I met Ronda Parker in the summer of 2011 at Short Mountain Bible Camp. She was a counselor for the girls and I was a counselor for the boys. We had a lot in common. First of all, we were Christians, which is the most important thing to have in common with anybody. But we had also dealt with cancer, and we had both received our original diagnosis at the same time in our lives – while our children were very young. We had the opportunity to grow in our Christian friendship through Bible camp. We talked from time to time about health issues, other challenges, and the faith needed…

What is a missionary? According to Dictionary.com, the primary definition of that word is “a person sent by a church into an area to carry on evangelism or other activities, as educational or hospital work.” Most often, when we refer to a person as a “missionary” we are thinking of a person who has left his homeland, packed up his (usually meager) belongings, and gone to some far distant place to carry out what we know as The Great Commission (cf. Matthew 28:19-20). Similarly, when we think of a “mission field,” we usually think of a place where there are either no local congregations of the Lord’s church or the…

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). God’s message for us in the pages of the Bible has not changed for nearly 2,000 years. It was completed at the end of the first century, A.D., and is the all-sufficient and final will of God for the human race. That is why I can have great confidence in reading about an event that took place on the day the Lord’s church was established. On the day of Pentecost, approximately 33 A.D., the gospel was preached for the first time by the 12 apostles. On that day 3,000 received the message and were baptized. Through that obedient decision,…

Last Monday, I wrote about the woman who expressed to Jesus that she would be satisfied with any “crumbs” that He might allow her to have. At that time, I suggested that her attitude was one which would be pleasing to our Lord. It would demonstrate humility on our part and would result in a very grateful attitude for what He has done, and continues to do, for us. However, there is another way to look at this concept of being satisfied with the leftovers. The difference is perspective. It is about who is–or is not–being satisfied. God never has been, is not now, and will never be satisfied with…

Recently, ESPN held their annual ESPY awards. Like most major awards shows, it was simply a place for people in an entertainment industry to pat themselves on the back for how great they are. I used to rather enjoy these shows; now, I find them boring. Each year at the ESPYs, an award is given for courage in sports. Named the Arthur Ashe Courage Award, this trophy is presented to just one person each year, and is meant to honor someone associated (even loosely) with the world of sports who has overcome a great obstacle in life. Former winners of this award include Jim Valvano, Pat and Kevin Tillman, Pat…