Bible

Valentine’s Day

Ruby’s birthday and Valentine’s Day are approaching fast. Ruby has been known to stretch these events into extra days of special treatment. It could be a weekend, a week, or even a month, so I am under a lot of pressure right now. However, don’t worry too much about me, because my birthday is coming up in March, and I’ll be sure to get my fair share of extra attention. You see, in marriage you…

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Bible

A substantial lack of morality

Morality concerns the distinction between right and wrong and the difference between good and bad behavior. It seems to me that our society is having trouble distinguishing between right and wrong. I read an article in the Louisville Courier Journal about COVID-19 vaccinations in Southern Indiana. The article quoted from a February 1 post on the Clark County Health Department Facebook page which said, “At the vaccination sites we are seeing a substantial lack of…

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Bible

A good philosophy for living is not enough

Wendy Thomas Russell said, “…if we raise kids to be moral and ethical and kind and generous, then what they believe is secondary.” On August 10, 2015, Ms. Russell was interviewed on PBS Newshour. She is the author of a book entitled, Relax, It’s Just God: How and Why to Talk to Your Kids About Religion When You’re Not Religious. Jesus said, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to…

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Bible

Frustrated and Angry

Frustration and anger are emotions the prophet Jonah embraced. The Lord told Jonah to go and preach in Nineveh and warn them that their city would be destroyed in forty days, because of their wickedness. Jonah tried to flee away from God. He did not want to warn Nineveh, because he wanted God to destroy them. Jonah hated the Ninevites more than he loved God. So Jonah defied God, but eventually he did go and…

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Teaching

Use simple words and build vocabulary

Teacher, you pour your heart into preparing and delivering your lessons. Are you sure your learners even understand the words you are using? I recently posted an article about The Seven Laws of Teaching by John Milton Gregory. Gregory’s third law, The Law of the Language, says “The language used as medium between teacher and learner must be common to both. Use words understood in the same way by the pupils and you – language…

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Bible

An offensive message

The Apostle Peter once preached and his message was so successful 3000 people believed and were saved. A few days later Peter delivered the same message and it made his audience so furious they wanted to kill him. In both cases Peter was preaching to his fellow Jews. Below are excerpts from the book of Acts where these occurrences are recorded. A. “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has…

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Bible

Pray Like an Apostle

Pray like an apostle. Does that seem like a tall order? The Apostle Paul’s prayers are a good model for us. At the beginning of Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and 1 Thessalonians, Paul describes his prayers of thanksgiving and petition. He repeats almost the same four basic things in each of these letters. Paul tells the Christians in these cities that he gives thanks to God for the faith they have in Jesus and their love…

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Bible

Lies can destroy a nation

Our president has lied continually about the results of the November 2020 election. Republican members of congress knew the president was lying to us, but most said nothing. On January 6, it became clear they knew the truth, because they had to either bow to the president or honor their oath of office. Thankfully, most honored their oath of office and chose to uphold the will of the majority of voters. Majority Leader Senator Mitch…

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Teaching

The Seven Laws of Teaching

I highly recommend Bible class teachers read The Seven Laws of Teaching by John Milton Gregory. It was published in 1884 as an instruction manual for Sunday school teachers. The basis for the book is the concept that teaching has “natural laws which are as fixed as the laws of circling planets or growing organisms.” Therefore, Gregory argues, if these simple laws are adhered to, knowledge must be communicated. Even though this book was first…

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