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Psychologists and therapists have spent years researching birth order personality traits and coming up with birth order theories. They’ve concluded that firstborn children tend to be reliable, controlling, and conscientious. Middle children have been described as people-pleasers, those who thrive on friendships, and have a large social circle. The youngest child personality traits include being fun-loving, uncomplicated, self-centered, and attention-seeking. The only child has typically been described as mature for their age, perfectionists, diligent, and a leader. Whether or not…

Let’s say you begin contributing $5,000 annually to an empty Roth IRA when you are 20 years old, and the expected rate of return is 7%, with marginal tax rate of 25%. At 65 years old, your IRA would have a balance of $1,528,759. A million and a half. Use the money wisely, and you will have nothing to worry about for the rest of your life. But what if you waited five years? At retirement you would have $1,068,048.…

It is one of the greatest engineering marvels ever. NASA’s new James Webb Infrared Telescope could be worthy of the adjective “awesome.” It is an instrument with 18 mirrors working in concert, each adjustable to less than the thickness of a human hair. The mirrors combine to create a 21 foot. diameter mirror, covered with a layer of polished gold only 800 atoms thick. It has an orbit 930,000 miles beyond Earth. Once in position, over 600 operations had to…

A man is about to be put to death for preaching Christ. He is composing the last known words he left to history, and it is addressed to another, younger preacher. The entire letter is less than 2,000 words, making each sentence all the more meaningful. In the middle of describing “an unashamed workman,” Paul makes this statement, “But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife” (2 Tim. 2:23). Paul has just discussed the vitality and value…

From July 1-19, 1903, 60 bicyclists were willing pawns of one Henri Desgrange, editor of L’Auto sports newspaper, trying to win a circulation war with Le Velo. The Tour de France, suggested as a sales promotion, was such an instant hit that L’Auto ran Le Velo out of business. A race day could take as much as 17 hours to complete, and it is not surprising that only 21 of the 60 finished the entire inaugural bike race. The finishers…

Though we live in the information age there are still questions that come up that Google and Alexa cannot answer for us. As the religious landscape of our country shifts the types of questions that our friends and neighbors have about faith are changing too. There was a time when most Americans believed in God, accepted the Bible as the Word of God, and attended church services somewhere with regularity. In those times most discussions surrounded getting to the truth…

Everyone has favorite phrases, idioms, and colloquialisms they like to use in casual conversation or writing. When I first became friends with Bobby Gilbert, he used such a phrase when describing a large family – “They had a sackful of kids.” How many that was, I don’t know…but it was certainly more than most! This summer, there is a sackful of opportunity to be with church family, spend time in His Word, and get involved in the work here. Just…

Feeding schedules, diaper changes, and runaway toddlers seem to consume a mother’s world for what seems like forever. It may seem like an eternal duty, but those days very quickly pass. What you learn in each new stage of your children’s development is that God gives you grace and strength to meet the challenges that accompany it. Sleepless nights, drained energy, and unfinished housework discourage you. Unappreciative, uncooperative children at times confront you. Unsympathetic, clueless husbands may (though surely only…

In the Wednesday night college class, we are walking through the gospel of John, scrutinizing its contents and structure to gain insight into what message the author John was trying to convey to his original audience. One of the interesting patterns that we see throughout the gospel of John is how John depicts Jesus’ authority and nature (as the Christ—Son of God) through the challenging claims he makes and the signs he does. A great example of this is found…

Jesus died an awful death. Ruthless assassins, terrorists, sadistic and serial killers, savage and perverted criminals have all received much more humane treatment than He received that day. What Jesus endured at the cross can only be described as vicious. Consider the violent aspects of His crucifixion. There was physical torture. He was scourged, beaten with a jagged whip (Mat. 27:27). He was fitted with a crown of thorns (Mat. 27:29). He was hit on the head repeatedly with a…

God is the one who blesses us with every good thing we enjoy (James 1:17). God’s blessings are not reserved for Christians alone. Jesus said that God sends rain on the just and on the unjust and he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good (Matt. 5:45). This means that even agnostics and atheists benefit from the goodness of the God that they claim is not there. God loves every human being because we are made…

Much of today’s society is riddled with the fascination with nihilistic views of life. Just look at some of the media out there. A lot of comedy nowadays revolves around the carelessness and apathy toward life itself. Shows, movies, and other videos are obsessed with violence; most of us don’t even bat an eye at the sight of someone dying in a movie anymore. This social mindset of existential nihilism that disregards the value of life has given birth to…

2 Timothy 4:2 KJV “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.” 2 Timothy 4:2 was a favorite verse of gospel preacher Leroy Garner. Brother Garner was a good friend and preached many years for the Villa Rica (GA) church of Christ. He often said that Christians have many tasks (other than preaching) to be done “instant in season and out of season.” I agree. Therefore, following that assertion,…

Trusting in God is many times uncomfortable. In Daniel 6, we read of Daniel thrown in the lion’s den for his faith. We read of Isaiah 43 where God promises us that He will be with us and deliver us. But in Acts 7, we read of Stephen, who despite his faith and courage, was stoned to death. God does not work on our terms. Anyone’s terms. He works in His ways, because He is the almighty one who knows…

The Bible commands us to be baptized to have our sins washed away and enter a relationship with Jesus (Acts 2:38). We are baptized into a relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:18-20). When we are baptized like the Bible says we put on Jesus (Gal. 3:26-27) and God performs an operation in removing our sins and giving us a new life in Jesus (Col. 2:11-12). The New Testament does not simply say that we should be…

Do some research on success, self-help, or personal development and you will quickly realize that many people—from maverick millionaires to professional counselors— agree that the mindset of “someday” is dangerous. It is one of the easiest justifications for procrastinating our efforts of reaching the desired goal. Whether it’s your career, finance, fitness, or family, the “someday” mindset has killed more dreams than any other obstacle. The same is true for spiritual matters. We often bind ourselves in arbitrary timeframes for…

Since the year 2000, Capital One Financial has been promoting its credit card services by asking the question, “What’s in your wallet?” The company chose this question as its marketing approach for a good reason. The stuff in our wallet represents financial security, purchasing power, and prosperity. Further, if we do not feel confident about what’s in our wallet, perhaps we need to reevaluate its content. That wallet is physical. Let’s look to a few scriptures for some parallel spiritual…

As this year is still very new, you may be looking back at your past and contemplating your future. You may be the type that says, “I don’t ‘do’ resolutions.” Perhaps it is silly to suddenly jump into healthier habits and aim for higher heights just because the calendar indicates that the new day is a new year, but there is biblical precedence for continual striving to do and be better. Paul writes Thessalonica and twice urges them to “excel…

The New Year brings a lot of excitement and enthusiasm. There is a clean slate for goals to be set, resolutions to be made, and new plans to be established. Many people are prepared for new lifestyle changes that they hope will bring them more stability and joy. The Bible speaks of new things that each of us should look forward to as well. In 2022, let each of us be on the lookout for these new things and be…