Matt was eleven years old when his family took him to Disneyland for a summer vacation. He could hardly contain himself as the time for the vacation had drawn near. This was what he had hoped and dreamed for every moment since he learned of the trip. When they loaded into the car and headed to the airport it seemed like Dad drove 2 mph the entire way. Time couldn’t go fast enough until they were surrounded by the wonders of the Magic Kingdom.

This last year had seen quite a transformation in Matt. He used to visit the principal’s office at school pretty regularly and his grades weren’t so go good. Two years ago, Mom and dad told him if he could cease the trouble he kept getting into and improve his grades, then they would all take a trip to Disneyland at the end of the school year. Matt was excited, he had never been to Disneyland and really wanted to go! Nearly all of his friends had already been and they loved it. But Matt really didn’t think his parents ...

There are a great number of religious bodies today which advertise themselves as loving bodies of believers. This is fantastic and the way Christ’s Church should be identified. In fact, Jesus told his disciples the following in John 13:35: “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another”. The Bible has much to say about love. A scan of I Corinthians 13 lists a great number of attributes of love including patience, kindness, a lack of arrogance, proper behavior, and a desire for others betterment. God is love (I John 4:8). Jesus is the image of his father (John 14:7). Jesus Body is the Church (Colossians 1:24). Consequently, to know the Church is to know true love.

When is love not really love? Consider the mother who loves her son so much she cannot discipline him. A lot of these children seem to be found at the grocery store. Little Johnnie wants this, wants that, wants the other. “Yes, Yes, Yes”, mother gives in ...

What sort of life do you want to live? Many people would respond to this question by saying something in the fashion of: “I want to live a good, fulfilling life that has meaning and purpose!” This would be a life that offered its share of challenges, no doubt, but would reward the person with a maximum of self-satisfaction, peace, love, and joy and a minimum of self-doubt, guilt, and despair. But where can you find this kind of life? Some in the world say that it can be found through the acquisition of much secular learning and study of philosophy. Others claim that it is reserved for the wealthy and the famous. Some will even maintain that it can be discovered only after completing some great deed or self-sacrificing work.

Solomon, the wise king of Israel and son of David, searched for the meaning of life. Like many in the world, he thought it could be found in secular knowledge, wealth, pleasure, or work. He pursued the things in life that supposedly provided ...

Friendships are an important part of our lives. Ever since we were young, we have formed these relationships with other individuals and they have brought us times of sadness and happiness, exhilaration and frustration. Some of these friendships have been more shallow and superficial while others have been much more strong and long-lasting. As we grow and mature, we discover that these strong, fulfilling friendships require much effort and work to maintain. That’s probably why most people have so few of them. I’ve heard many individuals say, on a number of occasions, that they can count the number of good friends they have on one hand.

So, what does it mean to be a friend? A “friend,” according to the dictionary, is “…1 a person whom one knows well and is fond of 2 an ally, supporter, or sympathizer.” This, in turn, inspires some questions. Since these relationships are such an important part of our lives, who do we choose to be our ...

Ah, boy meets girl. It’s instant chemistry. She’s cute, he’s funny, and both of them like the ocean. He’s not like the other boys. She isn’t bossy. After multiple makeout sessions and further praise by friends about how good looking they are together, marriage is proposed, accepted, and accomplished. This story is like a great many that occur every single day. Unfortunately, the two of them aren’t as similar as they thought. They based their relationship on the physical rather than enduring principles of value and belief. Constant friction often results. Divorce may occur. The most frequent outcome is children who grow up with conflicting sets of values and end up confused in regard to the type of person they should be. Such poorly conceived relationships as this have been occurring since early in man’s history.

In scripture, there is a term “sons of God”. It is used eleven times in scripture. Six of those occurrences are within the New Testament. ...

"The Bible Tells Me So" By Jeff Grimes

My son Keith often leads, what is no doubt one of the all time favorite in children’s songs, “Jesus Loves Me.” We are all familiar with the words— “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so….” When singing these familiar lines are we conscience of the great truth they express?

In fact, if it were not for the Bible, how would we know Jesus loves us? Would it be possible to study the stars and come to such knowledge? Could such truth be ascertained by studying ancient and modern history? How about through scientific investigation? Technology and science has advanced at an amazing rate over the last twenty or so years. Have you ever watched the TV show, “The New Detectives?” Through the use of modern technology, and forensic science, twenty-year-old crimes can now be solved.

Yet, with all the wisdom, and knowledge of “modern man” he cannot come to a knowledge of God through his ...