Leadership expert and author John Maxwell says that “the pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails.” Great point. Many circumstances are beyond our control. But our response to them is up to us. A Bible search for terms such as “adjust” or “adapt” may leave us…

Several years ago I heard a Discover radio commercial offering customers a chance to win $1 million. The narrator said that every credit card purchase, whether large or small, improved one’s chances of winning the money. Then an effeminate male voice asked: “My morning coffee?” Yes. “My midday coffee?” Yes. “My late-night coffee?” Yes. “I…

By Brent Smith [Brent is the preaching minister of the Trenton Church of Christ in Trenton, TN.] As I prepared to file our tax return, I was reminded of an article I read last year about Michael Bowman. The story is still posted at Lifesitenews (dated April 18, 2018,): “US Christian who refuses to pay…

Singing is one of the sweetest pleasures of life in the church. Many Christians prefer singing over preaching, and that doesn’t bother me a bit. I love singing myself. Music touches not only the mind but also the heart. And it spans generations, drawing the church together in joy. Little children may squirm or fuss…

Jesus is the most influential figure in human history. More than two billion people claim him as Lord. Countless books retell his story and reflect on his teaching. Countless songs give him praise, and the number of hymns grows daily. Church buildings erected in his honor are scattered liberally around the globe. How did Jesus…

Some years ago my lovely wife received “The Busy Mom’s Cookbook” as a gift. At the bottom of each page, there’s an interesting tidbit. One anecdote tells the story of James Barry. He had a distinguished 40-year career in the British military, holding an office equivalent to major general. He fought in a duel. He…

The Bible tells the church to give an offering “on the first day of every week” (1 Cor. 16:2). Why? Does God need our money? No. The Lord owns everything. He says that “every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the hills, and…

When you think about the reality of Noah’s Ark, you might have questions about its size, its construction, or its cargo. You have probably seen the cartoon-like Ark pictures showing a quaint little boat, a pudgy little man and a handful of animals packed in and even hanging over its sides. These caricature-style pictures are…

Christians often hear assurances that “God doesn’t expect us to be perfect.” Of course, we must repent and humbly confess our failures. But the Bible says that God “does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so…

 Watching our nation’s rapid moral and spiritual decline is disheartening. Every day it becomes easier to sympathize with the prophet Jeremiah, who grieved over the downfall of Judah: “They refused to take correction. They have made their faces harder than rock; they have refused to repent. […] They have spoken falsely of the Lord and…