Bible study
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Graduation Season
It is that time of year: Caps and gowns. Pomp and Circumstance. Moms crying and kids celebrating. From the youngest preschooler “graduating” to the formal degrees bestowed upon candidates, it is a season of change. This is on my mind this week as my oldest, Luke, graduates with his bachelor’s degree from Freed-Hardeman University. I thought my four years at FHU flew by but that was nothing compared to how fast his have gone. He is ready for the next chapter while I am wondering how I am possibly old enough to have a child graduating from my alma mater! I decided to see what the Bible has to say…
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When Your World is Spinning
Have you ever felt like you were in the middle of a whirlwind? You know what I mean – everything is spinning out of control and you feel like each day gets busier than the last one. With so much going on and only a limited amount of time to get it all done, you may want to just stop the train you’re on and get off at the relaxation station! I’ve felt that way lately. I try to plan my days so I can accomplish what I need to get done that day. Sometimes I make written lists and check them off so, at least, I feel like I…
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When “Googled” Becomes “Taped”
It doesn’t take long in our world for something to become obsolete. I’m old enough to remember when my parents got their first television. I thought it was wonderful. The three of us could sit in front of a fairly large piece of furniture and watch comedies, westerns, sports, news, etc. in “living black and white” as long as the antenna was working properly. Back then I never dreamed that I’d ever have a color television that I could hang on a wall and have my choice of what to watch on more than three channels. It never occurred to me back then that I could choose the channel I wanted to watch, find that…
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A Case for the Paper Bible
First things first: I am not anti-electronic Bible. In fact, I know people who basically must use one if they are going to be able to read the text. A lot of older people with failing eyesight have been blessed by being able to blow up the font size on a tablet to very large sizes so they can continue to read God’s wonderful Word. I use an electronic Bible from time-to-time in special situations. So this is not an article meant to say “don’t ever use one of those techy things.” However… I do want to encourage the vast majority of us–especially parents–to use old-fashioned paper Bibles far more…
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Older Women to Younger Women
I know some of the younger women are so tired of hearing it! “Older women are to…train the younger women…” (Titus 2:3-4). It’s true because we read it in the inspired word of God. It is also true that some of the older women are tired of hearing it too! It’s a huge responsibility to take on teaching those who are younger than you. I have watched and dealt with this conflict for many of my years as a Bible class teacher for teen girls and ladies. Somewhere along the line a disconnect has occurred. Let me share some of my thoughts on this topic: While we usually go to…
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A Thought on Biblical Assumptions
There are places in the Bible where the text leaves part of a story untold. We are left to think of some of the details and fill in some gaps as to why certain things happened the way they did. However, sometimes people assume something and “everyone” agrees on it, but then they don’t think about it anymore. And…it’s possible those assumptions may not be true. Let me give you an example I was thinking about recently. In Esther 6:1, we are told that the king, Ahasuerus, could not sleep. The Hebrew is an idiom that basically says that sleep fled away from him. If you are familiar with this…
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A Christian Response to Transgenderism [Video]
A couple of weeks ago, I preached a sermon dealing with the difficult subject of transgenderism. The topic had been requested by several people of various ages, so I decided to tackle it. Today, for my “article,” I’m simply sharing the video of the sermon. You can watch it below, or click here to watch it on YouTube. If the “timer” is not working, the sermon begins at the 21:20 mark of the video.
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Saying “No” for a Reason
There is an old principle that I have heard, I suppose, for my entire life, but it has never really sunk in until recently. Or, maybe, to put it a better way, I knew the principle but did not live it out in practice. I’ll share what that principle is in a moment. But, first, a couple of personal anecdotes that provide the backdrop to this article. I was asked a short time ago to take part in something I had done before. Most wouldn’t consider it a big thing, and it would have probably only taken a couple of hours each week on average (something like that, anyway). It…
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Bible Heroes
When you think about the heroes in the Bible, who comes to your mind? Maybe you think of people like Moses or Joshua leading God’s people out of Egypt and into the promised land. Perhaps Daniel or his friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego come to the forefront of your mind because of their bravery in a foreign land. Maybe Esther or Ruth. Maybe you just turn to Hebrews 11 and read through that great “Hall of Faith.” Sometime in the past, I made a note on my phone referencing 2 Corinthians 4 with this thought: God is the hero of every story–even ours–if we keep our eyes on Him. All…
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A Hidden Message?
I have had the privilege to be co-coaching our junior high girls at church for Bible Bowl this summer. We have been studying the book of Joshua and recently finished going through the book so we began reviewing. That’s when I noticed something that struck me differently and I wondered if there could be a “hidden message” for us today in some instructions given to the Israelites all those years ago. [Side note and this part is for free: I tell the girls often that these “hidden” gems are part of why I know the Bible is from God. A person can read parts of it for the very first…