Posts from 2021 (Page 2)

There is a monastery in Greece perched high on a cliff several hundred feet in the air. The only way to reach the monastery is to be suspended in a basket that is pulled to the top by several monks who tug with all their strength. Obviously, the ride up the steep cliff in that basket is terrifying. One tourist got exceptionally nervous about halfway up as he noticed that the rope by which he was suspended was old and…

In a world that is so wicked today, how can we remain faithful to God? How can we tune out the sins of the world? Is there any hope for us in our struggles? The answers to these questions reside in the Bible. The question is, of course, will we read it and obey? Josiah, the king of Judah (641 to 609 B.C), was righteous in a time of wickedness. He was faithful in an evil environment. His righteousness was…

The new rage in cosmology is the search for a convincing argument to “prove” that design does not demand a designer! Why has it become such an issue? Because the effectiveness of the argument is making some longtime atheistic evolutionists look a bit silly. An illustration: You find a Rolex watch in the woods. It keeps perfect time. Your friend is convinced that its existence is an accident of nature… lightening striking millions of times per year over a billion…

“And the Lord said, ‘Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.’ But he said to Him, ‘Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.’ Then He said, ‘I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times…

Each Sunday morning my family prepares for worship. Over the years, we have developed a routine to help prepare our bodies and minds to approach the glory of God. If an organized and deliberate plan is not put into place, these mornings can be chaotic and tend to detour proper preparation for praise. Worship is not something we can turn on and off like an alarm clock. The following are some suggestions to help us all do a better job.…

The history of the beginning of the celebration of Labor Day is not widely known. In the late nineteenth century, working conditions were far different from what we have today. In the industrial world, men were working six days each week, and the workday was usually ten hours. At first, there was opposition for the idea of giving workers an extra paid day each year where they were honored for the work they were doing. There were actually riots with…

Teri Horton stopped in Dot’s Thrift Shop to browse around. During her junket, she stumbled across a bright abstract painting and decided that it might make a good gag gift for a disheartened friend. Teri shelled out $5.00 for the 66-inch by 48-inch canvas and then lugged it home. Teri’s friend, Theresa, got a big laugh out of the hideous present, but turned it down because it barely fit through her front door. Teri took it home again, but after…

A NECESSARY STEP It is always sad when one has to say goodbye to family member. Last week many parents in the United States had to say goodbye to their children as they headed to college. That little child that now has grown up, is now ready to start a new stage in his or her life. For the parents it is a sad moment, but it is certainly a necessary stage in the life of the son or daughter.…

There was a single survivor of a shipwreck who was thrown upon an uninhabited island. After a while he managed to build a crude hut in which he placed the things he had salvaged from the sinking ship. He prayed to God for deliverance and anxiously scanned the horizon each day to hail any ship that might chance to pass by. One day, upon returning from a hunt for food, he was horrified to find his hut in flames. All…

There was an old preacher who loved his children dearly and longed for them to live right. As they grew older, he did not want to browbeat them or make them think he was always “preaching at them,” so he looked for a way to lovingly and gently encourage them. He came up with his own heartfelt catchphrase, “Whatever you do, don’t miss heaven!” As each child graduated and moved out of the house, he heartily urged, “Whatever you do,…

After the battles to conquer the promised land had been fought and won, Joshua gathered the people of Israel together at Shechem and addressed them (Josh. 24:1-2). During his discourse to them he admonished, “And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the river, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you…

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140 for a middle-income family. Talk about sticker shock! That doesn’t even touch college tuition. But $160,140 isn’t so bad if you break it down. It translates into $8,896.66 a year, $741.38 a month, or $171.08 week. That’s a mere $24.24 a day! Just over a dollar an hour. Still, you might think the best financial advice says do not have children…