Church Life
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Week of January 27 “Into the Heart of the Bible” and “Something from the Margin of My Bible”
This week, Leah shares the first of two videos on the Period of Conquest in the Bible. Even if you watch below, please take a moment and subscribe to her channel on YouTube. You can watch the video below or by clicking here. On the margin notes podcast, Adam shares an important devotional thought for the opening of Exodus 15. To listen or subscribe, click here.
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The Water Cycle
I still remember the day I heard the concept. I was blessed that year to have inclusion students in the classroom of a fellow Christian. We were studying the water cycle. Valerie said something to the effect that “All the water on earth has been here from the beginning because it’s all recycled.” Mind blown. The same water that Noah dealt with during the flood, that Elijah prayed would be withheld and then given again, that the Lord said falls “on the just and the unjust” (Matthew 5:45), is the same rain that falls on our heads. It changes forms, but it goes through the cycle over and over, watering…
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A Presidential Funeral, John Lennon, and Acts 17
Whenever a United States President dies, it is international news. The funeral services are also an occasion to remember the leader and to show a certain level of unity that is rarely seen in our culture. Such was on display recently when former President Jimmy Carter died at the age of 100. However, at the memorial service in Washington, DC, there was a combination that seemed more at home in ancient Athens. Per the request of Carter (I have read that this request was made a number of years ago), the song “Imagine” by John Lennon was not only played, it was performed live by a couple of music artists.…
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Learning from the Master
I recently adopted an Aussie lab puppy named Baxter. At three months old, he is a bundle of energy and has been a great addition to my house as well as an occasional terror. We had a few pets over the course of my childhood, but Baxter is the first dog I have had on my own. As such, while I am training him, he is also training me in some significant ways, many of which have biblical parallels and spiritual implications. To create an exhaustive list would take much longer than one article, but there is one that has stood out among the rest in these first few weeks…
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It’s Not Just about Coaching Styles
A recent conversation about a couple of basketball coaches made me do some thinking. It didn’t take long for my thinking to go way beyond college basketball. I started thinking about how parents relate to their children, how elders and preachers relate to the congregations they serve, how bosses relate to employees, etc. As I thought about all of that, I began to realize that some individuals who are in positions of some authority focus on mistakes. The emphasis seems to be on what was done wrong, how someone didn’t live up to expectations, etc. A great deal of emphasis is put on things done, not done, or not done correctly.…
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Week of January 20 “Into the Heart of the Bible” and “Something from the Margin of My Bible”
On Leah’s YouTube channel this week, she finished a two-part lesson on the Wandering Period of Bible history. You can watch it below or click here to watch on YouTube. On the “Margin of My Bible” podcast, Adam shared a note about the placement of Numbers 7. Listen to the episode here.
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Using Up Our Leftovers
It is bitterly cold outside here in Paducah, as it is in many places in our country today. It makes you want to just stay in the house where it is warm and cozy. Now, for those of us who eat out often, since there are just two of us, this can present a problem. It means that I have to cook a meal. Honestly, I don’t mind cooking, so it isn’t that big of a deal. However, this time I decided to do something different. I decided to organize our freezer and use up our leftovers from past meals. I was amazed at the variety of items we had,…
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Love ______ Church
There was a popular slogan a couple of years ago, where people wore T-shirts or had other items that said “I love my church.” It was basically a way for people to show love and support for their congregation, and that’s a good thing (as you’ll see below). However, there are several ways to fill in that slogan, and each one of them needs to be true. Love HIS Church. We need to love that the Church belongs to Jesus, Who is the Head. We need to love that He is the One Who purchased it with His Own blood. If we do, then we will obey Him. We will…
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The Funeral of An Elder
I was recently asked to speak at a funeral service for a man who served as an elder in a congregation where I had formerly served as the minister. About a month or so before he passed into eternity, I received a telephone call from this brother. He knew that his time was short. He had called to ask me to speak at his service. Since my family and I had left that community and that church about 28½ years ago, I was somewhat surprised by his request, but I told him that I was willing to do whatever I could to help. In 1985, there were three elders in this…
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Who is Rejecting God?
It happened again. A familiar passage, but a new way of hitting the heart. This past Sunday night, our minister was doing the second in a series of lessons called “Conversations with God.” This lesson was about Moses and the conversation He had with I AM at the burning bush. Most who are reading this have probably heard the list of excuses Moses gives before finally getting down to his final plea of “Send someone else!” (Exodus 4:13) Somewhere in the middle of the list is his fear of rejection. Now, if we are honest, this is probably one of our greatest excuses about sharing the gospel with people. We…
