[432 words] I enjoy doing the occasional woodworking project. It keeps my hands busy and allows extra time for thinking on life. To help improve my abilities in woodworking I subscribed to a wood magazine. I was excited to get my first issue and began the process of...
[185 words] If a Christian were a tree, what should it look like? It would have roots that grow downward. Roots help with strength and stability. Roots also bring nutrients to the tree. Deeply rooted in the Scriptures the Christian can stand strong. It would be...
[38 words] I cannot change othersBut I can change meI must learn to focusBeing the best I can be When I change my outlookAnd improve through and throughAmazingly I findThat others get better too Edd SterchiBroadway church of ChristCampbellsville, KY
[528 words] Wisteria is beautiful. Despite its beauty, though, wisteria can be an invasive vine if it is not carefully cultivated, becoming genteel kudzu. As I had to go to a doctor’s appointment in Gainesville, Georgia, yesterday, I noted how much wisteria grows...
[271 words] Blessed are you when you come to worship, even when you are not feeling the best in the world – your dedication is helping to inspire many in this congregation. Blessed are you when you leave your contribution, even when you cannot physically be here – you...
[205 words] “And the people of Israel went up and wept before the Lord until the evening. And they inquired of the Lord, ‘Shall we again draw near to fight against our brothers, the people of Benjamin?’ And the Lord said, ‘Go up against them’” (Judges 20:23). It had...
[464 words] Building godly character is hard work. “Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness;...
[519 words] In the account of the crossing of the Red Sea in the Exodus of the Israelites, we can learn some important things about God and His people. As the Egyptians were in hot pursuit and the Israelites’ fears are growing, God said to Moses, “Why do you cry to...
[155 words] “Jehovah will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish; But he thrusteth away the desire of the wicked” (Proverbs 10:3, ASV). It’s easy to read this proverb and understand the point being made is in association to hungering and thirsting after...
[418 words] For the conscientious Christian, weaknesses and failures can be particularly vexing. To put it bluntly and personally, I hate it when I fail to live up to God’s standard. It irritates me. I know that when it comes to sinners, the apostle Paul staked a...
[457 words] Imagine encountering some of the people that Jesus encountered during His lifetime. Would you respond like Jesus did? Imagine coming face-to-face with a leper, a woman with a blood malady of 12 years, a woman caught in adultery, beggars, ingrates,...
[709 words] It's fall again and a time when we expect the see brilliant colors in God's nature. Alice and I have always loved making fall excursions Just to see the colors as the foliage turns. This year has not been so good for that as we have now made four trips out...
[499 words] I believe each of us desires to succeed. We want to succeed at our business, our families, and in life in general. I think I can also confidently say that we all want to succeed spiritually. It is often said by many a Christian, "I want to hear the Lord...
[143 words] Jesus said to him, "If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me” (Matthew 19:21, ESV). Some will interpret the Lord’s words as being the virtue of all virtues—selling...
[502 words] One of the great passages in the Bible on having peace of mind is in Philippians 4. Here are the keys: Make up your mind to be happy. "Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice" (v.4). Abraham Lincoln said a man is about as happy as he makes up...
[370 words] You may be thinking that the title is presumptuous, opinionated, and even out of line. Let me disclaim what follows by asserting that God does not hate all shorts. He does, however, hate the following types of shorts. God Hates Shortcuts. At least, He...
[428 words] Paul exhorted, 'Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing" (1 Thessalonians 5:11, ESV). We want to "encourage one another" as Christians, but what does that involve? Our minds immediately go to positive remarks and...
[450 words] "I may never march in the infantry, ride in the cavalry, shoot the artillery; I may never fly over the enemy, but I'm in the Lord's Army.” From 1980 to 2001, the popular recruiting slogan was used to imply that it is only in the United States Army that you...
[333 words] We all are looking for ways to deal with the trials and tribulations in our life each day. The book of James provides us with practical strategies from Scripture which allow us to overcome challenges, grow spiritually, and help others with struggles. James...
[174 words] "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Corinthians 3:18). Christ was and I must be: Humble (Phil 2:3-11; James 4:6)Forgiving...
[382 words] We all have gone straight to the “Help Wanted” column of the classified section of the newspaper. When I needed a second or third job, I would spend a dollar in hopes of finding employment in the Sunday edition. Most of the time, we can find work if we are...
[298 words] He hasn’t done it all, but he’s done a lot. Erik Weihenmayer has summited Mount Everest as well as becoming one of the 150 climbers in the world who had, at the time, climbed the other 6 highest peaks in the world. He has kayaked the 277 miles through the...
[415 words] "For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). There are benefits to an extended, do-it-yourself project, like painting a house, building a model or even assembling a 1,000 piece puzzle. For one...
[419 words] Sometimes it is fun to just "pick up and go." It can be exciting to "play things by ear" and to "fly by the seat of our pants" when it comes to things like down- time and recreation. But overall you and I recognize the value and necessity of having a plan...
Christians are being transformed into Christ's likeness (2 Cor. 3:18). God is trying to press His people into a Christ-shaped mold. But this transformation isn't an easy process, partly because the world is trying to press us into its own mold. In order to be...
You may actually know someone who has begun a sentence using the above words. The words that this preacher has heard used most often to complete this sentence are "exercising" and "eating right." It appears that most of us have a sense of what it will take to improve...
“But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children..." (Matt. 11:16). If there is a word that describes our generation, it is the word childish. Children are selfish. They can surprise us with acts of giving, but their world view is not big enough...
It’s Friday evening a little after sundown when he walks through the front door after a long day at work and announces his arrival, “Hi honey, I’m home.” “What took you so long? Supper’s been ready for an hour,” his wife says rather loudly from the kitchen. He walks...
Howard Rutledge, a United States Air Force pilot, was shot down over North Vietnam during the early stages of the War. He spent several miserable years in the hands of his captors before being released at the war’s conclusion. In his book In the Presence of Mine...
In his book, "The Kingdom Agenda," Tony Evans tells the story about a man who was mystified at what he saw painted on a rural barn. There were twenty painted targets. Each one had only one bullet hole in it, each perfectly centered in the bull's-eye. Whoever had been...
[297 words] As Christians are we being ALL WE CAN BE? We all have talent that allows us to make contributions to the expansion of God’s Kingdom. When we don’t utilize our talents we have a tendency to utilize excuses. Moses struggled with this as well. We know Moses...
[331 words] During the 1980’s when the War On Drugs began, one of the phrases developed to deter teens and young adults to stay away from drugs was called, “Just Say No!” Of course the idea was if you were approached to partake in drug use, everyone was encouraged to...
[296 words] Slavery. The mere mention of the word evokes emotions of the deepest sort, none of them positive. The thought of one group forcibly taking the innocent from their homes and families, chaining them up like dogs, and subjecting them to merciless physical and...
[149 words] Did you get your exercise today? What if we would walk with the Lord? Walking with the Lord in the Bible means living for the Lord daily. Second Corinthians 4:16 reminds us to be renewed day by day. We do this by: 1. Every day let God say something to you...
[293 words] She was described by those leading the search as "Asian, about 160 cm, in dark clothing and speaks English well.” The woman had been reported missing from an Icelandic tour bus after her fellow travelers claimed that she had gotten off the bus but never...
Jesus once said, “Blessed are ye that hunger now...” (Luke 6:21). In America today, it seems strange to speak of hunger as a blessing. One of the goals of modern life is to insure against hunger. For us, security means food on the table and the knowledge that there is...
At the risk of appearing snobbish or ungrateful, I've got a confession to make: I don't like leftovers, i.e. cold food that is in need of being reheated. I always have the best of intentions to pull last night's meal out of the refrigerator, throw it in the microwave,...
Don’t we all wish that everyone would be a better person? Do we not hope that some bad people would turn their lives around and start doing good? Do we wish our neighbor would treat us better than before‘? Do we hope that the people we meet each day would show us...
It's Friday evening a little after sundown when he walks through the front door after a long day at work and announces his arrival, "Hi honey, I'm home.” "What took you so long? Supper's been ready for an hour," his wife says rather loudly from the kitchen. He walks...
Howard Rutledge, a United States Air Force pilot, was shot down over North Vietnam during the early stages of the War. He spent several miserable years in the hands of his captors before being released at the war’s conclusion. In his book In the Presence of Mine...
Introduction. We have all seen a toddler crawling around a room, eagerly eying furniture that can be used for leverage when the time comes for "pulling-up." We have also seen, that toddler reach the pull-up stage and move to walking "with no holds." We rightly praise...
There are tons of television shows centered around the idea of remodeling your home, and most of them operate on the same principle: helping a homeowner improve their living environment. Without proper care, houses deteriorate, or residents simply tire of the old...
On Sunday, March 25, 1979 a family placed membership at one of the churches of Christ in Arkansas. This isn’t significant news at all. In fact, we probably visualize three or four people walking down the aisle at the singing of the invitation song, sitting down on the...
Don’t neglect your prayer time. It is the breath of the soul (Luke 18:1). Don’t neglect your Bible. It is your sword for conquest, your hammer for construction, your guiding light for dreary days (Rev. 1:3). Don’t neglect your body. It is the capital on which you are...
The New Testament tells us that Jesus “went about doing good” (Acts 10:38). Jesus spent His life in service to others and helping others. Have you ever heard of a “complainer” doing good for others with his complaining? Have you ever heard of a “gossip” who helped...
God expects us to grow: to become more like Jesus, to increase in faith, to develop the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) and the Christian graces (2 Peter l:5-11), etc. How can this be accomplished? The New Testament mentions at least two factors that are essential...