Others
Almost any time you get a group of people together for any length of time you’ll have problems. Take your family, for example. All of you may be trying your best to live right, but I know families well enough to know that you have a few problems. Dad gets grumpy. Mom loses her patience. Little Susie slaps her brother, and little brother doesn’t exactly turn the other cheek. A Christian family doesn’t always act Christian. What about your job?…
Citizens
There’s a lot of talk about politics right now . . . Well, it seems like there’s always a lot of talk about politics in America. Nearly everyone has a (strongly held and loudly vocalized) opinion. So perhaps this is a good time to think about this: Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing…
Ready to go
A few years back I read a biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German Christian who lived during the Third Reich’s reign of terror. He refused to bow to the Nazis’ demands of the church, and ultimately they imprisoned and executed him. He faced his death with remarkable confidence, fully trusting that being executed for his convictions was far preferable to compromise. Death did not frighten him. That kind of attitude has always fascinated me, and the apostle Paul certainly had…
From Tanzania to our Hoover church family
I’m writing this on Thursday night Tanzania time, and this is the point in the week when we’re all pretty much both exhausted and exhilarated. We’re tired because of long days of walking and teaching, and we’re excited because of what God is doing in and through the Tanzanian people. And, of course, we’re a little homesick as well, even though things here are going well. Here’s a quick update: This week we’ve focused primarily on three goals: The majority…
Christ’s Happy Childhaven
Christ’s Happy Childhaven Download/print What an exciting time to be on the ACH/CHC campus. While we were there we could walk over the land that was in the process of being purchased. This additional 15.5 acres will allow the space for the greatly needed expansion of Christ’s Happy Childhaven. The space will allow for the construction of two additional children’s homes. The added space will allow double the capacity to care for the precious children who have lost their parents.…
May 2018 Philippines Mission Work Newsletter
Philippines Trip April 12-23, 2018 Download/print On April 12, 2018, a team of four, consisting of Lanice White from the Guin Church of Christ, Kathleen Eiring, Anita Williams and Bill Rayburn from the Hoover Church of Christ traveled from Birmingham, AL to the ACU campus to conduct a full week of activities. The three ladies in the group conducted a two-day Teachers’ Training Workshop to help the children’s teachers in Pangasinan to equip them with tools that will help them…
Resources for Discussion Class Hour on May 30, 2018
Sermon Title: Dead Bones that Live Text: Hebrews Ezekiel 37:1-14(ESV) Click here to listen to or watch the sermon Download tonight’s printable study guide Brief summary (what’s the point of this text/sermon?) Judah was in a truly desperate situation—exiled in Babylon with no hope of ever getting home (from a human perspective, at least). To illustrate their situation, God took Ezekiel and by the Spirit put him in a valley of dry bones. There was no sign of life in…
Resources for Discussion Class Hour on May 23, 2018
Sermon Title: From Calm to Chaos Text: Hebrews 2:14-18 (ESV) Click here to listen to or watch the sermon Download tonight’s printable study guide Brief summary (what’s the point of this text/sermon?) What should we do when life goes from calm to chaos in an instant? The answer and point of the lesson is this: In our darkest hour we can approach God’s throne of grace with confidence knowing that we will be received not with judgment, but with sympathy and…
Hezekiah
Hezekiah was a breath of fresh air among the kings of Judah during the divided kingdom of Israel. He “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.” He tore down idols in the land and reinstated the worship practices that God had instituted. He “trusted in God so that there was none like him among the kings of Judah after him nor before him. (2 Kings 18:3-5) He didn’t get his goodness from his dad. Hezekiah, a son…
Resources for Discussion Class Hour on May 16, 2018
Sermon Title: Let the little children come to me Text: Matthew 19:13-15 (ESV) Click here to listen to or watch the sermon Download tonight’s printable study guide Brief summary (what’s the point of this text/sermon?) In the month of May we’re having a “Train up a Child” campaign—we’re hoping to be able to fill all of our children’s Bible class rotations with teachers through May 2019. In conjunction with this emphasis, we studied the text above. We discussed how children…
Resources for Discussion Class Hour on May 9, 2018
Sermon Title: Love People: Do Unto Others Text: Matthew 7:1-12 (ESV) Click here to listen to or watch the sermon Download tonight’s printable study guide Brief summary (what’s the point of this text/sermon?) Jesus’ command to “love others” is simple and generic and something that obviously most people agree with. We ought to love people, whatever that means. But with this—like with all things—Jesus doesn’t leave us with some sort of ambiguous moral platitude that allows us to love people…
No matter what
Many Christians have faced very difficult situations, and some of you are going through them right now. Sometimes it’s uncertainty at work: is my position going to be phased out? Should I make a career change? It might be one of your children that you’re worried about: life and relationship choices, immaturity, worldliness. Sometimes it’s health problems, either your own or someone close to you. Or maybe some other dilemma. You don’t know how something’s going to work out, and…