Would you believe me if I told you that there is something inside of you that you can’t remove no matter how hard you try? You may be a free moral agent with choices to make and a future to pursue but there is one thing for sure that you have no control over whatsoever. You see, God made you in such a way that you are always going to be searching for or making some kind of effort to define the purpose of your existence. The great and wise Solomon once said, “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, He has put eternity in their hearts, except…

The thoughts below are over sixteen years old. I recently found them in some older material I was going through. I think that they are just as worthy of our consideration now as they were when they were originally penned.  I am indebted to brother Dan Jenkins for what I think are some very insightful observations. Please read them carefully and prayerfully. I am aware of the fact that some who may regularly read these posts are accustomed to having choirs, choruses, praise teams, etc. where they worship. For that reason, they may not understand the concern expressed by brother Jenkins. The reason for his concern (and mine) is that we find any authority…

Paul famously wrote that, for the Christian, “our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20). Due to that statement, some Christians struggle with days like today, where our nation celebrates a national holiday. May Christians participate in these patriotic acts? The answer is found in the concept of balance. First of all, I would suggest that Christians need to keep their priorities in check. In other words, it is possible for a nation–or, to word it another way, civic pride–to become an idol. If I am more proud to be an American (or a citizen of any nation on earth) than I am of being a Christian, then I have a…

I entitled this article with the intention of getting the highest volume of readers possible. I wanted it to be an open question that was balanced and that did not from the get-go seem to be slanted in any direction whatsoever. Because this is what I want to consider – should we be policing or should we be preaching? From a congregational standpoint, God organized individual autonomous congregations to have elders who would shepherd their own flocks. Church discipline was never practiced arbitrarily but only according to the doctrine that was communicated by the Holy Spirit in the New Testament. In other words, there are divine directives for how and…

I have no trouble imagining the outcry if the following “rules” or “dress code” would appear in the bulletin of some church and/or was read by one of the elders of a congregation. I can imagine that some people would actually leave that congregation in search of an atmosphere that would be much more accepting and less restrictive. Racerback with a mock or regular collar are allowed (no collar = no racerback). Plunging necklines are NOT allowed. Leggings, unless under a skort or shorts, are NOT allowed. Length of skirt, skort, and shorts MUST be long enough to not see your bottom area (even if covered by under shorts) at any time, standing or bent…