If you read some Christian websites or books about Christian discipline or raising Christian Christ-like children, or making a Christian home, you will find some very helpful information. Often, there is a section defending spanking. It will talk about Proverbs 13 and 22. “Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves […]
My Dad started cooking when my mother was in graduate school at the University of Kentucky. I would walk in the back door famished from swim team or basketball practice and see Dad at the stove and let out an audible groan. If it was meatloaf or beef stroganoff I headed past the chef without […]
Is our cultural understanding of love messing up our families? I wonder if our wrong understanding of love could be eroding our culture. How could that happen? Well, if we people of faith misunderstand God’s definition of love then we might offer less than God’s love to the world and thereby fail to offer the […]
Let’s take a stroll through the Bible looking at the families we find there. Let us listen for tone. I fear at times the church has lost its pitch. I fear we come at the world with less than the gracious tone of a God who loves sinners. The Bible begins with God speaking humanity […]
Family is pretty complicated. How do you define family? Or for me the question today is: How do you start a multi-week series about family? This week, I had at least three different ideas about how to start this series. I brought Jeff in to help me decide. He suggested I try all three, so […]
“Abide” Friday, August 7, 2015 Pastor Paul Purdue’s Friday’s Rough Draft We offer this draft to assist those with difficulty hearing. On Sunday, we ask God to perfect this sermon in our hearing! Last week I preached from Joshua 24 about our need to follow God today. Joshua knew that our indecision is a decision. […]
Back in my youth ministry days we gave Bibles to graduating Seniors and I often wrote on the inside cover a version of Joshua 1:7-9: “Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to act in accordance with all (God’s) law; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, so […]
Indecision: Friday’s Rough Draft How can Lewis be a High School Senior? Wasn’t it yesterday that he rode his bike to elementary school? Life unfolds in the midst of our busyness. Life unfolds as we decide, eat at home or stop at Sonic. Decisions are made, lives are shaped as plan our weekends. We […]
Chattanooga stung and stings. We grieve for the lost Marines. We grieve for our lost sense community and safety. We grieve for the hate unleashed. We grieve with what we hope is a godly grief. We lament. With the Psalmist we lift heavy eyes to God. At times I want to lash out. Yet, I […]
The divided state of America A few words from God’s Word about our words Our knowledge, speaking and preaching is partial and incomplete. (1 Corinthians 13) Warning: We will give an account to God for all our words. (Jesus Matthew 12:36-37) Our words (typed or spoken) reveal what makes up our hearts. (Jesus Luke […]
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