“Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren’t all his sisters with us?” Matthew 13:55-56. Such were the words of Jesus’ critics in his hometown of Nazareth. He had taught in their synagogue, they knew his family, had watched him grow up, but now, as he asserts himself in ministry, they doubt this hometown boy. “Where d...  Read More

One of the most asked questions by those struggling with God and Christian faith is: Why is there suffering in the world if God is a good and loving God? Truth be told, it’s one of the main struggles for Christians, as well. If my loved-one, if my spouse or child suffers, why does God allow that? Doesn’t he love them? Doesn’t he want what’s best for them?It is a subject tackled by Lee Strobel in h...  Read More

“God raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do my will’” (Acts 13:22).Later in his life David will commit sin with Bathsheba and plant the seeds of division that will occur after his son Solomon takes the throne. David was not perfect. Though true, in his younger years he sought God diligently and foll...  Read More

Your Questions AnsweredSouthern Heights Christian ChurchMay 31, 2026As we took time to answer a few of your questions, we wanted to give you some bullet point notes to follow along. “How do we use the Holy Spirit—i.e. rebuking the Devil? How do we know when the Devil is causing our problems?”We’ll set aside the first question to answer more another time. However, there are a few quick things to sa...  Read More

“Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, ‘What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?’ And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment Judas sought an opportunity to betray Jesus” Matthew 26:14-16. “Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the ...  Read More

No Christian wakes up one morning and says, “You know what, I think I’ll start drifting away from God today.” It doesn’t happen like that, wouldn’t you agree? Moving away from God is usually a very gradual thing as our conversion and initial passion cool and we start focusing on other things, allowing them to pull us in other directions.Some say, “aren’t we ‘once saved, always saved’?” The Lord di...  Read More

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). “Truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life” (John 6:47). “Jesus said, ‘Whoever believes in me, though he dies, yet shall he live” (John 11:25, 26).I can still remember it. After grad...  Read More

Restoration Movement – Part 2           (also available: rickwilliswrites.wordpress.com)More about the independent Christian Churches.  We believe, arguably, that we have come the closest to maintaining the historical position of the Restoration Movement, to believe the Bible is God’s guide for us while seeking broad unity as much as possible in ministry areas with other Christians.  This independ...  Read More

This movement formed in the early 1800’s as a variety of men studied the scriptures and determined many church organizations were out of line with what Jesus and his apostles taught.  These churches tended to be guided by creeds and church dogma more than the scriptures. The desire was to restore biblical teaching.  As is common with such movements, initially they sought reform within their own ch...  Read More

One of my favorite preachers at my home church in Vandalia, MO (First Christian) was Jim Cook (whose son Tim would later become a close friend in Moberly, MO). One of the phrases I remember Jim Cook using over and over was to talk about the “habit patterns of your life.” Habits can be good or bad, depending on the habit and what it reinforces, or where it leads us. The habit of cussing, for exampl...  Read More

I’ve heard it said repeatedly within the Restoration Movement Christian Churches, “We are a people of the book!” The Restoration Movement was a “back to the Bible” movement of the early 1800’s that resulted in local churches (no denominational oversight) with elders, and the Bible as their lone guide for faith and practice. This book, the Bible, contains an historical account of God and his creati...  Read More

Pope John Paul II once wrote, “Life with Christ is a wonderful adventure!” If you’ve been a Christian for long, you know this to be true. But you also realize that “adventure” is not all feel-good positive stuff. Life with Christ includes battles against evil, against the schemes of the devil, who tries to usurp lordship from Jesus. There is a spiritual battle going on around us we must be aware o...  Read More