Mom and Dad, Grammy (Grampy is in the last set), Gran and PawPaw, the Moons and the Tatums

These pictures were all taken on October 7th–the day we welcomed Mary Carol Faughn into the world.

We live in an age that questions everything. While that is not always bad, we need to make sure, when we find an answer to our inquiry, that it is the truth. An answer is not necessarily the answer. The same is true in religious matters. Take, for example, our view of Scripture. Many question the Bible—or, at least, parts of it. How should we view God’s Word? First, we should view the Bible as being from God. Paul, to Timothy, said, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Timothy 3:16). God, being our Creator and Sustainer, has given us a book to guide us and help us…

Many of you visit this blog quite often. Those who have registered–so your names shows up on the side of the page–are appreciated. There are others who have told me that they visit but, because of a technological snafu, they cannot register. I hope that changes soon, but, in the meantime, let me say that you are appreciated as well. Please keep spreading the word about our blog. There is another blog that I would like to recommend to you. It’s Drew’s Blog, managed by Drew Kizer. Drew preaches for the Ashville Road church of Christ in Leeds, Alabama (near Birmingham). For the same technological snafu, I cannot register on…

[Note: Brother Andy Kizer gave me the information and the idea for this article.]For many years men have tried to justify their use of alcohol as a good thing. Some have simply said that there is nothing wrong with it. Others have used the argument that, so long as it is drunk in moderation, drinking is okay; in other words, one just needs to keep control. No doubt, though, the most popular argument for the consumption of alcohol, specifically wine, has been that it is actually good for one’s health. Two major health aids are told: (1) it is good for your heart, and (2) because of that, it increases…

In the November issue of Money, a series of statistics is released about how serious Americans are about their jobs. One of the statistics released was totally amazing. I wanted to share it with you for your future reference. Those of you who preach or teach Bible classes may want to put this one in two different files: one on money and one on modesty. On top of a picture from the movie Erin Brockovich, the statistic reads, “…48% of us say we would dress more revealingly to double our pay.” Nearly half of American workers are more interested in the buck than in their own shame. Sounds a little…

Brother Aubrey Johnson has written a great book on encouragement entitled The Barnabas Factor. The book was released in early 2004 by The Gospel Advocate Company and has had great success since. I highly recommend the book. The book is divided into three sections and is meant to be a progressive study. The three sections are: (1) The Attitude of an Encourager, (2) The Anatomy of an Encourager and (3) The Activity of an Encourager. In my opinion, the best section is the third. In the final section, the writer focuses on four Bible characters–Nehemiah, Barnabas, Jesus and God the Father–and uses their example as a starting point for his…

The Christian Courier website ran the obituary for brother Wendell Winkler as it appeared in “The Tuscaloosa News,” the local newspaper for the Northport, Alabama, area. It is reprinted below, and it includes the arrangements for the visitation and funeral services. For the original, you may log onto The Christian Courier and scroll down to the “News and Commentary” section. There are links there to two articles brother Winkler contributed to that outstanding site. May God’s richest blessings continue to be on the family and may brother Winkler’s work–through books, audio recordings, articles, outlines and websites–continue to influence many for good. Charles Wendell Winkler: 1931 – 2005Charles Wendell Winkler, age…

As most have heard by now, brother Wendell Winkler left this world around 2 AM Sunday morning, October 23, after a prolonged battle with his health. As a faithful Christian man, we realize that he is where he has always wanted to be–waiting to enjoy the treasures of Heaven. It is ironic that Friday I was scheduled to speak on our local radio program for fifteen minutes. As I have done many times, I turned to an article written by brother Winkler. The ironic part, however, was the subject matter. I used an article written for the July 1998 issue of The Spiritual Sword. The theme of the issue was…

As a society, we are amazed at large amounts of money. Last night, there was a drawing for a PowerBall lottery jackpot totalling $340million. Listening to a radio talk show, I heard an interview with a woman who works for the lottery. She said that a person could opt for a one-time lump sum of about $167.7million, or the winner could take payments over 29 years which would grow from about $6-7million in year one to $13-14 in the final year. Untold numbers of tickets were sold trying to “hit it big.” Each year the major professional sports hold their drafts. I usually watch part of the NFL draft, and…