In Jesus' day tax collectors, prostitutes, and those considered unclean reached out to him, and he responded with understanding and grace.  In odd contrast, many of the religious elite, the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes of the Law, shook their fists at Jesus and eventually killed him.  Shaking their fist, they failed to understand that to receive a gift (grace and forgiveness) requires open ha...  Read More

Praying can be tough.  We explored that in the previous Cross Point.  But let’s not leave it there.  “We must stop setting our sights by the light of each passing ship; instead we must set our course by the stars!” said George Marshall, and we would be wise to take his advice as it relates to prayer.  Too often we let every circumstance swing us from one extreme (when something good happens) to th...  Read More

Author Philip Yancy says our English word “prayer” comes from the Latin word precarious, which is linguistically connected to our English word precarious.  Precarious means: not securely held in position, with the possibility of collapsing.  Has prayer ever felt that way to you?  You pray, but your confidence is not strong.Statistics tell us that 9 of 10 people in the U.S. pray regularly.  Interes...  Read More

Scott Springer Family Ministry We come in from a cold walk in the snow and my thoughts turn to warmer days like my first mission trip to Juarez, Mexico.  That was with Scott Springer in 2002.  Scott lead 2 mission trips with SHCC members going to Juarez, Mexico, just across the border from El Paso, TX.  The visual difference across the border from El Paso to Juarez was stark.  Scott was working to...  Read More

“The celebration called worship has less to do with the pursuit of happiness than with the abandonment of the pursuit of happiness.” Richard Neuhaus “Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth.  I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.  For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother…  A person’s enemies will be those of his own household.  Whoever...  Read More

It gets hot in the southern Jordan Valley.  When visiting the country of Jordan in 2018 we went down to the Jordan River one day to visit the site where John the Baptist was located and where Jesus was baptized, at Bethany Beyond the Jordan, which is just across from the ancient city of Jericho.  Jericho is on the edge of the mountains that rise-up from the valley to the west, a few miles from the...  Read More

If you are a friend of mine on Facebook, you know that I love to take pictures.  It’s one of three reasons I participate in that social media format (to see pictures of our kids and grandkids, to connect with people I might not otherwise, and to enjoy posting pictures).  It’s been a passion of mine since high school when I was the school photographer for two years (my kids would think I’m ancient ...  Read More

Imagine Jesus standing in front of a crowd of thousands, about to deliver what we know as The Sermon on the Mount.  How could thousands of people hear him?  Did just a few up close hear, in reality; and then they spread the message to those further out in the crowd?  What is going on here?When Rexanne and I visited Jordan in 2018 and went on our last full day to Umm Qais (ancient Gadara), we stood...  Read More

We are excited to be launching a brand new ministry here at SHCC! Tele-Care's purpose is to help keep people within our church family, connected and encouraged.We are in the early stages of building our team of callers. We need your help! We are looking for volunteers who are willing to make 1-2 calls to individuals each week. Calls can be made from your home, wherever you are, and at your conveni...  Read More

MASTER Provisions was officially established in June 1994 and is headquartered in Florence, KY.  SHCC has “walked” with and supported MASTER Provisions since 2001.  It started (through chance) when the President and Founder Roger Babik needed a place to stay on a trip to Oklahoma.  After making a call to a church halfway to their destination they ended up staying with the late Bill Adams and Franc...  Read More

I was very sorry to hear about the death of Sam Stone, former editor of the Christian Standard Magazine, a primary periodical of the Restoration Movement since the CS was founded in 1866. It has been a voice of our movement since the time of Alexander Campbell, a chief spokesman during his time, with Campbell dying just before the magazine started.  Another founding father was Barton W. Stone, a p...  Read More

I’ll admit that I like the TV show Seinfeld.  In one-episode Jerry’s friend George says, “My life is the opposite of everything I want it to be.  Every instinct I have, in every aspect of life…it’s all been wrong.”  Jerry replies, “If every instinct you have is wrong, then the opposite would have to be right.”  George agrees and decides, “Yes, I will do the opposite!”  He proceeds to test this the...  Read More