Tim's thoughts

Suffering: Oswald Chambers weighs in

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:17:09 -0600

From my college days, I’ve loved Oswald Chamber’s My Utmost For His Highest. I didn’t realize until recently that you can read the devotionals for each day online. I found yesterday’s…

Suffering: A Bit of Perspective

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 06:04:27 -0600

Suffering: A Bit of Perspective:

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18)

There’s an illustration that I’ve used in the past that helps me visualize…

Suffering: Advice from 1 Peter

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:54:30 -0600

Suffering: Advice from 1 Peter:

I hadn’t realized until recently that one of the main topics of the book of 1 Peter is the theme of suffering. Peter is writing to a group of Christians that are about to suffer…

Suffering: An integral part of the Christian life

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 05:59:43 -0600

Suffering: An integral part of the Christian life:

“Come suffer with us!” Maybe that should be what we advertise on our church signs. It would be more honest than much of what we see out there.

The New Testament makes it clear that…

Jay Guin on Pacifism

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 05:39:29 -0600

Jay Guin on Pacifism:

Jay Guin is doing an interesting study on pacifism over on his blog. That’s a topic that I would like to explore sometime; for now, I’ll just point you to Jay’s works and the discussion over…

B&B Friday: Thought For The Day

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:29:51 -0500

B&B Friday: Thought For The Day:

For years now, I’ve enjoyed receiving a rather unique devotional by e-mail, something called Thought For The Day by Alan Smith. Alan no longer publishes every day; I’m not even sure if…

A fence around the Law

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:29:51 -0500

A fence around the Law:

The Jewish Talmud is the record of rabbinic discussions concerning the Law. One of the stated aims of the Talmud was to “build a fence around the Torah.” One Jewish website describes that…

Joey and God

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 06:22:47 -0500

Joey and God:

Bob and Sally Tamez are friends of ours. We’ve become close to them and their kids: Casey, Tina, Joey and Timothy. Some of you know that I’ve been asking for prayers for Joey. I received…

Do we have a history?

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 07:07:39 -0500

Do we have a history?:

Do we have a history outside that recorded in the Bible? Are we not direct spiritual heirs of the first century church? When we base everything we do on the Bible, what does it matter what…

Salvation by faith

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 07:31:11 -0500

Salvation by faith:

I believe in salvation by grace through faith.

Yes, I believe in salvation by faith. I just think we need to know what we are talking about when we say faith.

Saving faith is not mental…

Some readings on baptism

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 07:51:19 -0500

Some readings on baptism:

I haven’t had a chance to look at Everett Ferguson’s new book on baptism (all 900+ pages of it). But I have been doing some reading on the subject. Here’s a list of articles that should keep you…

Statement of belief in baptism

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 08:21:56 -0500

Statement of belief in baptism:

I believe in baptism…

…of adults
…in water
…by immersion
…as part of saving faith
…for the forgiveness of sins
…accompanied by the reception of the Holy Spirit
…to enter into the…

B&B Friday: The BibleStick

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 08:59:07 -0500

B&B Friday: The BibleStick:

I was contacted by a group called Faith Comes By Hearing, wanting me to evaluate a product they have called BibleStick. It’s basically an MP3 player that comes preloaded with an audio New…

J.W. McGarvey on elder qualifications

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 07:38:53 -0500

J.W. McGarvey on elder qualifications:

A couple of weeks ago, I was looking for some information about the appointment of elders. I happened to look at J.W. McGarvey’s commentary on Acts, and read the following in his comments on…

Ecclesiastes: Fearing God

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 06:49:51 -0500

Ecclesiastes: Fearing God:

There are lots more passages in Ecclesiastes that are worthy of comment. And there are lots of people more qualified than I to discuss them. The only other point I want to bring out is a…

Ecclesiastes: Time and chance

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:39:41 -0500

Ecclesiastes: Time and chance:

Do you believe in chance? Accidents? Coincidence? Luck? I’ve heard Christians dismiss each of those concepts at one time or another, trying to sound spiritual as they correct someone else’s…

Ecclesiastes: Discovering the joie de vivre

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 21:05:56 -0500

Ecclesiastes: Discovering the joie de vivre:

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a…

Summits and lectureships

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 10:29:35 -0500

Summits and lectureships:

This week was Summit at Abilene Christian University. Working for Herald of Truth, I stay pretty busy during those times. We try to take advantage of such gatherings to raise awareness of…

Ecclesiastes: Money is the answer for everything!

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 08:58:05 -0500

Ecclesiastes: Money is the answer for everything!:

pan·a·ce·a (pān’ə-sē’ə) n. A remedy for all diseases, evils, or difficulties; a cure-all

I found it. The solution for everything. It’s right here in Ecclesiastes:

“A feast is made…

Ecclesiastes: The quest for fulfillment

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 11:16:41 -0500

Ecclesiastes: The quest for fulfillment:

As we try to understand Ecclesiastes, another important aspect of the book is the author’s quest for knowledge. Words like see, find, seek, search, etc. show us the way that the writer has…