Category Archives: Discipleship

Greetings from Gatlinburg

After a wonderful week sharing the Word with the brethren at the Christian Home  Church in Butler County, KY, we have made our annual Fall foliage trip to the Great Smoky  Mountains.

This Sunday and the following Sunday, I will be preaching at the Cosby Church, 15 miles east of Gatlinburg on 321.  It’s a lovely, easy drive.  If you visit, you will enjoy the fellowship of these fine brethren.  They are served by their 93-year-old preacher, Olie Williamson, who preaches every Sunday, unless he can twist the arm of a guest preacher! Olie is amazing.  He still plays golf twice a week. And along with his lovely wife, Mary, he is a servant leader for this little mountain church and community. Continue reading →

Jonathan Banning is one of the fine young preachers in our brotherhood today. He is a co-laborer with Don Truex at the Temple Terrace Church.

On their church facebook page, which I recommend, Jonathan shares some excellent, thought-provoking posts. Here’s one I recently read that may challenge your current view of church attendance.

Don’t skip it because you are a regular attender. You may be the one who needs to reflect on this the most. Continue reading →

Have you ever felt like you were living a righteous life–reading your Bible, praying daily, worshiping God, participating in fellowship, serving others, growing in discipleship–yet life still seemed unfair, hard, and nerve-wracking?

If so, you’re not alone. Continue reading →

Various news outlets report the remarkable yet sobering story of a 27-year-old Chinese student studying in Japan who was rescued from Mt. Fuji. Not once, but twice. And within the span of four days.

According to authorities, the student was airlifted from Mt. Fuji due to climbing difficulties. Following the rescue, he realized he had left behind some personal possessions, including his cell phone. So, he returned to retrieve his belongings. Continue reading →

In Oprah Winfrey’s lifetime achievement award acceptance speech at the 2018 Golden Globes, she said, “What I know for sure is that speaking your truth is the most powerful tool we all have.”

“Your truth.”

“Those two words are so entrenched in our lexicon today that we hardly recognize them for the incoherent nightmare that they are,” wrote Brett McCracken in The Wisdom Pyramid. Continue reading →

In his book Not Too Old, David Faust recounts the story of the writer George Plimpton, renowned for his writing about sports.

By the time he died in 2003, at age 76, Plimpton had experienced “an amazing variety of adventures.”

He boxed against Sugar Ray Robinson and Archie Moore, who gave him a bloody nose. He trained with the Detroit Lions’ football team, played golf with Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, and pitched less than one inning in an exhibition baseball game. Continue reading →

“My husband, Charlie. He wanted to save young men, just like the one who took his life,” shared Charlie’s widow, Erika, in an emotional memorial service on Sunday for the slain political activist.

Erika quoted Jesus’ statement about those who were crucifying Him in Luke 23:34. “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Continue reading →

One Sunday, a preacher took two jars to the pulpit and set them on a table. They looked identical. “These jars,” he told the congregation, “came from the same factory. They were made of the same materials, and they hold the same amount of liquid. But they are different.” Continue reading →