We have a deacon where I serve as an elder who is very quick-witted. He has a unique combination of qualities. He takes his duties as a deacon very seriously. At the same time, he had the ability to see and use to humor almost everywhere and in almost any situation. All of that came together when something went wrong with the system that is supposed to heat the water in our baptistry. Since that would be a part of the responsibilities of this deacon, it fell to him to rectify that situation. When he had done all that he could, he finally called a business in town and asked them to take a…

Right off the bat, two disclaimers: (1) I am not an elder nor a deacon and never have been, and (2) I know that the title of this post is boring! With that said, I love studying and trying to help with church leadership. If we are going to restore New Testament Christianity we need to be certain we know on an intellectual level and follow on a practical level what God has said concerning the organization of the church. One of the stated roles of elders is that of “overseer” (Acts 20:28). I have heard that described–and I think well–as meaning that elders set and see to the general…

It is customary for the human race to honor those who pass from this life. Early in the Biblical record, Abraham purchased the cave of Machpelah in order to give a proper burial to his beloved wife Sarah. Today in almost every town, if you are in the right place at the right time, you may have to pull over to allow a funeral procession to pass by. This is done out of respect and honor for the life represented as well as personal sorrow. This is done because it is the right thing to do. The death of a president serves as another example of how Americans honor their…

As I rapidly approach my seventies (a little over a year away), I am finally beginning to realize that I am no longer a young man. There are certain things that serve as (not so subtle) reminders of that. The mirror is one of those things. As hard as I try and as much I would like for it to be the case, I no longer see the reflection of a man with smooth skin and brown hair. I’m actually seeing wrinkles, age spots, sagging skin, and white hair. When did that happen? My muscles and bones are also informing me that I am not as young as I used to be.  Whatever happened…

If you were to read Luke 9:23-27 carefully, you would notice that there are a number of the more well-known teachings of our Lord packed into that one short passage. When there is such a dense section of Scripture, it can be quite easy to overlook certain words or phrases, but we do so to our own detriment. Included in that passage is this statement from Jesus: “For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when He comes in His glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels” (verse 26). I don’t know how many…

I recently held a meeting in another congregation where at the end of one of the services several people responded to the invitation. Some were restored while others were baptized. When the local preacher was expressing to the church the spiritual decisions that were being made by those who responded, he got very emotional. This was a natural reaction to a very important moment in the lives of those who had been touched by God’s Word. Watching this preacher in action reminded me of what the church needs most. The church needs preachers who cry. A man who speaks the message must also be moved by it inwardly. This involves…

It seems to me that life was much more simple and uncomplicated as I was growing up. I realize that I revealed a great deal about my age as I typed those words, but I believe that most people of almost any mature age can look back on their childhood and make a similar assessment. I’ve been doing some thinking lately about one way in which my life was much simpler than it is now. I’ve also been in conversations with people lately that have caused me to think about this. Some of those conversations have been face-to-face and some have been written exchanges. You see, when I was growing up, I was…