A few years ago the Josephson Institute of Ethics surveyed 25,000 High Schools students and found 98% of the teens said it was important to be a person of good character, 90% said that being a good person is more important than being rich, and 94% said that trust and honesty are essential in business. However, their behavior didn’t match. Continue reading
Filed under Great Bible Verses
“Is virtue making a comeback,” asked Cal Thomas in a recent column.
“Rarely has the idiom ‘virtue is its own reward’ looked better than it does in light of the sex scandals sweeping the nation,” opined the nationally syndicated columnist. “The so-called “prudishness,” of a previous generation and the respect most men were once taught to have for women — and which Hugh Hefner and his disciples of “free love” mocked — are looking better with each passing day.” Continue reading
Filed under Morality
As I watched them tear a building down
A gang of men in a busy town
With a ho-heave-ho, and a lusty yell
They swung a beam and the side wall fell
I asked the foreman, “Are these men skilled,
And the men you’d hire if you wanted to build?”
He gave a laugh and said, “No, indeed,
Just common labor is all I need.” Continue reading
Filed under Word of the Week
Kate McClure’s miscalculation has blessed the lives of thousands, if not millions of people. And drastically changed the life of Johnny Bobbitt.
Late one November night the New Jersey woman ran out of gas on Interstate 95 on her way to Philadelphia. After coasting down the exit ramp, McClure said, “I pulled over as far as I could and got out of the car to head to the nearest gas station. That’s when I met Johnny. He told me to get back in the car and lock the doors. A few minutes later, he comes back with a red gas can. Using his last 20 dollars to make sure I could get home safe.”
Filed under compassion
It was 76 years ago that early on Sunday morning, December 7, 1941, Japan attacked our naval and airbase at Pearl Harbor. It was a surprise and unprovoked attack that propelled the USA into World War II. President Franklin D. Roosevelt called it “a date that will live in infamy.” On this anniversary of Pearl Harbor, there are several thoughts with spiritual applications that come to mind. Continue reading
Filed under Uncategorized
In the summer of 1963 a family friend, Buddy Fehrman, took me with him to preach for a little country church outside of Bloomington, Indiana. That was my first sermon.
During my Junior and Senior years of High School, the brethren gave me opportunities to preach on an appointment basis throughout central Indiana. I attended Florida College with one goal in my mind. To preach the gospel of Christ. During my college years, I was preaching on a regular basis.
In the 49 years Norma Jean and I have been married I have been preaching. Most of the time in a located work. Our ministry has taken us to Ohio, back to Florida twice, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, and now Texas.
But now the time has come for us to begin a new chapter in our lives. Continue reading
Filed under Preaching
A crowded Southwest flight was canceled because of a mechanical problem. A single gate agent was re-booking a long line of inconvenienced travelers.
Suddenly an angry passenger pushed his way to the desk. He slapped his ticket down on the counter and said, “I HAVE to be on this flight,”
The agent replied, “I’m sorry, sir. I’ll be happy to try to help you, but I’ve got to help these people first, and I’m sure we’ll be able to work something out.” Continue reading
Filed under Uncategorized
The late, great General Douglas MacArthur once wrote about a lesson he learned when he was a student at West Point.He was studying “time-space relationship formulated by Einstein as his Theory of Relativity.” MacArthur said the text was complex and difficult to comprehend. So, he simply committed the pages to memory. Continue reading
Filed under Word of the Week
Yesterday’s post, How to Deal with Personal Offenses, was in response to a reader’s question regarding Matthew 18:15-17. If you missed it, please read it first. It will provide the context as we continue this discussion. Continue reading
Filed under Repentance
In my 50 years of preaching the one problem I’ve found that is pretty consistent in all churches regardless of size, culture, or local customs is the challenge of maintaining good relationships.
Specifically, how do you deal with a personal offense from a brother or sister in Christ?
Recently a reader wrote to ask my perspective on Matthew 18. This post is in response to her questions. Continue reading
Filed under Forgiveness
ThePreachersWord 