Decades ago, while pastoring a previous church, some interesting things happened. A few weeks after starting at the church, I was there alone and decided to snoop around. There I was looking through closets and other storage areas. Everything was what you would expect stored inside a church. A lot of seasonal decorations, costumes, and … Continue reading What About The Children?
Lord
What You Don’t Know Will Hurt You
Years ago, I played in a church basketball league. For this particular game, I had the keys to the building in which we were going to play. I arrived about two hours early. It had snowed about an inch and a half that day, and the parking lot had not yet been plowed. I parked … Continue reading What You Don’t Know Will Hurt You
Reconciliation
When reading or studying the Bible, it is always helpful to note when God repeats Himself. Look for the same words or phrases that are duplicated over the span of a few verses or a chapter. On a broader scale, a word study throughout the Bible can be very interesting. Pick a word, then look … Continue reading Reconciliation
The Fruits of Saving Faith
When a person places faith in the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ as their only means of salvation, they are saved (John 3:14-19, 36; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 3:28; Romans 4:5; Galatians 2:16; John 5:24; Acts 16:30-31; Titus 3:5). At the moment of salvation, a person receives the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9; Titus 3:5-6; … Continue reading The Fruits of Saving Faith
Who Is The Final Authority?
When someone goes to a restaurant, they want to see a smile on the waitress's face. They desire a server who is friendly, professional, clean, knowledgeable about the menu, and quick to notice that drinks are running low. Now, instead of a waitress coming to your table to take your order, here comes the dishwasher. … Continue reading Who Is The Final Authority?
Church
Countryside Baptist celebrated its forty-first anniversary yesterday. The church started on the first Sunday of May 1985. Bill Howard was the original Pastor, and I came along ten years later. It was a wonderful day! We had a slideshow with pictures going all the way back to the beginning, presented gifts to the congregation, and … Continue reading Church
The Importance of the Cross
About once a quarter, our local fairgrounds hosts a "Vendors and Yard Sale Day," where both professionals and locals rent spaces to sell their items. Our church will often acquire space at these events. We don’t sell a thing; we give things away. In December, we gave away ten different styles of tree ornaments that … Continue reading The Importance of the Cross
Who Is Jesus?
Easter is less than two weeks away. For some families, it's a significant day with morning church services and often new clothes for the event. For many, it is the only day they attend church, aside from possibly Christmas. For others, it is just another Sunday. I am always encouraging people to know what they … Continue reading Who Is Jesus?
The Acceleration Of Ezekiel 38
Since Israel became a nation again in 1948, Ezekiel 38 has been one of the most discussed and written about prophecies in the Bible. Building on this, Ezekiel 38 describes a coming invasion of Israel by (using modern names) Russia, Iran, Ethiopia, Sudan, Libya, and Turkey. In Biblical language, Gomer is also mentioned, but scholars … Continue reading The Acceleration Of Ezekiel 38
It All Melts
For the most part, everyone wants to keep their stuff. Yes, there are those people of whom we say, “He’d give his shirt off his back if someone asked for it.” This is true of some people, but in reality, the percentage of people willing to give up everything is quite small. We had a … Continue reading It All Melts
Preacher's Point 