WARNING!  We see this label everywhere.  We find it on appliances to keep people from electrocuting themselves and on coffee cups to keep people from burning themselves with the hot liquid.  The apostle Peter gave us a warning at the end of his second book to not get carried away with error or to lose our stability (2 Pet. 3:17).  These warnings are meant to be life-saving: both physically and spiritually.  Thankfully, with this warning Peter gives the solution for what we need to do in order to not get carried…

            Few things in life last for 40 years.  Those that do don’t always function at the same level as they once did.  This June 17-20 will feature the 40^th edition of the Southside Lectures.  They are as vibrant and effective as they were when they began in 1980.

            The number 40 is frequently used throughout the Scriptures.  Forty days and nights of rain during the flood.  Forty years of the Israelites wandering in the wilderness.  Forty days that Jesus fasted before being tempted by the…

The consideration of this question “should” be a very personal one.  We are more than a little fortunate to work and worship with a group that has many workers.  Still there is room for each of us to reflect on either what more can I do or, what can I do.

In Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi, he speaks of his relationship with both Timothy and Epaphroditus.  In 2:19 beginning we read of Timothy ~ “But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy…

            I had almost gone past the poor little thing before I saw him.

            I was walking near a concrete drainage ditch when I heard him flapping furiously in the shallow water.  It was a little bird. It had somehow fallen into the ditch, gotten its wings wet and could not fly out.  Time and again it tried, but to no avail.

            I almost walked on.  Suddenly it struck me.  He can't help himself.  If I don't do…

            When you read Hebrews 11, it is easy to focus on what you might consider the “great” acts of faith.  Noah prepared an ark.  Moses led the Israelites through the Red Sea on dry land.   But there is also a three-word phrase in that chapter that describes the lifestyle of Abraham, the father of the faithful: “dwelling in tents” (11:9).

            A tent back then, just like we think of it today, was a temporary shelter.  They were made of leather or animal skins or cloth. …

            When I was just a little kid, we used to play follow the leader. There was a kid in our neighborhood who was a bully.  He ordered all us kids around, and we generally did whatever he wanted us to do. Once in a while he would mount his bike and round up all the kids in the area for a game of follow the leader. You played, whether you wanted to or not.  You didn’t dare refuse or you’d be in trouble.  So we’d get on our bikes and take out behind…

            “Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life’” (John 8:12).

            We can think about many metaphorical applications of the Light of Jesus.  There is the glory, righteousness, purity, and life of the Father and the Son.  In the literal sense, Jesus was also the source of physical light in our world, because in John 1:3 we…

            “You be careful!”  “Watch out!”  “Look where you’re going!”  We’ve all heard these or similar warnings for most of our lives.  Actually, there is no area of life where the proper use of care is not necessary.  We exercise care regarding education, employment, families, our health. And well we should–caution is invaluable in life.  We need to be careful.

            Being careful in spiritual matters is especially important in that it has a bearing on our eternal destiny.  You’d think we would be especially careful about…

                It doesn’t seem possible that an entire year has passed since Tim Stevens led the final song of the 39^thSouthside Lectures. I remember thinking on that Thursday night, after a week of hearing all the preachers who have been through the training program here, “it can’t get any better than this.” But it can. And it will. How do I know? Because I’ve said that at the end of every lecture program since I’ve been here. Each year is filled with its own special memories of sermons and songs that bring us closer…

            The 14th chapter of Matthew is an action-packed chapter.  The 36 verses begin with the brutal murder of John the Baptist because he preached the truth (vv 1-12).  After hearing this tragic news, Jesus responds by feeling compassion for the multitude that follow him and healing their sick (vv 13-14).  What follows is the miraculous feeding of the five thousand (vv 15-21).  Later, many other sick are healed by only touching the hem of Jesus’ garment (vv 34-36).  In between these two miraculous events is the story of Jesus walking on…

            Chameleons are interesting little lizards.  We have them on our deck all the time.  They live in the plants.  When Norma waters, they dart in and out of the greenery as if they don't want a drop to fall on them.  They're hard to see because they are the same greenish color as the plants.  Sometimes you see them sunning on the deck.  When they do, they become, by some natural instinct, the same dingy brown color as the board on which they are reposed.  It's an amazing ability.  Only those reptiles…

            I spent the biggest part of my growing up time on my family’s cotton farm in eastern Lubbock County.  After the 1979 season my Grandfather fired me and, in the summer of 1980, I would move to Houston … the firing story will have to hold for another time.  While almost 40 years have now passed, I often harken back to those farming experiences.  I watched as my Granddad, Uncle Ronny and Daddy worked long hard days with the hope of a successful harvest ever before them as they planned their days,…