We are always on the lookout for new websites and blogs to add to our blogroll, so you can “stumble onto” great information on the web. Today, we have added another link to the “Christian Blog” section (on the right-hand side). Steve Higginbotham, the preacher for the South Green Street church of Christ in Glasgow, Kentucky, writes the regular e-mail newsletter mercEmail. Recently, he started a blog and already has a couple of good articles on it. Check it PreachingHelp.org here.

Sports are a lot of fun. I enjoy watching all kinds of sports, and I play…sometimes. As a youth minister, though, one of my frustrations has been how often young people–and so often, parents–put sports before the Lord. The young people so very often have learned this habit from adults. We know this is true, and then, we read about what is going on in Madison, Wisconsin, on Sunday afternoon. I know a member of the Packers offensive line, and I hope for him that the Green Bay football team does well on Sunday. However, it is difficult to think about the fact that so many fans will put the…

“God is so good;God is so good;God is so good;He’s so good to me.” The words to that simple song sometimes get stale. When a song contains the same few words over and over, we can easily forget the true meaning. But God IS so good! As another song boldly says, “He blesses and blesses again.” This week has been one of anticipation, anxiety and, ultimately, a reminder of God’s blessings. First of all, my mom had to have a heart catherization done this morning in Paducah. The doctors thought she might have a blockage in part of her heart. We waited, but didn’t have to wait long. After just…

As I mentioned in a previous review, one thing I am trying to do this year is improve as a husband and dad. One way to do that is to do some reading on families (and preach more on the topic, too…like I am on Sunday morning). Last night, I finished reading Building Stronger Families: Family Enrichment in the Home, Church, and Community by Royce Money. This book is not new (the version I read was printed in 1989, and, so has some statements that are a bit funny, like “as we near the turn of the century…”), but it still contains some valuable information, especially in the first half…

January 9 is a date that the McCreless family will not soon forget. Not only did Kaleb put on Christ in baptism, but his decision also made every member of the family—Bryan, Tammy, Kyle, Kameron and Kaleb—a Christian. I remember the morning I decided to be baptized. My dad, with tears in his eyes said, “It looks like our family is going to be complete.” While I knew part of what he meant then, I now understand more of just how deep that statement was. A family in which every member is a Christian is complete in several ways. They are united by something even more precious than a family…

I recently finished Jim Palmer’s book Faith and Finance: Understanding the Inseparable Link. This book is short, but powerful. I recommended the book over on Where Your Treasure Is, and would like to suggest that you read my rather lengthy review there. To do so, click here. This book doesn’t take long to read, but it certainly make you think and open a Bible. I recommend it wholeheartedly.

Since announcing that I had taken a pulpit work in Nashville, I have heard some odd comments. I completely understand the spirit in which they were given, but they are statements that I hope I never make. Some have said things like, “We figured you’d be moving up soon.” That statement makes it sound as if I am getting some sort of promotion. I am not. Youth ministers are worth so much (more about that later) and so are pulpit ministers. I am simply taking another position with new challenges that, hopefully, fit my skills and talents better. I have heard others say, “It’s about time you got your own…

As you probably know, my favorite sport is college basketball. I enjoy watching the “big boys” (the ACC) play, but I also watch–and know quite a bit about–other D-I schools. One of the greatest things about college basketball, and really any sport, is that, on any given night, you could see something you’ve never seen before. That fact, though, can also be a negative, because you might see something horrible for the first time. In the past few days, two things have happened that just cause basketball fans to go, “What?” First, how about hitting one shot in a half. That’s right–one! The great thing is that it happened for…

One of my goals each year is to be a better husband and dad. I want to do the best possible job in these roles, but that takes work. One way to help is to read on the subject every so often. Carl Brecheen and Paul Faulkner’s What Every Family Needs is a classic that every parent should read (and, probably, more than once). The 12 chapters are short, but powerful. It seems to me that the book can also be read from several perspectives. There is a sense in which the book is filled with psychology and sociology that will help the dynamic of the family from an almost…

Sunday was one of the most emotional days with which I have ever been involved. As you saw on the front page, brother Max Burleson responded to the Lord’s invitation. I know there were tears of joy because he made his life right with the Lord. We also shed tears of sadness together as I announced that my family and I would be moving to Nashville. Saying goodbye is a difficult thing, especially when so much of us is here. I don’t cry all that often (although, maybe I should cry more than I do), but there was no avoiding it on Sunday. While we are excited about the possibilities…