Drew Kizer’s latest volume, The Cast of the Cross, is a tremendous study. 13 chapters lead the reader through the lives of those who were there (or who were remarkably absent) at–nor near–the cross of Jesus Christ. While some may have studied the cross from a similar perspective, Kizer’s take on the subject is very good. Each chapter begins with a short narrative which, in a very personal way, helps the reader see that these are people with feelings, not just characters in a play. The chapters are well-researched and well-written. While the book is mainly for classroom use, I have been enjoying it the past few days for my…

You are in America’s Real War: An Orthodox Rabbi Insists that Judeo-Christian Values are Vital for Our Nation’s Survival. If you think the title is long, wait until you read the book! Seriously, Rabbi Daniel Lapin has written a very interesting book. He writes about how those on the secular Left are trying to take any reference to God, Jesus and Christianity out of everyday life, and how that negatively impacts America in general, and his people (Jews) specifically. Some of the book will sound like what you might hear if you read a conservative Christian newspaper or blog. Lapin maintains that Christianity is the reason why America prospered in…

We had many who were absent from Bible classes and worship in the Winter quarter (December-February). Many missed due to holiday trips, but we trust they attended worship and Bible classes in the town where they were visiting. Others missed due to illness, which has been running rampant, or because of surgery. We know they would like to be in Bible class, but their health would not allow it. It is sad to mention, but we know there were others who made the decision to willfully miss their Bible class. Friend, when you do that, your class misses you! More than that, though, you miss so much. You miss Bible…

Friday was one of those days that people just don’t enjoy. Waiting…waiting…waiting. Leah’s mom, Mary Ellen Moon, had surgery to remove lymph nodes, because cancer had been found in her body. The surgery began very late, and then lasted longer than expected. As we sat around in the waiting room, another family got “the call” to the desk. A few minutes later, they came back with the good news. “All’s clear!” One woman in the family sat down and, after a big breath, just began to cry. About 45 minutes later, Leah, her brother, and her dad went to the desk. After five or 10 minutes, they came back. The…

This afternoon, we are closing on our house here in Haleyville. Then we are travelling to Birmingham, where Leah’s mom is having surgery tomorrow morning. Then, we are travelling to Nashville, and closing on our house there on Monday. I’m tired already! So, the links roundup comes a day early. Enjoy the articles this week. 1. Kevin Beard, on his new blog, writes a thought-provoking article entitled “A Good Person? Really??” 2. Ever had one of those Sundays when the leaders wondered if church should be cancelled? Steve Higginbotham writes a great article entitled “Cancelling Church.” (Also, the comments are worth your time on this one.) 3. Drew Kizer writes…

We have so many young people involved in Lads to Leaders this year. Our group of 95 (over 40 young people) will be going to the Opryland Hotel in just a few weeks, and the young people are doing a great job with final preparations. We continue to be proud of their work and dedication. The theme verse for this year’s convention is First Timothy 4:12, which, in the King James Version, begins with these words: “Let no man despise thy youth.” Other translations give us the verse in these ways: “Let no one despise you for your youth” (ESV). “Don’t let people look down on you because you are…

I’m teaching the class on Revelation again Sunday morning. We are on Revelation 7, which is the first “interlude” in the book. I’m excited about teaching a chapter that many people in the religious world disagree on. Hopefully, we can have some good discussion about the 144,000, the Great Tribulation, etc. Here are the links for this week: 1. Finding time to pray. I know we should make time to pray, but finding the time to pray deeply and fervently can be a challenge. Becky Welch writes a deeply personal article that I think you will find interesting. Read “Waiting on God” over at The Welch Family. 2. Is it…

It has been a long time since we mentioned our church library in our bulletin. Our library contains a great number of materials for your use. It’s sad, though, that very few of the books ever get used. You may be reading a passage and wonder, “What exactly is this talking about?” Instead of waiting for a sermon on that one passage, why not do a little research on your own? It is amazing how a little hard work can reveal so much about a passage. Some of you may have been in our library and thought, “There aren’t too many books in here.” I will agree somewhat. There is…

Everyone makes mistakes. We all say something or do something that we know we shouldn’t. Other times, we know we should be doing something, but we fail to get it done. While we put forward the effort, we often fail. Sometimes, those mistakes happen because we “jump the gun.” In other words, we get ahead of ourselves and don’t really think. We jump into something before thinking it through. Sorry, guys, but you know we are very bad about that. But, just to make you feel a little better, I thought you might like to know that even large companies make mistakes. Yes, even big websites with hosts of editors…

Andy Kizer, the pulpit minister at 9th Avenue, has been teaching a six-month class on the book of Revelation. The class is going well and has been well-attended. On Sunday, though, Andy is going to be away. So, guess who gets to teach the class! I’m nervous, but excited. We’ll be looking at chapter 6 and the Four Horsemen. It should be interesting. Here are the links from this week: 1. Preaching Help gives us some insight into Placing Membership. 2. LemmonsAid gives us a link to a great article on “How the Apostles Taught.” 3. Drew Kizer has a new book available called Cast of the Cross. I have…