In the early 1970s, I was part of Camp CACY, Central Alabama Christian Youth camp, for several years. It was there that I became friends with Hudson Nichols, Gus Nichols’ youngest son. He was older than me, but wiser beyond the years he had lived. Hudson and I became close friends during that week, and we worked together every summer. I learned…

It is remarkable how much culture impacts the church in every generation. One of the issues now confronting Christians is the ever-increasing use of women as preachers in denominations. The pressure to be politically correct has kept some from speaking clearly about this matter lest they be viewed as male chauvinists or as discriminating against women. The reality is not “What does…

One of the greatest challenges to our faith and our devotion to God is evolution. The theory of Godless evolution is being accepted by many. Some Christians, feeling the pressure from the world, have sought a middle ground of compromise in relation to the origin of the earth. Their position is that evolution is true, but that God caused it. This position…

When Jesus spoke of an unpardonable sin in Matthew chapter twelve, He introduced a concept which is difficult for some to comprehend. There is a difference between an unpardoned sin (any sin for which one will not repent) and one that God would not forgive in the age of Jesus or the age which followed. Read Matthew 12:23-32 several times, then think…

The story of the rich man and Lazarus found in Luke 16 has fascinated Bible students for years. While they lived on this earth, the wealth of one and the poverty of the other was obvious to all. When they both died, their roles were reversed. The beggar was blessed, but he who lived in luxury was tormented in the flames of…

How could a loving God ever consider casting man into a lake of fire and leaving him there to suffer for all eternity? This is not an easy question to consider on many levels, but it is one which intrigues the minds of so many. Is it possible that we may not see the horrendous nature of sin and what divine justice…

In a recent article we discussed how only one of the ten lepers Jesus cleansed came to express gratitude, and Jesus asked the question, “Where are the nine?” We entitled that article “Are You Among the Nine?” to encourage each of us to be more thankful and to express thanks for all we receive. This week we ask the question, “Are you…

I was recently talking to a member of the church in another city who was considering leaving the present congregation to attend a larger congregation that recently had hired a new preacher. This person had visited the larger congregation and was impressed by much of what she saw. The comment made to me was, “I have been there a few times, and…