Winding the Clock
Sitting on the shelf in my office is a beautiful hand-made mantle clock that sat on the mantle of my grandparents’ house for many years. Every time it chimes, it takes me back to the old house in Chandler, Texas. I love this clock (including the accuracy of time, the steady ticking, the hypnotic swings of the pendulum, and the hourly chimes), yet I come in on Monday morning and see a clock that is about “wound down.” So, the…
Honor to God the Spirit
Sometimes, we can be so afraid that we might say something incorrect about the topic of the Holy Spirit that we might not say anything at all! As some disciples said, “we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit” (Acts 19:2). I’ve heard well-intentioned men pray, “Thank you God for what You and Jesus planned for us…” Or we might hear people saying, “I want to do what pleases God and Jesus.” I am tempted to ask,…
Philippines Mission Letter: August 2020
Click/tap for full PDF September 4, 2020 Dear Brethren May the Lord continue to provide your needs, keep you safe, and healthy. We thank the Lord always for His continued guidance and blessings and for the opportunity He has given us to continue planting and watering the seed of salvation into the hearts of the people referred to us by our brothers and sisters for Bible studies. Most of those that we are teaching were raised in Catholicism and there…
“AI Jesus”
The headline reads, “Engineer’s ‘AI Jesus’ goes on to make terrifying apocalyptic prophecy.” That’ll get someone’s attention. “AI” stands for “artificial intelligence.” While the “artificial” part of the title makes sense, the “intelligence” aspect is silliness. An engineer and quantum researcher wrote an artificially intelligent algorithm which “learned” language by only reading the Bible. From there, the program was tasked with making “prophecies” based on the information it had acquired from “reading” the King James Version of the Bible. The…
Spiritual Growth
Parents are rightly concerned about the physical development of their children. They will keep a close check on the height and weight of growing children. They will encourage them to eat food that will be healthy and will help them to grow stronger. Christians, of all ages, need to be concerned about our spiritual development. There is inspired exhortation for us to grow. In I Peter 2:2, the apostle writes, “…as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word,…
On Being a Drill Sergeant in Bible Boot Camp
Despite the funny looks I got from some of you (read: a lot of you) for wearing the Army green shirt and camouflage pants most Wednesday nights this summer, let me say this: I had a blast teaching Bible Boot Camp! Here are a few great lessons I appreciated being a drill sergeant in boot camp this summer: We are blessed with really great kids here. Every one of them improved over the course of the summer in learning about…
“’Faith Over Fear’ or ‘Fear Over Faith’?”
Which of these best describe my life? An honest evaluation is hard to do. I’m sure we all want to be described as someone who lives with “faith over fear,” yet how can I know when fear is trumping my faith or when faith begins to be overshadowed by my fear? Consider these questions: Do I often think about the physical ramifications of my decisions more than the spiritual ramifications of my decisions? Jesus cautioned that we “do not fear…
Christian Freedom of Speech
Freedom of speech as Americans means simply that we have the ability to express opinions, criticisms, and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship or legal sanction. It’s built into our governmental charter. Yet, notice that there are still limits to the things we may say as Americans. We cannot threaten to do harm to governmental leaders without repercussions. We cannot slander a person with no consequences. Nor can we expect that we have our freedom of speech in another country…
Philippines Mission Letter: July 2020
Click/tap for full PDF August 4, 2020 Dear Brethren, The COVID-19 confirmed cases in our country are rapidly increasing. Our healthcare workers have already warned our government and the public for a possible collapse of our healthcare system if the soaring infections could not be controlled. Some provinces have already been put under stricter lockdown again. The present level of quarantine in our area only allows those who are 21 to 59 years old to go out and observing the…
Cutting Each Other Off
Talk about going to extremes! A man in Maine took a Sawzall and cut his neighbor’s garage in half. Since part of the structure was on his property, Gabriel Brawn had a legal right to do it. The overlapping garage hadn’t been a problem for years, as his relationship with the previous neighbor was amiable. After the neighbor died, and the new residents moved in, the conflicts began over a boundary dispute, and the animosity between the two parties escalated. …
Can People Change?
Wayne Jackson, in my opinion, is one of the best students of the Bible the church has produced in our lifetime. His articles, books, and commentaries have blessed numerous lives. Jackson once wrote an article titled, “Skeptics Who Could Not Dispute The Evidence.” It gave examples of several men who, at one time in life, opposed the word of God and openly challenged the validity of it. But, each man changed his view. The story of one of those men,…
“Our High Priest is Greater!”
Do we truly appreciate the work of Jesus as our High Priest? Reading through Hebrews 5, the writer is comparing the role of the Jewish high priest and then beginning to look closely at the high priestly ministry of Jesus. A keyword for the book of Hebrews is “better” and shows Jesus to be far greater than the Old Testament system of approaching God through an earthly mediator. Consider a few points from Hebrews 5 about the greatness of Jesus,…