I absolutely love mornings. The accumulated stresses of any particular day will sometimes weigh upon the heart and drain the spirit. Every morning brings a fresh beginning in the grace of a loving and faithful God:

22 The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
His mercies never cease.
23 Great is his faithfulness;
his mercies begin afresh each morning.
Lamentations, Chapter 3 - New Living Translation

Are you a morning person or a night person? Do you ever feel like you've pushed the "restart button" in the mornings?

Marvin has been a mentor to me for a very long time. Here is a link to some of his recent sermons, including:

"A Good Look Into the Heart of God!"
"Why I loved Jesus in the First Place"
"Loving Jesus When Life Hits you in the Face!"
"How to Love Jesus Over the Long Haul!"

Provided by Lake Cities Church of Christ.

It struck me why I'm totally enamored with Jesus - - opposites attract.

I found this article very interesting.

Most students of the New Testament will easily conclude that God loves unity.  This awareness puzzles most observers as Christians tend to be quite fragmented; the very opposite of being unified.

As they say, you don't get to choose your family.  We should attempt to act like family, even if we don't see eye to eye on everything.  (Can you tell me any family that does?)

One of the unexpected byproducts of our Praise & Harmony workshops has been an impressive show of unity among the cities where we travel.  Churches who never fellowship with each other or cooperate on anything else are coming together for the purpose of singing and worship.  I can't help but think that God is smiling.

Is pushing away the power of the Information Complex do-able in today’s world? How would you teach this concept to teenagers?

I have asked Latayne Scott to compose these questions for discussion on this important topic.  KL

Read Romans 12:1-3

What elements of the Information Complex do you find here? What does this passage say about making decisions?

I have asked Latayne Scott to compose these questions for discussion on this important topic.  KL

“The more complete and comprehensive the agreement among the elements of the Information Complex, the more necessary it is to seek the will of God in a situation.”

Do you agree or disagree with this statement after reading the Gibeonite story? Support your answer.

Secondly, What decision have you made recently? To what extent did the Information Complex inform that decision?

I have asked Latayne Scott to compose these questions for discussion on this important topic.  KL

We can see several factors in Joshua chapter 9 which Joshua and the people used in coming to the conclusion that they should make a treaty with the Gibeonites. We can call the totality of those factors, just for convenience, an “information complex.”

Last week we looked at “expert opinion” and “personal experience.” Here are three more: “empathy,” “risk assessment,” and “personal confidence in the ability to assess a situation.”

What are the details in Joshua 9 that fit in these three categories?

I have asked Latayne Scott to compose these questions for discussion on this important topic.  KL

We can see several factors in Joshua chapter 9 that Joshua and the people used in coming to the conclusion that they should make a treaty with the Gibeonites. We can call the totality of those factors, just for convenience, an “information complex."

Let’s look at two of those factors this week and three more next week.


What are the details in Joshua 9 that fit in these two categories?

I have asked Latayne Scott to compose these questions for discussion on this important topic.  KL

My friend, Shane Coffman has shared a well-worded blog article about his beliefs here.  I'm impressed by how he effectively communicates core Gospel truths without using ecclesiastical terminology. 

I have asked Latayne Scott to compose these questions for discussion on this important topic.

What can we learn about Joshua’s experience with the Gibeonites (Joshua chapter 9)  that demonstrates the importance of valuing instructions from God above one’s own assessments of reality?

I have asked Latayne Scott to compose these questions for discussion on this important topic.

Which part or aspect of reality is supposed to “carry more weight” for a Christian in lifestyle, decision-making, and other thought, speech and behavior?

I have asked Latayne Scott to compose these questions for discussion on this important topic.

How do the three elements that make up reality (the seen, the unseen, and the link connecting them) reflect the Godhead?

I have asked Latayne Scott to compose these questions for discussion on this important topic.

What links the two parts of reality? (Try to answer this without the following hint, which you may use if you need to:  1 Corinthians chapter 2.)

The topic of which translation to use has brought many heated discussions (surprised?).  I enjoyed this article by Bobby Valentine entitled Living Oracles.  What's your favorite Bible translation?

I have asked Latayne Scott to compose these questions for discussion on this important topic.

Can it be accurately said that reality has (at least) two parts?  According to the Bible, what are they?  (Try to answer this out of your own Bible knowledge; but if you get stuck, read 2 Corinthians 4:16-18.)

People find it unusual how I go about singing spontaneously on a daily basis.  Victor Knowles doesn't.  Check out this article from a wonderful man.

I really enjoy learning brief lines that contain powerful distillations of theological wisdom.  I'd like to share some from time to time and would love to hear the ones you have collected.  This phrase was included in Charles Hodges book:

According to Bobby Valentine, the Psalms are the blues.  Check out these quotes from his article:


Read the full article, Psalms: Singing The Blues at the Stoned-Campbell blog.

You may have heard it said that the church or body of Christ is an organism, not an organization.  If that is true, what should be our attitude and approach to leadership?