I have nothing. That was one of the first thoughts that went through my mind as I realized it was my turn to offer something up for our readers this week. “I have nothing.” Zip. Nada. Not even an inkling of an idea. Then that idea began to resonate with me. It is true: I have nothing. I never do. Anything I can offer you as food for thought comes straight from God. I either get ideas directly from His word, His blessings in my life, or His providential care. As I began to explore that idea, I found that it is actually a pretty deep thought. Consider Jehovah’s words,…

I find the phrase “filling the pulpit” to be an interesting one.  I am really not sure about the history of that phrase, but, I think that most of us realize that it refers to the man who is doing the preaching. What TO Fill With…  Whatever it means, it is my prayer that “filling the pulpit” does not merely mean “we’re good as long as there is a warm body up there.” Hopefully, among other things, the following things are true about the man who “fills the pulpit” – including me: Time has been spent filling his sermon with scripture.  People can be entertained, motivated, challenged, and/or encouraged in any…

Ask any deacon, or whoever happens to be in charge of getting Bible class teachers, how easy their job is, and I’m sure you’ll get a somewhat negative answer. It seems that more and more people just don’t want to put in the time and study and preparation needed to teach the Bible to our children and grandchildren. I’ve heard excuses like, “I teach school all year, so I don’t want to teach on Sunday, too.” Or maybe this one, “I’m getting too old to teach. I put in my time when my children were little.” How about, “You have to be pregnant or dead to get out of teaching once you…

We have a deacon where I serve as an elder who is very quick-witted. He has a unique combination of qualities. He takes his duties as a deacon very seriously. At the same time, he had the ability to see and use to humor almost everywhere and in almost any situation. All of that came together when something went wrong with the system that is supposed to heat the water in our baptistry. Since that would be a part of the responsibilities of this deacon, it fell to him to rectify that situation. When he had done all that he could, he finally called a business in town and asked them to take a…

Right off the bat, two disclaimers: (1) I am not an elder nor a deacon and never have been, and (2) I know that the title of this post is boring! With that said, I love studying and trying to help with church leadership. If we are going to restore New Testament Christianity we need to be certain we know on an intellectual level and follow on a practical level what God has said concerning the organization of the church. One of the stated roles of elders is that of “overseer” (Acts 20:28). I have heard that described–and I think well–as meaning that elders set and see to the general…

It is customary for the human race to honor those who pass from this life. Early in the Biblical record, Abraham purchased the cave of Machpelah in order to give a proper burial to his beloved wife Sarah. Today in almost every town, if you are in the right place at the right time, you may have to pull over to allow a funeral procession to pass by. This is done out of respect and honor for the life represented as well as personal sorrow. This is done because it is the right thing to do. The death of a president serves as another example of how Americans honor their…