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,…
Announcements on Livestream
Dear Graeber Road Family, As with many of you, Graeber Road has made a lot of changes to its normal way of doing things over the past several months. One of those changes is a significant increase in the content that we have on the internet, particularly on YouTube. Many of you have said that the services and classes on YouTube are important so you can participate in the assemblies from home. We want you to know that we appreciate…
I See You
I recently came across an interesting Zulu word that (as I understand) has no English equivalent. The word is “sawubona” (sah-wu-BOHN-ah). It simply means, “I see you.” Of course, it does not mean on the surface only what we see. It has to do with the value of a person and how much they are worth in the eyes of the speaker. It is, as one man said, a statement of seeing “your hopes, your dreams, where you came from,…
Philippines Mission Letter: June 2020
Click/tap for full PDF July 04, 2020 Dear Brethren, The COVID-19 cases are still increasing in our country. Under our present level of quarantine, only those who are 21 to 59 years old are allowed to avail of essential goods and services. Religious services in our area are allowed up to a maximum of 50 percent of the total seating capacity of religious venues. We continue our house worship for those who are unable to go to the church building…
Don’t Pull That Lever!
Flying through the air in an ejected, fighter-jet seat wasn’t on the man’s agenda for the day. Employees from his firm thought it would be a great idea to surprise the unnamed, 64-year-old French man with a jet ride. As soon as he realized what was taking place, he started to panic. After being talked into getting into one of the three jets which would be participating in the training exercise, his pulse rate began to accelerate, based on the…
Journey’s End
John Gipson, a talented writer and preacher, once wrote about another talented writer. You would not likely know the name, Jozef Korzeniowski. But, you might know the name he took, Joseph Conrad. Conrad is generally considered to be one of the great novelists to write in the English language. A number of Conrad’s stories involved a nautical setting. He seemed to capture the thrill of a sea voyage beginning and ending. The excitement of departure carried great expectation. But, there…