Five Smooth Stones

  Today I am thinking about Paul Harvey. "....and now you know the rest of the story." This time of year millions of people focus on the beginning of a wonderful story. I hope that people remember what happened next. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. But the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory as the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. He existed in the form of God, and did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself by taking the form of a servant and coming in the likeness of men. He was born of a virgin and laid in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn. Wise men and shepherds came to the Baby, following a star that they may pay Him honor. This is the miraculous, yet humble beginning to a story of important consequence- the conclusions of which we must not let be overshadowed by its beginning. He existed ...

Editor's Note: This article was authored by my physical cousin, but spiritual brother, W.I. Helterbrand. He has been a major force and influence in my spiritual walk with Christ since childhood. May this article bless and spark your thinking in what the Scriptures say about liberty and truth. "If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God." (I Peter 4:11) Is it Good to Be Dogmatic? Dogmatism is defined as the tendency to decide a principle is an absolute, incontrovertible truth. As Christians, shouldn’t we be dogmatic? After all, we believe we have the Truth of God. The Lord’s Church tends to attract concrete sequential thinkers. That means we always try to use logical reasoning to find appropriate answers for the questions of life. Debates and arguments and strong feelings have been known to arise over issues because of Christian dogmatism. Certainly it is important for the Christian to use good logic and sound reasoning so that the will of God may be understood ...

  Editor's Note: This article was written by my dear friend and brother, Patrick. I have known him for just over a year now, and yet he has played a profound role in my life and on my thinking. His connection of the passages in Leviticus 10 and Hebrews 12 teach us of the importance of a recognition of God's position in relation to the humble offering of the fruit of our lips. I hope that the thoughts present in this article impact your heart in the way you approach worship as they did me. "Our God is great, and greatly to be praised!" A Consuming Fire         The record of Nadab and Abihu is one that is well known. In Leviticus 10 the sons of Aaron are said to have offered “strange” (KJV) or “profane” (NKJV) fire to God, the consequence for this being that they were consumed with fire by the Lord. This event is often used by the Church to teach against the use of mechanical instruments while we sing, and for good reason. The use of instruments is not...