Posts from 2022 (Page 2)

In The book of second Timothy, Paul encourages Timothy to preach and defend the truth of the gospel. “In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction” (2 Timothy 4:1-2). THE GROWTH OF THE CHURCHES OF CHRIST IN…

There’s about a million questions I want to ask God. I’m sure you all do too or have thought about it at one point in your life. My family and I always talk about what we would like to ask our Heavenly Father when we finally get to meet Him. Once we finally catch our “spiritual breath” that is. Some of my questions would include: What was it like to create the stars? How big is the universe? What did…

Offering sacrificing to God has always been a part of spiritual service. While under the Law of Moses the people were to offer to God animal sacrifices, today our sacrifices are spiritual in nature (1 Peter 2:5). Regardless of the type of sacrifice offered, God has always demanded that those offering give their best. “Then the Lord called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying, 2 “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to…

Harvey Lehman, in his book Age And Achievement, insists that a man reaches his peak of achievement at about 35. According to Mr. Lehman, the peak age for: painters is about 34 playwrights is about 35 philosophers is about 37 inventors is about 32 There may be some truth to his observations. Sinclair Lewis wrote “Main Street” at 35; George Gershwin composed “Porgy and Bess” at 37; and Thomas Edison invented the electric light at 32. However, before you accept…

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…

The unexpected nature of life begins early. We speculate about the approximate date of a child’s birth and then, talk about the child as coming “early” or “late.” We know the day is coming, but the onset of labor is still a surprise. Paul spoke of the unexpected nature of the day of the Lord, saying it “will come…suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child…” (1 Thes. 5:3). The end of life is, likewise, unexpected. Even when we…

The phrase “A group of Americans from the church of Christ saved her life” is being heard in the village of Uman in Mexico. The reason why this phrase is being heard is because a two-year-old was brought to the clinic in the village in Uman where the Beltline members were conducting a medical clinic. The two-year-old girl was very sick and needed quick medical attention or she could lose her life. After the child was seen by the doctor…

Have you ever completed a project and then stepped back and admired what a good job you did on it? Perhaps it was a building project like a picnic table, a set of shelves for the stereo or a birdhouse. Maybe it was a quilt or a gardening project. It could even be the construction of your own house! There’s nothing like the feeling of accomplishment and seeing the results of all of your hard work. Usually, when we finish…

We truly live in the “information age”. The vast amount of knowledge we have available at our finger tips is truly astounding. It would seem that any question we might have can be answered with just a key punch, tap or swipe. In just the past few years the voice recognition technology has advanced such that we don’t have to type the question but just ask it out loud and we’ll get the answer. But as with any advancement of…

Obed was born just a week ago. He doesn’t know it yet, but he was born to bring so much happiness to a couple who could not have any children of their own. Not only happiness to that couple but to the rest of my family and to myself. The couple I am referring to is my youngest sister and her husband. She always wanted to have children of her own, but it was not possible. She always asked to…

On July 4th, 1776, the world was changed forever. The “Thirteen United States of America” came together to declare their independence from Great Britain, which launched the Revolutionary War. Fifty-six individuals signed their name to the document that has cemented itself as one of the most important writings in world history, the Declaration of Independence. Little did they know while signing that document, many were signing their own death warrant for King George. Throughout the Revolutionary War, over 20,000 Americans…

If you ask the captain of a ship what his next destination is, he will tell you in one sentence. He knows where he is going, how he will get there, and how long it will take. On the other hand, suppose a ship left port without a captain and crew and with no aim or direction, what do you think the chances are that it would reach the desired port? Which ship represents your life? What do you plan…