The idea of this article is certainly not unique to me, and the example I chose may not be unique to you, but as I was reading my Bible, some names jumped out at me from an unfamiliar place. I would guess that when the names Nadab and Abihu are mentioned, what first comes to most people’s mind is the account in Leviticus 10 where they offered profane fire and were struck down by the Lord. I haven’t made it to Leviticus with the plan I am following this year. I am still in Exodus on Mondays, which focus on the books of Law. I did not realize that Nadab and Abihu were among those who were invit ..read more

It’s National Teacher Week, I’m told. (By the way, can anyone keep up with all these national days and weeks anymore? I feel like we’ve had about 4 national sibling days just in the last couple of months!) A lot of teachers will be receiving cards or little gifts. They might be getting awards at a school assembly. They might even get their name on the radio or in some print and/or online article. All of those things are well-deserved, and it is great to give honor to whom it is due. But there is another group of teachers who, most likely, won’t get any of that, and they are okay with it. They ..read more

I realize that some who read this may not be familiar with the name, Dr. Albert Mohler. Dr. Mohler is, among other things, the president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Among those “other things” is hosting a podcast to which I listen on a fairly regular basis. The podcast deals with news items, various societal trends, etc. from his perspective as a religious leader. While some of the rest of this post may be enough evidence to suggest that I do not agree with some of his theology, I still find his “take” on things to be interesting. One of the features ..read more

Studying the prophets of the Old Testament is quite eye opening. We have been studying Jeremiah in our Ladies’ Class every Tuesday afternoon and throughout those chapters we have seen so many thoughts and actions of the people which are clearly mirrored in our society today. In short, they simply thought they knew more than God did when it came to living their lives. Just a cursory study of the people living in Jeremiah’s day will give you a picture of people who, for the most part, thought that they were beyond needing God. They had turned their back on the true God and had become worshipers ..read more

A few weeks ago, Mary Carol and Turner got to enjoy a wonderful event in East Tennessee. It provided them–and one of their friends, Annie–with a great evening and a lot of fun, but also it helped to show that Christians can do certain “rites of passage” without the influence of the world. Joel and Hannah Danley deserve so much credit for this great evening, which was a formal banquet for high school juniors and seniors. It is meant to be an alternative to the PROM, which, over the years ,has become not only a rite of passage, but an increasingly worldly event. I am so grateful that I grew up ..read more

A few days ago, I observed what I consider to be one of those “life lessons” we hear about from time to time. I suppose that it would be more accurate to say that I observed something and considered it to be a life lesson. As I was making my way to see some of our members who are in a nursing home, I noticed that, some distance in front of me, there was a vehicle that was clearly identified as one that belonged to our local sheriff’s department. I don’t know if the sheriff or one of his deputies (or maybe even somebody else from his office) was driving, but there was no doubt about what kind ..read more

From the outset, let me say that I have been as guilty as anyone for saying what I am going to write about. I used to say it quite regularly. After some time and thought, I would still say it, but I’d feel like I had to qualify it. Now, I do my best to avoid it. And it’s because I spent some serious time thinking about Cornelius. So, what is the saying? It is when we are talking about someone who has lived a pretty good life, but has never been baptized, and we say something like this: “He wouldn’t have to change much.” Now, having been someone who used to say that quite often, I totally get ..read more

Now that the college basketball season is over, I heard somebody describe this time of year as Talking Season. There are a variety of things going on about which most of us know very little or anything. Some of those things may make the news. The casual sports fan may know something about coaching changes, recruiting news, etc., but even a very ardent fan probably has no real idea about all that is going on behind the scenes. About all that most college basketball fans can do for the next few months is talk.  A part of the vocabulary of Major League Baseball is the term Hot Stove League ..read more

Many, many years ago, back in the ”dark ages” before you could buy chicken in the grocery store already cleaned, cut up and ready to be cooked, you had to raise your own chickens. If you wanted to have fried chicken on Sunday, you had to catch one of your chickens, wring its head off, catch it again, put it in hot water, pick off the feathers, chop off its feet, get rid of the insides, and then begin preparing it for frying. It was quite the production! I remember it well. I would be playing in our backyard on Saturday afternoon and my mother would come out of the house and ask me to help her ..read more

It may seem like an odd time to post something about Lads to Leaders, since the national convention was just a couple of weeks ago and the vast majority of folks do not think about starting for the next year for several months. But I want to share with you something today that will, hopefully, challenge families and youth groups to work on one event. It is my favorite event of the entire program, even if it is one that does not get the “buzz” some others do. What is it? Centurion of Scripture. If you are unfamiliar, Centurion of Scripture requires students to memorize 100 verses of the Bible ..read more