Nehemiah’s leadership has brought the repair of the wall in Jerusalem to near completion. The opposition from their enemies had not succeeded. The people of Israel had returned to the city of Jerusalem as God had promised. On the first day of the seventh month, the...
Dewayne Spivey
Truth
“Truth refers to what is real, trustworthy, dependable, genuine, or valid. It carries the sense of real-world dependability and genuine disclosure—showing things as they really are.” (Lexham Theological Wordbook) “The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is...
The Message
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Mic. 6:8 ESV) God’s prophets were writing to the nation of Israel trying to get them to return to God. He was tired...
A Bison Tale
Yellowstone National Park is an amazing place. We loved our trip. While showing my bison herd video to Bill Goben, the director of the Yellowstone Bible Camp, he told me the following story: Bill was riding his motorcycle through Yellowstone when he came upon a bull...
Vacation Bible School
Same song, same verse, Could be better, but it’s gonna be - even better! How do they keep doing this? Every year we say, “Well, they can’t beat that one,” and every year they do it again. Jina O’Clair and Karen Smith continue to do an outstanding job with our VBS....
Vocation
Merriam-Webster “Word of the Day”: 1.A: a summons or strong inclination to a particular state or course of action; especially: a divine call to the religious life. B: an entry into the priesthood or a religious order 2 A: the work in which a person is employed:...
The Secret Things
The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law. (Deut. 29:29 NIV) There are secret things. Some things will not be known....
Love Bugs
Our latest Live Wire trip took us to the southern portion of the Natchez Trace. We began in Tupelo and ended in Natchez, Mississippi before returning home. A few years ago we had taken the northern part of the trip to Nashville. Traveling south on the Trace in May,...
Love and Pride
What would be the opposite of love? Several words come to mind, but what about pride? Think about it in comparison to Paul’s description of love. Love is: Patient, kind, does not envy, does not boast, is not proud, does not dishonor others, is not...
The Heart of David
God describes David as a man “after God’s heart.” Even though he was not a perfect man, we can easily understand God’s description of David. He was a man who listened to God and sought to praise Him. His heart was filled with praises to God. He listened to God - in...
Out Of Date
Back in the early eighties, I received my first office computer. I remember the man who set it up telling me that I had a computer more powerful than the computer used when we landed a man on the moon. He then said, “You will never need a more powerful computer.” Wow,...
Do You Have A Question?
If you do, you are going to love our adult Wednesday night class for the summer quarter. Terry Pruitt and Nathan Whitaker, our educational directors, have decided that this year’s summer quarter will be an opportunity for us to ask the questions we have about the...
Numbering Our Days
Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:12 NIV) "Show me, LORD, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is.” (Psalm 39:4 NIV) How do we do that? Know that this life will come to an end. Just as...
A Big Question
Do you know where you are going? These years that keep passing by are taking us somewhere. We can look back and see where we have been, but can we know anything about where we are going? Our personal choices have a great deal to do with where we are going. But there...
Truth
“Why The Truth Matters More Than You Think” is a subtitle to a book written by Andy Andrews. The book is titled “How Do You Kill 11 Million People?” I would strongly recommend reading the book. It’s a short book and an easy read. Truth matters to us in many things. We...
By Grace Through Faith
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith (Eph. 2:8 NIV) Faith comes from hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17). Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6) We are saved by grace through faith. We are not saved by grace through nothing. If...
Have You Not Read?
Are you aware who asked that question? Do you remember ever reading the question? The one asking that question in the New Testament is Jesus. The thing he is talking about reading is scripture. It is a very important question. It means the answer to your question or...
His Walk
He walked this world as a man, a human being. But no human has ever completely walked like Him. He was free from all the prejudices of the world around Him. His words, miracles and grace touched all of humanity. Whether Jew, Gentile or Samaritan, they learned of...
Do You Know Where You’re Going?
One of the strangest request for help I have ever received occurred one summer day in Gadsden, Alabama. Two men drove up and asked for help with gasoline. I asked them where they were headed. They said, “Jackson, Mississippi.” They had left from Tupelo, Mississippi,...
Our Advocate
Job wanted an umpire (NAS, “mediator”-NIV, “arbiter”-ESV) to stand between him and God. He wanted a lawyer. He was convinced that God was falsely accusing him of doing wrong or God had him confused with another person. He wanted a lawyer so he could plead his case...