I do not know Matthew Bassford. As you read this, he is preaching his final sermon for the Jackson Heights church in Columbia. It will almost certainly be the final sermon of his life. I do not know why Matthew and I are friends on Facebook. One of us made the poor decision to accept
President Harry Truman had a plaque on his desk which read, “The buck stops here.” Truman was reacting to the reputation of typical politicians who would, “pass the buck” when it came to making actual decisions, standing on principle, or clearly stating an honest opinion. Truman understood how heavy those decisions could be. He was
“the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua…all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.”-Judges 2:7-10 I don’t know who
This is our first full reporting period of the post-COVID era1. Last year we noted an elder at a large congregation in middle Tennessee reported their attendance was down 15-percent. It is estimated only one-in-ten churches gained in numbers during 2020-2021. North Second Street actually saw a slight increase in 2021 as we got back
“I am Jehovah, that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth;”-Isaiah 44:24 (ASV). Have you ever had one sentence or one idea influence your thinking on a subject? A few years ago, I heard a Bible professor (his name escapes me) comment on the creation account in the
[Editor’s note: I am aware women who have had an abortion and men who supported (even coerced) them into taking that action may read this article. God loves you and there is forgiveness in the name of Jesus. Please forgive any words you may find hurtful.-JS] The word “life” is more fully a part of
“So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.”-Matthew 7:17-18 How do you judge the health of a plant? If it is vibrant and healthy, it yields fruit which strengthens those who partake of what
To woke teenagers everywhere, the patriarchy is something you want to topple. As in, “That’s just something old people say because they are conditioned to accept an evil, slavery-based, male dominated society. Fight the patriarchy, man.” If this makes no sense to you, consider yourself lucky. Speaking of confusing people, every time I bring up
The title of this article is a rewording of a false theory many of our religious neighbors espouse which claims a Christian can not be lost once they come to faith in Jesus. They teach humans have no free will concerning salvation, God chooses who will be saved or damned, and once God elects you