Author Archive | Northern Kentucky Church of Christ

We wonder and are frustrated by our neighbors’ general disinterest in spiritual things.  Ask any worker in the kingdom.  It is getting almost impossible to find someone eager to study God’s Word.  Not many can be cajoled or shamed into an investigation of the Scriptures.  What is the basic reason?  Since there must first be […]

Years ago I purchased a new desk for my office at home.  I was in the market for a good desk, a “piece of furniture” kind of desk that would be the last desk I would ever buy.  I was stunned at the prices traditional furniture stores were asking for their desks, so I went […]

In the western world, success is generally measured in terms of accomplishments.  It doesn’t always have to be financial success that draws the praise and honor of our fellow man.  Men of great intellect such as Albert Einstein, Jonas Salk, and others have gained fame and admiration through the results of their study and research.  […]

How many invitations will we receive Throughout our threescore and ten? Certainly more than we can count, Or ever hope to attend.   As children there are birthday parties, Celebrations galore. As adults there are business meetings, Conferences and more.   We get invited to Grand Openings, Not to mention Close-Out Sales. Even at the […]

This year on Tuesday, September 22, beginning at 6:00 in the evening and ending Wednesday, September 23 at 6:00 p.m., will be the Jewish high holy day of Yom Kippur – the Day of Atonement.  While the date changes year to year, Yom Kippur is the most solemn day of the Jewish year and the […]

This is a personal favorite from a long time ago.   I looked in the mirror, And what did I see? The Israelites in the wilderness Looking back at me.   Why did they criticize? Why did they complain? Give me your attention And I will try to explain.   In the land of Egypt […]

God’s entire plan for man is built upon love.  John 3:16 tells us, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”  God didn’t just say that He loved man – He demonstrated it with the greatest manifestation of […]

Earlier this summer Vicky and I went to the Indianapolis Children’s Museum with Adam, Rachel, Carter, Reese and Drew.   It has been quite some time since I had heard the words “Are we there yet?” but I sure heard them on that day.  It made me hearken back to my time as a child and […]

In the adult class on Wednesday evenings we have been studying the book of 1 John.  I love that book because I find it to be so logical in its approach to its subject.  John is refuting the false philosophy of Gnosticism, with its emphasis upon superior knowledge, the disconnect between the body and the […]

Matt. 26:36-46, Mk. 14:32-42, Lk.  22:39-46, Jn. 18:1 Both Matthew and Mark use the Greek word for “garden” which means a spot or a place, and evidently denotes a small enclosure or field. “Gethsemane” is the Greek form of a Hebrew word that means “oil press.”  This shows the enclosure was an olive orchard with […]

Many of the members here have had the occasion to see the fox that lives in the area of the church building.   Some have even had the chance to see his family – what I am assuming is the mother and two young foxes.  They are growing up.  When I see them they seem to […]

According to what I have read, the fastest growing segment of the publishing industry not too long ago was the religious genre.  Of that particular field, the fastest growing sub-category was “Christian fiction” (and I use that term very, very loosely).  So-called “Christian” bookstores have spring up, even as conventional bookstores are closing, and doing […]

One of the national holidays celebrated in the United States is known as Memorial Day.  While viewed as the traditional start of the summer season, it is actually much more serious and significant than that.  It is a day set aside to remember and commemorate those men and women who have given their lives in […]

In June my mother will have been dead for fifteen years.  I find that hard to believe even as I write it.  I miss her every single day.  I am sixty years old and still with almost every event in my life – good, bad, or just different – one of the first things to […]

People are using God’s name and the name of the Lord Jesus in many ways that they shouldn’t.  God’s name is used as an expletive – a profane exclamation.   It is used as a byword; in other words, when people are happy, they use God’s name.  When they are sad, they use God’s name.  If […]

Perhaps you recognize that phrase.  It comes from James 3, and is part of the Bible’s teaching concerning the use of the tongue.  In James 1:26 we find, “If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless.”  In James 3:5-6 […]

Several years ago I had the opportunity to engage in an exchange of correspondence with a young Mormon “elder” (and I use that term most accommodatingly!).  The young fellow even took the Bible correspondence course offered by the congregation I was working with at the time.  Afterward he sent me a letter encouraging me to […]

In Galatians 6:1-2, Paul wrote, “Brethren, even if a man is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, lest you too be tempted.  Bear one another’s burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ.” In the first of these two […]

“We’re going to sin from time to time. There is no getting around it.  There’s nothing we can do about it because it is just going to happen.”  Have you ever heard something similar to this?  It is likely that you’ve heard such statements made during sermons and Bible classes more than once.  For years […]

Jesus, the master teacher, frequently used paradoxes to give impact to the truth He taught.  To be great, He said, you must be small; to live, you must die; and to be happy, you must cry. This last is the paradox our Lord presented in the second beatitude: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they […]

In discussing Israel’s rebellion against God, the Psalmist said, “They angered him also at the waters of strife (ASV says: “Meribah”), so that it went ill with Moses for their sakes: because they provoked his spirit, so that HE SPAKE UNADVISEDLY with his lips” (Psalm 106:33).  For a fuller discussion of these matters, you can […]

In Matthew 12 the charge had been made against the Lord that He was casting out demons by the power of Beelzebub, the prince of the devils.  It was obviously a pitiful attempt by certain of the Pharisees to deny the significance of the miracles Jesus was performing.  The Lord quickly exposed their charge as […]

I believe we all understand that benevolence, providing assistance to brothers or sisters in need, is a part of the work in which the Lord has authorized the church to be involved.  As one of the elders, I can tell you that this aspect of our work together seems cyclical – there are times when […]

In Webster’s New Twentieth Century Dictionary of the English Language, the first definition of the word “agree” is “to be of one mind; to harmonize in opinion; as, all parties agree in the decision.”  One of the definitions of the word “submit” as found in the same dictionary is “to be submissive, obedient, humble, etc.; […]

At some point last Thursday the national weather service reported wind chills of minus 25 – 30 degrees.  Wind chill is “the apparent temperature felt on the exposed human body owing to the combination of temperature and wind speed” (Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary).   I don’t know that I have ever been in minus 30 […]

Several years ago while driving through the south central Kentucky countryside one Friday night, an announcement came on the radio that I had never heard before.  It began with a fellow saying, “Ah, Sunday – my day of rest.”  He then proceeded to name all of the things that he had to do on that […]

Is the practice of extending an invitation a biblical practice, or is it simply a matter of human tradition?  If it is a biblical practice, is there a pattern given as to “HOW” it should be done, either explicitly or implicitly?  If it is not a biblical practice, should we be doing it at all?  […]

Last Wednesday morning I arrived at my office and went through the normal routine of turning on the heating unit and opening the curtains that cover both windows.  After that I went to my standup desk and turned on the computer.  As I was doing that I caught a glimpse of color out of the […]