By: Zach Collins Eliam was the father of a beautiful girl. Like any loving father, he nurtured and loved his daughter, watching her grow into a beautiful young lady. She married a good and honorable man who served in the King’s army. What else could Eliam have hoped for? He could have never seen the tragedy that would befall his life. As Eliam’s daughter and son-in-law were making a life together, the unexpected happened. One day, as her husband was serving at the pleasure of the King, men came into his home, took his wife, and brought her to the King which he served. Her honor was taken, in part of our own decision, and adultery was committed. Yet, the tragedy had only begun. The news that began a spiral of regrettable actions came to the King in the form of four words, “I am with child.” If the people, who once sang his praises, found out about his transgressions, they would turn their faces from him! So, the King who sat in the palace connived and strived to conceal his sin. He summoned her husband and made casual conversation with the man whom he had betrayed. He even sent her husband with a gift basket of food! Believing the King was an honorable man, the husband was none the wiser. One day, the King’s spiral of sin reached a pinnacle of mythical proportions. The King sat her husband in the forefront of the hottest battle, so he might be …

By: Zach Collins Will you do an experiment with me, for just a moment? In this experiment, I ask you to be completely honest with yourself. Literally, no one will ever know the answer you provide.  Are you ready?  Let me supplant a setting in your mind. You arrive at the grocery store, grab a shopping cart, and aisle by aisle you mark red lines through each item that you have put on your grocery list. You pay for your groceries, head to your vehicle, and load the groceries into your vehicle.  Now, here’s the real question: Do you return your shopping cart to the “Shopping Cart Corral?” By the way, yes that is a real thing. I worked at a grocery store. Or do you hesitate and leave your shopping cart in your parking spot? Whatever your choice, it was between you and this article. Recently, I ran across a new theory called, “The Shopping Cart Theory”, which claims to be at the center of a moral question for the ages, “Am I a good or bad person?” In some ways, many have employed “The Shopping Cart Theory” as a new litmus test for citizenship, that is, whether someone is a good or bad citizen. That’s interesting.  Just to sum up this theory, so you will get the gist of this article and the spiritual application from this illustration, returning the shopping cart is an easy and convenient task. Outside of a dire emergency, there are no circumstances that would prevent …

By: Zach Collins School is back in session! It is a day of mixed emotions. Some children are filled with apprehension, others mention anticipation, and for some, it is a matter of convention. As we start the beginning of this school year, we wish our children a successful year. We hope they succeed in the classroom and in their extracurricular activities! However, let us never neglect to remember that secular education is not the top priority for Christians. Primarily, our priority is recognizing the authority of Christ and the supremacy of spiritual matters (c.f., Matthew 6:33). Secular education and ambitions ought to be tempered by established spiritual priorities. It was Paul who said, in Romans 16:29, “For your obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf; but I want you to be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil.”   Let us never become so consumed with our educational ambitions that we do not consider that this world and everything in it belongs to God (c.f., Psalm 24:1). Whether your child’s heart is filled with angst or honest anticipation, let us first fill the hearts of our children with prayer as they prepare for this upcoming school year. Many are focused on the school supplies list to help their children prepare academically, but I want to give you our spiritual supplies list of prayers to your children to prepare spiritually.  1.     Pray for Boldness (Psalm 27:1) 2.     Pray for Courage (Ephesians 6:10) 3.     Pray for Compassion (Ephesians 4:32) 4.     Pray …

The calendar reads “Easter Sunday.” Thus, a few cultural mainstays appear in the religious world. People will attend “the church of their choice” for special “sunrise services.” There will be skits, plays, and dramas to be played out. Throughout the week, it will be common for many to perform a cross-carrying in the community to reenact moments leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Many people with sincere hearts believe they are commemorating the resurrection of Christ and celebrating a “holy day.” Is this true? In the pages of the New Testament, you will never see the words “Easter Sunday,” nor will you find first-century Christians celebrating or emphasizing any Sunday above the rest. One might say, “But, preacher, isn’t the word Easter in the Bible?” It is true that the word “Easter” is found in Acts 12:4, only in the King James Version of the New Testament. In the text under consideration, James’s death and Peter’s imprisonment at Herod’s hand are discussed. The text reads that, after Peter had been imprisoned, they intended to bring him before the people after “Easter.” In this text, the Greek word pascha is translated by the word “Easter.” This is a mistranslation. The same word is properly translated into other passages of the Bible as Passover. Though mistranslated, many have taken the appearance of this one word and created a popular religious holiday. The word Easter might be in the Bible, but the absence of the holiday is deafening in the scriptures. …

As a flower comes forth and fades away, time has taught me that this life is short of days and full of trouble (Job 14:1), and trouble comes not without heartache. Within the last couple of years, my heart has ached more than ever. I have preached the funerals and stood by the gravesides of individuals I once viewed as permanent fixtures that would never disappear. Time has taught me differently, and my longing for Heaven grows daily. This is common ground that we share with all of God’s creation. I remember the words of Paul, to the brethren in Thessalonica, in 1 Thessalonians 4:13, “But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.” At the core of his admonition, Paul encouraged the brethren to grieve with hope still in their hearts, contrasting with those without hope. Grief is one of the most powerful emotions humans can experience. Grief holds the power to sway our souls and redefine our purpose. For some, grief leads to a renewed sense of purpose; for others, it leaves more questions than answers. In John 11, we find a helpful reminder of how Christians should move through grief. While the five stages of grief do not describe most people’s emotions adequately during immense loss and were never meant to apply to the bereaved, these five stages can describe the emotions of those who knew and loved a friend of …

You would have to know my parents to appreciate this article. When I was growing up, my parent’s yard was immaculate. My mother seemed to have a green thumb, and my father tended to every blade of grass. We had arbors, herb gardens, vegetable gardens, and many species of flowers. My father built a maze of decks in our backyard, lined our walkways with brick, and had many bird feeders that brought many bird species, including cardinals, hummingbirds, and bluejays, to our backyard. He trimmed his hedges like a work of art and cut his grass to perfection. Our back porch was like a living room serenaded with the sounds of a water fountain my mother loved. It was the epitome of a backyard paradise. My childhood memories center around going to home improvement stores and helping work in the yard. With my parents, you did not just work in the yard; you groomed the yard and flower beds. Our yard was pristine… except for one spot in the backyard. I had gathered excess dirt from projects around the house and constructed a real-life, beautiful, and immaculate pitcher’s mound. To me, it looked like the pitcher’s mound in Great American Ballpark, where all my heroes played. When I stepped on that mound, I was Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, or John Smoltz in game seven of the World Series. However, that was just a dream. I wasn’t facing the game’s greatest hitters, and no one was in the stands. In fact, …

In a world of people centered around self, we have been called as Christians to be people-centered around Christ. While the choice of selflessness is more difficult than the choice of selfishness, being selfless makes a difference to others, and being selfish makes no difference.

His name was “Raccoon” John Smith. He spent much of his life as a Baptist preacher. From a young age, he sought the Lord through Calvinistic theory. One day, a Baptist preacher told him the Lord had called him to be one of His “elect.” Immediately, he began to preach. He studied the Bible restlessly. When he preached, he would quote entire scripture passages, much more than his fellow Baptist preachers. However, there was a significant moment that changed his life. One night, a fire consumed his family’s cabin and burned two of his four children. For the next several years, a thought occurred in his mind that he could not escape. Were my children part of the “elect of God,” or were they doomed to the fires of Hell? In 1822, this soul-consuming thought came to a breaking point. While preaching at Spencer Creek, he told his audience, “If you believe Jesus is God’s son and obey Him, you will be saved. If you disobey Him, you will be lost.” That day, it dawned on “Raccoon” John Smith that the statement he had just declared was foreign to the Calvinistic doctrine. This was a turning point in the life of “Raccoon” John Smith. Eventually, after studying the New Testament, he saw that the Baptist church was not the church of his Lord and that the theories preached by Baptist preachers were not the gospel of Jesus Christ. Of course, “Raccoon” John Smith would become instrumental in the Restoration Movement …

“Remember, if your child continuously sees you choose the flesh over the spiritual, we ought not to be surprised when they become obsessed with the flesh as adults.”

God’s amazing grace involves learning, leaving, living, and looking. If we allow grace to transform our souls, we will have all eternity to sing God’s praise.