Posts from 2025

Blessed are they who understand My faltering step and my palsied hand. Blessed are they who know my ears today Must strain to catch the things they say. Blessed are they who seem to know That my eyes dim and my wits are slow. Blessed are they who look away When coffee was spilled at the table today. Blessed are they with a cheery smile Who stop to chat for a little while. Blessed are they who never say, “You’ve…

In Iowa stands the historic Little Brown Church.  Hundreds of weddings take place there each year.  I am told that the preacher has adopted a beautiful farewell to the many couples.  After the ceremony is over he takes the couple to the entry and says, “Before you go, the bride has the honor of ringing the church bell.”  He places the rope in her hands and she pulls with all her might, but the heavy bell will not turn.  Then…

Children, what a wonderful word! We are told in Psalm 127:3-5, “ . . . children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them . . .” We see from these verses that children are a wonderful blessing which bring much joy to our lives. Jesus…

There is a beautiful and very meaningful song in our songbooks entitled, “Jesus Saves.”  What a remarkable statement this is!  The angel of the Lord said of Jesus “. . . for he shall save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).  Jesus said of himself, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).  John said, “. . . Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of…

Our obligations can be summed up in two categories: (1) Obligations to God; and (2) Obligations to others.  Our response to our obligations will determine the kind of person we become and where we spend eternity.  Let’s look first at our obligations to God.  As we study the Bible we see that we have many obligations to God.  I want to emphasize six that are very important: Fear God (Ecclesiastes 12:13; Hebrews 12:28). Obey God (I Samuel 15:22; Matthew 7:21).…

The strength of the church lies in her supernatural elements, her sure foundations, her divine cornerstone, her residents spirits.  The weakness of the church lies in her human elements.  We can offer no improvements in the supernatural elements, but we can strengthen the human elements.  There are four groups of members who strengthen the church. The first group is composed of attending members.  They are found in every congregation.  They have the same “excuse” which others use: company comes to…

Carl Howey told this true story.  It was winter in New York City, and an especially cold and bitter night.  Very few people were on the subway at that hour.  At one station, the subway stopped, and a peculiar looking woman got on.  Her clothes were ragged and dirty.  She was either extremely tired or very drunk.  As the train lurched forward, she stumbled and fell into a seat and went fast asleep.  Her hands were nestled inside two tattered…

In Valladolid, Spain, where Christopher Columbus died in 1506, stands a monument commemorating the great discoverer.  Perhaps the most interesting feature of the memorial is a statue of a lion destroying one of the Latin words that had been part of Spain’s motto for centuries.  Before Columbus made his voyages, the Spaniards thought they had reached the outer limits of earth.  Thus their motto was “Ne Plus Ultra,” which means “No More Beyond.”  The word being torn away by the…

A man in Kansas City was severely injured in an explosion.  The victim’s face was badly disfigured, and he lost his eyesight as well as both hands.  One of his greatest disappointments was that he could no longer read the Bible.  Then he heard about a lady in England who read Braille with her lips.  Hoping to do the same, he sent for some books of the Bible in Braille.  Much to his dismay, however, he discovered that the nerve…

When the angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought forth the Apostles he said, “Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life” (Acts 5:20).  In verse 28 the high priest charged them with “filling Jerusalem with your doctrine.”  He didn’t mean it as a compliment, but it was a great tribute to the work of the Apostles. Nothing has changed!  Our mission is to “speak all the words of…

When Jesus prayed from the cross, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34), he exemplified the greatest attitude of love and forgiveness ever known to the human race.  When man turns to Jesus he not only receives salvation (The greatest blessing), but also receives an attitude that will build special homes and make society a blessing to all human beings.  Our homes and thus our society are in tragic ruin and sadly, it seems that…

There is a beautiful and very meaningful song in our songbooks entitled, “Jesus Saves.”  What a remarkable statement this is!  The angel of the Lord said of Jesus “. . . for he shall save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).  Jesus said of himself, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).  John said, “. . . Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of…