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The Pastor’s Pen: When to save a drowning man
Watchman Nee tells the story of his stay in China with 20 other Christians. The bathing accommodations were inadequate in the home where they were lodging, so they went for a daily dip in the river. On one occasion, one of the men got a cramp in his leg and began sinking fast. Mr. Nee…
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Telling the Story: Baptisms at the jail
The portable baptismal pool had been brought out of storage, filled with water, and placed in the sun. We were on the ballcourt at the jail, an enclosed space with wire overhead. This was our sanctuary for the afternoon. Dark clouds threatened to interrupt. Five female inmates had asked to be baptized. Two of them…
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Notes from Calvary: The Price of Our Redemption and Our Worth to God
BY GREG CRUM “Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments:” Exodus 2:6 If you’ll allow…
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The Pastor’s Pen: Do you want to be famous?
English evangelist George Whitefield (1714-1770) learned that it was more important to please God than to please men. Knowing that he was doing what was honoring to the Lord kept him from discouragement when his enemies falsely accused him. At one point in his ministry, Whitefield received a vicious letter accusing him of wrongdoing. His…
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Telling the Story: Iron sharpening iron
“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17) Dr. Gerry Samson was in our dental office last week. That might not seem like a big deal to you, but it certainly was to us. Dr. Samson is a rock star in the orthodontic community. An orthodontist for over 40 years in Georgia,…
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The Pastor’s Pen: True Disciples
When I was a teenager we had a revival in 1971 at Inez First Baptist Church. There were so many people saved that it seemed like the whole town had turned to Christ. The revival lasted for almost three weeks. Over 100 people made decisions. It seemed that just about every young person at Inez…
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Telling the Story: Listening to Siri
My family gets a little nervous when I go out of town by myself. When I’m riding in the passenger seat, I never pay attention to roads, route numbers or traffic. To keep my mind off the highway (and speedometer), I busy myself with reading, writing, crocheting, cutting paper things out, and other stuff. Arriving…
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Notes from Calvary: Yakety Yak—You’d Better Talk Back!
BY GREG CRUM “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” I Peter 5:8 Here in I Peter we read an important note concerning both the strategy and authority of Satan, our ultimate enemy. We read that he is ever on the prowl,…
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The Pastor’s Pen: Using your time
The state of Indiana is in a state of confusion about time, according to a fascinating article in a recent issue of The New York Times. In the small town of Vevay, for example, it can be 3 p.m. at the post office, but across the street in Danner’s Hardware Store, the time is 2…
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Telling the Story: Lessons from the Olympics
Watching the opening ceremonies of the Olympics reminded me that we live in a sinful and dying world. Shocked, even horrified at some of the things displayed, I realized again that lost people act like lost people. While I have been deeply burdened about the lostness of America and her disregard for God, I had…
Tag: Faith
