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Peace that Passes Understanding
Philippians 4:5-7 has long been one of my favorite scriptures. I love the connections made between God being near, not being anxious, and our thankful communication with God, making our requests known to Him. As I was studying for a recent ladies’ day, I was reminded of something we noticed in my Wednesday night Bible class some time ago that, to me, is the best example of that peace in the Bible. It should come as no surprise that the perfect example comes from our Lord, but maybe not a time when you would expect it. In the gospels we read of His pleading with God to allow the cup…
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The World Has Our Kids Because…
It has been a long time since I was a full-time youth minister. Since then, though, one of the joys of my life has been that, at each of the three congregations for which I have preached–Lebanon Road, 9th Avenue, and Central–the elders have specifically told me that they would like me to have a part in helping with the youth program. What fascinates me a great deal of the time is how little has changed. Oh sure, there have been technological changes and other things like that, but people are people and, just like Solomon wrote, “There is nothing new under the sun.” Tragically, one of the things that…
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Week of October 21: “Into the Heart of the Bible” and “Something from the Margin of My Bible”
This week on “Into the Heart of the Bible,” Leah teaches the first of two lessons on the period before the flood, the Antediluvian Period. Here is the video. (If the video is not appearing, click here to watch on YouTube.) On “Something from the Margin of My Bible,” a quick note about some things you might want to put at the beginning of a book of the Bible, using Exodus as a guide. To listen, click here or subscribe in your favorite podcast app.
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Milestones and Millstones
By the time you read this the members of the Central church of Christ in Paducah, Kentucky will have passed a milestone in our history. Yesterday (10/20/24), we had some activities that were designed to recognize the fact that this congregation has been worshiping and working together for sixty years. It is my prayer that what happened yesterday is just that – a milestone. I would hate for it (or anything else) to become a millstone. Milestones indicate things like movement, progress, advancement, etc. There may be a desired goal or a destination that a group or an individual has in mind. Milestones help in assessing how “the journey” is…
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Memories
I know that Adam’s post yesterday was about his memories of his relationship with the Central church of Christ, but I want to go a little farther back in time and tell you about our history with this great congregation of God’s people. In 1996 Jim and I began working for Freed-Hardeman University while living in Paducah, Kentucky. We worked for the offices of Advancement and Admissions and traveled a four state area with our center in Paducah. It was our job to visit different congregations and present material about and an introduction to FHU. We asked for funds for the Bible Department and recruited students. We planned a visit to the…
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Thank You, Central
Okay, so today’s post is going to be very personal, but I hope you’ll indulge me for one week. As this post is being released, the Central church of Christ (where I preach) is just a handful of days away from a milestone day. This coming Sunday, we will celebrate our 60th anniversary as a congregation. We decided to wait until this late in the year to coordinate the anniversary with the beginning of our Gospel Meeting. We are praying that helps us have a huge crowd and a joyous time of fellowship. Of course, I have only been at Central from a small amount of those 60 years. Even…
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The Resources are Underway
Yesterday, both of the resources promised by Leah and me got started. We want to share them here so you can follow either (or both) and be encouraged. Leah’s video lessons, “Into the Heart of the Bible,” started with an introductory video to give the viewer the purpose and plan for studying the 15 periods of Bible history. Here’s the first episode: Follow Leah’s YouTube channel here. Follow Leah on Instagram here. Adam’s new podcast also got underway with the first of a three-part introduction (all three will come out this week). “Something from the Margin of My Bible” will release new “notes” starting next Monday. To listen, subscribe in…
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A Rare Combination (That Shouldn’t be Rare)
Recently, I was visiting with one of the members of the church where I serve as one of the elders. One of his daughters from another state was taking advantage of a week off from her work to stay with him. Unfortunately, his health is declining to the point that somebody needs to be with him at all times. Since he is a widower, he no longer has a spouse who can help. Fortunately, this daughter and her siblings are seeing to it that this need is met. During the course of conversation with both the father and the daughter, the daughter said something kind of “out of the blue.”…
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Coming Next Monday…
On our most recent “Legacy of Faith” podcast, Leah and I took some time to talk about two projects that we are working on; one from each of us. We are very excited to be doing these things and we are praying that what we are trying to do will be a blessing to you in your Bible study. In case you missed that episode of the podcast, I’m taking my post today to let you know about these two things, both of which start next Monday, October 14. “Into the Heart of the Bible” (Leah) Leah has had a desire for some time to do something to help teach…
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Some Things I’ve Learned from My New “Hobby”
In recent years, I’ve taken up a new hobby. I now go on scavenger hunts on a fairly regular basis. Well, to be honest, it is not a hobby. Also, in the interest of honesty and transparency, they also are not really scavenger hunts. Actually, what I have started doing more of recently is an attempt to “carry my weight” with regard to some of the things that Donna has done for years. Part of that effort involves what feels to me like a scavenger hunt, but is actually a trip to the grocery store. I’ve been known to tell people at the store on some occasions that my wife…
