This is tax week. Monday, April 18th is tax day, the day most Americans love to hate. The tax burden appears to be too high. The government often wastes taxpayer dollars. Sometimes those dollars are spent on unspeakable acts of immorality and injustice. Some governmental leaders and agencies are corrupt. Often the “will of the people” is ignored or even despised. Protests seem useless. All of these things appear to be a good reason not to pay taxes or at least, be disdainful of the process. But God has a different perspective. At the time Paul wrote to the Romans about paying taxes Nero was the Emperor. Nero set the standard for corruption and immortality in government. He targeted Christians […]
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Failure to discern who is a genuine, true friend and who is not, leads to being manipulated and used. This may result in, among many other things, bitterness and a crippling inability to trust others. The Holy Spirit has provided tools in Scripture to help you recognize genuine friendship. This is an essential life skill for you and your children. The Proverbs offer reliable observations about friendship. For example look at Proverbs 12:18: “The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” These words provide insight about how to distinguish between the wise and the reckless. The reckless or rash person’s words hurt and bring pain. They cut deeply. When someone claims to […]
Just to be clear, taking care of your health is a vital obligation you have before God. Having said that, here is a question to consider: Do you care more about being healthy or holy? Let’s think this through. Being as healthy as you can is important! However, problems with your health can take nothing from you that will damage your relationship with God. Sin, on the other hand, will do this and much more. Being sick or injured cannot keep you from God, but sin certainly will. Maintaining good health is something most people take seriously. Sin – not so much. For example, spending time and money to find the right diagnosis for a health issue is done without […]
The Holy Spirit has guaranteed you an inheritance, which includes your place in heaven. What a huge blessing this is! The most wonderful and spectacular destination any human can have has been secured for you by God’s Holy Spirit. If you were going to take the vacation of a life time would you be silent about your upcoming journey? Would you plan for it? Would you think of all the great things you would do on this once-in-a- lifetime trip? I think the answer to these questions is obvious. Now let’s compare this grand earthly journey with the one you will take one day. Actually, the two are not worth comparing as the trip that says destination: Heaven – is […]
Last night a leading presidential candidate dismissed marijuana as a serious health threat. A couple of other candidates challenged this view. Just to clarify I have reposted an article by Dr. Charles Hodges, author of Good Mood Bad Mood. Dr. Hodges posts a clear warning about the dangers of this drug. It is worth your time. Here is his article: I have written often about the perils of the recreational use of marijuana and I cannot resist writing again. The cause for my writing is that the New York Times that has stumbled into the reality that smoking pot does little if any good for those who smoke it. And it has the potential for great harm.[i] In an October […]
By Dr. Charles Hodges, author of Good Mood Bad Mood I have written often about the perils of the recreational use of marijuana and I cannot resist writing again. The cause for my writing is that the New York Times that has stumbled into the reality that smoking pot does little if any good for those who smoke it. And it has the potential for great harm.[i] In an October 29th article by Abigail Moore titled, “This Is Your Brain on Drugs,” the problems with pot are outlined. The first and most disturbing is that smoking marijuana changes the brain. The nucleus accumbens thickens and among those in the study, the more they smoked the more it thickened. The changes […]
Shepherd Press: What motivated you to write the book? Clint Archer: I dropped into the deep end of ministry while still quite wet behind the ears, at age twenty-nine. I had no kids and had never counseled anyone whose marriage was longer than my own (four years at the time). Suddenly people who had been married for decades and had teenagers in the home were knocking on my door for marriage and parenting advice. Thankfully I had been trained that the Bible is sufficient for all things pertaining to life and godliness and I realized these folks weren’t really interested in my advice anyway; they wanted God’s wisdom. So, I quickly learned to rely entirely on the word of God […]
By Dr. Charles Hodges Author of Good Mood Bad Mood Light bulbs have become a modest fixation for me. I hate anything that approaches fluorescence with a passion. I grew up in an incandescent world courtesy of one of the world’s greatest inventors Thomas Edison. And, frankly I would have preferred to finish under the somewhat golden light of a glowing filament. Thanks to a government that outlawed my favorite light source, I have become a hoarder of incandescent bulbs. By now you are wondering what depression has to do with light bulbs and Tom Edison. The answer is that Edison made it economically practical to stay up long after dark. Our bodies are made to cycle up when the sun […]
The book of Philippians teaches the church how to relate to one another. These same principles for godly relationships must also be applied to family life in general and to families with teenagers in particular. For example, just the first four verses of Philippians 2 offer powerful guidelines for relationships. Paul is counseling the church to be encouraged with one another by focusing on the love of Christ for them. Many relational problems between parents and teenagers exist because the life-changing message of the gospel has been submerged and lost in the turmoil of everyday life. Here is what Paul says to the Philippians in these four verses: If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any […]