Posts by Carlos Valenzuela
SOUND WORDS, NOV. 17, 2024
I WANT TO BE LIKE JESUS! Several years ago the slogan WWJD – What Would Jesus Do? – became popular, especially among young people. The acronym was featured prominently on jewelry, bumper stickers, and on the Internet. While I share the skepticism voiced by many about the appropriateness of the public displays, and the motives of some people in displaying them, I also applaud the sincere desire to be motivated by the example of Jesus in making decisions. The New Testament is…
SOUND WORDS, NOV. 10, 2024
HARDENING PHARAOH’S HEART Of all the characters in the Bible, few have caused as much speculation as the Pharaoh who ruled Egypt during the time of Moses. God spoke to Moses about Pharaoh and said, “I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go” (Exodus 4:21). This promise of God was repeated on several other occasions (Exodus 7:3; 9:12; 10:20,27). Many fanciful theories have been devised to explain how God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. Calvinists often point to…
SOUND WORDS, NOV. 3, 2024
IS THE GOSPEL POLITICAL? No… and yes. First, no. The gospel is not about parties and political power. It is not a brand of worldly government, for it transcends all governments (see Isaiah 2:1-4; Daniel 2:44-45). We can be Christians regardless of the political system in which we live. Some are more friendly than others, of course, and we do support freedom, but we do not require a specific form of government to be what we are. Even among the first disciples…
SOUND WORDS, OCT. 27, 2024
MY SECURITY I heard this quote from a sermon recently. “My security is not in what I believe but in Who I believe in.” I hear quotes like this a lot from pastors and preachers in various groups and normally pass them by. But I have, in years past, guest spoke in this congregation and have friends who attend there. I love them. Clearly, the church thought it was a quote worth repeating as they turned it into a reel…
SOUND WORDS, OCT. 20, 2024
IMMANUEL, GOD WITH US Did Jesus come to this earth only to die? Why did He spend around 33 years on the earth? Jesus Christ came to earth for more than His great sacrifice on the cross! God promised in Isaiah 7:14: “Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name, Immanuel.” The name Immanuel means “God with us” (Matt. 1:23) and implies more than a brief visit for one sacrificial act, but rather a sharing…
SOUND WORDS, OCT. 14, 2024
SILVER LININGS As I am sure many of you know, I ruptured my Achilles about a month ago. And let me tell you, getting the MRI report and reading (actually having brother Dave Jr read and explain 😂) what actually happened was eerie. My phone call to my wife on my way home the night of the injury included the following, Me—“Do you want the good news or the bad news?…I’ll just start with the bad news. The bad news is…
SOUND WORDS, OCT. 6, 2024
LOVE VS ACCEPTANCE On Parade Magazine a number of years ago, an article introducing “Brotherhood Week” began with the following lines: He drew a circle that left me out…Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout. But love and I to wit to win; We drew a circle that took him in. The article continued with the observation that the universal love of God should be the ideal which all of us should seek to attain. God’s Circle of Love It is certainly true…
SOUND WORDS, SEP. 30, 2024
THE “GREATEST” MET THE TRUE GREATEST! A very popular sports figure arrogantly claimed to be “The Greatest” in his sporting event. Of course, many took this as mostly promotional hype, and not to be taken seriously. But this man, in addition to promoting his boxing, also used his popularity and influence to support and propagate the false religion of Islam. Like all men, he eventually passed away (Heb. 9:27) and would learn Who the Greatest truly is (Isa. 12:6; Tit. 2:13)!…