My Great-Uncle George was a pastor in St. Clair County, Alabama, and I was fortunate enough to inherit some of the books in his library. One of them is a neat little book written in 1953 by Charles Allen called “God’s Psychiatry.” In this book, Rev. Allen suggests a prescription for anyone troubled or afraid:…
Read MoreCategory: Bible Study
Lessons and studies from the Bible
Walking Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death
One night several years ago, as part of my role as associate pastor, I traveled to a neighboring town to a funeral home. One of our church members had died, and I was there to greet the family. There was a long line winding from the front door to the casket, and the family was…
Read MoreRestoration and Guidance: Receiving the Promise
One of my prized possessions is my grandfather’s RCA Victor console that he bought around 1950 or 1951. It’s a full piece of furniture with an AM/FM radio and 78, 45, and 33 1/3 rpm turntables. One of the cabinets still holds his replacement vacuum tube, still in its box. I even have all of…
Read MoreGreen Pastures and Still Waters
In the 23rd Psalm, David uses the example of shepherds and sheep to describe how God takes care of his children. Look at verse two: He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. (Psalm 23:2) David knew from experience that shepherds have to provide food for the sheep because…
Read MoreI Shall Not Want
The 23rd Psalm is one of the most recognized passages in the Bible. As a child, I liked this Psalm because it had my mom’s name in it, or at least that’s what I thought. It was a comfort to know that Shirley, along with goodness and mercy, would always be there for me. Check…
Read MoreThe Fruit and the Spirit
We’ve been looking at the fruit of the Spirit in the last several posts, talking specifically about this verse: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23 ESV) I’ve been writing about this because I truly believe this…
Read MoreFruit Inventory, Part 3 of 3
Paul’s purpose in writing his letter to the Galatians is to convince the readers that people don’t have to become Jews or follow the Old Testament law to be Christians. Requiring these things is in direct opposition to the gospel because salvation comes only by grace through faith, not by our performance. There isn’t anything…
Read MoreFruit Inventory, Part 2 of 3
In the book of Galatians, Paul is writing about the freedom we have in Christ and about how we should move from living “under the law” and into the freedom of what he calls living “by the Spirit.” Then he helps us to know whether we’re living by the Spirit by showing us what our…
Read MoreFruit Inventory, Part 1 of 3
On most Saturdays in the fall, especially in the South, there is no doubt as to which college football team a person supports. We don’t try to hide our allegiance from anybody, even when we’re in what might be considered enemy territory. Whether or not I’m actually at a game, I’ll be decked out in…
Read MoreFruit Inspection Time
I love fruit, all kinds of fruit. I especially like fruit when it’s baked into pies and cobblers. I figure a blackberry cobbler topped with ice cream is one way to make sure I get my recommended allowance of fruit and dairy. And speaking of ice cream, oh goodness, my dad’s homemade ice cream with…
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