I received so much positive response to my summary of the New Testament book of James that I decided to do the same for Philippians. Paul wrote it most likely from a prison in Rome, though some would argue Caesarea or Ephesus. The beginning of the Philippian church in Acts 16 includes a story about […]
Turn The Other What? – Matthew 5:10-12,38-48
One of our members wrote, “If you have any devotional messages about turning the other cheek, I would really appreciate it. I’m praying for the strength and guidance not to sink to the level of the person whose actions are hurting me and not to take a wrong course in reaction. I realized how much […]
Small Decisions Become BIG – I Corinthians 16:13
Four guys decided to go fishing in the Gulf of Mexico off the west coast of Florida. One guy provided his boat. Someone chose the time to leave. Someone decided how far out to go. Someone decided to check the weather or not. Someone decided to stay a little longer when the wind came up. […]
Grief is Hard Work – I Thessalonians 4:13
That’s what I told my nephew-in-law at the graveside of his wife, my niece. And, I added that every person does this hard work a little differently. There are no shortcuts and it cannot be programmed to end at a specific time. He and his 14-yr-old daughter and all our family are mourning the death […]
Find a Better Bed! – James 1:14-16
Maybe you heard the story of Robert Baswell, 44, a homeless man who fell asleep in a trash bin in West Palm Beach on May 6, 2007. It provided escape from the rain and a pretty soft bed because it was filled with brush. But, imagine his rude awakening when he was tossed with the […]
Lying About Steroids or Anything Else – John 8:32,36,44
Marion Jones was arguably the greatest female athlete ever. She won 3 gold and 2 bronze medals at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. In the 100-meter race, she pulled away so quickly that her closest pursuer was nearly 3 full strides behind her. No doubt, she could have won great recognition without steroids, but she got […]
I Hope He Knows How I Turned Out – Ephesians 4:29
Bob Dotson, NBC News Correspondent, tells the unusual story of Fred Benson. Born in 1895 in Boston, he was abandoned by his parents at age 8 and was sent to live with Gurd Miliken and his family on Block Island. He died at age 101 and had served as police chief, fire chief, head of […]
Better to Lose One Part of Your Body? – Matthew 5:29-30; 18:8-9
I’m sure Sampson Parker never dreamed that his farming accident on Sept. 11, 2007, might be an illustration of a difficult teaching by Jesus. He was harvesting corn that day in Kershaw County, South Carolina, when stalks got stuck in a set of rollers in his old corn picker. He made the mistake of reaching […]
Location, Location, Location! – Matthew 7:24-27
You’ve heard the old real estate rule about location. The Selken family thought they had the ideal location for their home near Shirley, Arkansas. Tonya was very careful to choose the best two of her grandfather’s 210 acres, not just for the incredible scenery, but also for protection from tornadoes. During 60 years of property […]