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A Year of Milestones
Forgive me for being quite personal with today’s post, but I think that, by the end, you’ll see why I wanted to share this. The year 2024 is one that our family has thought about for a while. As with so many other things in life, you realize something will happen in a few years and, then, it seems like it will never get there. Until it does. And, for our family, here we are. In a period of about 10 weeks, our family will have two milestones, Lord willing. And they are two things that remind us of some valuable lessons for marriage. First, on June 5, Leah and…
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I Will vs. I Wish
Most who read this will probably be familiar with the section of scripture that is often referred to as “The Parable of the Prodigal Son.” If that is not the case, I invite/encourage you to read Luke 15:11-32. Neither the space usually used on these posts nor my ability will allow me to fathom the depths of this important text. With that being said, I would like for all of us to think about what I consider to be two important words found therein. I believe that they are worthy of our consideration at any time, but it may be the case that they deserve especially careful consideration at this…
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Another Year is Gone
How quickly time flies these days! I’ve heard it several times from friends who are in my same age bracket: “The years just seem to fly by…,” “I can’t even keep up with the days when time is going by so quickly,” “Another year has flown by,” “Is it Christmas already? What happened to Autumn?” These are just a few of the comments I have heard recently. And I have to admit that I have felt the same way. The older I get, the faster time seems to go! As this new year begins, I have decided to look at time differently. I’m planning to have a list of those things…
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Who’s On the List?
It may have already been published by the time this post goes live. It was said a while back that a certain list of names would be released at the beginning of the year, though no specific date and time were given. Many in the public have been holding their breath to see who is on there. We are told that the names will include many people known throughout the world, including some very high profile people in business and politics. But the names, we are told, will also include some who we do not know, from victims of terrible things to others who were involved in various ways. As…
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Three New Videos
For a rare Friday post, I’m sharing the three videos we have released on our Faughn Family of 4 channel on YouTube since our launch video. These are meant to be a type of “bridge” to January, when all four of us will start releasing videos with much more regularity. To make sure you don’t miss any of them, please subscribe to our channel! Video #1 is Leah sharing her mom’s yummy chicken n dumplings recipe. Video #2 is me with some tips for marking in your Bible. Video #3 is me sharing some basic tips for how to begin studying a passage of the Bible. Again, please take a…
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Nothing for the Back
Once again, a small statement included within a sermon chock full of thought-provoking truths is the inspiration for today’s article. Michael Grooms, Willow Avenue’s pulpit minister, recently made the simple statement noting that, in the list of our Christian armor (found in Ephesians 6:10-18), there are no pieces of the armor for the back of our bodies. He went on to point out that we are to constantly be moving forward toward our goal of heaven and taking others with us, not retreating. I don’t know about you, but many times in today’s world, I feel like I am on the defensive. My morality doesn’t fit with the crowd. My…
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A Thought about the Pearl
Over the years, including a number of times recently, I have had conversations with people who have left the denominational world in order to be “just Christians.” One of the things that is of interest to me is how so many of those who have done this speak of how they love the Truth and how they want to make sure the Lord’s church is unstained by doctrinal error. On the other hand, I have also had conversations with people who were “raised in the church,” but who now desire for the church to change. They want to see the church not be so stuck in the past and they…
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Some Last-Minute (and Inexpensive) Gift Ideas
I admire people who seem to have a knack for buying very appropriate gifts and for giving them at the very best time. Unfortunately, I’ve never been one of those people. Some people seem to love this time of the year and derive a lot of pleasure from being able to put their buying and giving skills “into overdrive.” People like me, on the other hand, have more of a fondness for holidays and other occasions when giving and receiving of gifts is not a part of the equation. Since a lot of gift giving and receiving is only a week away, I thought that I would compile a very short…
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‘Tis the Season
I know that you can finish the lyrics of the title of this post – to be jolly. At least that’s what we hear all of the time. “It’s the hap…hap…happiest time of the year,” or so we’re told. We hear words like: jolly, happy, peace, goodwill, etc. all around us in songs and conversation. But is that how everyone is feeling? I’ve seen the faces of some folks lately that say otherwise. We live in a land of plenty where most people have at least the basics that they need to live. Now, I know that I have lived a blessed life, but now realize that when I was a…
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The Key to Christian Unity
People struggle to get along with one another. That can even be true of Christians. Because we have our own likes and dislikes and we have different personalities, we can struggle at times with getting along. However, unity is the prayed-for desire of our Lord (John 17:21). He wants His people to be one. With all our differences, though, how can we do that? Recently at Central, we have sung an older hymn that I don’t remember singing for a little while. I know we’ve sung it before, but it just seems as if it had been some time and, now, we’ve sung it a couple of times in just…
