Posts from 2022
SOUND WORDS, DEC 25, 2022
OBSCURITY Mankind possesses a strong desire for community, the desire to belong. We also desire to be recognized and to be appreciated for our contribution to society. We wish for life to have meaning and purpose. Some fear that they will not be known or understood in the present. Others fear that they will be forgotten after they have passed. In either case the thought of fading to obscurity is unsettling. These fears are not unfounded. It is entirely possible…
SOUND WORDS, DEC 18, 2022
WE ARE WHO WE CHOOSE TO BE “Do you not know that if you yield yourselves to any one as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness” (Romans 6:16). When God created man, he placed within him the nature of a free moral agency. Man could make decisions and choose his own path. Adam and Eve chose to eat the forbidden fruit…
SOUND WORDS, DEC 11, 2022
BURNING DAYLIGHT The winter solstice is rapidly approaching. The solstice, December 21, is the day with the fewest hours of daylight in the northern hemisphere. Daylight is precious. The hours of darkness make commuting more difficult and dangerous. The long evening hours are more conducive to leisure than productivity. The phrase “burning daylight” means to waste time. Another way to describe it is procrastination. Procrastination did not originate with me, but I have perhaps perfected it. Procrastination is usually intentional.…
SOUND WORDS, DEC 4, 2022
PRAYING FOR ONE ANOTHER It is a fact that Christians are to pray for one another (1 Thessalonians 1:2; 5:25). This is a blessing that draws us closer together as we approach the throne of God. It is not merely something that we might do, but something that we must do. Christians praying for one another is found throughout the New Testament. Peter in Prison When Peter was thrown into prison, “constant prayer was offered to God for him by…
SOUND WORDS, NOV 30, 2022
PARENTHOOD AND PATTERNS Perhaps no one will argue with me when I say that there is no power you can have over your children that is equal to the influence of your example. Yet it may be that it is in this respect that the greatest failures occur. We may expect our children to be directed by what we say, yet we may fail miserably to establish a strong influence over them because we do not “practice what we preach.”…
SOUND WORDS, NOV 20, 2022
IS THE WORLD COMING TO AN END? The terror in Israel continues on a daily basis. Memories of September 11 haunt the corners of every mind in America. Fires burn out of control, droughts plague vast areas of the land, crime is on the rise, immorality runs unchecked and according to Time Magazine, “One-third of Americans say they are paying more attention now to how the news might relate to the end of the world” [July 1, 2002; p. 42]. What do all these…
SOUND WORDS, NOV 13, 2022
PUTTING THE PREACHER IN HIS PLACE Carlos Valenzuela is coming to work with the Tomlinson Run church. We are all very excited that he and his family are moving here. His addition to the work here is very important to us. In this article, I want to examine how we should think of him. • 1 Corinthians 4:1 (NKJV) Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Preachers are not over…
SOUND WORDS, NOV 6, 2022
THE CONSTANT BATTLE WITH IMPATIENCE Since patience is a virtue (2Peter 1:6), it should be no great surprise that Satan would often challenge us with the temptation to be impatient. Most people have had a lot of practice being impatient. We have grown accustomed to having what we want, when we want it. When that doesn’t happen, we frequently become impatient, which inevitably leads to other problems. A child may throw a tantrum if he has to wait his turn,…