Ron Mehl wrote this book 10 years ago. Though it can be somewhat hard to find, you would do well to add The Ten(der) Commands to your library. I was lucky enough to find this volume at a Christian bookstore outlet a few years ago. I read it then (about 5 years ago), and finally got around to reading it again. The basis of this book is that the 10 Commandments are not meant only to confine God’s people. The subtitle of the book, “Reflections on the Father’s Love,” gives you some idea as to the leaning of the book. We often tell people that God’s commands are, yes, to…

When we study sin, we often turn to First John 2:16, where we are told of the three “types” of sin: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride (or vainglory) of life. Sadly, for some, that’s the end of the discussion of sin this brief letter. However, there is more in chapter 3. In fact, in verses 4-10, John gives 5 descriptions of sin and the consequences of it. 1. Sin is Lawlessness (verse 4). The verse is pretty explicit: “Sin is lawlessness.” The word we have for lawlessness means two similar things. It means either being without (or apart from) law, or having…

Since the attempt to have a financial blog went down the tubes (it was a good idea, just didn’t pan out), I have not stopped enjoying gathering and using financial information. As you see on the Friday Links Roundup from time-to-time, I still read several financial blogs. Additionally, I subscribe to three financial podcasts. As I mentioned in the first post in this series, I used to subscribe to Dave Ramsey as well, but just couldn’t find the time to listen to a 5-day-per week, 45 minute podcast. If you have that time, I still highly recommend the podcast. Also, as I mentioned in the post on Quick and Dirty…

We had a good weekend on “the Pike.” On Saturday night, our elders honored our teachers with an appreciation banquet at one of our local restaurants. It was a great evening of fellowship, and we were truly made to feel appreciated and honored. Brother Steve Higginbotham, from Glasgow, Kentucky, was our speaker, and he did a tremendous job lifting up our teachers and encouraging us to do our best. The Bible school program at Lebanon Road is truly amazing. It is one of the most well-organized programs I have ever seen, and teachers have literally hundreds of resources available and organized for their use on every lesson. Our children are…

Yes, it’s fantasy football time again! I’m so excited that this weekend Nashville will play host to the Hitmen fantasy football draft. We are looking forward to a great weekend, and I am looking forward to another year where I like my team on draft day… …then get crushed during the season. (Sigh) On to the links for this week: 1. Preacher’s Pen gives us an interesting perspective on the way our classrooms in church buildings look and the classrooms our children see when they begin a new school year. Bible class teachers, this is a must-read! 2. Worship is awesome, but, when following God’s design, it is incredibly simple.…

I have wanted this book, written by Kirk Brothers, for some time now. It was published in 2006 by Gospel Advocate, and has for its subtitle, “Learning Forgiveness from the Father.” A few weeks ago, Jeremiah and I had lunch with Dennis Loyd and Neil Anderson, who serve as the editors of the Gospel Advocate. We enjoyed the meal, and then were each given a GA book. I was pleased that this was the book given to me. This book is a tremendous study of forgiveness. Brothers goes through both the Hebrew and Greek terms that are related to forgiveness in the Bible, laying the foundation for God’s plan to…

[This post is based upon a sermon I preached last Sunday night. My Bible class concluded a series on Nehemiah, and I preached a “basic” lesson on that book. Enjoy!] God’s chosen people were in captivity, but were being allowed to repopulate Jerusalem and the surrounding areas. Nehemiah stood before the king daily as his cupbearer; a most trusted position. Upon hearing that the gates surrounding Jerusalem were broken and the gates were burned, Nehemiah went through a difficult period, until the Lord opened a door to report to the king. With God’s providence at work, the king not only allowed Nehemiah to return and lead the rebuilding project, he…

The Bible is an amazing collection of true accounts from the very mind of God. The 27 books of the New Testament give us, as Christians, our “marching orders.” From Matthew account of the of Jesus through the triumphant Revelation given to John, the New Testament is the source of precepts and concepts for the Christian mind. But what are we to do with the first 39 books, the Old Testament? Is there any value to be gained from those books, despite the fact that we no longer follow the Law of Moses? In Romans 15:4, Paul wrote about the Old Testament with these words: “For whatever was written in…

I was excited yesterday by the number of students in the Bible class that I am privileged to teach. We usually have between 16 and 20 students. Yesterday, we were blessed to have 28 in the class as we began a new study on the Old Testament book of Job! It was a great start to what, hopefully, will be a great study. I love the book of Job, and I hope that love comes out in the study over the coming weeks. We were blessed (again!) to have so many visitors yesterday. The number of folks we have visiting with us each week is an amazing source of encouragement,…

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