I missed Lebanon Road yesterday. I’m holding a meeting in Vienna, Illinois, this week, and getting an opportunity to spend some time with my family during the day. JD Buckner, our youth minister, preached yesterday and, from all reports, did a great job. He also announced that he and his wife–Maria–will have a second child in November. James David will get to be a big brother! Please pray for this good family as they prepare to bring another life into the world. There were 331 in attendance yesterday morning, and 251 stayed for Bible classes. I know they all heard a good sermon and learned much in Bible class. In…

I sometimes wonder what is wrong with me. Okay, I wonder that quite often. One of the ways I struggle is with saying, “no.” I want to speak as often as possible to help those who need to hear (and myself, through study and preparation), but sometimes those speaking engagements run together, and life gets tiring. These next few days are an example of that. Here’s what I have coming up: I’ll be speaking three times at the Youth Day for the Central church of Christ in Paducah, Kentucky, on Saturday. The three topics are “Where Have You Been?”, “Where Are You Now?” and “Where Are You Going?” If you…

You’re sitting in your house watching TV. Suddenly, a man comes to the door. His report could change your life. “Ma’am, we were digging up that old tree in your backyard and we think we struck gold!” How long would it take you to grab a shovel and start digging? How long would you keep digging? You would probably dig until, physically, you just couldn’t work any longer. Why? Gold is a precious treasure. What makes that story so interesting is how close this treasure was to you, yet it went undiscovered. When discovered, though, you couldn’t help but want more. It is sad that, in so many homes, there…

Another uplifting day at Lebanon Road! The weather provided us with a “Chamber of Commerce” day. It was about 75 and there were just a few clouds in the sky. It was amazing. But that wasn’t the best part of the day. We had a baptism on Sunday morning! Larry Rowen, who was visiting with us on his way to Virginia, decided that the time was right to put on Christ in baptism. So many met him after services and encouraged him. We pray that he will find a good church home wherever his travels lead him. We had a ton of visitors yesterday. Several were from Pearlington, Mississippi. Lebanon…

Allen Webster, who is quite widely known as the editor of House to House/Heart to Heart has brought together a great study. One series of tracts published by HTH is on the subject of the seven things God hates, listed in Proverbs 6. Now, much of the material from those tracts has been placed into book form. Make no mistake, though; even though based upon tracts, there is “meat” in this book. Written in 13 chapters, Webster makes very modern-day, practical applications of each of the “seven.” In fact, when it comes to “hands that shed innocent blood,” three chapters are filled with information. As you might expect, two of…

Now that we are somewhat settled, I hope you have noticed that our blog is being updated more often. I am trying to update the blog at least 2-3 times each week with articles and family updates. Also, it is time (insert royal trumpet blast here) for the return of the Friday Links Roundup! This will, again, be a regular feature. Let me again say how much I appreciate those who blog. I have about 40-45 blogs in my feed reader. Some are rarely updates, but some write daily. Admittedly, I don’t read every single word of every blog, but it is still a great resource to fill my mind…

Now that I have a cool phone, I am beginning to compile a list of podcasts to which I listen. I listen in the car (which is quite a bit with visits to make and a 12-15 minute drive to my study), and some at night while I’m getting ready for bed. I even listened yesterday while mowing the yard. Trying to find good podcasts is a fun search. Right now, I basically have two categories: (1) podcasts of sermons by authors I enjoy (e.g., Charles Swindoll), and (2) short podcasts on certain topics I need to brush up on (e.g., The Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips). I also…

The Song of Solomon might be the most unique book found in the Bible. Not just the content of the book, but also the way it is presented make this a unique and thrilling read. Due to those same factors, though, the book is often misunderstood or simply confusing. Greg Neill has written a brief study of this book designed to walk the reader through the major sections of Solomon’s poem. Subtitled “God’s Guidebook to Happily Ever After,” Song of Solomon is written for an adult study of the Bible; whether it is a Bible class or an individual study. Published by Peaceful House, Song of Solomon, in my opinion,…

We don’t post things like this often, but this absolutely frightens both Leah and me. Please watch this carefully. New Age philosophy is more pervasive than many of us think. This isn’t the only case of it in pop culture, but this video should serve as a wake-up call for many who think it isn’t affecting our society’s thoughts at all.

Just a quick note that the website for the Lebanon Road church of Christ has been added to the blogroll on the right. It is my understanding that some great things are in store in the near future for the site; including updated pictures–and maybe some new features. I’ll try to keep you updated here with major changes, as well. Here’s the site: http://www.lebanonroadchurchofchrist.org/