Consider a man who wants to catch fish. He does not expect fish to swim up to his door and invite themselves in. He is realistic. He’ll buy ample equipment: a rod and reel (likely several), hooks, a net, a bait bucket, a stringer, all sorts of tackle and a deluxe box to keep it in,…

Every person has many blessings and at least a few misfortunes. The ones he reflects upon will either strengthen or weaken him.

Our most necessary blessings are apt to be uncounted, because they are the most common: sunshine, rain, oxygen, soil, plants, animals, and a thousand other workings of nature.

The universality of so many blessings, however, does not lower their value. If this commonness tempts us to be ungrateful, let us ask: Where would we stand if the earth caved in? What would we breathe if the oxygen ran out? What would we do if the water dried up?

In 2 Timothy, Paul wrote to encourage the young evangelist, Timothy, in the midst of perilous times. Paul himself was in prison. Many had distanced themselves from Paul because of his imprisonment. Paul warned that “perilous times will come” in which false teachers would arise and lead many astray. In the midst of these warnings, Paul admonished Timothy to “continue in those things you have learned and been assured of,” particularly in the holy scriptures, which are able to “make you wise to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.”

In chapter 4, Paul charged Timothy: Preach the Word! Be…

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IS THE CHURCH BUILT BY JESUS A DENOMINATION?
(By Samuel Matthews)

The King James Version of God's Holy Word, the Bible, says, "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18).

Loved ones, the answer to our subject question is a resounding NO! The "churches of Christ" that you read about in the New Testament (Romans 16:16) are NOT a denomination. Neither are we inter-denominational. In truth, we…

“Jesus wept” (John 11:35). It’s the shortest verse in Bible, but those two words say a lot. In their context, they answer a very important ques­tion: How does God feel about my personal grief? Is He cold and disinterested toward my pain, or is He genuinely concerned? We don’t have to wonder.

Jesus’ dear friend Lazarus had died of an illness. When Jesus arrived four days later, Lazarus’ body was in the tomb, and his family was still in mourning. And even though He knew that He would raise Lazarus from the…

What was your day like today? How has your week been? Did you pass the familiar faces, “Hi, yes I’m fine, thanks.” In some aspect, I think everyone is traveling this life on the open sea. As the storms in my life rise and diminish, I am all too often sharing a façade, that I think others want to see. “I’m fine, you’re fine, we are all fine.” Sometimes I lean into the courteous response, because I myself am just working out my level of “fine-ness.” If you are like me, there are times when it seems like…

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To read the news letter click the blue link below downloadable files.

To read the news letter click the blue link below downloadable files.

Ten days after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, residents of North Platte, Nebraska heard a rumor that soldiers from their town, part of the Nebraska National Guard Company D, would be coming through on a troop train on their way to the West Coast. About five hundred people showed up at the train depot with food, gifts, letters, and love to give the boys. When the train showed up, it was not the Nebraska National Guard Company D boys on board; it was the soldiers from the Kansas National Guard Company D. The North Platte residents decided to…

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