Stay Hungry

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 plenty more in the cupboard!…

The Leftovers

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, nuke it, and consume it, but…

Be a Better Person

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 respect and treat…

Are You Living Up to Your Clothing?

[465 words] 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 in the kitchen and…

What Howard Learned in Heartbreak

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 Enemies, he reflects upon the resources from which…

Growing By Going Beyond

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 and encourage such behavior. We know that growth is…

Remodeling Your Spiritual House

[361 words] 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 furniture, paint and decorations around them. They need to remodel! Sometimes…

This Really Happened!

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 front row, putting their names on a…

Rules For Growing Christians

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 to do business for the rest of…

Doing Good

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 others with his/her gossip? How much good has…

Two Ways to Grow

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 to spiritual growth. One is Bible study. “…like…