By James K. (Ken) Carroll
Your Email inbox provides a wonderful tool to assist your prayer ministry. The sort function allows you to compose an impromptu but very effective prayer list. This list can be discarded after your prayer session and reassembled the next time you sit down to the computer. I alternate my prayer times between the Grace Chapel prayer list and the personal contacts in my inbox.
Most Email systems have some type of "sort" function. For instance, mine does not have the word "sort" in it, but if I pick the word "from" at the top of my email list, it will sort my incoming Emails into groups. All of Bill's Emails will be in one block, likewise the Emails from Grace Chapel. If I then pick "date" at the top of the list, it will again sort but this time by the date received. Most lists are arranged by date unless we decide to sort differently.
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By: John Krug
The subject of the return of Jesus Christ and the associated event known as the rapture or the catching up of the church has come under repeated attack since the time of Christ. The average person on the street would probably be much too pragmatic to believe that this kind of supernatural event would be possible. You can even find churches today that will deny the visible, personal return of Jesus Christ, let alone the idea that His followers will defy gravity and rise up to be with Him. However, it is essential to focus upon Scripture for answers to future events that involve God dealing with His people. Continue reading…
Escaping Conviction
By: John Krug
We might look at our world today and marvel at the constant exhibition of sin and iniquity Why are so many people violating the basic principles of morality, righteousness and godliness? We can only conclude that the Scripture is correct when it states: "…There is none righteous, not even one; There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God." (Romans 3:10,11) Continue reading…
By: John Krug
The worldwide problem of sin and iniquity has been with us since our ancestors disobeyed God in the garden of Eden. Today we look at our world scene and wonder if the situation could get any worse. We see crime and terrorism on every front. There are many scenarios posed for solving the problems but no lasting solutions are in sight. One avenue often cited is improving the education of those with a bent for crime. However, further education will sometimes only make smarter criminals. I once heard a wag who stated that a person needs higher education if he or she is going to be a successful embezzler. Continue reading…
By John Krug
It is amazing how many people will stretch and strain their wisdom and intellect to solve some puzzles and problems of a trivial nature. I admit that I am also guilty of this pastime especially if I think that I may be able to outwit some other person's thought process. Through my E-mail I recently inherited a list of items which are without category, and can only be described as trivial statements requiring some thought. Let me relate a few and you'll see what I mean. "Maine is the only state whose name is just one syllable." Admit it! You immediately started to think about states; especially those with short names like Idaho, Utah, Iowa, Ohio. Sure enough, Maine is the only one. Continue reading…
By: John Krug
Did you ever hear anyone talking about their vacation and say that they were "in the mountains". I was recently in Glacier National Park and was told by the rangers that more that eighty percent of people that visit the park get no further than twenty feet from their cars. Yet these people will say that they have been "in the mountains". The group I was with did a few miles of hiking on a number of days and we got a significant distance from our car. After moving into some of the glorious valleys we soon found that we were not only "in the mountains" but that we were completely enveloped and surrounded by the mountains. It was awesome to walk through these meadows with lakes, waterfalls, wildlife, wildflowers and be surrounded by towering peaks on all sides. We were completely dominated by the mountains to the point that we could really say we were "in the mountains." Continue reading…
By: John Krug
Weddings and the associated rituals have generated numerous stories over the years. There is the story of the pastor who had a wedding scheduled immediately after the Sunday morning service. Because the benediction had not been given the entire congregation was present at the end of the normal service when the wedding was to start. The problem that faced the pastor was that for the life of him he could not remember the names of the wedding couple. In an effort to solve the problem he simply stated: "Will those who want be joined in the bonds of matrimony please come forward and stand before me?" Immediate five single ladies, two widows, and four bachelors hurried to the front. I guess we are to assume that the original couple were the ones who were eventually married on that day. Continue reading…
By: John Krug
There's a story about a poor mariner who was stranded on a uninhabited island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Many years later a rescue ship landed at the island and the man was of course overjoyed to see them. They noticed that he had built three substantial huts and they asked if there were other people on the island. He said "no" and was then asked the reason for the huts. He said the first was his place of residence. The second was his need for a place of worship that he called a church to remind him of home. They then quizzed him concerning the need for the third hut? He replied: "that was where I used to go to church". When thinking about the idea of "church" many thoughts might come to mind. Continue reading…
By: John Krug
There's a story about an evangelist who was fervently preaching to the congregation that people are to be ready for the return of Christ for His Church. During the sermon the preacher exhorted those in the audience to stand if they were ready to go to be with the Lord. All stood except one reluctant man on the front row. The preacher then directed the remainder of his gospel message to this person. At the end of the sermon the evangelist again exhorted that those who were ready to go to be with the Lord should stand. The fellow in the front still remained fixed to the pew. After the service the evangelist immediately confronted this individual and asked: "Don't you want to go to heaven someday?" To which the man replied: "Sure!" The evangelist then followed with: "Are you ready to go?" The man replied in the affirmative. With some disgust the preacher then followed: "Well then why didn't you stand when I asked?" The man then retorted: "I thought you were getting a load ready to go right now." Continue reading…
By: John Krug
Mysteries have always had a great fascination for many people. A quick perusal of any book store will reveal scores of mystery books that attract many purchasers. Movies and TV have also fed the mystery fans a constant barrage of "who done it" tomes. The old Sherlock Holmes and other mysteries can often be found on the old rerun channels. With great fondness I remember the Hardy Boy mysteries I devoured as a boy. Even my sister's Nancy Drew mysteries were a fascination, although I would never let the guys know that! Later as kids and into our teens we played the board game Clue for hours. I can still recall Colonel Mustard subjecting the victim to a lead pipe in the library, or was it Mrs. Peacock doing the dastardly deed with a candlestick in the ballroom? Mysteries are even so fascinating to some that they spend a whole evening riding a mystery train trying to solve some great crime. There may be some who would view that as a waste of a good train ride. Continue reading…
(Editor's Note: We are pleased to have Mr. John Krug, who is one of our adult Bible teachers, join our writing staff as a contributing author for this website.)
With the release of the film, The DaVinci Code, the Christian community is once again reminded that the world does not recognize Jesus Christ for who He really is. Many like the author of The DaVinci Code try to imagine Jesus as just another human being subject to our typical human frailties. World religions for the most part might recognize Jesus as a prophet and teacher, but do not entertain the concept that Jesus might be God Himself.
What do we as Bible believing Christians recognize about Jesus? Was He human? Was He possibly a man into which God came at some time? Or was He truly God who came to earth as the God-Man?
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