Type your new text here. One of the controversies you can find within Christianity is whether a person can become a Christ-follower, truly accepting Jesus in faith as a disciple, then later abandon the faith and no longer follow Jesus, losing the salvation they once had. Such appears to be the case with Demas.The apostle Paul mentions Demas in his second letter to Timothy, chapter 4, where he says...  Read More

What must it have been like for Joseph and Mary to walk from Nazareth to Bethlehem for the census?  And why would Mary even go, so close to delivering a child?  It would not have been an easy trip.  Most likely they did the normal thing for the time, avoiding Samaria, crossing to the east side of the Jordan River below the Sea of Galilee and then walking south until they crossed back near Jericho ...  Read More

We live in an odd time for Christianity.  So many “Christians” want to live life their own way, thinking Christian faith is a surreal concept, a mix of fact and fiction, open to their personal take on how it is lived out, typically with the Bible superglued to the shelf, a symbol but thought impractical for our values.  As a result, they accept cultural norms such as sexual promiscuity, living tog...  Read More

Who would be afraid of Jesus?  Does that even make sense?  For many the answers would be, “Surely no one would be afraid of Jesus” and “No, to be afraid of him makes no sense.”  But not so quick.Indeed, the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, is the manifestation of God’s love for us.  “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” Paul asked in his letter to the Romans (8:35).  In his book to the Ephes...  Read More

We live in a day when the Bible is pushed aside by many people in our culture.  Even by many who call themselves Christian.  It is no longer the source of morals, of doctrine, of principles for living.  One reason is because of the critics who dismiss it, saying it is not from God, but just a human document.  Here are a few of the myths about it, and responses to the critics.Some say the writings ...  Read More

Just back from the International Conference on Missions held in Columbus, Ohio, this year.  I find it totally awe inspiring as I walk among hundreds of missions gathered.  Everything from saving girls from human trafficking, feeding the hungry, teaching others how to make a living, taking care of orphans, spreading the gospel in remote places, etc.  It’s God’s work.  Its what we as Christians shou...  Read More

October 20, 2022 I’ve never been good at learning another language.  When in high school I took French for a year, only because that was the only foreign language my school offered.  (And this little piggy went Oui, Oui, Oui, all the way home, see I can use it in a sentence!)  I would have preferred Spanish.  Rexanne and I have traveled a lot, primarily on mission trips, and we try to learn a few ...  Read More

If you are like me, you look at the landscape of our society and wonder: what in the world has gone wrong?  We once were a country that honored God, the Bible, the morals taught in the Bible, and even though we had many problems and many individuals with problems; overall we trusted in the Lord and had time honored principles we lived by that derived from the teaching of Jesus and his apostles.  T...  Read More

Type your new text here. Who wouldn’t want Nicodemus as a follower of Jesus?  A member of Israel’s highest court, the Sanhedrin, made up of their elite elder statemen, he would have been a strong advocate of conservative Judaism.  Such a back-ground would make him influential and schooled for high level activity as a disciple.  Most of these elite rulers were offended by Jesus, eventually moving t...  Read More

If you are like me, you look at the landscape of our society and wonder: what in the world has gone wrong?  We once were a country that honored God, the Bible, the morals taught in the Bible, and even though we had many problems and many individuals with problems; overall we trusted in the Lord and had time honored principles we lived by that derived from the teaching of Jesus and his apostles.  T...  Read More

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 Can you help?   Master Provisions (a SHCC sponsored mission) has made a request.  They have asked individuals to help orphans in Ukraine.  Once after looking around at my nice home and surroundings and wondering if I did enough to help others less fortunate, my Uncle Ron told me:“Don’t beat yourself up about what you have, just give when God gives you the opportunity.”  I try to live by that.  I ...  Read More