Blog

No one who is thinking normally, or who is not suffering intolerably, wants to die. Life is our instinct and our basic desire. I'm convinced that this is also true in the spiritual realm. Somewhere inside of the mind of man is the desire to discover the peace and harmony that will give him that happy "connection" with a higher power. Of course, knowing where to find this vital link can be a problem. And a whole range of solutions is proposed. Jesus did say that there is a kind of peace that the world can give (John 14.27). But it is really only a kind of truce, bartered and arranged with the permission of the prevailing societal winds. It's a bubble, really, that no one wants to see popped.…

Once, while we were in France, a brother who had abandoned the fellowship of the Church for several weeks because of some personal problems decided to come back on a certain Sunday morning. In our congregation, there was no "invitation" song, so having asked to say a word at the beginning of the worship hour, he stood up and explained what he had been going through, confessed his sins and asked for forgiveness. In the prayer that followed, another brother implored the Lord to forgive this brother and expressed the fact that all the gathered brethren also forgave him. Now, since in our congregation the responsibilities for each service (song leader, speaker, Lord's supper, etc.) were always decided months before, it happened that this repentant brother, newly restored to his…

On Sunday May 16, 2021, immediately following evening services, the Linder road church of Christ celebrated its high school and college graduates. Because our lives were put on hold and last year’s celebration was cancelled, both the 2020 and 2021 graduates were honored! A hearty meal of fried chicken and fixings was graciously served and promptly devoured. This was followed by delicious graduation cake! Youth Minister and Master of Ceremonies Jared McCormick awarded graduates with The Essential Evangelical Parallel Bible (say that 3 times real fast). He then transformed grads and parents into game contestants with some hilarious consequences! The runaway winners were Amelia and Alisha Coleman! This was the first big fellowship since the CDC eased restrictions and folks took full advantage of the opportunity to visit face-to-face instead…

The C.D.C. now says it is safe for fully vaccinated people to take their masks off in most indoor settings As you certainly have heard, the CDC has changed its recommendations concerning the wearing of masks and physical distancing, for those who are fully vaccinated. We are glad to announce that we will be following this new mask option protocol for all our worship gatherings beginning Sunday morning, May 16. We would also ask that those who are not vaccinated please continue to wear a mask; but we leave this choice entirely up to each one as you decide in your own mind how best to apply the CDC recommendations. We certainly will not "police" these categories but will rely on the love that we all have for each other…

“Milestones are installed to provide linear referencing points along the road. This can be used to reassure travelers that the proper path is being followed, and to indicate either distance traveled or the remaining distance to a destination” (Wikipedia, “Milestone,” 2021). Life is full of milestones. The first words. First steps. The first day of school. Learning to ride a bike. Driving a car for the first time. The first job. Graduation. Marriage. A new baby. Some milestones we anticipate and celebrate. Others, like mile markers on the side of the highway, we pass by without paying much attention. Several are celebrating the milestone of high school and college graduation right now. This is a monumental and stressful time for our children and our parents! Whether it’s high school or…