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Around the Table

The Weekly Post Have you ever noticed how often Jesus asked questions? Simple questions like: "Have you caught any fish?" Probing questions: "What were you arguing about as we walked along the way?" Easy questions: "Who do men say that I am?" Personal questions: "Who do you say that I am?" Difficult questions: "Why did you doubt?" Challenging questions: "Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?" Liberating questions: "Woman, where are your accusers?" Conversation among Christians should edify, encourage, and "spur one another on toward love and good deeds." But we often spend an entire evening talking about sports, current events, children, restaurants, and movies but never go deeper, and we waste opportunities to fortify one another in the Christian life, and unfortunately we can miss opportunities to share the gospel. Throughout the Old Testament God encouraged the Israelites to remember... October 4, 2026

Does Clothing Matter to God?

The Weekly Post Three weeks ago a neighborhood Bible study asked me to model the garments of a High Priest. They were studying Exodus 28 which gives details of what the Jewish high priests were commanded to wear when performing their sacred duties. Moses was told, "Make sacred garments for your brother Aaron, to give him dignity and honor". (Exodus 28:2) The rest of the chapter details what the high priest was to wear when he led worship in the temple. One of the women in the Bible study had taken hours to sew precisely the elaborate apparel God prescribed for the designated mediator between God and man. That's me, in the photo, complete with a fake beard, wearing all the accessories of a high priest. Prior to the lesson I was reading in a side room and forgot to take off my "cheater"... September 20, 2026

When Crime Goes Unpunished

The Weekly Post In January 2023, Lindsay Clancy strangled her three young children—Cora (5), Dawson (3), and Callan (8 months)—in the basement of their Duxbury, Massachusetts home. This past week her trial ended in a mistrial. Her defense attorney said eleven of the twelve jurors were prepared to declare her not guilty on the grounds of insanity; the prosecutor disputed that reading of the jury's notes. While Lindsay Clancy admitted she murdered her children, her defenders argued that she was over-medicated and in the grip of postpartum psychosis—that perhaps the drugs she was taking, or the illness itself, caused her to lose her mind and commit such a horrific deed. Only one member of the twelve-member jury stood firm in opposition to that argument. As a result, the weeklong deliberation ended without a verdict and the judge declared a mistrial. Lindsay Clancy could be... September 7, 2026

There Be God

The Weekly Post There is an old sermon illustration I heard again recently that explains why dragons are pictured on some ancient maps. Terrifying experiences were thought to lie in wait at the far edge of the ocean, so cartographers would sometimes paint dragons or demons on their charts to mark the regions no one had ever explored. "Here be dragons" became the shorthand for unknown territory. But the famous explorer Sir John Franklin refused to be intimidated by the unknown. Franklin was a devoted Christian, a man of faith and prayer. His ability to suffer hardships with patience, courage and joy is well documented. Legend has it that Franklin took a copy of one of the "Here be dragons" maps, crossed out the ominous warning, and wrote, "Here be God!" He was determined to trust the Lord and continue to explore God's creation. He... August 30, 2026

Whatever Happened to Sin?

The Weekly Post Recently, I received an amazing photo of my newest great-grandchild, John Luke Russell. Our family gushed over it. We studied his facial features—his little nose and Cupid’s-bow mouth. What makes the photo all the more extraordinary is that John Luke has not yet been born. It was taken during our granddaughter-in-law’s ultrasound. The image is so spectacular you can’t help but marvel at the miracle of life. Just a few weeks later, the governor of Massachusetts signed a bill into law that makes it legal for a mother to abort a baby just like John Luke, right up to the day of delivery. A number of legislators who sponsored the bill stood behind her, smiling, clapping, and celebrating the right to kill a fully developed, totally innocent little child. How decadent can our society become before the wrath of God falls... August 23, 2026

Join Me At The Cove, September 26-28, 2023

 Join me September 26-28, 2023, at The Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove, in Asheville, North Carolina, where I will be teaching a Bible study entitled “More and More Like Jesus,” Our worship music will be provided by Niah and Allisha Merrill. The Bible study, uplifting music, and joyful fellowship...
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Leave a Legacy for a Thousand Generations

My wife Judy recently showed me an old photo she took nearly 50 years ago of my grandfather, John Pratt, and our two sons. Our youngest son Phil has only a few faint memories of his “Great-grandpa Pratt,” and Rusty, who was around nine years old in the picture, recently...
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America! May God Continue to Shed His Grace on Thee

“…with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence.”  Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776 Risking execution as traitors, the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence courageously etched their names on the founding document of the United States, knowing the success of their new nation required “a firm...
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Who to Blame?

This past week the news media followed the gripping story of a submersible vessel that disappeared in the North Atlantic. Last Sunday night, “The Titan,” operated by OceanGate expeditions, lost contact with its surface ship about an hour and 45 minutes into its dive to explore the wreckage of the...
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Eight Signs the “Man of Lawlessness” Is Near

The Bible says those who follow Christ are to encourage one another “…and all the more as you see the day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25). Although no one knows the exact timing of “… the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him” (2 Thessalonians 2:1), Christians...
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