In the thirty five years I have been part of Palm Beach Lakes, I have served under at least sixteen different elders. I am so thankful for the relationship I have had with each of them. Their influence on me (and on the church) has changed my life. It is remarkable that the direction in which these elders have lead us has…

Our nation has changed in so many ways, and this is so evident in the respect we have for each other. This is reflected in the way we sometimes speak to others. Since the words which come from our lips show what is in our hearts, to solve the problem we need to change the way we see each other.  Jesus said,…

A few years ago, Washington reminded us of an African proverb about rearing children. Evidently, it was part of the Igbo culture in Nigeria from centuries ago. You may recall the emphasis that says, “It takes a village to raise a child.” There is some obvious truth in this concept, but there may be some inherent dangers. Let’s think about it together.…

Who has not in their lifetime had those dark and trying periods when hope was almost gone? What congregation has not experienced anxiety as turmoil developed between brethren? Evidently, the church at Rome was dealing with all kinds of problems—there were false teachers seeking to Judaize the Gentiles by demanding that they must be circumcised to enter heaven. There was also strife…

Tragically, men have taken the words of the Bible out of context. Consider the following illustration. When Jesus said, “It is finished,” there was no way anyone there could have understood what He meant. Have you ever thought what the Jewish leaders thought was finished at the cross? It was not finished for the religious leaders who crucified. I do not know…

The creation story was so remarkable that even the Creator looked at His work and said that it was good. This truth is stated seven times in the first chapter of the Bible. Near the end of the sixth day, “God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good” (Gen. 1:31). In six short days, He had not…

When I was a young preacher, I had an important lesson to learn about people responding to my teaching and preaching. In those years, I tended to measure the impact of my efforts by the numbers who responded immediately. I failed to see the many different ways the Bible describes how individuals respond when they are taught. In the parable of the…

In our day of modern warfare, when a skilled sniper can kill an enemy from two miles away, we tend to forget in Bible times how devastating a skilled marksman could be with nothing more than his bow and quill filled with arrows. An unexpected volley of arrows from a troop of warriors could bring immediate death when it arrived. One event…