Church Life
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When In Need
[Editor’s Note: Due to a mix-up, this post is being shared one week after the surgery mentioned in the introduction. We are glad to say it was successful! We hope you find the message of the post just as timely as if it had been published on the correct day. If you read this post early on Thursday morning, I will most likely have just had surgery having a new knee implanted. I had the other knee done in September of last year, and now this knee is saying, ‘it’s my turn.” I know what to expect–the pain, the therapy, the slow movement. I like to be the one helping,…
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Helping Men Desire The Office
Being an elder in the Lord’s Church is the highest office any man could ever hold in this life. Shepherding a local congregation is a responsibility that has such weight to it, and it is essential to the health of a congregation. But the office is not just for anyone. Twice in the writings of Paul–in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1–he gives inspired qualifications these men are to have to become elders, and that they should continue to have to remain in that important office. Many have pointed out to me over the years that the first of the qualifications listed in 1 Timothy 3 might be the hardest–or,…
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The Timing Is Interesting
Most students of the Bible are probably familiar with some of the events that took place after the death of king Solomon. He had succeeded his father David as king. When Solomon died, his son Rehoboam succeeded him as king. However, the succession did not go very smoothly. What kept the succession from going smoothly was a decision made by Rehoboam. His decision led to a division in the kingdom that was never repaired. As I recently read the account about the decision and how it was made for about the umpteenth time, I noticed something I had never noticed before. (This would be a good place for a quick reminder about the importance of continuing…
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Dealing With “Secret Sin”
One of the most challenging lyrics we ever sing is in the song “Purer In Heart, O God.” Near the end of that song, we sing these words: “Keep me from secret sin; reign Thou my soul within.” Those are very easy (and beautiful) words to sing, but when I truly let my mind contemplate what is coming from my mouth, I have to ask myself if I really mean those words. When we think of “secret sin,” we could talking about actions that no one else knows about, such as a gambling problem or pornography addiction, or we would be talking about sins of our attitude, such as jealousy,…
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Where No One Is Alone
[Editor’s Note: The lady mentioned in this article lost her battle with cancer since the article was written. We held the article back from publication for some time and we pray this is seen as an appropriate time to share it. We continue to pray for her family.] As I type these words, a sister in the Lord is fighting cancer. There are many things which the two of us do not have in common. She is much younger than I am and has a two-year-old child, while my youngest grandchild is about to celebrate her thirteenth birthday. The pigmentation of our skin is quite different. We do not share the same family background,…
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The Ways of Evil
Hello from Short Mountain! If you follow me on Facebook, you have seen some random pictures of the first couple of days of a great week at Bible camp, including one where I repented for not having wanted to come. For some reason, most years I get very nervous about being here and ruin my first night. But this year, I turned that over to God and have enjoyed every minute (except the showers…although I’m thankful we have running water). As one might expect, I have been getting a lot of great spiritual food this week from God’s word. Hopefully, I’ll be able to share parts of that in the…
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The Wise Sculptor Built His Sculpture Upon the Rock…
Yes, I know that’s not how the song goes. (I am writing this article during Vacation Bible School week, after all!) However, a recent news story gave me a great reminder of that song–and, more importantly, the teaching from Jesus behind it. In New Hampshire, a group of sculptors recently gathered for a contest. First prize was a $6000 cash award, with smaller awards for various other places. The sculptures are quite remarkable. As someone who has zero artistic ability, looking at these creations is remarkable. However, the sculptures will only be around…until Sunday. Why such a short time? Are the creators taking them home? Are the winning creations going…
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I Can’t Hear You!
We’ve all seen it. Some of us have done it. It seems that some of us are still doing it. When a small child is doing it, those of us who are older seem to have two reactions. On the one hand, we “chalk it up” to immaturity. At the same time, we hope that, with proper discipline (including instruction, training, and appropriate punishment), the behavior will become a thing of the past. For some, the exact behavior may, indeed, become a thing of the past. Unfortunately, for others, the attitude that the behavior represents is never outgrown. Many seem to exhibit the same attitude throughout their entire lives. What is the “it” that I’m thinking…
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Going In Circles
Recently, Jim was honored to speak on a Wednesday night in Louisville, Kentucky. We arrived there on Wednesday afternoon and checked into our motel. We were supposed to meet some dear friends for dinner at 5:30. She had sent me the name of the restaurant with the address, so we left the motel about 5:00 and headed for the restaurant. I had looked up the name of the restaurant and started the directions on my phone, so we had no trouble finding it. We got there and were seated, just waiting for our friends. She called to say they were almost there, so we were expecting them in just a few minutes. About five…
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A Time for “When In Doubt, Do!”
There’s an old adage that is typically good life advice: “When in doubt, don’t.” The idea is basically that, if you are confronted with a moral question and you aren’t sure about what to choose, choose not to do it. It’s sort of like saying “err on the side of caution,” but it is good advice much of the time. “Should I watch this movie? I know it has some language in it…” If you’re in doubt, don’t. However, there are other situations in life when maybe we need to take the opposite advice. I want to share one of those with you that has to do with church activities.…
