J. Brooks Boyd Jr.

A Vital Ingredient

[235 words] One of the more honest t-shirt logos this preacher has noticed in recent years is, “Does not play well with others.” Of all the burdens that Paul mentioned bearing, the last was, “that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches” (2 Corinthians 11 :28). Getting along with others is…

A Basic Consideration

[284 words] Our answer to this question determines our approach to, and attitude toward those around us. It will either give us a sense of urgency or of complacency. The question is, “Who is lost?” During His days on earth, Jesus believed that some were lost, because He came to “Seek and to save that…

Election: Free to Choose!

[289 words] In November our country had its mid-term elections. This article was written on election day. In our great representative republic, every legal citizen is free to participate in the process of choosing who will represent them in our government and what issues will pass or fail. The place for voting is set by…

A Poke in the Eye With a Sharp Stick

[274 words] A good friend in Lake City, Florida, uses this title phrase as an exaggerated way of expressing how good or enjoyable a thing is. He will say, “Why, that is better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.” The Lord used something similar to warn the Israelites of the dangers…

Healthy Living

[279 words] It seems increasingly difficult to know what is and what is not good for us. When blood cholesterol levels were first identified, we were told that butter was bad for us. Now we are told that butter is better for us than margarine (trans-fatty acids, you see). Eggs were bad, now they are…

Fishers

[281 words] “Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the LORD, and they shall fish them; and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks” (Jeremiah 16:16). The verses that follow speak of God punishing…

Just an Angel?

[273 words] Unless this preacher has missed it somewhere else in the Bible, his name is still a mystery. Yet there is great significance attached to his name. Notice this declaration from heaven: “Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I…

More

[274 words] Solomon knew what he was talking about when he said, “Much study is a weariness of the flesh” (Ecclesiastes 12:12). One of the challenges of Bible study/reading is staying awake and alert while you read. Jesus gave some encouraging words that may help with that problem. At the conclusion of the parable of…

‘I Counsel Thee’

[275 words] When a marriage is “on the rocks” and about to be broken, we urge that couple to get marriage counseling. Those with money problems can go to a financial adviser/planner for counseling. In fact, there are people and institutions that do nothing all day but debt-relief counseling. (Talk about specialization!) To Christians who…

By the Root 

  [313 words] Growing season for most things in gardens and flower beds is winding down. That means less weed pulling! This preacher remembers a weed in Georgia that we nicknamed “Monster Weed” because it grew very quickly, developed thorns and had a root system that made it nearly impossible to pull up by the…

The Perfect Day

  [385 words] Most of us have some idea of what it would take to make a perfect day for us. Solomon gave us a key consideration that leads to the perfect day. As he invites his readers to pursue wisdom, he warns against walking in the path of the wicked. In contrast to that…

Good News: Hope!

[273 words] The apostle Paul said it this way: “I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise” (Romans 1:14). Recall that he had been brought up in, and participated in the strictest Jewish tradition. As a Jew, it would have been unthinkable for Saul…

Why is He Old?

[281 words] Everyone should have some interest in paleoanthropology; not necessarily that branch of science, but the word itself. Paleoanthropology is a compound word meaning “the study of ancient man.” Interestingly (at least to this preacher), the primary root words that make up our English word are found together in the Bible. For example, the…

I’ve Got to Start…

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 our health. The key to accomplishing…

Not Far

The distance to some destinations may make us anxious, such as the distance from our thirteenth birthday to being “on our own.” Jesus spoke of another distance that evidently was intended to instill focus and determination in the man receiving it. When the man, a scribe, commented favorably on Jesus’ answer to his question about…

Difficult to Keep Up

Just recently someone asked this preacher about a couple of modern speech translations. Friends, there are so many new ones appearing on a regular basis that it is difficult to keep up with each one. Some are good, some are just okay, but some are seriously flawed. The good ones seek to get as close…

Be Patient

[283 words] This writer’s taste buds can almost nearly always generally distinguish instant potatoes from real mashed potatoes. The imposter can be tolerated, but the real is preferred. However, time constraints may make the real a less-real possibility for some meals. There is peeling, cutting, rinsing, boiling, mashing, adding milk, butter, salt and pepper, then…

Reliable

It is probably sound advice that, when a car leaves you stranded, you should return the favor. Few people would keep a car that cannot be depended upon to work as needed. There may be a parable here. Remember that David described himself and his fellow Israelites as “…his people, and the sheep of his…

The ‘Corinth Syndrome’

The fact that the man speaking was supposedly a gospel preacher made his words that much more incredible. His solution to dwindling attendance and a seemingly unpopular preacher in a small-town congregation near his home was to build a really nice (expensive) new church building there and hire him to be the new preacher. All…

Why Come Back?

[355 words] Is it mandatory? Is it a sin not to? These are questions every Christian needs to be asking and answering from God’s word. (Hebrews 10:24-26 is a good text to study for the right answer.) However, this article takes a look at the benefits of coming back. The first benefit that is available…