Bible Study for 7-19-20 God’s Draft – Wrong Gender 1. What does it mean to be “called” by God? 2. Why do we sometimes feel unqualified to do things God wants us to do? 3. What are some reasons why a woman would feel unqualified to serve God? 4. In Genesis 2, how were Adam […]
Bible Study for 7-12-20 God’s Draft 1. What are some memories you have of being too young for something you wanted to do? 2. What are some things that you are too old for? 3. Why is age used as an excuse to avoid serving God? When does it happen? 4. What kind of things […]
Newsletter Article for 7-5-20 From Mike: I don’t think I have ever approached an Independence Day with more feelings of being captive than I do now. I feel captive to a wild virus that has caused us to stay home, keep social distance, wear face masks, and disrupted everything that I love and live […]
Bible Study from: Seven Practices of a Transformed Life (7) Sunday, July 5, 2020 1. Do you ever look at people and see what they could be rather than what they are? When? Who? 2. Why did Jesus call Peter and Judas to be apostles? Didn’t he know they would deny and betray him? 3. […]
From Mike: These are strange times we are living in. I never thought I would see the day when we would have so much trouble trying to figure out how and when our church family can safely meet back together. Weird! If you are like me, I feel guilty when we call of services […]
Bible Study from: Seven Practices of a Transformed Life (6) Sunday, June 28, 2020 1. Why do we use the word “hate” so often when we are talking about things we don’t like? Is that good or bad? Why? 2. I there an appropriate place for hate? When, where, and why? 3. When is it […]
Newsletter Article for 6-21-20 From Mike: Why have we always been so afraid of talking about the Holy Spirit? It was never studied or discussed when I was going through my teens. When I got to Harding College as a freshman, one of the first in-house doctrinal battles I ever found myself in was […]
Bible Study from: Seven Practices of a Transformed Life (5) Sunday, June 21, 2020 1. Can you think of some movies where you get stressed knowing that a main character is going to make the wrong choice? 2. Do you remember a time in your life when your parents let you make the wrong choice? […]
From Mike: June 28th is our tentative date for returning to on-sight Sunday morning services. Right now, the virus numbers are generally going down but also spiking back up occasionally, so we will be keeping a sharp eye on how this will be trending as we draw closer to our RETURN date! It’s the […]
Bible Study from: Seven Practices of a Transformed Life (4) Sunday, June 14, 2020 1. Why do you think most people ignore the significance of Paul’s use of “Therefore” in his writings? 2. Review Paul’s principles of a changed life in Eph.4:17-24. What is his central point? 3. We are looking at the Seven Practices […]
From Mike: What is your self-worth…worth? I would have to say that it depends on the quality of your self-worth in terms of character. You see, an extremely selfish and egotistical person probably thinks very highly of themselves and that they are entitled to whatever they can get, take, or be given. Other people […]
Bible Study from: Seven Practices of a Transformed Life (3) Sunday, June 7, 2020 1. What is your favorite story of someone who chose to live with and be driven by integrity? 2. What is your favorite quote or saying about integrity? How would you define integrity? 3. What is spiritual integrity? Is it different […]
Bible Study from: Seven Practices of a Transformed Life (2) Sunday, May 31, 2020 1. What is an example of something where you know and understand the principle but are not so good with the practice? 2. What is your definition of self-control? 3. If the subject is anger, why is the practice about self-control? […]
Bible Study from: Seven Practices of a Transformed Life Sunday, May 24, 2020 1. What is your favorite Bible story where someone was driven by their principles? 2. What does it mean to you to be a man or woman of principles? 3. When have you ever had to change your principles? Why? 4. Jesus […]
Bible Study from: Sharing Laughs & Tears Sunday, May 17, 2020 1. Has there been times in your life when you wish you could have been present to help someone through their difficult times? 2. When Jesus was told that Lazarus was sick, how do you think it affected him to wait and not go […]
I really do miss seeing my church family on Sunday morning. I have always told folks that my favorite day of the week is Sunday. I love our time together. I love greeting members as they walk into the building. I’ve been a foyer greeter for well over twenty years and I love it! I […]
Bible Study from: Special Moms Sunday, May 10, 2020 1. If you were going to do a Mother’s Day study based on a mother in the Bible, who would you pick? Why? Who would you never pick? 2. Proverbs 31 is a description of the ultimate wife and mother at that time and in that […]
Bible Study from: Pandemic Pearls Sunday, May 3, 2020 1. What are some movies or stories where someone learns some important lessons from what they experienced? 2. What are some of the valuable pearls that you have learned from the past struggles you have gone through? 3. What have you discovered, or been reminded of, […]
Can you imagine what it must have been like to be part of that first church in Jerusalem? Instantly, the dozen apostles had a congregation of three thousand following that first gospel presentation on Pentecost. Yes, many of those new converts would have been from out-of-town, but there would still be a huge number of […]
Bible Study from: Uptight – Winning Over Worry Sunday, April 26, 2020 1. When does pondering become worrying for you? 2. What are some things that you worry about right now? 3. Discuss the process that takes place in your life when worry turns into anxiety and anxiety turns into stress. When do things go […]
It’s the classic question every set of parents hears from the kids in the back seat ten minutes into an eight hour road trip. Patience is not a quality that most children possess – or even comprehend. Unfortunately, many folks become adults and never learn to possess it either. They learn to painfully endure, but […]
Bible Study from the lesson: Waiting On God Sunday, April 19, 2020 1. When do you struggle the most with waiting? 2. If you take your worst struggles with waiting and looked at them through the eyes of God, what would it change? 3. What does it mean to wait on God? 4. How much […]
In the midst of all this distancing and stay-at-home stuff, many of us are having to learn all kinds of new things about using modern technology. I’ve had computers since the eighties and my smartphone for a dozen years now, but what I know about how to use them could fill a thimble. I’ve known […]
Bible Study from the lesson: My Witness – The Resurrection Sunday, April 12, 2020 1. Since our spiritual life is a journey of growing, where are you in the journey from opinion to belief to conviction to commitment? 2. The Bible says we walk by faith and not by sight. How do we harmonize using […]
In a very real sense, we are all born dumb. Hopefully, we spend the rest of our life trying to improve on that dumbness. It’s one thing to be dumb, but it’s another thing to choose to stay that way. I have always thought that one of the saddest ways to live is to live […]
Bible Study from the lesson: My Witness – Triumphal Entry to End Sunday, April 5, 2020 1. What is your personal illustration of something in your life that quickly went from a peak to the pit? 2. Skim Matthew 21 through Matthew 26:5 and point out all the things Jesus did that upset the religious […]
When I was a kid, growing up in Washington, D.C., the most important Sunday of the year was Easter. My mom and sister sang in the large church choir, they brought in extra orchestra instruments, flowers, and the entire service was a huge production. It was also that time of the year when everyone got […]
Bible Study from the lesson: My Witness – Jesus Is Crucified Sunday, March 29, 2020 1. What does it mean if someone calls you a “Pollyanna”? (Google it or use Wikipedia if you need to research it) 2. How and when does the Pollyanna Principle match the mind of a child of God? Does it […]
With our church shut-down taking place, I wanted to have a short and simple Bible study for anyone who wanted it. These are the scripture that I will be talking about in this weeks online lesson. I will only be referring to the texts and maybe reading one or two verses, so I will not […]
At the risk of creating controversy and being labeled a heretic, let me assure you that you can miss communion and still go to heaven. We were “living dangerously,” according to some folks opinion, by having our normal Sunday assembly with our church family last week. We kept our distance, had sanitary-self-contained communion packets, and […]
Calling off all church activities and events for an indefinite period of time just seems all wrong! Over my four-and-a-half decades of ministry, we’ve had to cancel a Sunday here and there because of snow and ice, but even then, I never felt good about it or liked it – even a little! My generation […]
At the risk of getting you sidetracked by another issue, I have to say that I have felt for many years that our “doctrine of every member is an evangelist” is misplaced and an unfortunate abuse of scripture. Don’t get me wrong! God gave us both his grace and his gospel to give away. It’s […]
There are things that I absolutely love about my Smartphone. I love being accessible anywhere and anytime by anyone who I have given my number to. In an occupation where people need me “right now” I can be found, informed, and respond. It’s so much better than warming an office seat or wearing one of […]
I have done some of my best thinking while walking. I can’t begin to guess how many sermon ideas, outlines, and illustrations had their origins in my focused brain as I walked and talked to God. Many of the ideas for our annual Bible Action Musical popped into my head while walking, and many problems […]
I get a lot of kidding, especially from my family, about being OCD, which I’m not. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is…well…a disorder. Being obsessive is simply being overly focused. Being compulsive means you can’t help being that way! It owns you! I am obsessive about one thing, but it’s not compulsive it’s a choice. I just […]
Five years ago I spent a lot of time outlining a concept for the spirit realm. It was driven by my imagination and biblical scraps of insight into the unknown world of God’s angels. What do they do and how do they do it? How can they exist in the spirit realm but still be […]
The Yahlandice Protocol Back Cover It’s difficult to do the work of an Agent of Light when there is a huge target painted on your back. Matt Zampolos is only finishing up his third year as an agent and he is the number one target of the Prince of Darkness, who will move world events, […]
Have you developed a philosophy of life about vacations? Dumb question. Of course you have, even if you haven’t put it into words. For most of us, in the early years of our marriage and raising our children, the philosophy was, “We don’t have any money for a vacation and our vacation days are limited, […]
Donna is out of town and yesterday she texted me to let me know that our favorite frozen custard place, Fritz’s, had Oreo Cheesecake as the flavor of the day. Being faithful to my diet, for now, I quickly texted back, “Get behind my Satan!” We both shared the hysterically laughing smiling face emoji and […]
There are few things in life that are more fulfilling than having a successful result from a collaborative effort. Obviously, I am bragging a little bit about our recent musical performance of Diamonds at the Cross, but it’s also true for any group effort. When we did our first read through of the play, the […]
In just a few days we will be performing our fourteenth Bible Action Musical here at the Florissant Church of Christ. There will be three shows of Diamonds at the Cross. Friday and Saturday at 7:00 P.M. and Sunday at 6:00 P.M.. This year I wrote the play about people the Bible is pretty much […]
It’s easy to forget how nice it is to have good friends. Life cruises along like a speed boat crossing a lake, and before you know it, you’re nearly on the other side! When did that happen? Part of the surprise ending is realizing there were quite a few other people in the boat with […]
I’m not totally sure I would call it my all time most favorite movie, but if that was defined by the number of times I’ve watched it, Harry Potter would be number one. I guess I’d have to say all one through eight, since there are eight movies in the series. I enjoy them all, […]