We have all probably heard and believed the old adage, “where there’s smoke there’s fire.” After all, it is a pretty strong correlation. In fact, just tonight, on our way home from our gospel meeting, my oldest son said, “There’s a fire. I know because I can see the smoke.” We weren’t close enough to see flames, but he assumed the fire based on the evidence of smoke. Sure enough, when we got closer to that section of town, there was a large brush fire from where land is being cleared for a new shopping center. I know that, for myself, I have often applied this rule to people, assuming…

It would be difficult to overstate the tremendous blessings that are ours merely because we have the ability to make our own personal choices. It would also be difficult to overstate the amount of responsibility that is ours because of that ability. To state it simply, I must live with the consequences of the choices I make.  Sometimes, those consequences are not great. For example, it really does not matter what color or type of vehicle I choose to drive. As long as I can afford it and as long as it meets my needs, it doesn’t really matter if I choose to drive a new car or a used car. I may have a…

For many years, the region of Spain known as Catalonia has considered being an independent nation. They have their own language and a fairly bright economy, led by the largest city in the region, Barcelona. Recently, there was actually a vote among the people of that region and they voted for independence (though, admittedly, turnout was quite low). However, after the vote, they then put a hold on independence. Now, this is not meant to be a political post or an article about world cultures. I know little about the Catalonian independence movement and I have no idea if it would be a good thing or bad thing if this…

Last week my grandmother had a birthday. I called her to talk awhile as I could not easily visit. She lives about 7 hours away from us by car. We had sent a floral arrangement to her along with a gift and as we talked, as always, she was gracious and thankful. Then she mentioned something to me that has been on my mind ever since. She said that her son (my uncle) and his wife had bought her a new Bible she had been wanting. She said it had her name on the front, printed in gold, “Just in case she forgot who she was.” She joked that she…

How many of the following statements confuse you? I began preaching full-time for a congregation in southern Illinois in 1978, but I was not a pastor. I moved to another location in Southeast Missouri in 1985. For eleven years, I served as the full-time preacher there, but I was not a pastor. I began preaching full-time for the Central church of Christ in Paducah in 2001, but I was not a pastor. On December 21, 2003, I started serving that congregation as one of the pastors. From December 21, 2003, until December 31, 2016, I was both a full-time preacher for the Central church and also one of the pastors.  On…