Good Friday (for who though?)

I recently came across this quote and it made me think about how I celebrate this Passion Week. Yes, I’ll celebrate Good Friday, but for whom was it really good? Corrie Ten Boom put it like this: “In the forest fire, there is always one place where the fire cannot reach. It is the place [...]

Bible Reading for the Passion Week

This week is known as the Passion Week, the final days and events leading to the crucifixion of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Something I have not done before that I plan on doing this year is reading the events chronologically as they happened during the last week of Jesus’ life before the cross. [...]

Go Ahead, Be the Salt

Matthew 5:13  Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Christ reminds believers that we are the “salt of the earth.” Salt has always [...]

Finishing the Year Right

Well, Christmas is over. No doubt, by now, some Christmas toys have broke. You may have already returned a few gifts and you’re wondering when you’re going to take down the Christmas tree.New Year’s is just a few days away. In the middle of days off, the holidays and putting away Christmas decorations I want [...]

Staying In Touch with Your Feelings

“Love is a decision, not a feeling.” I don’t know who came up with that statement, but I think most of us have heard something like it many times. Indeed, there are times when you do things you don’t feel like doing. And loving is one of those things. But is this the whole story? [...]

A Free Bible for Your Phone (or computer)

One of the great things about using technology redemptively is the spiritual growth that is possible. Cell phones used to be for making phone calls, but now there is an ever-increasing versatility with smartphones. One incredibly helpful addition to my cell phone was downloading YouVersion. Now Bethel Baptist has its own page for you to [...]

Two Ways to Waste Your Life – Religious Rebels

 ”This man receiveth sinners!”   Jesus answers the Pharisees heart murmurings with a series of stories concluding with the story of two prodigal sons, two wasted lives.  This story unfolds as an incredible drama with unthinkable twists and an unforgettable ending! 

A Resolved Kind of Life

Somewhere buried in a picture album in our things is a photo of the front step of a beautiful and very old church.  The semi-circular step is the only remaining piece of the original church building that towers over the town of Northampton, Massachusetts. There is a little plaque on the step that indicates this fact along with a [...]

Consider a Bible for Your Devotions – Part 2

I hope that you are having a good start to the New Year and also a few days successfully into your Bible reading.  Remember that your goal is to read through the Bible at a pace that is comfortable for you.  Don’t be afraid to push yourself though and, above all, do not quit if [...]

Writing Between the Lines

Recently, Pastor Campbell has posted some helpful insights about Bible reading. I came across the following passage in an old classic, How to Read a Book, by Mortimer Adler & Charles Van Doren. What Adler & Doren say about reading books applies in an even greater way to our reading of the Bible: It is [...]