Monthly Archives: December 2018

December 20, 2018 · 7:24 am

End of the Year Reflections

 

The only constant in life is change,” opined ancient Greek philosopher, Heraclitus.

Indeed, change has been the constant for Norma Jean and me during 2018. We have moved from a stable, local church work, to an itinerant ministry where I have preached at 20 different congregations–some on multiple occasions. Our travels have taken us to 18 states and 8 countries.

To paraphrase Mark Twain, the reports of my retirement have been greatly exaggerated. In fact, I have probably preached this year as much or more than any time in my life, for which I am deeply thankful. God has blessed us abundantly with good health, adequate resources, and wonderful opportunities. Continue reading →

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December 19, 2018 · 7:11 am

Great Verses of the Bible: Isaiah 7:14


Little Emma came running out of Bible class to her waiting Mother triumphantly waving a picture that she had drawn shouting, “Mommy! Mommy! My teacher says I drew the most unusual picture she has ever seen!”

The mother took the picture from her little Emma’s hands. Studied it for a moment. And agreed with the teacher.

“What were you studying?’ She asked.

“The birth of Jesus” Emma replied. Continue reading →

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December 18, 2018 · 7:09 am

Managing Distractions During Worship

Recently we wrote about our involvement in worship, Moving From a Noun to A Verb, that apparently prompted a reader to find a 6-year-old post, Hindrances to Worship.

In that post, we discussed some things that detract and distract our attention from worshiping God in the assembly. The post elicited this question from the reader: “What are some of the strategies for overcoming these distractions while we are worshiping God?” Continue reading →

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December 17, 2018 · 6:48 am

Word of the Week: Assurance

A fellow by the name of Dwight Nelson recently told a true story about a preacher in a small town whose kitten climbed a tree in his backyard and then was afraid to come down.

The preacher coaxed the kitty with warm milk, but it wouldn’t budge. The tree was not sturdy enough to climb, so the preacher decided that if he tied a rope to his car he could bend the tree down enough to get the kitten. He did all this, checking his progress frequently. But as he moved the car a little further forward, the rope broke. The tree went “boing!” and the kitten instantly sailed through the air–out of sight. Continue reading →

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December 14, 2018 · 8:00 am

Voices That Call

This morning while reading Revelation chapter 11, I had a flashback down memory lane. One that first produced a slight chuckle in the early morning darkness. Then a warm feeling inside. And then some personal introspection.

Verses 11 and 12 reminded me of a sermon I heard Robert Jackson preach 50 years ago.   Of course, I may remember it so well because l “borrowed” and preached it several times in my early days of ministry. Continue reading →

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December 13, 2018 · 7:13 am

A Blasphemous Abuse of Baptism

 

The Church of England, according to a report from the ChristianNews.Net will begin a baptism-style celebration for transgenders announcing their new sexual identity.

“The apostatized Church of England,” wrote Heather Clark on CNN, “has released new guidance for “parishes planning services to help transgender people mark their transition,” a move that has raised concerns among those who were already worried about the direction of the denomination.”

In a news release, the Church of England both encouraged and welcomed “the affirmation of trans people.” They equated it with diversity in the Body of Christ “into which all Christians have been baptized by one Spirit.” Continue reading →

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December 12, 2018 · 7:32 am

Great Verses of the Bible: Isaiah 41:10

Christianity Today called it the “most popular Bible verse for 2018.”

According to the outstanding Bible ap YouVersion, which has been installed on over 350 million devices in every country in the world, this Bible verse has been shared, bookmarked, and highlighted most often by the global YouVersion Community during 2018.” Continue reading →

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December 11, 2018 · 7:31 am

5 Guidelines for Disagreeing with Fellow Christians

Some time ago one of our regular readers requested that I write something regarding “How Should Christians disagree with each other?

Experience tells us that good men and women with honorable intentions can have disagreements. We can hold conflicting opinions. And reach different conclusions. The challenge is how do we get along when we disagree? Continue reading →

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December 10, 2018 · 6:59 am

Word of the Week: Certainty

Dr. David Edwin Harrell, Jr. is a social historian with an impressive academic resume. He’s known nationally for his expertise and scholarship of religious history as evidenced by his authorship of several books, interviews on news programs and papers published in professional journals.

To those of us who know him, he’s Ed Harrell, a beloved brother and faithful proclaimer of God’s Word.

I once heard Ed relate the story about a young man who was prone to some speculative religious thinking and justifying it by saying he was “thinking outside the box.” Continue reading →

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December 7, 2018 · 7:09 am

Worship: Moving From A Noun To A Verb

H. E. Phillips was a well-known gospel preacher of the 20th century. He lived and preached in Tampa, Florida, during the time I attended Florida College in the late 1960’s. For many years he was the editor of a religious journal, “Searching the Scriptures.”

It was during that time that he decided to have the Bible recorded on tape. Bro. Phillips hired a Shakespearian actor, Richard Lupino, to narrate the texts. Interestingly, Lupino didn’t know anything about the Bible. So H.E. would explain to him the characters and the setting and then Lupino would do an interpretative reading of it. To show how little he knew, when he came to the section about Paul, he asked Phillips, “Paul? Is he a good guy or a bad guy?” Continue reading →

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