Feb 1, 2016 | Sunday Morning
It is said that Abraham Lincoln was walking through Springfield, Illinois with his two little sons. Both boys were screaming their lungs out, while dad seemed to completely ignore them. A friend, who was passing by, asked what the problem was, and Lincoln replied:...
Jan 30, 2016 | This Sunday in Baptist History
Isaac Johannes Dermout was born on this day in 1777 and eventually became the Protestant chaplain to the King of the Netherlands. He and Anne Ypeij, Professor of Theology in Gronigen were commissioned by the King to investigate the history of the Dutch Baptists. The...
Jan 28, 2016 | Wednesday
Solomon, the royal preacher, is musing about life – its qualities, problems and purposes. He has tasted, tested & rejected a great many things – things which lesser men think are important to life. He is dealing with the same things men and women are pursuing...
Jan 18, 2016 | This Sunday in Baptist History
On this day (January 24) in 1774, James Madison, a citizen of Orange County, Virginia wrote a letter to a friend named Bradford in Philadelphia. The future president of the United States wrote: “I want again to breathe your free air. I expect it will mend my...
Jan 18, 2016 | Lessons on Bible Trivia
The Winds of the Word of God: What controls the wind (atmospheric pressure systems; the prayers of the saints; the prince of the power of the air; Jehovah)? Not prayer, at least not directly What caused the wind which nearly sank the disciple’s little boat on the Sea...
Jan 17, 2016 | God's People Are ..., Sunday Evening
Thus far in our study we have looked at two of the most common titles which are applied to God’s people. I think it is interesting how widely divergent all of these titles are, even though they are applied to the same group of people. Obviously, they are designed to...
Jan 17, 2016 | Sunday Morning
The people to whom he was writing were strangers, not so much to Peter, as they were to the rest of the world. They lived in the reality that they were only visitors on this planet; that their citizenship was in Heaven. “This world is not our home, we’re...
Jan 16, 2016 | This Sunday in Baptist History
As far as recorded history is concerned, we first hear of George Blaurock in a debate about infant “baptism.” It occurred in Switzerland on this day (January 17), 1525. Brother Blaurock had been a Roman Catholic monk, but through Bible study, the Holy...
Jan 15, 2016 | Lessons on Bible Trivia
As far as recorded history is concerned, we first hear of George Blaurock in a debate about infant “baptism.” It occurred in Switzerland on this day (January 17), 1525. Brother Blaurock had been a Roman Catholic monk, but through Bible study, the Holy...
Jan 15, 2016 | Lessons on Bible Trivia
As far as recorded history is concerned, we first hear of George Blaurock in a debate about infant “baptism.” It occurred in Switzerland on this day (January 17), 1525. Brother Blaurock had been a Roman Catholic monk, but through Bible study, the Holy...
Jan 14, 2016 | Wednesday
Years ago, while she was on vacation, Jackie’s dog got lost. She hadn’t left him with Judy and me, but with a friend of hers, who had a dog who was friends with Kujo. Well, this lady made a trip out to Tum Tum, on the Spokane River, west of the city. Kujo got away and...
Jan 11, 2016 | God's People Are ..., Sunday Evening
There are very few Biblical doctrines for which Satan has not created a perversion or two. And very often he uses the same name or title to further confound the inattentive. For example, most people – even good Christians – have a weak perception of last week’s...
Jan 10, 2016 | Lessons on Bible Trivia
Biblical Wells: In the Bible the word “well” might be a (noun; adjective; adverb; ellipsis)? Not ellipsis or pause In which of the following is “well” used as a noun (Gen. 21:19; Prov. 30:29; Gen. 29:17)? Gen 21:19 In which of the following is...
Jan 10, 2016 | Sunday Morning
The last Sunday my grand-daughter was here, she came up to me after the service with a serious question. Apparently not very impressed with either my eloquence or my theology, she asked: “Grandad do you ever tell Bible stories?” I assumed that she was...
Jan 9, 2016 | This Sunday in Baptist History
In 1886 an Anglican Bishop in Burma requested permission to reprint Adoniram Judson’s translation of the Bible. But he wanted to make one change. On this day in 1887 the Baptists who then owned Judson’s copy-right replied – “We understand that you ask our...
Jan 7, 2016 | Wednesday
This scripture sets before us principles too high for us to attain without the direct blessing of God. But there is also a word in this text which is so secular and human that it surprises us. Paul says, “Here is something I greatly ‘wish’ – WISH – even your...
Jan 7, 2016 | God's People Are ..., Lessons on Bible Trivia
Shakespeare’s play “Romeo and Juliet,” centers on two young people – one each from feuding families. At one point Juliet muses that Romeo’s last name doesn’t make him any less a wonderful person. She says, “A rose by any other name would smell as...
Jan 4, 2016 | Timothy Parrow
Dear Pastor and Brethren: A Difficult Month November has been a difficult month for me because of cataract eye surgery. My doctor said that my complications made me one person in one hundred patients with whom he has had to deal. I had asked other friends who had...
Jan 4, 2016 | God's People Are ..., Sunday Evening
Shakespeare’s play “Romeo and Juliet,” centers on two young people – one each from feuding families. At one point Juliet muses that Romeo’s last name doesn’t make him any less a wonderful person. She says, “A rose by any other name would smell as...
Jan 3, 2016 | Lessons on Bible Trivia
When we read the words “cry” and “crying” in the Bible the meaning is (weeping; lamenting; shouting; vociferation)? Any of these – vociferation = shouting Who is the first Biblical character to be described as weeping (Adam; Noah; Abraham;...
Jan 3, 2016 | Sunday Morning
There are in this scripture, and throughout the Word of God, various kinds of paradoxes. “Paradox” comes from Greek and means “contrary to expectation, belief, or perceived opinion.” As the word melded into English and evolved, it came to refer...
Jan 1, 2016 | This Sunday in Baptist History
“Historians” – I wish that there was a better name or classification for these people, because many of them are more like editors of history, re-writers and redactors of history, than they are recorders of historical facts. It doesn’t matter what country,...
Dec 31, 2015 | Wednesday
John, one of Jesus’ closest disciples, had become an old man – perhaps an old man before his time. He had done much to glorify his Saviour, and he had suffered much in the process. Perhaps while still in exile, or while still under torture, the Lord gave to him...
Dec 28, 2015 | Lessons on Bible Trivia
Biblical Wars and Battles: The first war, of which we read in the Bible, was at (Eden; Babel; the Jordan Valley; Armageddon)? Gen.14 Who was the protagonist in this war (Adam; Noah; Abraham; Lot)? Abraham The aggressors included (Amraphel; Arioch; Chedorlaomer;...
Dec 28, 2015 | Sunday Morning
The Matterhorn was one the last mountains in the Alps to be climbed. It is like an arrowhead coming up out of the ground and piercing the sky. It may not be in the Rockies, or the Himalayas, but it is still a huge mountain at about 14,700 feet high. The article that I...
Dec 25, 2015 | This Sunday in Baptist History
B.H. Carroll was born on this day (December 27) in 1843. The place was Carroll county Mississippi, and there must be a special correlation between those names. His father was a Baptist pastor and his mother was a devoted Christian. As a young teenager, B.H. knew the...
Dec 24, 2015 | Wednesday
On Argonne Street, north of Broadway, close to Starbucks, there is a huge bilboard sponsored by the Knights of Columbus. I have only glanced at it in passing, so some of my details might be slightly off. It is illustrated by one of those Renaissance paintings of the...
Dec 21, 2015 | Lessons on Bible Trivia
Biblical Vineyards: What sort of plants can be grown in vineyards (clematis; wisteria; grapes; jasmine)? Technically, all of these In the Bible what is generally grown in a vineyard (vines; wheat; clematis; grapes)? Grapes The Hebrew word translated...
Dec 20, 2015 | Sunday Morning
From the beginning of this book Paul has been writing about the subject of saving grace. In chapters 2 and 3 he explains the need, and then in chapter 4 he begins to address the solution. The in this morning’s scripture he takes the subject to a new level. It’s a...
Dec 18, 2015 | This Sunday in Baptist History
This a rather incidental note in Baptist history, but it is a part of a much more significant and, sadly, forgotten piece of American history. John William Jones was born in Virginia on September 25, 1836. He was born again as a teenager. In 1855 he entered the...
