Scripture: Mark 1:5 And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to John, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Thought for the Day: John the Baptist was a very interesting character, but there was something about him and his message that connected with the people. I picture people from all different background streaming to
Scripture: Mark 1:4 John the Baptist was in the wilderness calling for people to be baptized to show that they were changing their hearts and lives and wanted God to forgive their sins. Thought for the Day: In some translations, the wording makes it sound as if the forgiveness of sin is entirely dependent upon the baptism. People read as if the Gospel writer was saying, “I will
Scripture: Luke 2:21-24 When eight days had passed, Jesus’ parents circumcised him and gave him the name Jesus. This was the name given to him by the angel before he was conceived. When the time came for their ritual cleansing, in accordance with the Law from Moses, they brought Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. ( It’s written in the Law of the Lord,
Scripture: Colossians 2:12 …when you were buried with Christ in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. Thought for the Day: One of my favorite characters from our denominational history is a guy named “Raccoon” John Smith. From what I have read, I imagine him to be quite the character. Alexander Campbell said that Smith
Scripture: Mark 10:45 For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many. Thought for the Day: In recent weeks, I have seen a lot of pictures on Facebook that tell the stories of church youth mission trips. A lot of my friends are ministers, and they post pictures of groups packing up or doing work
Scripture: 1st Peter 3:18b Christ was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit… Thought for the Day: Yesterday was an interesting day at Cypress Creek Christian Church. Quite often I find that my sermon comes off (or maybe I should say ‘comes out’) very differently depending on the service. Some might think that the sermon would get progressively better, but that’s not always
Scripture: Matthew 16:24-25 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “All who want to come after me must say no to themselves, take up their cross, and follow me. All who want to save their lives will lose them. But all who lose their lives because of me will find them…” Thought for the Day: From Cane Ridge, Kentucky, Barton W. Stone and others participated in the writing of
Scripture: John 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The Word was with God in the beginning. Everything came into being through the Word, and without the Word nothing came into being. Thought for the Day: In the 2nd century after Christ, Clement of Alexandria wrote to the Greeks on numerous subjects, including the Word of God.
Scripture: Hebrews 4:12 …the word of God is living and active… Thought for the Day: Christianity has taken a singular focus on the words of scripture at the expense of the word of God that took on flesh. Let me be clear – the scriptures are central to my faith, but the word that is referenced in scripture is not a book. It is an expression of God
Scripture: Matthew 22:2 The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding party for his son. Thought for the Day: Rev. Dr. Mike Graves is one of the best preachers I have ever heard. He still holds two of my top five sermons ever. He is currently working at a church in the Kansas City area and teaching preaching classes. In a recent newsletter article,