Neil Richey

The Helpless and the Helpers

[433 words] As all of the miracles of our Lord are impressive, the one about the healed paralytic is especially impressive to me. In Mark 2:1-12 the reader is immediately taken back to a first century home located in Capernaum. It was likely just a small flat, rectangular in shape with an open courtyard in…

Is Your Mood Harming the Church?

[357 words] Do you know what will kill the vibrancy of a local congregation quicker than anything else? It may not be what you think. Failing to have adequate church programs may be a contributor, but that’s not the main thing. A lack of passion in the pulpit may be a contributor, but that’s not…

Christian Example

[247 words] My Lord said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Mt. 5:16). The best I can tell, there’s no limitation to this. In other words, shining forth a good example is not restricted to the church building, or…

I Don’t Know and I Don’t Care!

  [366 words] Many years ago, I heard Leroy Brownlow (author of “Why I am a Member of the Church of Christ”) use this illustration. “What are the two main problems in the church?” The question was answered with, “I don’t know and I don’t care.” He hit the nail on the head. Indifference is…

Researching Your Family Tree

[332 words] Have you seen the commercials advertising for Ancestry.com? Every time that I watch those ads I want to sign up for their service to search out my family history. That kind of thing just fascinates me. I remember a few years ago being at Ellis Island in New York and seeing a book…

Caught Talking to God

[168 words] Two boys were put in I.S.S. (in school suspension). The one boy asked, “Whatcha in for?” “I got caught talking to Bill. You?” “I got caught talking to God.” Strange how talking to God can get one into trouble, especially when you consider all the benefits it affords. Martin Luther once said, “The…

Take a Bullet for Jesus!

[247 words] Years ago when Warren Sapp was describing his love and devotion for his coach, Tony Dungy, he said, “I would take a bullet for him–if it wouldn’t kill me.” The Bible teaches us to be so devoted to Jesus and His cause that we’d be willing to die for Him. Perhaps you’re familiar…

They’re Your Buttons

In one of my graduate classes last week my professor made this comment: “Don’t blame others for pushing your buttons. They are your buttons.” If we’re not careful we have a tendency to blame others for our thoughts and actions. “Well _________ just made me so angry that I couldn’t control myself”, we might say.…

Relationships Are Like Old Barns

[306 words] Not too long ago I read the story of a farmer who was just devastated over the fact that his barn’s roof fell in. Someone asked the farmer, “what happened?” The farmer told the one asking the question that the roof had been leaking so long that the timbers just rotted through. Of…