Luke tells of a man whom Jesus cured of leprosy (Luke 17). This man then let his light shine amidst the darkness of ingratitude and forgetfulness by giving thanks and worshipping. Though I know nothing more about him, he remains a light to me. John tells us of a woman who took the light of Christ into the darkness of her village even though her own life seemed a mess (John 4). Her ‘shining’ unto them resulted in many coming to faith in Jesus. She also... read all »

Randy Ellis recently gave the following information about births by unwed mothers in Oklahoma: 1 35 years ago    less than 10% (out of wedlock births) 1976     12% 1986     18.6% 1996     31.1% 2006     40.9% Much of the article by Ellis had to do with the financial stress faced by unwed mothers, and the financial strain those family patterns were placing on The Depa... read all »

In the passage below, a lie is implied. Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. 1st Corinthians 6:9-10 So what’s the lie? There must be a lie there somewhere that threatens to deceive us, since we are warned not to be deceived. The lie is that those who embrace the sins mentioned ab... read all »

It’s that time of the year again. I am amazed at how quickly the Christmas Season comes each year, since I’ve grown older. As a kid I thought Christmas would never get here. I called it the “Christmas watch”. I would get all pumped up right after Thanksgiving from all the decorations, music, candies, and commercials on TV. Christmas would arrive and just as quickly it would be gone, letting me down to agonize for another year in waiting. At m... read all »

Last week’s article dealt with four very important facts about love. Jesus said that the world would know that we are His disciples because of the love that we have for one another, John 14:34-35. 2. Love is the basis of the two greatest commandments, Mathew 22:36-39. 3. All that is in the Law and the prophets depends on love, Matthew 22:40. 4. Love is superior to the miraculous, 1st Corinthians 12 & 13. Obviously, love is huge. We, therefor... read all »

In our everyday life, we are often so consumed in our work, finances, or even our family. These such items certainly demand our attention because they are important. But, often we spend day after day in pursuit of life to such a degree that only special occasions give us joy or a feeling of delight. Maybe it would be some special event like celebrating a birthday or an anniversary, or buying something new like a new house or car or even anticipating a special vacati... read all »

Let’s answer the question with another question. How is the world supposed to know that we are in fact, disciples of Jesus? A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. John 13:34-35 Of all the teachings of Jesus that we must hold on to in order to be faithful to His New Covenant (Faith in Jesus... read all »

Here are a few helpful things I’ve learned that I am pleased to pass on. How do you get a speck of dirt or debris out of your eye? Simple! Using the thumb and forefinger of one hand, gently grasp your upper eyelid by the lashes and lift it away from your eyeball. Then with the forefinger of your other hand, gently push the lower eyelid up under the upper, and move it back and forth. This little trick has never failed to get small pieces of junk out of my e... read all »

Even though the last writer to contribute to it died over 1900 years ago, and its first book (of 66) came out at least 3400 years ago, its current influence is so alive and strong it is causing international repercussions relative to the upcoming Olympics in Beijing, China! It is significant that that is the only first century book that is getting so much attention! Li Zhanjun, director of the Beijing Olympics media center, was recently seeking to clarify what rest... read all »

Just a few weeks from the writing of this article, a new movie will be released entitled, The Golden Compass. The movie is based on the first in a trilogy of books which the author calls His Dark Materials. These books are written for and marketed to children and are considered as children’s books by Random House Publishing whose synopsis of the story can be read at http://www.randomhouse.com/features/pullman/index.html. From the trailer, the movie seems to... read all »

We have grown so spoiled by our modern conveniences, haven’t we? Think about electricity. It has only been in usage in our homes for a little over a hundred years. Not very long in the overall history of mankind, and yet we never notice it … till it goes off! Back many years ago, when people were first getting electric services delivered locally, two neighbors were trying to decide if they even wanted to have it in the their homes. One family said th... read all »

Have you ever questioned your salvation? Have you ever wondered if your baptism was valid? Have you ever wondered if there is something else you need to do to ensure your salvation is solid? If these questions, or similar questions, have ever passed through your mind you need to read on. Questions like these have plagued the very thoughts of brothers and sisters, even some preachers and elders, for decades and decades. Often times these thoughts are a result of a... read all »

When asked about prayer, many things may come to mind. For instance, you may feel: no-one needs to know about your prayers it is very personal your prayer is between you and God alone, no matter what you pray for Gods going to do what He wants anyway, to make it from one day to the next prayer is an absolute necessity you don’t not know how to pray, inadequate to pray you’re not good enough to pray, "why ... read all »

And they are right, it is the 21st Century. We have 21st Century crime...This is no time to make excuses and allowances for sin. This is a time to make everyone accountable for their actions just as God says we will be in judgment. Besides, if we’re so advanced in the 21st Century, why haven’t we overcome such vice in our society? Nope, if there was ever a time when we must hold people responsible for their own sin, this is it. We have 21st Century un... read all »

The book of Hebrews provides us with several exhortations that encourage us to grow toward maturity in our Christian faith. 4:1 Therefore, let us fear lest, while a promise remains of entering His rest, anyone of you should seem to have come short of it. 4:11 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall through following the same example of disobedience. 4:14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus t... read all »