We live in an age when technology and its practical and everyday uses are exploding. The fields of medicine, industry, finance, and especially communication are all being dramatically impacted by the use of technology. The cell phone and computer are chief among those innovations directly impacting our lives. Not only have they influenced our communication, but in some ways they have fundamentally altered how we communicate and with whom we can communicate. This technological revolution is something we must learn both how to cope and contend with. It is not my proposition that technology in the area of social networking is evil, but that it can be used foolishly and increases our opportunity for evil if we do not handle it wisely. FaceBook is a communication tool that many in our churches are already using, but many have not stopped to consider how to apply biblical principles to its use. That is the purpose of this article: to try and provide some scriptural guidelines for the cultural phenomenon known as social networking. Here are some basic truths that I would like to posit for you to contemplate: Read more…

For the past 23 years, it has been the joy of my life to be married to my wife, Teri. Together, the Lord has blessed us with seven children and years of wonderful memories and experiences. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate our marriage somewhere around an 11 or 12. However, this good relationship was not born out of simple compatibility or good fortune, but rather out of commitment and hard work. Since the earliest days or our marriage, we made a commitment to each other that we would always work out our difficulties, love and respect one another, and spend lots of time together. That simple formula has helped us weather every storm and grow our marriage into something special. Any thinking person has to realize that two individuals living in the same house are going to disagree and fight occasionally. That is just a fact of life and something that has to be understood. But our disagreements and fights don’t have to be destructive and can actually be opportunities for us to grow. The truth is, most of the fights in a marriage are not the result of big issues as much as they are a result of some sort of sin or pride in our hearts. When we find ourselves in a hot debate and escalating tensions, the first place we need to look for a solution is not at the outside circumstances but on the inside of our own hearts. The greatest problems of life are never around us, but they are within us.

The Bible tells us that pride is the source of contention and fighting, and that when pride goes away so, too, does the fighting. When we accept the possibility that we could be wrong and the other person has a valid point, great progress can be made in resolving marital conflict. When we humble ourselves enough to really listen, talk things through, and defer to one another, we have just planted the seeds of a great marriage.  Loving and respecting one another are other key components to a happy marriage. All too often Read more…

I am writing this letter Monday morning, reflecting on the wonderful Sunday services we experienced this past week. It was great to have our entire church family reassembled after the winter storms. The Lord graced us with a good number of guests, many people made decisions, and the spirit of the services was just an incredible blessing. It has been obvious to me in the last weeks the Lord has been at work in our church, and we are enjoying a season of blessing from His hand. It was an encouragement to me personally this past Sunday to look from the pulpit upon so many happy-spirited people singing to the Lord and sharing together a special time of worship and instruction. I was approached by 3 new families in our church, all of whom said in different ways how much they appreciated being at Eastland Baptist Church and the Read more…