Church Life
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The (Human) Strength of a Church
One of the most important things any congregation needs to remember is that the ultimate strength they have is in Jesus and in His Word, the New Testament. It is a blessing that is hard to put into powerful enough language that we can rely on a Head Who is perfect and on His Word, which is infallible. In that Word, though, we are clearly commanded to do certain things within the context of each congregation. And one of those things is to have qualified men as elders/pastors/bishops/overseers. These men are the human strength of the local church. Central is currently in the process of seeking additional elders, so this…
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In the Coal Car
I was recently given an opportunity that, as a history buff, I’m glad I took. One of the other men at church works at the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke, and he graciously offered to give me a private tour on a day when visitors would be slim. I spent the morning getting up close and personal with various vehicles from throughout American history – everything from an 1890s steam engine to one of the first “professional” racecars to a standard semi-truck from the ‘70s, plus a visual guide to the history of aviation. If you’re ever in the Roanoke area and interested in either history, trains, or cars,…
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Six Challenging Words
If you are even slightly familiar with the life of Paul and his writings, you will probably agree that, after his conversion to the Lord, his commitment was unwavering. He states that fact in so many ways in his letters and exemplifies it repeatedly as we read about his life. I’ve been doing some thinking lately about what I consider to be an amazing and important statement that was penned by this wonderful servant of Jesus. As you will see if you continue reading this, my thinking has taken some interesting and challenging twists and turns. You will find that statement in Philippians 1:20. That verse states something about Paul’s loyalty…
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My Love for Psalm 1
After months of studying the Psalms, I continue to go back to Psalm 1 as one of my all time favorites. I love the simplicity, the teaching, the clear images presented that clearly show us the contrast between the righteous and the wicked. It could be clearly stated Psalm one sets the tone for all of the other Psalms found in this book. In my simple way, let me share with you what can be gleaned from this Psalm. The first two verses teach us how we so easily can be seduced by sin. David begins by telling us the blessing we can have if we are careful with what…
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Digital Bible School Launches Today!
For quite some time now, Leah and I have been working on something new. While we don’t have (and probably never will have) all the kinks worked out, it’s launch day for Digital Bible School, and we are excited! In reality, we have already done some of this work in the past. On our old family YouTube channel, I did some videos called “Adam’s Bible Corner,” where I taught through books of the Bible. And, on Leah’s channel, she released a series of videos on the 15 periods of Bible history (that is outstanding, by the way). But Digital Bible School is meant to be more systematic. Each week (we…
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How to Multiply Your Membership
I have often heard ministers, elderships, and avid churchgoers pine for the glory days of the Book of Acts. We read in Acts the story of a church that is unwavering in its commitment and unstoppable in its growth throughout the Roman world. Many times, I have heard sermons and read articles comparing the church today to the church of the first century. Almost all of them could end with a phrase spoken by God through Daniel: the church today has “been weighed in the balance and found wanting” (Daniel 5:27). Why are we not as passionate as the church in the first century was? Why are we not as…
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Destination City
During a telephone call a few months ago with a preacher, he used an expression that caught my attention and led to this post. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee. In fact, he grew up in Nashville and has been in Nashville for most, if not all, of his life. At one point in the conversation, we were discussing how the population of Nashville has been increasing in recent years. According to one source I consulted, the population of The Nashville Metro Area in 2000 was about 750,000 and now about 1,350,000 people live there. If my math is correct, that means that the population has increased by an average 24,000 people each…
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Cracker Barrel and Distractions
As I scroll through social media, it seems as if every 3rd or 4th post is about Cracker Barrel. Everyone seems to have a take on the rebrand of this well-known restaurant. And that’s fine. It is a company that nearly everyone is familiar with, and, since it is social media, people feel empowered to give their opinion. Here’s mine: I don’t like it…but I don’t really care. I will say this: it seems that Cracker Barrel got distracted. Their brand, really, isn’t food. Their brand is basically not changing. When you go into a Cracker Barrel, you know what you are going to see, experience, and eat. There is…
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Daddy, Did They Know?
A little over a decade ago, a crime rocked a small community not far from where I live. A husband, his wife, and their adult daughter who was visiting from out of town were all murdered by the son of the couple. Another person who was unrelated to the family was also murdered. I remember hearing the family’s preacher speaking about the events, the aftermath, how the local church and the community dealt with all of this, and a host of other things. I honestly do not remember a lot about what he said. However, there is one exception to that. In fact, it has been in the back of…
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We’re On Our Way!
If you are reading these words on Thursday morning, we are on our way to PTP – Polishing the Pulpit – in Sevierville Tennessee. It is one of my favorite times of the year. We get to see so many people we love, and often this is the only time of the year we get to see them. I know I can’t adequately describe all that goes on there, but maybe my short list might make you check it out for next year if you have never attended. If you are reading this, I hope to see you tomorrow as PTP officially begins. If you are reading this and have never…
