The promise that Jesus will walk with us is found throughout the Bible. One of the most well-known passages is found in Matthew 28:20, where Jesus says to his disciples, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” This promise comes at the end of the Gospel of Matthew, after Jesus has been resurrected from the dead and has given his disciples the Great Commission to go and make disciples of all nations.
Continue reading “Jesus walks with us.”Bright and shiny light bulbs! What an invention the light bulb. Every time I need to see what is in the darkness I can flip that switch and that bulb shines brightly. Yet is that bulb actually shining? Nope, actually the bulb is just protecting the filament that has been carefully placed within the bulb that causes it to shine.
Continue reading “The Element Within!”In today’s bulletin, I want to talk about my beliefs on church activity. Now, let me say right up front that this has drastically changed over the years. There was a time when I believed that a church was failing in its responsibilities if it wasn’t always busy doing something. What we were doing didn’t matter as much as long as the church was doing something. That all changed when I learned the phrase, “Holiness doesn’t equal holiness.” That truth drove me back to the Bible and Jesus as my example. I saw that Jesus was always busy but even then, what he was doing mattered more than simply being busy. He always prioritized people over busyness and if he was interrupted he took the time to see the person and their needs. Just as important, he always took time for himself, rested, and encouraged his disciples to do the same.
Continue reading “Patience, family, and church work.”The other day I was reading a email and the writer mentioned Numbers 11:11 which says, “Moses said to the LORD, “Why have you dealt ill with your servant? And why have I not found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me?”
This started me to thinking about the answer to Moses question. Why would God allow Moses to carry such a monolithic task? Why would God entrust the success of His great plan of redemption, for all mankind, on this one man?
Continue reading “A New Perspective”The letter of Jude and the person are not well known to modern readers of the Bible. Most have no idea who he was or why his unique letter is even considered Scripture. I call his letter unique because of its contents. In the letter Jude refers to a book called “The Assumption of Moses” and one called “The Book of Enoch.” Do not let this cause you to think they are inspired or even worthy of your time to read them. Jude is simply referencing books that were well-known in this time to make a point about faithfulness and the danger of rebelling against God.
Continue reading “Introduction to Jude”As we begin our new year at Central Haywood we need to think about what we can do to help the church grow. Each of us is important to the overall growth of this church.
Continue reading “Finding your place within the body of Christ.”Talk about an oxymoron. The epitome of isolation and loneliness connected with what should be the epitome of family, purpose, and belonging. You may disagree with my choice of titles, but chances are, you were taught to be a “lone wolf” just like me. From childhood most of us were taught that all we needed to succeed in life was hard work and determination. We were conditioned to believe that we don’t need anything or anyone to attain our goals in life. We were raised to be lone wolves in life, in work, and perhaps most importantly, in our faith.
Continue reading “Lone Wolf Christianity.”At just 219 words, 3 John is the shortest book in the entire Bible. The size and them of 3 John is like 2 John. Both letters were written by the apostle John who is called “the elder” (v. 3). The sense of appreciation for their “children walking in truth” (vv. 3-4) also resonates in both letters. And, of course, both letters include warnings against church leaders who would deceive and abuse the church members.
Continue reading “Introduction to 3 John.”Every year, on the fourth Thursday of November, families across our country gather to indulge in turkey, dressing, and all the fixings we have come to love. We gather with family near and far, enjoy time to talk, catchup, and let us be honest, eat too much, watch too much TV, and if we are lucky, take a wonderful nap.
Continue reading “Thanksgiving: a necessary part of life.”
Central Haywood Church of Christ 