March 14, 2016 · 7:11 am

Praise the Lord!

Freedom woman on sunset sky

Randy Aly tells the story of an elderly sister who dearly loved the Lord and whose cup of joy often overflowed. Her favorite expression was, “Praise the Lord!”

Sometimes during the sermon in worship services, she would just shout, “Praise the Lord!” This display of emotion disturbed the preacher’s train of thought and bothered him. So, he thought about how he might kindly discourage her outbursts.

The woman was very poor, and therefore the minister had an idea. He offered her a parcel of groceries every month only if she refrained from saying “Praise the Lord!” during his sermons. Continue reading →

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March 13, 2016 · 5:00 am

Guilt Free Living

Robert Jeffress wrote in his fine book, Choose your Attitudes, Change your Life, “Guilt is one of the most debilitating of human emotions. It wreaks destruction in our relationships and our spiritual lives. It is also a major cause of depression”

Jeffress is right. Guilt accuses. Guilt condemns. Guilt is mentally draining. Physically demanding. And spiritually disastrous. And we are all guilt of sin. Everyone one of us (Rom 3:23) Continue reading →

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March 11, 2016 · 6:19 am

Bless The Lord

Bless

“Unbelief puts our circumstances between us and God,” wrote F. B. Meyer, “but faith puts God between us and our circumstances.”

We live in an age where many people, including Christians, allow themselves to be paralyzed by their fears, restricted by their disappointments, and confined by their circumstances. We place too much confidence on finite human ingenuity and not enough on the infinite power, protection and providence of God. Continue reading →

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March 10, 2016 · 6:33 am

Does Your Conduct Accurately Reflect Your Faith?

bible.walking

In recent posts I have been critical of the behavior of the Republican candidates running for President. But last night something occurred that you don’t hear very often.

A politician apologized. Acknowledged he was wrong. And vowed to change.

Senator Marco Rubio admitted to Fox’s Megyn Kelly that he regretted his recent personal attacks on front-runner Donald Trump. “I’d do it differently. I really would.” Continue reading →

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March 9, 2016 · 7:02 am

GREAT VERSES OF THE BIBLE: John 17:17

John 17,17

In the Reality TV show called The Republican Primary, business mogul Donald Trump has been calling Texas Senator Ted Cruz “Lying Ted.”

I haven’t done any fact checking on those charges, but do you think that is fair? The answer reminds me of this old joke. “How can you tell when a politician is lying?” Continue reading →

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March 8, 2016 · 6:31 am

Celebrating The Women Of God

Women Ministry

Did you know that today is International Women’s Day?

I didn’t either until I heard it mentioned on the news last night. In fact, I didn’t know what it was. So, of course, I googled it. Their web page reveals the following.

Celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievement of women.  Yet let’s also be aware progress has slowed in many places across the world, so urgent action is needed to accelerate gender parity.  Their 2016 campaign theme is #PledgeForParity

Their web page asked, “How will you mark the day?” Continue reading →

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March 7, 2016 · 6:05 am

Word of the Week: Reconciliation

reconcilation

He was called by one reporter, “a walking billboard for reconciliation.”

Douglas “Pete” Peterson served as a U. S. Air Force captain during the Vietnam War and was shot down during a bombing raid near Hanoi in 1966. For six and a half years he was held as a prisoner of war. He was humiliated. Beaten. Abused. Continue reading →

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March 6, 2016 · 5:59 am

Communion With God

The word “communion” is often used to refer to the Lord’s Supper as in “we take communion every Sunday.” However, it  has a much broader meaning.

The word translated “communion,” from the Greek word “koinonia,” is often translated “fellowship.” It is also rendered “contribution,” “companion.” “partaker,” and “partner.” Continue reading →

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March 4, 2016 · 7:26 am

Being Pure in a Profane World

republican-debate-detroit-gop-train-wreck

I didn’t watch last night’s Republican debate. Did I miss anything?

Did Donald Trump insult anyone? Did the other candidates react with similar retorts? Were they still taking about the size of hands and what that possibly meant? Were there any personal attacks?

Actually I did see a CNN headline this morning that read “Republican Debate Turns Dirty.” Continue reading →

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March 3, 2016 · 6:11 am

The Radical Teachings of Jesus

Radical Jesus Teaching

This quarter at Hickman Mills we are studying Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Though I have read, studied and taught it many times, it is always fresh, rich and challenging with modern-day application.

The study reminded me of a story  related  years ago by Phillip Yancey, in his book “The Jesus I Never Knew,” about a Texas A&M professor, Virginia Stern Owens, who assigned her students to write a short essay on the sermon on the mount. Here’s a sample of some of the student’s reactions: Continue reading →

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