Preparing for the Big Event
By Doug Redford On Monday, August 21, 2017, a solar eclipse received significant coverage in the news. It was the first total solar eclipse visible in the continental United States in 38 years....
View ArticleSalvation in Jesus
By Charles P. Mosley When Jesus took bread the night before his death, he declared the devotion of his life to his disciples by saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me”...
View ArticleDiscovering the Good in the Bad
G. K. Chesterton wrote a series of short stories featuring Father Brown, a little priest with amazing discernment and wisdom. He solves crimes and other puzzling situations easily. He dispenses wisdom...
View ArticleRemembering That Day
By Doug Redford Sept. 11 of this year marks 22 years since the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. Also...
View ArticleOur Weekly Calming Device
By Doug Redford Some cities have installed a special form of speed bumps to try to control traffic, especially in residential areas where many children live. Two or three such speed bumps (sometimes...
View ArticleTake Communion and Take Heart
By Doug Redford One of the marvels of modern technology is how it allows us to communicate with other people and receive information. Grandparents can communicate with their grandchildren who live...
View ArticleDrinking Our Cup
By Doug Redford The Bible often pictures the judgment of God as a cup from which those individuals and nations who are being judged must drink. Psalm 75:8 offers one example: “In the hand of the Lord...
View ArticleAvoiding Spiritual Jeopardy
By Doug Redford For 36 years, Alex Trebek hosted the television show Jeopardy! He became a fixture in countless households every weeknight. In early 2019, Trebek was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic...
View ArticleIdentity Loss
By Doug Redford In these technological times, many have fallen victim to identity theft. Those of you who have experienced this know what an ordeal it can be to have your identity “restored.” There...
View ArticleIn Search of—Me
By Doug Redford Some time ago a newspaper carried an article entitled “Thrift Store Sleuth.” The article featured an employee with St. Vincent de Paul in a town east of Cincinnati. St. Vincent de...
View ArticleOn Being Targeted
By Doug Redford “Targeting” is a prominent area of concern in football nowadays. The word describes a tackle that allegedly “targets” an opponent’s head or neck area. Fears over concussions and...
View ArticleMess to Message
By Stuart Powell Our country has depended on the devotion and dedication of her soldiers for generations. We need to give thanks to God for those who have fought and sacrificed to secure our...
View ArticleMore Than Meets the Eye
By Doug Redford Most of us have watched the classic movie The Wizard of Oz. We’ve seen perhaps too many times to count the journey of Dorothy, her dog Toto, and her three friends who are “off to see...
View ArticleSettle In (Matthew 26:17-19)
By Neal Windham The Lord’s Supper is a meal to be shared. It is not a light snack—don’t be fooled by its size—nor even a sumptuous dessert following a really good entrée. It is not a quick lunch,...
View ArticleUnwelcome Guest
By Doug Redford Some time ago, newspapers carried the story of a man who broke into a family’s home in Canton, Ohio. But this man was not your ordinary burglar. While the family was asleep, the man...
View ArticleSeeing and Worshiping
By Suart Powell Four times in his Gospel, Matthew described the response of people who approached Jesus and worshiped him. The first encounter occurred in Bethlehem when the Magi visited the family....
View ArticleA Life Given, Not Taken
By Doug Redford The biblical record of Jesus’ birth calls our attention to two kings. One is King Herod, the despicable man who ruled Judea when Jesus was born. He is described by one source as “a...
View ArticleBeyond the Manger
By Doug Redford Many of our Christmas carols picture the beauty and innocence of Jesus as a baby. The first verse of “Away in a Manger” tells how “the little Lord Jesus lay down his sweet head.” The...
View ArticleEveryone’s Invited
By Diane Stortz Planning Christmas get-togethers, especially family celebrations, can be challenging. Everyone’s busy. Some family and friends live far away. Some don’t get along. So if we invite Aunt...
View ArticleAnd Old, New Celebration
By Daniel Schantz “And let us not get tired of doing what is right, for after a while we will reap a harvest of blessing, if we don’t get discouraged and give up” (Galatians 6:9, The Living Bible). A...
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