Author Archives: ThePreachersWord

June 23, 2017 · 7:06 am

Who (Or What) Do You Worship?

“Because here’s something else that’s true. In the day-to-day trenches of adult life, there is actually no such thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshiping. Everybody worships.”

I recently saw the above quote posted on facebook by my friend and preaching colleague, Steve Wolfgang. It is from the late David Foster Wallace, an American writer and university instructor of creative writing. I was not familiar with Wallace’s works, although the L. A. Times called him “one of the most influential and innovative writers of the last 20 years.” Continue reading →

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June 22, 2017 · 8:03 am

The Decline of Shame in America

“I only need one,” boasted Bill Cosby, as he waited in a small third-floor conference room that he called “my dressing room.”

It is reported that through his recent trial for drugging and raping Andrea Constand, a former Temple University Basketball Manager, that Cosby was confident in a mistrial.

It turns out that Cosby was correct. The rape trial ended in a hung jury last week. Continue reading →

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June 21, 2017 · 6:40 am

Great Verses of the Bible: Mark 8:34

Some time ago I read a “true story” about a preacher who was standing at the door shaking hands as the congregation departed. He grabbed one man by the hand and pulled him aside.

The preacher said to him, “You need to join the Army of the Lord!”

The man replied, “I’m already in the Army of the Lord, Preacher.”

The preacher questioned, “How come I don’t see you except for Christmas and Easter?” Continue reading →

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June 20, 2017 · 6:48 am

6 Steps of Real Repentance

The British evangelist, Rodney “Gipsy” Smith, tells a story about a man who attended one his evangelistic services one night, was convicted of his sin and accepted Christ.

The next morning he went to the home of a friend and said to him, “Do you recognize that old watch?”

“Why, yes,” answered his friend. “Those are my initials; that is my watch. I lost it eight years ago. How did you get it, and how long have you had it?” Continue reading →

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June 19, 2017 · 7:06 am

Word of the Week: Holiness

H. G. Bosch, in Our Daily Bread, tells about the Ermine, a little animal in the forests of northern Europe and Asia known for his snow-white fur in winter. The Ermine instinctively protects his white coat against anything that would soil it.

Fur hunters take advantage of this unusual trait of the ermine. They don’t set a snare to catch him, but instead they find his home, which is usually a cleft in a rock or a hollow in an old tree. They smear the entrance and interior with grime. Then the hunters set their dogs loose to find and chase the ermine. Continue reading →

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June 16, 2017 · 7:26 am

Who Will Really Follow Jesus?

Have you ever heard a sermon that you knew was true but was radically challenging to the point of making  you feel uncomfortable?

If not, then listen to Gary Henry’s sermon, “Come to Jesus our Example, from the Southside lectures. If you’ve heard such a lesson, I would suggest adding this one to your must listen list.

Gary’s thesis was following the example of Jesus is more challenging than we usually think of it. Too often we “cherry pick” the scriptures that we like. Isolate the aspects of Jesus that appeal to us. And thus to fail to really see the total picture who Jesus is. And how He serves as our example. Continue reading →

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June 15, 2017 · 7:28 am

5 Reasons To Rejoice in Jesus

Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., was a member of the U.S. Supreme Court for 30 years. His mind, wit and work earned him the unofficial title of “the greatest justice since John Marshall.”

One time Justice Holmes was asked about his career choice. He answered by saying, “I might have entered the ministry if certain clergymen I knew had not looked and acted so much like undertakers.” Continue reading →

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June 14, 2017 · 5:11 am

How Do You Find Strength to Endure The Storms of Life?

“Some days life is hard. Some days life is harder,” observed Wilson Adams yesterday morning in his lecture “Come to Jesus for Strength to Endure.”

Norma Jean and I are attending the Southside Lectures in Pasadena, Texas, near Houston, and being encouraged and uplifted by the theme “Come to Jesus.

Wilson’s lesson spoke to the common lot of humankind. Job expressed it this way: “Man who is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble” (Job 14:1). Everyone experiences trouble. Trial. Temptation. And adversity. That’s life. The key is not to look at it as something that happens to you. But to see it as an occasion to learn, grow and become stronger. Continue reading →

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June 13, 2017 · 6:37 am

Jesus: The Only Way to God

Last Wednesday Russell Vought, nominee for the Deputy Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, was hammered by Senator Bernie Sanders.

Following a tense exchange of questions and answers, in which Sanders referred to a 2016 op-ed post by Vought, calling it “hateful,” “indefensible” and “Islamophobic,” the Senator concluded, “..this nominee is not really what this country is supposed to be about.”

So what did Vought write that was so offensive? Continue reading →

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June 12, 2017 · 5:12 am

Word of the Week: Generosity

John Wesley, the 18th-century British evangelist, author, and theologian, was known to live a very frugal lifestyle during economically uncertain times.

From humble beginnings, Wesley became so well known that he earned 1400 pounds a year. Today this would be the equivalent of about $300,000. So what did Wesley do with his wealth? Continue reading →

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