Winston Salem church of Christ

Not once, not even a little bit, have my tools burst out bragging. Yes, there are different levels of tools, but even the best tool in the wrong hand is inferior to the worst tool in a skilled hand.

The heart of the king of Assyria was arrogant and haughty. He said, “By the power of my hand and by my wisdom I did this, for I have understanding.” (Isa.10:13) Believe me, there is even more that he said. God responded, “Is the axe to boast itself over the one who chops with it? Is the saw to exalt itself over the one who wields it? (Isa.10:15)

We have too many talking tools. But not read more » »

What do you think of when you hear the name, “Michael Jordan?” What made him so famous? Was it his ability to shoot free throws? How about his three-point shot? Would anyone argue that it was his all-star defense? Hardly. What made Michael Jordan world famous is the same thing that made his predecessor, “Dr. J,” a household name. His ability to dunk with style, finesse, power and showmanship - plus one more dunking ability.

When Michael Jordan won one of his dunking championships, he did it because of read more » »

You are what you eat, so they say. That must be true because I love doughnuts and I am soooo sweeeet! Of course, some may argue that like a doughnut I have a hole in the middle of my head too!

While we might not be what we eat, we are what we worship. The following axiom has the power to challenge us, comfort us, frighten us or shame us – read more » »

If you could, would you choose not to obey certain commands?

If you could, would you choose not to believe certain truths?

If you could, would you add to or take away from the Word of God?

“If you could,” is not a hypothetical question – we do it every day. It’s called read more » »

Boca Raton, Florida has a reputation for being somewhat hoity-toity. Due to this reputation a sign I saw did not shock me – “Hair Replacement For Dogs Only.” Yep, this is Boca! Upon closer examination, I learned read more » »

Warning! Our children might not be as strong spiritually as we are! Frighteningly and sadly we can be naïve about their spiritual weakness. Therefore we need to watch so that we don’t cause them to stumble over something we can easily step over. Just because we are tough enough does not mean our children are. That’s the sad, but essential, and eternal, lesson I learn from Jehoshaphat. He was a good parent, but innocently a bad influence.

Jehoshaphat was one of the better kings of Judah. He…

• Respected God – (2 Chron.17:3-6)
• Educated his people in God’s ways – (2 Chron.17:9)
• Appointed wise judges (2 Chron.19)
• Provided for his sons – (2 Chron.21:2-3)
• Turned to God during times of national trouble (2 Chron.20)

His fatal flaw was not fatal for him but for his son. His fatal flaw was his relationship with the evil king from Israel – Ahab – the worst of the worse (2 Chron.19:2-3). One of the best was strong enough to handle the very worst.

To be honest with you, I think Jehoshaphat’s fatal flaw was read more » »

God loves visual aids, of that I am certain. The whole world, the entire universe, aid God visually in illustrating His power, love, majesty, and wisdom. Jesus used visual aids – and He was God! So did Ezekiel – and He was inspired by God. When you look at all the visual aids Ezekiel used, it’s easy to see why I call him, “God’s Crazy Preacher!” I think more preachers could use a little “craziness!”

To another prophet, Jeremiah, God instructed him to visually illustrate a prophecy via a waistband. What is unusual about this occurrence is that read more » »

A two-way conversation with God. Sound interesting? Spiritually, we all profit from talking to God, but the silence from heaven is sometimes deafening. Do you sometimes wish for a direct verbal answer? Searching the scriptures is tough work, trying to “read God’s revealed mind,” (1 Cor.2) and then applying the principle to our times. Wouldn’t it be easier just to receive an audible response?

In talking with someone wishing for such a dialogue, they wanted to know if this yearning of theirs was asking too much. At first, a two-way conversation with God sounds intriguing. Then…then I thought read more » »

“Following the crowd”…not a good idea…usually…if following the crowd is contrary to one’s spiritual health. “Following the crowd”…something some people just can’t seem to avoid. So what can they do?

“Personality Type” books such as “The Enneagram” lists 9 distinct personalities. In the Enneagram, Type Three is often known as the Motivator. The Motivator has a compulsive need to be productive and successful, and to avoid failure as determined by his environment…the crowd. If his society as a whole values money, he can be greedy. If the society values spirituality, she will be among the most devout. Life teaches us many different societies can exist intermingled. So we must choose.

In my opinion, a Biblical example of a Type Three is read more » »