The mayor of a small town ceased mowing his lawn to the extent that he put up a sign in front of his home. It read: “There are more important things in life than tall grass.“

In 1983, Steve Jobs issued this bold challenge to John Sculley, then president of Pepsi-Cola bottling company: “John, do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water, or do you

One of the challenges that religious writers must face, is the challenge of being honest about evil. When we write, we should always want good to win over evil. But even the

Just as important as the early detection and immediate treatment of cancer, is the detection and treatment of any spiritual decline, for the prevention of possible apostasy. Like cancer, apostasy gives warning signals.

When studying the books of the Bible, it is wise for the Bible student to possess (1) an outline of the book or (2) an overview (general view or survey) of the book in order to get

Because This Is My Father’s World, I will Praise Him, Praise Him for all He has done for me. Love Lifted Me from the depths of sin there At The Cross. Because of this, I can go Anywhere With Jesus, for I know He will be there. As I go, Each Day I’ll Do a […]

The gospel of Christ is: Free — Even the poor can obtain it: “The poor have the gospel preached to them” (Matthew 11:5 KJV). Plain — Even the uneducated can understand it (Mark 12:37 KJV) : “Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge” (Ephesians 3:1-6 KJV).

Some men have a tongue as rough as a cat’s, and biting as an adder. If you have a good temper, keep it. If you have a bad temper, don’t lose it! Gossip is something negative that is developed and then enlarged. The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his […]

Recently a learned man made the following statement: “We worship our work, we work at our play, we play at our worship.” We believe this is a fair appraisal of folk in our time. Too often, that which is first is, alas, last!

It may sound strange but one can receive a blessing and at the same time despise it. Beyond question, this is exactly what happened to ancient Israel as they wandered in the wilderness before entering the land of Canaan. The blessings God had given them were manifold. They needed leadership; God provided it (Exodus 14-16). […]

The Bible is divided into two great parts – the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament, commonly called “The Law” (2 Kings 17:13; Jeremiah 2:8; Lamentations 2:9; Ephesians 3:4; Zechariah 7:12; Matthew 7:13; John 1:45; Acts 24:14; Acts 28:23) was written to guide and direct God’s people before the coming of Christ […]

On page 9 and page 19 of the July-September, 2010 issue of the Magnolia Messenger, is the above titled article, written by brother Dave Verret, who now resides in Mililani, Hawaii. Brother Alfred Franks (see page 2 by clicking on the above link), editor of the Magnolia Messenger, writes the following note in preface to […]

The poet Ralph Waldo Emerson once said about enthusiasm: “Every great and commanding movement in the annals of the world is due to the triumph of enthusiasm. Nothing great was ever achieved without it.” Charles Schwab once made this statement: “A man can succeed at almost anything for which he has unlimited enthusiasm.” What is […]

Do we realize that we are an absolutely unique person, a Christ-redeemed human being who could never be replaced or duplicated?

You are ushering in another day Untouched and freshly new So here I come to ask you, God. If You’ll renew me, too. Forgive the many errors That I made yesterday And let me try again, dear God. To walk closer in Thy way…. But, Father, I am well aware I can’t make it on […]

Have we ever thought of where we would be without God? Without God, there would be no purpose for our existence — no mission — no challenge. Without God, there would be no courage — no honor — no destiny. It was said of an atheist who was lying in his coffin with his best […]

In the well known narrative of Jesus’ temptation, the Scripture says, “And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But He answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth […]

There is a striking parallel between a misread compass and false biblical teaching. Both can cause a disastrous shipwreck. In fact, Paul warns us against “fables and endless genealogies” (1 Timothy 1:4) doing just that (1 Timothy 1:19). Alexander (see 5.) and Hymenaeus were two individuals who opposed the Word of God by placing false […]

From the 2010, volume 48, number 3 edition of The Sword and Staff publication, pg. 2, comes the following proverbs of wisdom (appropriate Scriptures and related articles have been added):

Capital Punishment In The New Testament What was the purpose of the New Testament? Unlike the Old Covenant, the New Covenant is not designed to govern or regulate civil governments. It is designed for those in Christ’s kingdom (the church), which is spiritual in nature (John 18:36). Its purpose is to help man achieve and