Resource Publications continues to put out a quality commentary series in the Truth for Today series. Dr. Don Shackelford wrote the volume, consisting of 654 reading pages, on Isaiah. I would recommend this commentary more for the “application” section than the commentary. It’s not that the comments are weak; there are just not as many as I would like. However, there are many sermon outlines just waiting to be preached. For every chapter of Isaiah, Dr. Shackelford gives at least one sermon outline, totaling over 80! Preachers, if you need a little “jump start” getting sermons or Bible class material on this great book, this commentary is well worth the…

Dr. Dave Miller of Apologetics Press wrote this book in 2007. The subtitle, “A Plea to Reconsider,” is appropriate in this case. Richland Hills is the largest church of Christ and, in a bold and calculated move, they decided to add a third service (on Saturday!) where instruments would be used. Also, the Lord’s Supper would be served at this Saturday worship. In preparation for that move, the preacher, Rick Atchley, preached 3 sermons entitled “The Both/And Church.” These sermons served as the message to the congregation as to why the change was being made. In Richland Hills & Instrumental Music, Dr. Dave Miller uses notes from the very sermons…

Several of our young people are writing speeches for Lads to Leaders, which is quickly approaching. They are challenged to stay on topic and on time. In fact, the judges must deduct points if the speaker goes over (or under) the allotted time. The time limit is about 5 minutes (it varies depending on the age group). That’s it. Our students have just that short amount of time to say what they have prepared, and it must “say a lot.” They have to pack those few minutes with information that will motivate the listeners. One of the reasons for the short time limit is that there are hundreds of speakers…

[NOTE: Today marks the 35th anniversary of the tragic Roe v. Wade decision, as handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court. While it is tragic that the decision was ever made, it is truly sad that the effects are still being felt thirty-five years later. While the battle has been long, Christians must not give up the fight! My friend Todd Clippard sent me the following article that ran in the bulletin of the Burleson church of Christ this past Sunday, and I wanted to share it with you. I felt it was most appropriate for today. The words to his article, entitled I Will Kill to Play Sports, follow.]Most…

We are always on the lookout for new websites and blogs to add to our blogroll, so you can “stumble onto” great information on the web. Today, we have added another link to the “Christian Blog” section (on the right-hand side). Steve Higginbotham, the preacher for the South Green Street church of Christ in Glasgow, Kentucky, writes the regular e-mail newsletter mercEmail. Recently, he started a blog and already has a couple of good articles on it. Check it PreachingHelp.org here.

Sports are a lot of fun. I enjoy watching all kinds of sports, and I play…sometimes. As a youth minister, though, one of my frustrations has been how often young people–and so often, parents–put sports before the Lord. The young people so very often have learned this habit from adults. We know this is true, and then, we read about what is going on in Madison, Wisconsin, on Sunday afternoon. I know a member of the Packers offensive line, and I hope for him that the Green Bay football team does well on Sunday. However, it is difficult to think about the fact that so many fans will put the…

“God is so good;God is so good;God is so good;He’s so good to me.” The words to that simple song sometimes get stale. When a song contains the same few words over and over, we can easily forget the true meaning. But God IS so good! As another song boldly says, “He blesses and blesses again.” This week has been one of anticipation, anxiety and, ultimately, a reminder of God’s blessings. First of all, my mom had to have a heart catherization done this morning in Paducah. The doctors thought she might have a blockage in part of her heart. We waited, but didn’t have to wait long. After just…

As I mentioned in a previous review, one thing I am trying to do this year is improve as a husband and dad. One way to do that is to do some reading on families (and preach more on the topic, too…like I am on Sunday morning). Last night, I finished reading Building Stronger Families: Family Enrichment in the Home, Church, and Community by Royce Money. This book is not new (the version I read was printed in 1989, and, so has some statements that are a bit funny, like “as we near the turn of the century…”), but it still contains some valuable information, especially in the first half…

January 9 is a date that the McCreless family will not soon forget. Not only did Kaleb put on Christ in baptism, but his decision also made every member of the family—Bryan, Tammy, Kyle, Kameron and Kaleb—a Christian. I remember the morning I decided to be baptized. My dad, with tears in his eyes said, “It looks like our family is going to be complete.” While I knew part of what he meant then, I now understand more of just how deep that statement was. A family in which every member is a Christian is complete in several ways. They are united by something even more precious than a family…

I recently finished Jim Palmer’s book Faith and Finance: Understanding the Inseparable Link. This book is short, but powerful. I recommended the book over on Where Your Treasure Is, and would like to suggest that you read my rather lengthy review there. To do so, click here. This book doesn’t take long to read, but it certainly make you think and open a Bible. I recommend it wholeheartedly.