Author Archives: ThePreachersWord

Word of the Week: Diligence

“I hated shining shoes in Basic Training,” recalls Nebraska preacher John Telgren.

“There were other things I would rather be doing.” John said “instead of sitting on the floor with a brush and mounds of cotton balls stained with black Kiwi shoe polish. If our boots and dress shoes were not perfect we paid for it dearly.”

He relates a story where one of the guys in his unit discovered a product called “Shine Sponge” that was supposed to produce an effortless shine just by applying the product with a sponge. Almost everyone tried it and it produced “almost an unearthly shine” on their footwear. Continue reading

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Serendipities of Church Membership

Last Saturday, for only the second time in my life I missed a preaching appointment during a meeting due to sickness. I don’t know if was something I ate, or just a “24 bug,” but I hadn’t been that sick in a long time.

As a result, I not only missed preaching Saturday night, but a Cracker Barrel breakfast with the elders and several brethren, and a steak dinner with two other couples. Continue reading

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Weekly Recap: June 5-10

Good morning from Beverly Hills, FL

June is a busy month for us.  Just returned from an 8-day trip with a weekend meeting in Parkersburg, WVA, and speaking on the Cornerstone summer series in Centerville, Ohio.  We’ll be back at Cornerstone on June 14, 21, and 28 addressing “Tough Questions on the Existence of God.”  Here’s a link to our lesson on “Does God Exist?”

Plus we will be preaching at the West Citrus church on Sundays, June 12, 19, and 26.  If you’re in the area of Crystal River or Inverness, come and visit us. Continue reading

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Friday’s List To Live By #88


In his neat book, “How to Retire Happy, Wild and Free,” Ernie J. Zelinski, has a chapter entitled, “Happiness Doesn’t Care How You Get There.”

In it, he encouraged retired people to stay active, engaged, and energized. He says it’s not a time to sleep, watch TV, sit in a rocking chair, or “follow the herd.” Rather make positive lifestyle choices that will produce personal satisfaction and true happiness.

Here are some of the questions Zelinki says we ought to ask ourselves at least once a year. Continue reading

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Get Out Of Your Aquarium

Charles Simpson tells a story about meeting a young man who dives for exotic fish for aquariums.

The young man said one of the most popular aquarium fish is the shark. He explained that if you catch a small shark and confine it, it will stay a size proportionate to the aquarium. Sharks can be six inches long yet fully matured. But if you turn them loose in the ocean, they grow to their normal length of eight feet. Continue reading

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Psalm 144

“A Song to the Lord Who Preserves and Prospers His People,” is the heading in my Bible to this Psalm.

However, have you ever wondered in times of affliction, adversity, and sorrow, “where is the Lord?”

Have you ever felt so vulnerable, defenseless, and unsafe that you didn’t feel protected?

Have you ever suffered through periods of failure, loss, or poverty that prosperity seemed like a far distant, unrealistic dream? Continue reading

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When Sin Becomes Normalized

Jim McGuire, an alumnus of River Valley High School in Marion County, Ohio, has sparked public outrage over his commencement speech to the graduates last Friday.

“My jaw dropped to the floor, and I honestly thought I was hearing it wrong,” said a 2018 River Valley graduate, Alexis Osipow. She said she was “outraged” and was further dismayed when people were clapping in approval of McGuire’s statement.

So, what did he say that was so outrageous? Continue reading

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Word of the Week: Values

The devotional booklet Our Daily Bread relates a story about a man who loved old books.

One day he met an acquaintance who had just thrown away a Bible that had been stored in the attic of his ancestral home for generations. “I couldn’t read it,” the friend explained. “Somebody named Guten-something had printed it.” Continue reading

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Worship and Thankfulness

Plutarch who lived from 46 to 120 A.D. once wrote, “The worship most acceptable to God comes from a thankful and cheerful heart.” The Psalmist often coupled the spirit of thanksgiving with worship to God.

“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving. And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.” (Ps. 100:4) Continue reading

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Weekly Recap May 29-June 3

Good morning from Parkersburg, WVA.

I’m in a weekend meeting at the Marrtown Road church presenting my series on Home Improvement. It’s my first time here. So, we’re enjoying making new friends and sharing these vitally important topics.

From here, we’re heading over to Centerville, Ohio, where I’m speaking Tuesday night at the Cornerstone Church, beginning their summer series entitled, “Tough Questions on the Existence of God.”  My assignment is the keynote address that considers the question, “Does God Exist?” Continue reading

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