The Bible tells of a woman of Shunem who had no children. She was a notable woman and she and her husband cared for Elisha as God’s prophet. They made him a room and provided for his physical needs whenever he came to town. Because of her hospitality, Elisha sent his servant Gehazi to the woman to ask her what he could do in return. It seemed unthinkable but in her heart, all she wanted was a son. And so the child was promised and the child was born. The woman had been granted her greatest wish. But as the child grew there was an episode one day while the…

Many more times than I would like to remember, I’ve heard the following (or something like the following): “Only one or two people have visited me since I’ve been in the hospital.” “I haven’t been attending regularly for quite some time, but nobody has checked on me.” “I (or one of my family members) is unable to get out of the house much, but nobody has visited, called, written a note, or communicated in any way.” “A relative (or friend) very close to me passed away. I was very disappointed by the small number from our congregation at the visitation and funeral service. I am also disappointed and hurt because nobody has…

Life has its way of teaching us some important lessons if we will just take note of what goes on around us. In the last few days, I have heard some words come from the mouths of some women around me that have made me begin to think about my own life and its direction. The first woman was responding to a greeting I gave her. When I asked how she was doing, she responded with “I’m hanging in there…hanging by a thread.” The surroundings didn’t really give me the opportunity to find out exactly what she meant by that, but it caused me to wonder about what was going on in her…

When Philip was called by the Lord to overtake a chariot headed to Gaza, there was more to overcome than just the chariot. A man was reading God’s word but he did not understand it. He needed guidance and encouragement from an evangelist. He needed knowledge. He needed a change of heart. As they came upon some water, this man asked the question, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?” (Acts 8:36). One obvious conclusion from this passage is that baptism is necessary for salvation. If not the case, there would be no reason for the Ethiopian to request it. But in an even more practical sense,…

I have nothing. That was one of the first thoughts that went through my mind as I realized it was my turn to offer something up for our readers this week. “I have nothing.” Zip. Nada. Not even an inkling of an idea. Then that idea began to resonate with me. It is true: I have nothing. I never do. Anything I can offer you as food for thought comes straight from God. I either get ideas directly from His word, His blessings in my life, or His providential care. As I began to explore that idea, I found that it is actually a pretty deep thought. Consider Jehovah’s words,…

I find the phrase “filling the pulpit” to be an interesting one.  I am really not sure about the history of that phrase, but, I think that most of us realize that it refers to the man who is doing the preaching. What TO Fill With…  Whatever it means, it is my prayer that “filling the pulpit” does not merely mean “we’re good as long as there is a warm body up there.” Hopefully, among other things, the following things are true about the man who “fills the pulpit” – including me: Time has been spent filling his sermon with scripture.  People can be entertained, motivated, challenged, and/or encouraged in any…

Ask any deacon, or whoever happens to be in charge of getting Bible class teachers, how easy their job is, and I’m sure you’ll get a somewhat negative answer. It seems that more and more people just don’t want to put in the time and study and preparation needed to teach the Bible to our children and grandchildren. I’ve heard excuses like, “I teach school all year, so I don’t want to teach on Sunday, too.” Or maybe this one, “I’m getting too old to teach. I put in my time when my children were little.” How about, “You have to be pregnant or dead to get out of teaching once you…