THE ONE YEAR BIBLE CLUB

        This story that we read today in the book of Judges prompts many questions in our minds. Had the Levite decided to stay just one more night (as the step father was trying to persuade him) would his wife have been spared of this brutal raping? Had the Levite stopped in the first city to rest (as was suggested by his servant) perhaps his wife have not been murdered. This little, seemingly, insignificant decisions perhaps are not so insignificant.  Are lives, yes are affected by the BIG decisions we make, but they are just as much, if not more, directed and affected by the countless seemingly, insignificant decisions we make every day, on a whim. There was many instances in this story that this man could have just as easily chose differently and the question that bares asking is..."would it have made a difference in the final outcome?"      How about the war? The Levite convinces  Israel  to go to War a...

       Whether this is a cleverly crafted strategy of the Enemy of our souls or not, is irrelevant, the end result, is the same. Are we just introverts or are we being set up...regardless, the outcome (easy prey and defeat) is more of what we need to focus on.   "There was no one to rescue them because they lived a long way from Sidon and  had no relationship with anyone else."    There are numerous Christians sitting in numerous churches all over the world that are in this situation right now and it's just a matter of time before they are taken out. They  have no relationship with anyone else  and they too will have no one to rescue them when they need help.  One of the greatest joys, outside of Jesus himself, that we received when we became Christians was the Fellowship of the Brethren.  In the book of Acts we read,   42  All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, an...

    I have a harder time believing this story than I do the story of Jonah, 3 days in the belly of the whale. Is this story really true? If you take your time and read it and try to digest (mentally) this story, it seems unbelievable that Samson would give Delilah the secret of his strength after 3 collaborated murder attempts by this woman. However, I am going to stand on God's Word that every story in the bible is true unless said or written otherwise. I can say, that I have noticed that people who play church and play with God's word often do become very mentally unstable. I have seen people do much better who just make a decision that they don't want to serve God rather than live a life of duplicity. I believe that God gives these kind people over to a reprobate and warped mind. A sure way to lose your mind is to sit in a Full Gospel Church every Sunday, nod your head, say "Amen" and then live a life that contradicts everything you know. A sure way to lose you...

   Perhaps I'm in a melancholy kind of mood today, but it is interesting how often "jubilant news" can precede hard times ahead. Can you imagine how thrilled Manoah and his wife were that she, who was barren, was actually going to give birth; and not only give birth, but this boy was going to be special. This is a very exciting time for this couple, but you and I know, that Samson is going to be a disappointment, you and I know that Samson is going to break the heart of his parents with his life; and horrible decisions he makes. For all the joy and excitement they are experiencing now, the very same news that brought them joy, will bring them misery. One man once gave me advice I thought was pretty good, "don't let your highs get to high and don't let your lows get to low". I'm not advocating going through life with a stoic mentality. God gave us feelings to feel. We are emotional creatures and who wants to be around someone that has no emotions beca...

   This is one of my  least  favorite stories in the Bible, especially having a daughter myself.  Jephthah's irrational promise to God is going to take his daughter's life.  This just goes to prove, that even the best of us have the propensity to be serious "flakes" at times.  Here is a man whom "the Spirit of the Lord" is upon. Here is a man whom God is using, a man who goes out and accomplishes a great conquest for God and for Israel, but when he comes home, Jephthah must deal with a very ugly situation, that has stemmed from his only, incredible, stupid and irrational promise he has made to God.  As if he had to make this promise to God in order to gain this victory. This is a horrible story about a poor young girl, who's life is going to be cut short because of a Father who is just "a flake".  The lives of many children have been subjected to "the whims" of flaky parents and I'm talking about Christian parents. Our text today ...

      Sometimes the greatest miracle is the one that's right in front of our eyes, that we take for granted. We are looking for a leg to grow out, a cancer prognosis to be vetoed, but we miss the many other miracles that God is doing right in front of us.  Does anybody take notice of the miracle in our text we read,  in Luke 24:33 " they got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. They they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together ". How quickly we forget that this group wasn't a group Jesus found all together on the Basketball Court, a group of friends he called unto himself.   It’s not as if they were together before they met and followed Jesus; and of course they are together once Jesus has died, why wouldn't they?!       However, that's not the case! Luke, the one writing the narrative, is a Dr., Matthew was a sniveling, tax collector, James & John our brawley cussing Fishermen, Simon, a political zealot....the point is,...