The Real Black Friday

Immediately following Thanksgiving day, our whole nation is thrust into the “C” word — Christmas. The stores are filled with people trying to buy the most expensive gifts at the cheapest prices of the year. We call it “Black Friday,” and it is a great memorial to materialism. The earliest evidence for Black Friday seems…

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Let’s Keep Our Eyes on Our Task

When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? Acts 1:6 We so often get so busy with our agendas that we totally forget why we are here. Why is it God created us and then recreated us in Christ Jesus?…

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A RETURN TO NORMALCY

Catchy campaign slogans are not a recent development. During the 1920 presidential election Ohio senator Warren G. Harding struck a popular chord with his promise that, if he were elected, America would “return to normalcy.” Following the hardships brought on by the First World War, Americans longed for the peace and prosperity they remembered. The…

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What Do You Buy Time For?

Did you get everything accomplished this past week that you wanted to accomplish? Do you have deadlines and projects looming over you for the week ahead? We all want more time. We all want to be as productive as possible. And each of us probably approaches the challenge of getting things done differently. Carson Tate,…

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Why I Don’t Watch TV

When I was in high school a friend of mine recommended the book Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman. It was and still is a fascinating read; Postman proved to be prophetic regarding the negative influence of television and show business on our culture. I wish I could say my initial reading of that…

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The Christian and Authority

One of the most difficult subjects for Christians to be honest about is the subject of authority. The reason for this struggle is because of our innate sin nature that desires no authority but our own. We do not want anyone or anything else telling us what we can and cannot do, what we should…

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George Muller on the Christian Life

Known for his life of faith, power in prayer, and service to orphans, George Muller (1805-1898) was a man whose depth with Christ stands in stark contrast to the shallowness that dominates our Christian landscape. Recently, I took the opportunity to re-read through Muller’s autobiography. If you’ve never read it, I would highly recommend that…

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Warning – Traps Ahead!

. . . I will fear no evil: for thou art with me (Psalm 23:4). We are often told that the senior years of life are supposed to be the golden years—years of enjoying the fruits of our labor and handing the tools over to the next generation. Robert Browning describes these years as “the…

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Nontrivial Pursuits – Pursuing a Substitute for God

Substitutes are a part of life. Whether you have a substitute teacher, a sub in a sporting event or you substitute applesauce for vegetable oil in your baking. Often, we need substitutes. However, no one should ever make a substitution for God. King Ahaziah of ancient Israel provides us with a vivid illustration of this…

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