Politics is a subject I actively avoid. It is one that is dominated by opinion, and when anyone is contradicted concerning their preferred candidate, it is taken personally and is a great way to start an argument.
Read MoreHumans. As a whole, we really are stupid. It’s common for us to only think as the individual when we shouldn't and only think as a group when we shouldn”t. This is how we destroy ourselves.
Read MoreI asked my teenage daughter about what I should write for this article. She said, “Write about raising teenagers in Christ.” So I did.
Read MoreIn my youth, I spent a great deal of time around horses. One of the first lessons I learned is that they are incredibly strong.
Read MoreIn German legend, he is Mephistopheles. The Quran calls him Iblis. Shakespear’s “King Lear” designated him the Prince of Darkness. The Pharisees referred to him as Beelzebub. Christians know him as the Adversary (Satan) and the Accuser (Devil), the enemy of all mankind. Not many like to discuss this being. Some even contend that he doesn’t exist. In this article, I would like to study about the one John calls the Dragon, Rev. 20:2, and his dealings with mankind.
Read MoreIt’s a crazy world in which we live. I will tell you a secret though; it always has been. Solomon wrote, “The thing that has been is what will be, and that which is done is that which will be done; and there is no new thing sunder the sun.” (Ecc. 1:9)
Read MoreLet’s be serious here. An honest Christian is not comfortable talking about sex. Embarrassment is the common reaction to even the mention of the word. There are, of course, plenty of subjects that are uncomfortable subjects, but this one is a doozy.
Read MoreMost, if not all, watch television. A 2015 study shows that the average American household contains 2.3 televisions. (I wonder how big a .3 tv is, too.) We spend a great deal of our leisure time watching movies, shows, YouTube videos, the list is endless. (I don’t know about other moms, but I put on shows such as Andy Griffith while I’m cleaning house. It has to be something I’ve already seen, or I will get distracted and stand with my cleaning gloves on and a washcloth in my hand while staring at the screen.) It’s a form of entertainment just about every American knows and in which we participate, and it can be addictive. “Binge watching” is a thing.
Read MoreIf one were to look at the statistics, it is a truth that women are more prone to worry and anxiety than men. Psychological studies show that this can be attributed to several factors; each gender’s social differences, hormones, size and strength, even sense of morality. It is agreed throughout the medical community that women, due to their worry, are better at staying alive than men - however, we are also more commonly diagnosed with anxiety disorders than men. The Holy Spirit commanded through the apostle Paul that we “be anxious in nothing”, Phil. 4:6. If we as women are both physically and psychologically disposed to worry, how can we keep this command? Let’s find out what God’s word has to say about the matter. If anyone can answer this question, it is our Creator.
Read MoreI stood on my front porch one evening during a thunderstorm and watched bolts of lightning, one after the other, strike at random. Just as I decided to go back inside, a bolt struck so close to my house that it nearly knocked me back, blinding me with light. I immediately thought to myself, “It’s a miracle that didn’t hit something!!!” I didn’t think anything of it until I saw a video on Facebook of a bolt of lightning striking a tree and causing it to explode. The tree stood by itself in an open field. I thought, “It’s a miracle that bolt of lightning hit the only tree in that field!” That’s when I decided to put Google to the test and see if I could learn something about lightning. As it turned out, everything I saw was absolutely natural and explainable by natural laws. That led to my investigation into miracles.
Read MoreA great number of people seek this joy. Unfortunately, only few find it…
Read MoreWhat God leaves unsaid speaks volumes.
Read MoreThe Power of Words (Lk. 22:24-34)
1. Before and After
-Talking Before Thinking
-Words of Wisdom
2. Wrong and Right
- 3 wrong: idle, irate, ignorant
- 3 right: Wise Words, Softly Spoken, For Edification
3. Break or Build
-The Power of Words
-Wreckingball Words
-Structural Speaking
Read MoreI can never get enough Bible study. I am always dissatisfied with not knowing as much as I would like, not being able to recall information any time the questions are asked or the subject is discussed, or just being ignorant because I haven’t learned the information yet. I understand that I don’t have as much time and experience under my belt yet as do my elder brothers and sisters in Christ, but my aim is to be as wise in scripture as those who have gone on before me when I myself am elder, if the Good Lord wills me a long life.
Read MoreI got up this morning and went through my usual routine: wake up the child, get dressed and ready, ask why the child isn’t dressed and ready yet, drink my gallon of coffee, take the small one to school, return home, get to work. As my day went - washing the dishes and the laundry, walking the dog, taking the items I had cleaned out of the closet to the appropriate places, cooking and eating lunch, cleaning the living room, mowing the lawn, making sure I’m drinking enough water,…
Read MoreIn order to come to an understanding of what constitutes an unhealthy home, we must first define a healthy one. God describes the tools needed to establish a healthy home in Ephesians chapters 5-6; how husband and wife should behave toward one another, how children should behave toward parents, and how parents should behave toward children. In Jeremiah chapter 35, Jeremiah tells us of a family known as the Rechabites. God contrasts the disobedience of Judah to the obedience of the sons of Jonadab. Jonadab had taught his sons how to respect authority and be obedient, whether it be toward him or God. God commends Jonadab and his sons, concluding that his household will always have a man that will stand before God. Positive peer pressure. Abraham was given the same commendation (Gen. 18:19). We see in this a healthy home.
Read MoreWhen I was a child, my family and I often went to visit my grandparents in Knoxville. Since it wasn’t very far from the Smokies, and since my grandfather loved to hike, we spent many summer days on a trail or picnicking in the park with the family. I and my brother and sister or cousins would usually stop every few feet on the trails to investigate whatever had caught our attention; a flower, a rock, a reptile, a mud puddle that needed disturbing. We often frustrated the adults that were trying to get to the feature at the end of the trail. Pictures were taken of the group with a waterfall or a scenic overlook as the background. Very rare are the pictures of the small things the children thought just as fascinating. For most of those small things, all I have are memories. The photographs of the feature at the end of the trail serve to remind me of those times that meant something very different to me then than it does now.
Read MoreWe as the fallible humans that have been made in the image of God often have conflicting ideas concerning forgiveness. Our sinful nature would have us to hold grudges and forgive but never forget. Scripture teaches, however, that we can control that sinful nature and bring it under subjection to the law of Christ (Romans 7-8). The words of forgiveness Jesus spoke while in agony on the cross are the words that ring in the life of a faithful Christian that would forgive the way God forgives. What does scripture say about how God forgives? Let’s see.
Read MoreI hadn’t seen a sign of life for miles. It was a desolate road trip home; the kind that makes you wonder if you screamed for your life, would there be anyone near enough to hear you? Then I saw it -- a light in the distance. As I got nearer, it was a fueling station with, I hoped, a bathroom.
Read MoreThis is a basic Bible study that can be used as a starting point to share with our friends and neighbors as to why we believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and His church is the body of the saved.
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