The Endurance of God's Promises

Introduction

As we read the verses this morning, I admit that my mind wandered a bit. And though I'm not proud of what I thought about, I admit that ...

Cross This Rubicon!

Introduction

He reined in his horses and stood in his chariot, gazing at an ancient bridge over a small river. It was a Saturday near Rimini in northern ...

3 Questions to Ask Yourself this Mother’s Day

Introduction

Elisha came to Shunem regularly because he served not only as a prophet but also as a kind of circuit judge. In that town on the eastern end ...

A Model Mother

Introduction

A wise man once described a mother as a woman who combines the practical and the spiritual into a way of life. “A mother wipes little ...

Spirit of Adoption—Found

Introduction

So it’s 11 in the morning, and a little boy is called to the head teacher’s office. Sadly, this little boy knows the way very ...

Average Asher

Introduction

Hidden away in the some of the most tedious books of the Bible, among a myriad of unpronounceable names, lies one of the most remarkable stories ...

R-Rated: Sacrificing Our Children to the Gods of this World

Introduction

We see in Romans 13 that the whole law is fulfilled in one statement: "Love your neighbor as yourself." The reason it says ...

Refocusing on Fatherhood

Introduction

I was driving home from a friend's house on a Saturday night when the familiar highway I had traveled many times began to remind me of ...

Making Parents Weighty

Introduction

We've been working through the Ten Commandments and today we come to the fifth one: "Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God ...

Loss, Loyalty, & Lament

Introduction

I've never been one to read romance novels, but lately I've been reading one. It's been a good one, too. Believe it or not, it's a book I ...

Keep the Dust off the High Chairs

Introduction

A couple of months ago, a relative of mine passed away. The funeral service was at the church, and the burial service was at a cemetery next ...

Memorial Service for Heather Gillian

Introduction

With God's help, I want to share just a few thoughts about Heather. When we look at this Gospel, which was a favorite Gospel of Heather and ...

When Teens Rebel

School administrators are on edge these days. The shooting rampage in Littleton, Colorado, has spawned threats of violence in schools all across America. ...

And Grace Will Lead Me Home

Introduction

What would you say if you knew you were going to die and had a chance to sum up everything that was most important to you? That's how the ...

You're Fantastic

Introduction

Of all the comic books turned into motion pictures of late, my favorite one is the Fantastic Four. For those not in the know, it is a tale ...

Trophy Kids

Introduction

When our eldest son was making preparations to start his freshman year of high school, I overheard him telling a classmate that he was planning ...

A Lesson Wise Moms and Other Influential People Can Teach the Next Generation

From the editor:

Mother's Day is just around the corner (May 9), and should you decide to offer a message for the occasion, Steve Mathewson's look ...

Our Fathers Who Are on Earth

From the editor

Father's Day is just around the corner (June 21), and should you decide to offer a message for the occasion, Mark Mitchell's look at a ...

What It Takes to Be a Mother

From the editor

Mother's Day is just around the corner (May 9), and should you decide to offer a message for the occasion, Mark Mitchell's look ...

King Me!

It's About the People

Introduction

Recently our church softball thoroughly trounced our opponents. The game ended with what's called the mercy rule: when one team is ahead ...

Keep the Dust off the Highchairs

Text: Luke 2:52
Topic: Why the young people of a church are important

Introduction

I once attended the funeral of a relative of mine. The service was at ...

Teach Your Children Well

Introduction

They say God has no grandchildren. What they mean is that it isn't enough to be born into a believing home or a believing church. Every child ...

Passing the Baton

Introduction

A few months ago, I heard a song on the radio by an artist named John Mayer. The song is entitled "Daughters," and you hear it several ...

It Takes a Church

Introduction

Several years ago, a Peace Corps worker wrote a children's book based upon her experiences in Africa. It tells the story of a young girl named ...

Dream Child

Introduction

A man shared with me that for years he went to church and watched as the advent candle was lit by these beautiful families, so well-dressed ...

Surviving D-Day: Divorce

Introduction:

When we launched this series called “Surviving Your Personal D-Day Invasion,” we said that each of the attacks we would discuss comes as ...

Don't You Believe It: The Myth of Self-Importance

There's an old Jewish story: A rabbi was sitting next to an atheist on an airplane. The rabbi's family was also on the plane. Every few minutes, one of ...

A Spirit-Filled Family

Introduction:

From the outset, I must say that I feel unqualified to preach this message. There are many of you with many more years of child-rearing experience. ...

Bending the Twig

Introduction:

Alexander Pope said, “As the twig is bent, the tree’s inclined.”

The future of their children is perhaps the uppermost thought in the minds ...

Despise Not These Little Ones

I thought it would be good for us to consider this very important mission field and responsibility the Lord Jesus has given to his church, that of reaching ...

Children of Promise

I'd like to read a question posed by Erma Bombeck. She asks, "Where have all the children gone? I don't mean the ones who spend their days and nights ...

If I Should Wake Before I Die

Illustration: In graduate school, I took a course in Chinese philosophy. The Buddhist monk who taught the course said to me, "As a Christian, you teach ...

Kids Rule

If you were to read the Bible from cover to cover and list all the times children are talked about, you would have a long list. The Bible is clear that ...

The Pressure of Fatherhood

There's a Father's Day card that reads, "Dad, everything I ever learned I learned from you, except one thing. The family car really will do 110."

It is ...

It Takes a Family

 

Our Scripture reading comes from Luke 2:4650. Hear the Word of God:

After three days Mary and Joseph found Jesus in the temple sitting ...