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Marriage is More than a Commitment; Marriage is a Covenant
By virtually every metric, statistic, and anecdotal observation, the Biblical view of marriage in our society is declining. While there are still many who hold strongly and passionately to God’s view of marriage in the western world, that hold is becoming looser at a rapid rate. There is no way to list all the reasons for that in one blog post, but today I want to share one reason that I think undergirds much of this struggle. It is a straightforward misunderstanding of how powerful marriage is meant to be. Commitment vs. Covenant We often hear marriage described as a commitment. (Sometimes, tragically in my view, it is even reduced…
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Spiritual Identity Theft
One can hardly turn on the television or radio without receiving some information from some company wanting to help us protect ourselves from what has become a growing problem: identity theft. These companies promise us that, for a few dollars a month, they will protect us from individuals whose plans are sinister (to say the least). As difficult as it is for most of us to imagine, there are people who have dedicated their lives to destroying another person’s finances, relationships, reputation, and peace of mind. Every waking minute is spent in trying to steal the identity of an unsuspecting victim. It seems that all they need is a little information in order to…
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Video: Stop Comparing Yourself to Everyone Else’s SportsCenter Highlight Reel
For this week’s Friday post, here is a short Periscope devotional from Adam about how we need to be okay with ordinary days and seasons in life, and just be faithful to God throughout each day. Hope this encourages you today.
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How Beautiful Heaven Must Be
Last week, several snow days afforded me the opportunity to go home. Not to Paducah and my parents’ home and not to Dexter where I grew up, but home to Freed-Hardeman University. It was Lectureship week and all of my family was there except for me and my kids who were supposed to have school. So, when the snow started to fall in earnest on Monday evening, the kids and I loaded up and set out. About halfway to Jackson, I got the call I was gambling on: “No school for Putnam County Tuesday.” The kids and I crashed Jeremiah’s bachelor room at the hotel and headed for campus the next…
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What Being “Poor in Spirit” Looks Like
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). I don’t know the young man who asked a question about that verse last week, but I know I like his heart. Open Forum at the Freed-Hardemen University Bible Lectures is an intimidating setting. It is certainly not meant to be, but the nature of it leads to a certain intimidation factor. But that did not stop one young man from teaching us all a lesson recently. He had to wait his turn at one of the floor microphones, because quite a number of people had questions. I believe he had to wait through…
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Preachy Preachers
I admit it. I have a problem. The good news is that I am praying about it and I hope you will pray for me. This preacher sometimes tends to get a little too preachy. Preachers understand the importance of being spiritually minded. It is a matter of occupational awareness. This is because people hold us to a higher standard than others. If we do not live spiritual lives, then our ministry is not effective. This awareness leads to spiritual intensity. I can assure you that doing the right thing is always on our mind. Then there is the pulpit. Unless you take your place there two or three times…
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Church Leadership is Not About a Title
I listen regularly to the “Preachers in Training” podcast. I recommend it to all who preach. In fact, this podcast always has some good information for all Christians, regardless of where we find ourselves in the Lord’s body. Brother Robert Hatfield hosts this podcast. He also serves as the director/administrator of The Light Network. If you would like more information about any of the podcasts on The Light Network, you can find that at www.thelightnetwork.tv. Recently, Stephen Sutton was the guest on “Preachers in Training.” Primarily, he was talking about something he does in addition to, and in conjunction with, his work as a local preacher. Brother Sutton serves as a chaplain with his local…
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The “Hawkeye Cauci” and Me
Unless you’ve been under a rock for months, you surely must be aware of the fact that we are in a presidential election year. Those with an interest in politics were interested in the results of the recent caucuses in Iowa. Those results have been analyzed, scrutinized, and criticized. I have no desire to add to any of that discussion. However, before the dust completely settles from the results of the “Hawkeye Cauci,” I would like to make one non-political, non-partisan observation. I have no desire to endorse any particular candidate. I merely want us to transfer some of the methodology from Iowa to something much more important. As I understand it, if I happened…
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A Powerful Quote for All Fathers
From the book Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters by Meg Meeker. Get a copy here.
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My 5 Favorite Bible School Links
Any Bible school teacher who is responsible for teaching a class of squirmy children needs all the resources she can find. Unfortunately, not all teachers have access to a “resource room” full of ideas. The good news is that the internet is full of ideas. That is really good news for moms like me who want to teach but don’t have loads of time to devote to coming up with everything from scratch. Today, I wanted to give you some of my go-to Bible school links and give a brief explanation of each one. On to the links! Bible Fun for Kids is written by Debbie Jackson. This is one…
