Posts by Carlos Valenzuela
SOUND WORDS, JAN. 4, 2026
PERSONAL DISCIPLINE In view of the corruption that was in the city of Corinth, Paul instructs Christians to discipline their lives (1 Cor. 9:24-27). Personal discipline is one of life’s most difficult problems—it is one of my difficult problems, and it is one that also belongs to you. Yet, it is essential if we are to please the Lord and save our souls. To do so, Paul selects the metaphor of running a race, similar to our Olympic races. According…
SOUND WORDS, DEC. 28, 2025
DO YOU HAVE A SECRET LIFE HIDDEN FROM OTHERS? Isn’t it remarkable how the use of smart phones has changed news reporting? It seems that whenever there is a crisis, someone takes their phone and starts videoing. When it is placed on social media, it can almost immediately go viral. Secrets are revealed which just a few years ago would be hidden. The same is true of those times when microphones of politicians are accidently left open, and we hear…
SOUND WORDS, DEC. 21, 2025
BUILDING AN ETERNAL HOME Just as a man might build a house in which he and his family can live, so too, each one of us is building a life. In fact, the Bible uses the analogy of a house in order to help each one of us better understand how we might build a life that we can be proud of, and one which will weather storms of trial and even the eternal judgment. Jesus famously used the analogy…
SOUND WORDS, DEC. 14, 2025
DO YOU LOVE YOUR FRIENDS? Do you have any denominational, generally religious, or even atheistic friends, neighbors, and/or family members? How much do you love them? No, I mean, how much do you really love them? Do you really love them – so much so that you would be willing to risk or to do almost anything in order to see them spend eternity in heaven with you? (You know, like the old love songs’ lyrics would claim about “climbing the highest mountain” and/or…
SOUND WORDS, DEC. 7, 2025
EVEN ON A DESERT ISLAND THE TRUTH IS SIMPLE Sometimes great truths can be taught by using the most simple thoughts. This is why both Old Testament prophets and even Jesus employed objects and stories to illustrate great truths. The following story is far from being equal with those, but perhaps it will help us understand the truth about the church Jesus built and the religious division in our world. Imagine a man, isolated on a deserted island, who finds…
SOUND WORDS, NOV. 30, 2025
GIVING THANKS FOR OTHERS EVEN WHEN THEY HAVE MANY FLAWS In this time of the year, many people are counting their many blessings and giving thanks to God. We may give thanks for the many physical blessings that God has blessed us with (e.g. food, shelter, financial income, etc.). We may give thanks for the many spiritual blessings that God has blessed us with (e.g. salvation, the scriptures, hope, peace, grace, etc.). We may give thanks on behalf of others…
SOUND WORDS, NOV. 23, 2025
ATHEISM’S BLIND FAITH (THIS WEEKS ARTICLE IS A RESPONSE TO AN ATHEIST’S COMMENTS ON FAITH AND RELIGION) Dear friend, I hope this letter finds you well and I hope you are enjoying the signs and sights of spring all around you. As the trees and grass “wakes up” I hope you will pause and truly consider what has to happen for trees and plants to go dormant and then reawaken each year at the proper time. Think about what they…
SOUND WORDS, NOV. 16, 2025
FAITHFUL TO-WHAT? I believe Christians may “depart from the faith,” “fall away from grace,” even “deny the Lord that bought them” (1 Tim. 4:1;Gal. 5:4;2 Pet. 2:1) for the scriptures clearly teach this. Our Baptist friends err when they apply 1 Jn. 2:19a to “all” (note 19b) who fully backslide. But “we” err in thinking that all who are baptized, and are “faithful” in their home-town, are truly converted to Christ. It is a common cry in California, Arizona—and I suspect in the northeastern industrial areas—that…