September 2023, Vol. 42, No. 9

Candidates for Dumbest Criminals

[159 words] Three years ago, Florida police pulled over a speeding car traveling over 90 mph on one of the state’s major intersections. As an officer approached the car, he noticed two zip-lock bags labeled “bag full of drugs.” A drug-sniffing dog alerted the police that illegal drugs were inside the automobile. This gave the…

Full House

[225 words] The follow-up question I always get when people hear I am a minster is the “how big” question. “How big is your congregation,” and, “How many kids are in your youth group?”  I guess that is the way they measure success. The assumption is that the more folks, the better things are going.…

When Jesus Doesn’t Come

[350 words] At separate times, both Martha and Mary said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (cf. John 11:21,32). There are a few ways to understand these grief-stricken words. First, it is likely these were often repeated words around the home: “If only Jesus was here.” It…

Call Upon Him

[464 words] For the longest time people had no opportunity to hear the Word of God like we have opportunity today. Not only did this apply to those not trained in the Scriptures, but this applied to those who were supposed to lead and teach the people in matters pertaining to God. However, in a…

God is the God of Peace

[382 words] God told Moses to tell the priests how to bless God’s people in Numbers 6:23-27. The blessing we know, “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; The Lord lift His countenance upon you, and give you peace.” The Jewish…

Living Hope

[236 words] John Maxwell tells about a small town in Maine that was proposed for the site of a great hydroelectric plant. A dam would be built across the river and the town submerged. When the project was announced, the people were given many months to arrange their affairs and relocate. During those months, a…

The Excellent Ones

[280 words] “As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight” (Psalm 16:3, ESV). In the passage above, David revealed his love for his kinsmen. They were God’s people, which made them majestic and noble. That’s high praise for people who weren’t perfect. David’s fellow-Israelites made…

Living Water

[559 words] I have a picture of our youngest daughter, Haley, holding an earthworm above her open mouth pretending that she is about to eat it. As a fun-loving teenager on a trip with her church youth group, this was yet another moment of laughter as the group served together at Rainbow Omega. The word…

Recommending the Great Physician

[304 words] A critical Pharisee once asked why Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners. The Bible says, “When Jesus heard that, He said to them, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick’” (Matthew 9:12).When we are sick, it is to our great benefit to see a…

H.A.B.I.T.

[186 words] HABIT. The only way to get rid of a bad habit is to stop it at once. If you try tapering off, this is the result. You drop the “H” and you still have… A BIT. You think you are getting over it by dropping a little bit of the evil thing, so…

Wait, Who Did Shoot J.R.?

[242 words] In the summer of 1980, everyone was asking the question, “Who shot J.R.?” For those of you not around then, J.R. Ewing was the villainous character on the hit series Dallas.  That year’s season ended on a cliffhanger where J.R. is shot by an unseen assailant outside his office. The mystery became a…

Thoughts About Drought

[226 words] I hate times of drought. The grass is brown. Trees begin to wilt. Often, the excessive heat of summer is a constant companion. Our prayers always include the constant plea with God: “We need rain.” Thursday evening, parts of Abilene and the surrounding area got rain. It was good to feel a slightly…

The High Cost of Health Care

[258 words] It is reported that our country has one of the highest costs of healthcare in the world. In 2021, U.S. healthcare spending reached $4.3 trillion, which averages to about $12,900 per person. Without health insurance, it is likely that most of us could not afford to be cared for and treated if we…

Don’t Kill the Zeal!

[439 words] An older preacher once said to a very energetic and zealous younger preacher, “Slow down boy! You act like you are trying to set the world on fire!” The younger preacher said to the older preacher, “Well, if Jesus returned today, I want to be striking matches!” Of course, the context of the…

Understanding with the Heart

[385 words] He had been to a funeral during which he began thinking about the condition of his soul. He knew that he was lost and wanted to be saved. Now, sitting on the shoulder of the highway in his truck, sin-burdened and guilt-ridden, he looked up into the sky and began pouring out his…

The Value of Work

[432 words] Working is a part of God’s plan for man’s fulfillment and happiness. After creating the world and making man of the dust, “the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it” (Gen. 2:15). Paradise was not then nor is now a place of…

What True Fellowship Involves

[251 words] “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols?” (2 Corinthians 6:14-16a, NKJV). Even…

The Value of Worship

[338 words] Have you ever asked the question, “Is worship valuable?” If you have not, ask yourself, “Is worship valuable to me?” Regarding worship, Jesus said, “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God…

God’s Payment Plan

[542 words] Micah was a prophet of God from 740-700 BC who had a message of destruction for both the northern and southern kingdoms of God’s people. Population centers of both kingdoms would be destroyed and become places of desolation. The capital of Israel in the north was Samaria. Micah foretold that it would become…

Giving Back to Jesus

[373 words] The little book of Jude begins with some big reminders for Christians of all ages (both in time periods and in years). Let’s examine three from the first three verses. Always put Jesus first (v.1).The author of the epistle, Jude, was the half brother of Jesus Christ. And yet, rather than boasting about…

A House is Not a Home

[94 words] A house is not a home; it is many things.It is a kitchen stove on which a kettle sings. It is a table set with care and loving thoughtWhere conversations dear and fellowships are wrought. It is a well-worn chair beneath shaded light,Or perhaps a cherished book by a log fire at night. …

Revelation

[101 words] If all my days were summer, could I knowThe meaning of my Lord’s “made white as snow”? If all my hours were joyous could I say,“In His fair land, all tears are wiped away”? If I were never weary could I keepClose to my heart, “He gives His loved ones sleep”? Were no…

If I Had My Child Over Again I’d …

[82 words] • Finger paint more and point fingers less.• Do less correcting and more connecting.• Take my eyes off my watch and watch with my eyes.• Take more hikes and fly more kites.• Stop playing serious and more seriously play.• Run through more fields and gaze at more stars.• Do more hugging and less…

What Happened at the Cross of Christ?

[11 words] A life was given.Love was lifted.Sins forgiven.Salvation gifted. Edd SterchiBroadway church of ChristCampbellsville, KY… 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 by email, our exclusive Preaching Ideas newsletter, access…

Is This Progress?

[55 words] We have too many men of science, too few men of God. We have grasped the mystery of the atom and rejected the Sermon on the Mount… Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants. We know more about war than we know about peace, more about killing than we know…

Exactly Like You

[94 words] In her autobiography, Linda Ellerbee, then co-anchor of NBC News Overnight, once received a letter from a little girl that said, “Dear Miss Ellerbee, when I grow up I want to do exactly what you do. Please do it better.” What a thought! Little eyes are watching us, little feet are following us,…

He is Everything to Me

[45 words] In His life, Christ is an example. In His death, He is a sacrifice. In His resurrection, He is a conqueror. In His ascension, He is a king. In His intercession, He is a high priest. Christ is full and sufficient for all his people. John Spencer1630-1693… This content is for Annual and…

From Bibles to Missiles

[37 words] The first great communications revolution followed the invention of the printing press. The first thing they printed was the Bible. The second communications revolution was due to the computer, and the first things computed were missile trajectories…. This content is for Annual and Lifetime Members only! Please log in or register to use…

Bible Quiz: 1 Timothy 5:1-8

[97 words] Paul told Timothy not to rebuke an older man, but to exhort his as a __. Older women were to be treated as __, and younger women as __. “Honor widows who are __ widows. But if any widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show piety at home and…

Bible Quiz: 1 Timothy 5:9-16

[90 words] A widow under the age of __ was not to be taken into the care of the church. “But refuse the __ widows; for when they have begun to grow __ against Christ, they desire to marry, having condemnation because they have cast off their first faith.” “And besides they learn to be…

Bible Quiz: 1 Timothy 5:17-25

[86 words] The elders who rule well should be counted worthy of __ honor. “For the Scripture says, ‘You shall not __ an ox while it treads out the grain,’ and, ‘The laborer is worthy of his __.’” Timothy was instructed to only receive an accusation against an elder if there are __ or __…

Bible Quiz: 1 Timothy 6:1-10

[83 words] Bondservants were to count their masters as worthy of all __, and if they are believers, they were not to __ them because they are brethren. True or False: Timothy was supposed to withdraw himself from those who teach against the wholesome doctrine of Christ. “Now godliness with __ is great __.” “For…

Bible Quiz: 1 Timothy 6:11-21

[88 words] “But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue __, godliness, faith, love, patience, __.” Paul told Timothy to fight the __ fight of __. Jesus is called the blessed and only __, the __ of kings and __ of lords. “Command those who are rich in this present age not…

Quotes and Sayings (September 2023)

“Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” – John Wooden “The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.” – Aristotle “Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.” – Socrates “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I…

On the Lighter Side (September 2023)

Perspective is Good Dear Mom and Dad, I guess you heard by now that the dorm burned. We were all in the basement smoking pot, and I guess somehow we set the dorm on fire. But no one was hurt, and we got most of our belongings out in time. Oh, and I’m getting married…