By: Zach Collins At a young age, John Newton was involved in the slave trade. He didn’t have many skills, but he was skilled in the depravity of selling created beings for monetary gain. In 1745, at the age of 20, his life changed. Aboard a slave ship, he was captured, and, in one of life’s unexpected turns, the slave trader became enslaved. Subsequently, he would be rescued, but not before he got a taste for the life he had perpetuated through his transgressions. Yet, after his rescue, he returned to the atrocity of the slave trade. However, not so soon afterward, his life would change forever. In 1748, as they journeyed from Africa to Liverpool, the slave ship came upon a ferocious storm off the coast of Ireland. Though he was a skilled seaman, a professed atheist cried out to God for mercy and survived to live another day. Perhaps this wretch was given a second chance from a life lived in the brutality of slavery. If he had not been at sea during this violent storm, John Newton might never have become known for his most famous feat. Years later, inspired by this violent storm, he would pen the lyrics to the most popular hymn in most church hymnals. The lyrics went like this:  “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me I once was lost, but now I’m found Was blind, but now I see.”  It is hard to imagine such beautiful lyrics …

By: Zach Collins If you were to stand on a street corner and poll any number of people by asking them the question, “What is your favorite Psalm?”, or “What is your favorite passage of scripture?”, I believe the answer of many would be Psalm 23. Not only is this psalm one of the most well-known scriptures, but it is also one of the most requested scriptures at funerals for its comforting aspects. The words of Psalm 23 have comforted more griefs to rest and remanded more thieving sorrows to the dungeon than the stars of the universe.   This psalm was written by David, probably when he was King. Before he was chosen to shepherd God’s people, he remembered the days he spent in the field shepherding sheep and was not ashamed of his former occupation. It was his former occupation that prepared him to fulfill his mission as a servant of the Lord. While many of the Psalms of David are full of complaints, this psalm is full of comfort. As David reflected upon the comfort of being in God’s presence and benefitting from God’s providential ways, his heart was filled with joy unspeakable, and he communicated the grace God had shown him through these words.   In Psalm 23, David is speaking of God, but what if we applied the picture of the Lord as a “shepherd” to our lives, in Psalm 23? For a moment, let us notice five comforting promises that we can derive from Psalm 23 if we, as sheep, are willing to …

By: Zach Collins What can the church learn from Noah?   1.     Never miss the boat. Noah and his great-grandfather, Enoch, preached righteousness. God gave the people time, the message, the boat, and the hope. Many still missed the boat.  2.     Always prepare for the storm. Noah built the ark before it rained. It might not be raining today, but the storm is coming. Have you prepared for the storm?   3.     Always stay fit. At the age of 500, Noah was given a new work. Stay healthy and fit in your old age. God might just give you a new work.  4.     Never listen to destructive critics. Noah was ridiculed, insulted, and mocked for his faith in God. Yet, Noah never listened and, by faith, continued until his work was done.  5.     Always remember the Ark was built by an amateur, not a professional. While the Titanic sank after incurring a small obstacle, the Ark floated on the waves of faith and navigated the greatest storm in the history of the world.  6.     There is always a rainbow. No matter what storm you navigate in life, if God is in your boat, a rainbow awaits as a reminder that there are brighter days ahead.  In many ways, the ark is an antitype of His church. If not for the storm occurring outside, the stench inside would be unbearable. As imperfect people on this side of Heaven, God has given us warning, and by working through our weaknesses, He is able to bring about His purposes.  The Door …

By: Zach Collins The Holy Spirit recorded, in Judges 2:8-10, “Now Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died when he was one hundred and ten years old. And they buried him within the border of his inheritance at Timnath Heres, in the mountains of Ephraim, on the north side of Mount Gaash. When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the LORD nor the work which He had done for Israel.”  This passage is often quoted or read from the pulpit but let us pause and contemplate this declaration. Let me, first, establish some perspective. In this verse, we are speaking of the same generation that had been led into the promised land by the hand of God. This is the same generation of Israelites that made the declaration, at the end of Joshua’s life, that they will serve God and God alone! Now, what does it mean that the next generation, after Joshua and the elders, “did not know the Lord?” There is a difference between knowing who the Lord is and knowing the Lord. The saving acts of the Lord were not central or precious to this generation. Now, let us ask this question. Are we the generation that does not know the Lord? Are we the generation that knows about the Lord but does not hold the mighty works of Jesus as central or precious in our lives? We must be concerned for …

By: Zach Collins A wise Christian once told me, “One day, they will want you to take them with you wherever you go and, if you do, one day, they will take you with them wherever they go.”  I’ll take you with me. That seems to be the adage that is becoming the embodiment of the time I spend with my son, Asher. You see, he is reaching the age where he desires to go wherever I go or do whatever I am doing. I suppose it’s the love that any little boy feels for his daddy. Believe me, when I say wherever or whatever, I mean wherever or whatever. He likes to stand in my lap and put his little hands on the wheel of my truck and act like he is driving. Oh, and please do not get him started on his new best friend, the Craftsman 20V Cordless Blower! You see, I have a system. I cut my grass, weed eat, and then blow the grass off the sidewalks. He has my routine down pat. He watches from the window or the back porch, knowing exactly when the time has come to use the leaf blower. If I am using the leaf blower, he wants to be in my arms helping and holding the leaf blower. It makes the job much more difficult, but if I am being honest, I don’t mind making my life a little more difficult if I can keep that memory alive in my heart during …