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Google Reader is Leaving : Where Can You Go?
I have used Google Reader for, if I remember correctly, almost 10 years. It has literally become part of my daily routine, and is the way that I am able to keep up with all the blogs I follow. A few months ago, however, Google announced that Reader would be going away at the end of June, 2013. While it isn’t the most important thing in the world, I have dreaded this day, because I love the simplicity of Reader. [By the way, if you have no idea what Google Reader is, here is a post I wrote about it just over one year ago.] Since the announcement, I have…
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Hymn Reflection : Jesus Loves the Little Children
Today’s hymn reflection is one of the most unique “how we got the song” stories you will ever read. With Lebanon Road’s Vacation Bible School (click for a hilarious video) coming up next week (and you are invited, of course!), I wanted to share the history of this long-time children’s favorite. First, we need to realize that today, we only sing the chorus of a song that originally had three verses. When I worked in Haleyville, we had a singing group of the elementary students who would sing for some of our shut-ins and others. I taught them two of the verses and they thought it was really cool to…
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It’s More Than Just “In Vain”
One of the clearest signals of moral decline in our nation is the flippant use of the name of God. His name has become a byword or a “filler,” instead of being the holy name of God. It seems that every time we turn around, someone is reacting to something that excites them, makes them laugh, or causes them to get angry by saying “O my god.” This is tragic, in that it does not truly hold to the holiness of the name of our Creator and Lord. Recently, I was reflecting on this again, and I came to a realization. This type of usage of the name of God…
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If You Like Free Stuff…
Since relaunching the blog a couple of weeks ago, we have been blessed by some very nice comments, both online and off. Many of you have kindly spoken of some aspect of the redesign that you like, and for that we are very grateful. We want the site to be informative, but also have a good design. One of the lessons we have learned from the relaunch is this: people like free stuff! At the top of our blog, there are some buttons that lead to free resources pages. Though our numbers are small by most blog standards, those pages get “hits” every single day, whether we post a new…
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Acts by the Numbers : Acts 17
I won’t be preaching on Sunday nights for a couple of weeks after tonight (VBS, 5th Sunday, Church Camp), so it will be a few weeks before our next handout. Enjoy this one on Acts 17. We hope you are finding these to be helpful to you! Acts by the Numbers Chapter 17 ————————– To receive our blog posts via rss, click here. To subscribe via email (and get a free e-book), click here. To sign up for our free monthly enewsletter (and get a free e-book), click here. Click the banner to visit our publishing website
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Hymn Reflection : I Love to Tell the Story
So far as I know, the author of our hymn for this week, Arabella Katherine Hankey (sometimes published as “Catherine”), only wrote two hymns, but they are remarkable songs. Hankey was born and raised in London and was strongly influenced by a group called the “Clapham Sect” of the Anglican Church. This sect, clearly under the influence of William Wilberforce, was opposed to slavery, and also wished to reform prisons, education, and make other social changes through the work of the church. Though the Clapham Sect was basically gone by the time she reached her formative years, people like Katherine Hankey carried on the ideals for decades. To show more…
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How Christians Can Destroy Traditional Marriage Without Supporting Gay Marriage
Yesterday, we looked at how some of the language used by those in favor of gay marriage betrays at least part of their agenda. However, gay marriage is not the only issue we need to consider. And those who support homosexual marriage are not the only people we need to think about, either. It is possible that Christians can (and, in part, have) led us to this point in our nation. Now, before you get too angry, take a look at the title of this post again. I am not saying that you support gay marriage. I would venture to say that 90% of our regular readers (if not nearly…
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It’s Not (Only) About Loving Homosexual Unions
There can be no doubt that one of the issues of our time is homosexuality, and the twin issue of gay marriage. As our Supreme Court is preparing to give a ruling any day now on this issue, our nation stands at a precipice many of us never thought we would see. In fact, historically, our nation would be the first to sanction homosexual marriage. After defining “conjugal” marriage as that between a man and a woman, Girgis, Anderson, and George write, But history also shows that hostility to homosexually inclined people could not possibly have given rise to the conjugal view. The philosophical and legal principle that only coitus…
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One More Time
One of my favorite people was able to be at worship at Lebanon Road yesterday. For about 3 months, his health has declined, and he knows that his time on the earth is likely quite short. I have kept in touch with him some in the past few weeks and months, but it was not just out of “duty.” This man is one of my favorites. He didn’t always compliment me, but he has always encouraged me to preach the truth. He was able to “speak the truth in love,” and encourage me to always seek that truth. His input in my Wednesday night class was always focused on…
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Acts by the Numbers : Acts 16
We continue with our handouts from the book of Acts. We hope these are helping you teach the basics of this great book to your children. Today, we are on Acts 16. Acts by the Numbers Chapter 16
