

In my second year of teaching, I stopped by the office of gospel preacher Dorice E. Mitchell, my father-in-law, to share my exciting news. “Father-in-law, I refused my teaching contract today for next year. I’m going into full-time preaching!” He looked me straight in the eye and said, “Really. Do you have a place in…

Because I Don’t Want To

Dr. George Wald, Harvard graduate, Nobel Prize winner in physics and devout evolutionist, said: “There are only two possible explanations as to how life arose. Spontaneous generation arising to evolution or a supernatural creative act of God … there is no other possibility. Spontaneous generation was scientifically disproved 120 years ago by Louis Pasteur and…

Sharing God’s Word

I recently read about a missionary to Africa who gave a Bible to one of the African men with whom he had been studying. When it was given to him, the man hugged it close and expressed great appreciation for the precious gift of God’s Word. However, when the missionary saw him a few days…

Why does the church of Christ Exist?

Why do churches exist at all? Here are a few reasons: Some exist as social clubs. (Who’s who in your town? Find out here!) Some exist because of nostalgia. (Grandma and grandpa did, mom and dad did, so we do, too) Some exist for self-preservation. (We’ll do anything to get you in the door!) Some…

Wrong Mom

While I was shopping, a little kid hiding in the clothes rack jumped out and scared me. I screamed. He says, “Sorry, wrong mom.” — Mandy Hocker…

Souvenir from Heaven

When one of our boys was in kindergarten, some friends of ours brought him a souvenir from Israel. His mother cautioned him to be very careful with it because it came from the Holy Land and that it was so far away we would never be able to go there. He took it to show-and-tell.…

Two Billion Heard the Bible Read

About two billion people worldwide watched Prince William and Kate Middleton marry Friday morning in London. During the ceremony, most or all of the 12th chapter of Romans was read aloud. It is rare to hear any portion of Scripture read on secular television, but about 30% of the world’s population heard Romans 12 that…

Two Sides of the Coin

When I was about 12 years old, I went home with a friend after church, the son of one of the elders. Before going home, we went out to eat lunch at a local cafe. As the elder paid for our meal, he said to the cashier, “It’s too bad you have to work on…

If I Had Married Him

Thomas Wheeler, Chief Executive Officer of the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company tells a good story on himself. He says that while he and his wife were out driving he noticed they were low on gas. So he pulled off at the first exit and came to this dumpy little gas station with one pump.…

God is watching

When I went to a Christian school, I walked into the cafeteria and there on the table was a plate of fruit. Next to it was a sign that said “Take one. God is watching.” Next to the fruit was a plate of cookies, with a sign next to it written by a fellow student,…

The Mosquito Truck

As we sat at the supper table, it was The Maiden who first heard the ominous hum from the next street over. She sat at attention, caught ours, and about the moment we all heard it, she pronounced, “The mosquito truck!” Up we jumped, all three of us, to close windows and The Missus, in…

Forgive Me for Keeping Your Bible

A Hungarian gospel preacher was riding a train on his way to his hometown. He had a sack of Bibles with him that he intended to distribute. During the trip, a communist customs agent came through checking all baggage. The sack of Bibles sat at the preacher’s feet. By his side lay his own personal…

What Gets You Going in the Morning?

I have a friend, who shall remain nameless in order to protect the guilty, whose body and mind function only after a serious injection of coffee in the morning. We’ll not go into a discussion of morning person versus night person, although there is that difference to take into consideration. Each one has a routine…

How to Keep People in the Church

What can be done to stop the churning? Well, it may be tempting for a congregation to compromise their convictions to attract people. But, this is certainly not the answer. A wise man once stated: “If you hamburger people into the church, you’ll have to hamburger them to stay.” We need to attract people to…
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