The people of Israel are in the desert. And they aren’t happy. It’s really hard to be happy when we idealize the past and take present blessings for granted. The Hebrews remember that in Egypt they relished tasty foods of all kinds–fish, onions, garlic, cucumbers, leeks, melons. They forget their cruel bondage and God’s magnificent…
Once I watched an episode of “Russian Roulette,” a game show that ran for two seasons (2002-03). The winning contestant earned $10,000 by correctly answering some easy questions. The host told the man he could turn his cash into $100,000 by taking a gamble. There was a five-in-six chance that he would lose everything and,…
God has freed the people of Israel from Egyptian bondage and in the Red Sea given them a stunning victory over their taskmasters. But the Hebrews aren’t happy. They are hungry. How are they to survive in the desert? No fertile soil — no water — no crop — no food. Trusting the Lord may…
Amassing wealth is within the grasp of average Americans. Some years ago a former Wal-Mart employee was interviewed on a national news program. The woman had retired with more than $1 million after working only 20 years. She had managed this by living on a shoestring and investing every possible cent in the company’s profit-sharing…
The last of the ten plagues on Egypt is deadly and decisive. Every firstborn child dies at midnight. No family escapes. The firstborn of the lowliest prisoner in the dungeon – dead. The firstborn of Pharaoh himself – dead. The plague throws the nation into a paroxysm of panic and grief. The Egyptians urge…
June 16, 2007. It was a Saturday night in Selmer, a small Tennessee town about 30 minutes from Freed-Hardeman University. Hundreds of spectators lined the street to watch a show sponsored by the charity Cars for Kids. But the event turned into a nightmare. At 6:30 p.m. professional driver Troy Warren Critchley did a controlled…
Brent Smith [Brent Smith is the preaching minister of the Trenton Church of Christ in Trenton, Tennessee.] Have you ever been in that happy place where everything was good in your life, if only for a little while? Was it a graduation, a wedding, a honeymoon or the birth of your child? Maybe you…
T. G. Downer, a resident of Moorhead, Mississippi, was immersed into Christ in 1979. He was 79 at the time. He had been studying the Bible and struggling in prayer for 16 years. T. G.’s first words after his baptism made an indelible impression on his daughter, my friend Madelyn Gibson. He said, “I have…
By Brent Smith [Brent is the preaching minister of the Trenton Church of Christ in Trenton, Tennessee.] A faithful Christian man serves his country in the military and comes back from combat without his legs and his eyesight. He struggles for the next 50 years until his body finally wears out. Then he goes home…
The guest speaker presents an outstanding message. It’s well-organized, skillfully delivered, and short. The elders of the church promptly offer him the open pulpit position. But then, to everyone’s dismay, the man’s first sermon as the new minister lasts two hours. Children cry. Roasts burn. Calling an emergency meeting, the elders demand an explanation. “Your…
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