While on our annual anniversary blogging break, we’re reblogging past posts. This one is from 9 years ago on this date. Its message is an excellent reminder about our relationship in Christ and how we’re supposed to treat one another.
Kinship. I just got to thinking about it. I’m not sure why. It’s not a word you hear used a lot anymore. You used to. Someone would say, “I know your kin folks!” Or “Are you all kin?”
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For 2 1/2 years, we published 175 posts with this column heading, “It’s Friday. But Sunday’s Coming!” Here’s one of those posts from 6 years ago. For newer readers who’ve never read this column, you might enjoy exploring some other posts from this category.
We’ve all experienced it. The roller coaster of emotions. The highs and lows of life. Exhilaration to exhaustion. Excitement to Discouragement. Hope to despair.
Life is a mixture of good and bad. Sunshine and rain. Pay raises. But unexpected bills. The birth of baby. The death of a grandmother. A joyful wedding. A bitter divorce. Health and sickness.
But think of the incredible range of emotions the disciples of Christ experienced in just three days?
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Today’s reblog is an 8-year-old post that has universal application. The idea for this post came from a sermon I heard by Robert Jackson during my college years. Its message really resonated with me. I hope it will with you too.
Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus.
Do you know who they are? In what book of the Bible are they mentioned? Old or New Testament? You won’t find them in Hebrews 11–The Spiritual “Hall of Fame.”
More than likely they are reserved for the answer to a Bible Trivia game. They are filed under Miscellaneous. Unidentified. Or unknown.
Give up?
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With all the negativity, anger, and fear that’s filling the airwaves, social media, and the minds of many people today, this past post and this verse might prove to be “just what the doctor ordered” to help you feel better. Try it.
Norman Cousins, who was the editor-in chief of the Saturday Review for over 35 years, was told in 1964 that he only had a few months to live. He had a rare disease of the connective tissues called Ankylosing Spondylitis. He was told to “get his affairs in order” since he had only 1 chance in 500 to live.
However, Cousins would not accept the diagnosis. He then did something unheard of and unprecedented. He fired his doctor. Left the hospital. Checked into a hotel. And began to research a solution to his problem.
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I’m on my annual anniversary blogging break. So, I’m not writing any new posts, but reblogging some past posts. Here’s one from 5 years ago, that has universal application. For all times. And for all people.
Obstacles are a part of life everyone encounters them. They may come in the form of financial reverses, family problems, spiritual challenges, or physical ailments. But one thing is certain, obstacles will come into our lives.
But why? Why do we have to endure obstacles? How do they add value to our lives? And why does God allow Christians to endure obstacles? As an answer consider the following story.
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Today, I’m beginning my annual anniversary blogging break. So, for next week we’ll not be publishing any new posts, but if possible reblog some past posts.
This post is from 9 years ago, so most of our regular readers today probably haven’t seen it. It raises several thought-provoking questions regarding purpose that are worthy of your serious reflection.
The Taj Mahal is regarded as one of the “Seven Wonders of the World.” It is called “the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world’s heritage.”
The Temple’s inspiration was supposedly based on the great love the Moguel emperor Shah Jahn had for his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. When she died he was devastated. Grief stricken, he ordered this edifice erected as her final resting place. No expense would be spared in honoring his beloved.
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Although the Olympic Games in Toyoko felt different this year with the COVID restrictions, lack of fans, and the tape delays, it still offered some exciting photo finishes, world records broken, and real-life lessons.
Sifian Hassan, a Netherlands female long-distance runner, displayed incredible determination and perseverance in the 1500 meter heat.
With one lap to go, a runner ahead of her tripped, creating a domino effect. Hassan tried and failed to jump over the fallen runner and then fell down herself. Continue reading
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““They can burn our houses, they can burn our food—but they cannot burn Jesus out of me.”
These are the words from a minister in Mozambique, whose fellow believers, family, and entire village suffered horrific violent persecution at the hands of Islamic insurgents.
An August 3rd article by Stefani McDade in Christianity Today magazine details the extent of the assaults perpetrated on those who identify as “Christian.” Continue reading
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Nancy Kennedy is a columnist for our local paper, the Citrus County Chronicle, and the author of several books.
In last Saturday’s religious section, Nancy relates a 2013 story of a preacher, Caleb Kaltenbach, who went into a Simi Valley, California, Costco and saw a Bible in the fiction section.
Thinking it was simply a shelving error, it struck him as ironic and somewhat humorous, so he took a picture and posted it to Twitter. Continue reading
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Our Wednesday evening Bible class at the West Citrus Church is studying the beatitudes.
Last night we studied “Blessed are the persecuted…” We noted that conflict between Christians and the world is inevitable because there has always been conflict between God and satan.
With that, someone said, “Well, a lot of people don’t believe in the devil.” Continue reading
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ThePreachersWord 