I am so excited about the Freed-Hardeman University Bible Lectures. The week is truly a feast for mind and soul. I learn so much from the speakers and I am constantly uplifted by the handshakes, hugs and kindness given by brothers and sisters in Christ. I hope to see so many of you there. Lord willing, we will be in Henderson until Friday, so I am not yet sure if there will be a links roundup next week. I have found a new “helper” in this weekly endeavor. I use iGoogle as my reader, so now I can read many more blogs for my own learning, but also to find…

If you are a regular reader of the blog, you know that we sometimes little “fun” series on here. We are beginning one today that will be periodically updated. I love a lot of songs, but you might be suprised at some of the ones I like. They will probably never make a “100 Greatest Songs of Rock ‘n’ Roll” list, but they are still great songs. Most of them are songs I listen to on my Pandora station (and some are songs I have discovered because of that great site). For the first installment in this series, I hope you are able to whistle. I give you The Tremeloes:

This true story, written by Don Umphrey, is fabulous. Clyde Thompson, known for many years as the meanest man in Texas, spent most of his life in prison for killing two men, and had years added on for killing two more. The stories of life in prison for this man are amazing. Don Umphrey did a tremendous job of getting inside Thompson’s head (through interviews later in Thompson’s life) so we can see what was going on inside his mind while in prison. And the journey through the psychology of this man is tremendous. Thompson’s dad was a Gospel preacher some of the time and continually encouraged Clyde to repent…

A big thank you to Paula Harrington for sending me the following email: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,325894,00.html The tourist was an American and FHU alumnus.

I look forward to the annual Bible lectures at Freed-Hardeman University. It is a blessing to attend these lectures, to learn more about the Bible, to see family, and to renew old acquaintances. The week is one of the great blessings each year. The 72nd Annual Bible Lectureship will be held next week on the Henderson, Tennessee, campus, lasting from Sunday until Friday. Over 100 speakers will teach us more about God’s Word. To see a schedule, click here. I am proud that my brother-in-law, Jeremiah Tatum, will be speaking on Thursday at 1:30. His topic is in a track entitled “The Deity of Christ: Challenges from the Religious World.”…

In late October my Daewoo stopped running. The timing belt broke and left me with a decision: put a used engine in the car that would cost more than the car was worth (in fact, over 2 times more), or sell the car for parts. After a lot of thinking, we decided to sell the car for parts. It is on eBay right now, and the auction ends this afternoon (wanna bid?). While we won’t get much for the car, we feel like this is the best decision. We have been making it with one car, and we are starting to save up for a second. Closer to the time…

Resource Publications continues to put out a quality commentary series in the Truth for Today series. Dr. Don Shackelford wrote the volume, consisting of 654 reading pages, on Isaiah. I would recommend this commentary more for the “application” section than the commentary. It’s not that the comments are weak; there are just not as many as I would like. However, there are many sermon outlines just waiting to be preached. For every chapter of Isaiah, Dr. Shackelford gives at least one sermon outline, totaling over 80! Preachers, if you need a little “jump start” getting sermons or Bible class material on this great book, this commentary is well worth the…

Dr. Dave Miller of Apologetics Press wrote this book in 2007. The subtitle, “A Plea to Reconsider,” is appropriate in this case. Richland Hills is the largest church of Christ and, in a bold and calculated move, they decided to add a third service (on Saturday!) where instruments would be used. Also, the Lord’s Supper would be served at this Saturday worship. In preparation for that move, the preacher, Rick Atchley, preached 3 sermons entitled “The Both/And Church.” These sermons served as the message to the congregation as to why the change was being made. In Richland Hills & Instrumental Music, Dr. Dave Miller uses notes from the very sermons…

Several of our young people are writing speeches for Lads to Leaders, which is quickly approaching. They are challenged to stay on topic and on time. In fact, the judges must deduct points if the speaker goes over (or under) the allotted time. The time limit is about 5 minutes (it varies depending on the age group). That’s it. Our students have just that short amount of time to say what they have prepared, and it must “say a lot.” They have to pack those few minutes with information that will motivate the listeners. One of the reasons for the short time limit is that there are hundreds of speakers…

[NOTE: Today marks the 35th anniversary of the tragic Roe v. Wade decision, as handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court. While it is tragic that the decision was ever made, it is truly sad that the effects are still being felt thirty-five years later. While the battle has been long, Christians must not give up the fight! My friend Todd Clippard sent me the following article that ran in the bulletin of the Burleson church of Christ this past Sunday, and I wanted to share it with you. I felt it was most appropriate for today. The words to his article, entitled I Will Kill to Play Sports, follow.]Most…