Category Archives: Bible

Mar 11

The Church is a Blessing

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Knox County Bible Bowl 2014

Knox County Bible Bowl 2014

This past weekend was very enjoyable for me. I mean, most every weekend is enjoyable, but this weekend was extra enjoyable because of the great reminder I received. This past weekend I was reminded of something I, along with many others, already knew, but sometimes we all probably forget. Being a part of the church is a great blessing.

First, we had our annual Karns Men’s Retreat in Pigeon Forge. It was awesome hanging out with my brothers in Christ while also studying from God’s Word. I was able to enjoy some time with guys I had not previously had an opportunity to spend much time with. The late night pizza run was a blast. Looking back, our retreat was a great reminder to me of what a blessing it is to be a part of the church of Christ.

“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” (I Thess. 5:11)

The second part of my weekend reminder involved watching several of our K-5th grade students participate in an area wide Bible bowl. Although awards are given, the focus is not on the awards but on the actual study of God’s Word. There were a lot of young people from several different congregations engaging in this study. How incredible it was to see such good participation from so many young people. As I sat there Saturday afternoon watching those young people, I couldn’t help but think about the time and dedication it took in order to prepare for that day’s activities. Yet, another great reminder of what a blessing it is to be a part of the church.

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psa. 119:105)

Finally, my weekend came to a close following a youth rally we held here at Karns. We had over 130 people come and spend Sunday afternoon studying about who we are in Christ. It was such an inspiring sight to behold. Several of our young men from Karns helped participate in the youth rally in various ways: one senior guy taught one of our class sessions, two of our guys lead singing, and three of our guys preached during the evening service that night while many others read scriptures and led prayers. Sunday night, as I sat through the last session, I thought about the future of the church and what great hands it is in if these young people continue the faithful course they are on. It was just another reminder that weekend of what a blessing it is to be a part of the family of God.

“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Prov. 22:6)

This past weekend was a great reminder of why I love being a part of the Lord’s church. If you are not part of a local congregation I would encourage you to seek out a faithful church in your community that practices what the Bible teaches and start attending. Become engaged with the people and grow with them. It will truly be a blessing to your life.

Now that’s Something to Think About!

Jan 31

“Tell Me Another Story, Daddy”

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Last night as I approached the bed of my 2 year old son, I could sense his excitement for what was about to take place. Minutes earlier, before we took him to get ready for bed, I told him I would tell him a story instead of reading one to him before he fell asleep. As I crawled into his bed, he told me he was ready for me to begin. What happened next was a valuable teaching moment.

While I was telling my son the story of Joseph and his brothers, he laid there quietly, listening to every word coming out of my mouth, without moving. As I was wrapping up the story for the night, Caden rolled over and said, “Tell me another story, daddy.” Those precious words from the mouth of my 2 year old brought a huge smile to my face. He wanted to hear more.

As I laid there next to my son, I couldn’t help but think about what he had said, “Tell me another story, daddy.” I laid there thinking about how eager my son was to hear more. I pray this always will be the attitude he exhibits when it comes to scripture. So often I am afraid the older we get, the less eager we are to hear more. At times we all harbor that attitude, “Not again! I have heard this a hundred times.”

Paul said, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Rom. 10:17).

The Psalmist wrote, “Oh how I love you law! It is my mediation all the day. How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way” (Psa. 119:97, 103-104).

Last night when I thought I was teaching my son, he was actually teaching me. May God forgive all of us when we harbor any attitude other than one of eagerness and anticipation when it comes to hearing His word. Like my 2 year old son, may I always have a desire to hear more.

Now that’s Something to Think About!

 

Aug 13

Dream Great Dreams Pt. 3 – Dreams We Should Dream Con’t

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We are in the middle of a 4-part series called, “Dream Great Dreams.” If you have not read the first two posts in this series, click below…

            Part 1 – Unlimited Resource

            Part 2 – Dreams We Should Dream

As we continue in this series, let’s consider a couple more dreams we should be dreaming as Children of God.

We should dream for Christians to make disciples of all nations. One of the final commands Jesus gave to His disciples was, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:19-20). As Christians, we place a great emphasis on baptism and we should. However, did you notice what Jesus told His disciples in the passage above? He said their goal was to make disciples by baptizing them and then teaching them. Sadly, I’m afraid this is where we have failed in the church. We do a decent job of going on mission trips, both foreign and domestic, and teaching people to obey the Gospel. We urge our young people to obey the Gospel before the graduate high school. Both are important, but this is not the only thing we should be doing. Once a person obeys the Gospel, their journey is just beginning. This is the time they need us the most. They need older, mature Christians to disciple them. They need to be taught what it means to live and walk as a follower of Jesus. We should dream for Christians to make disciples of all nations.

We should dream for Christians to hunger after God’s Word. Peter said, “Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so by it you may grow in respect to salvation” (1 Pet. 2:2). The word translated long in the Greek language means, “To pursue with love, to long after, to lust.” As people who claim to be the people of God, are we pursuing after His word with love?  Do we long to spend time each day reading and studying from the greatest book ever written? If we are truly people who are hungering after the Word of God it will show in our behavior. People will be able to tell by the way we live. Do you remember the milk ad where celebrities would drink some milk and then they would be left with a milk mustache? The milk mustache made it obvious what the celebrity was drinking. Can people notice we’ve been hungering after God’s Word? Do people see the evidence left in our behavior? We should be dreaming for Christians to hunger after God’s Word.

There are plenty more dreams we should be dreaming as Christians, but I think this is enough to show there is a lot of work left to be done. My hope and prayer is for Christians to start dreaming great dreams and making an eternal impact on the world around them. What are you dreaming?

Now that’s Something to Think About!