Our new Bible school quarter will begin next Sunday morning (September 3). This is always a special time, as many of our young people are “promoted” to their next class, and several move from high school classes to our young adult class. What are some things to keep in mind for those who are involved in this transition in any way? For those of us who teach, it is good to know who is moving up to our class. While we are a family here at 9th Avenue and, for the most part, know each other well, it might still be a good idea to meet each family or send…

Next week, we will sing the Top 10 of the 9th Avenue Top 99. Here are the songs we sang last night: #16–The New Song #15–My Eyes are Dry #14–Holy Ground #13–There’s Something about That Name #12–That Heavenly Home #11–Beautiful Star of Bethlehem

We didn’t sing many songs Sunday night as we continued counting down the 9th Avenue Top 99. We had a lot of longer songs, so we could not complete very many. Our plan is to sing #16-11 next Sunday night and then finish with the top 10 on the first Sunday in September. Here are the favorites we sang last night: #22–The Pearly White City #21–Did You Think to Pray? #20–Our God, He Is Alive #19–Ten Thousand Angels #18–I Walk with the King #17–A Beautiful Life Please keep checking on the 9th Avenue website for the Top 99. We are going to go back and sing #66-58 sometime in the…

According to a recent study, it has been determined that tobacco is bad for people. While that may sound like “old-timey” stuff, many have been saying for years that only certain kinds of tobacco exposure were harmful. The study shows that all kinds of smoke can lead to many problems. Once again, we need to be reminded of the imporance of taking care of the one body God gave to us. We also need to be reminded that Deity dwells within us, if we are God’s child. “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You…

That’s the only word that I can think of to describe our recent news. After adopting Mary Carol, who is a true blessing from God, Leah and I found out that we are going to have a baby. Two specialists had told us that this would never happen and one, after finding out the news and confirming it, said that, in 30 years, he had never seen a case like ours. Leah is already 8 weeks along, and the pregnancy is going well. Please keep her and ‘Lil Faughn in your prayers. We should know much more in a few weeks when we go back for another visit with a…

“Snakes on a Plane” is an R-rated movie whose title gives away the plot. Simply, there are, in fact, snakes that get loose on a plane. However, I saw a short piece last night about the movie and about how it got its rating of “R.” It seems that this movie has a lot of interest in the “blogosphere.” In fact, one blog was so popular that the production company actually endorsed it. Usually movie companies do not like “outside sources” writing about a movie before its release, so this was a major change. It seems that this blog, plus some others, was upset that the movie was going to…

Brother Wayne Jackson writes such helpful material for all Christians. His articles can be of great help to those who are not Christians as well. I figure I have read every article that has been published on ChristianCourier.com in the last two years, at least. One of my favorite things brother Jackson does, though, is the “article-within-an-article.” In other words, sometimes he puts a little extra “umph” behind a point that, obviously, has gotten to him in the past. I believe he only does this to help others to see the rediculous nature of doing such things, not to “get back” at someone who has done it to him. In…

We are continually getting closer to the #1 song on the 9th Avenue Top 99. Here are the songs we sang last night: #31–Each Step I Take #30–Listen to Our Hearts #29–Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus #28–Without Him #27–When We All Get to Heaven #26–Zion’s Call #25–I Come to the Garden Alone #24–Come Share the Lord #23–Jesus, Hold My Hand If you live in the Haleyville area, come each Sunday night at 5:30. Amazingly, there are STILL a few surprises left. It is a lot of fun leading these songs, and we are truly enjoying singing them.

Our new members dinner was a true joy to attend. As brother Andy said, we should have been doing these types of dinners long ago. That being said, our first one was wonderful. So many stayed and brought food. We enjoyed a great period of fellowship. It was uplifting to see so many new members sitting at the head tables. When the evening was over, a lot of things stuck out. One of those things was the beauty of the simplicity of the dinner. There were no fancy decorations. There weren’t any expensive awards. It was nice to have the new converts sitting at one table and simply having them…

From the same company that brought us “Grand Theft Auto” comes a new game called “Bully,” set to be released in October. As you may recall, in “Grand Theft Auto,” the character gets to kill and beat up people. The game features hookers and even a “secret game” that could be unlocked where the object was to have sex. From that same company comes a new experience. “Bully” is set in a school. The game does not have blood or death, but the basic object of the game is to beat people up in the school. The player can use a variety of weapons, including marbles, a baseball bat and…