Sermons and Biblical Studies

Roman Centurions Roman centurions were non-commissioned officers who commanded battle groups called “centuries,” each comprising at least 100 men. Akin to sergeants in a modern army, centurions often led Rome’s local police forces in occupied territories. Centurions were responsible for keeping track of individuals who posed a threat to Rome’s security. Because Jesus drew thousands … Continue reading “Roman Army”

The Best of Will Rogers Will Rogers was many things—cowboy, part Cherokee Indian, entertainer and tart observer of the American scene. From December 1922 until his death in August 1935, he wrote a column about anything that caught his interest. Although the following comments on government, politics and the state of the nation were made … Continue reading “Rogers, Will”

Quotes •      It helps to think of rock music as youth’s way of getting even for spinach. – Robert Orben •      In Gianglio, Italy, some 200 chickens suffocated when they crowded into a corner of their domicile while seeking relief from the noise of a nearby rock concert. Sources unknown

Oil Filters Anxious to get home after a week long business trip in California, I waited for my flight in the crowded boarding area. Suddenly the public address system glared: “Flight 100 to Dallas will be delayed 20 minutes due to maintenance problems.” All of the passengers groaned. Twenty-five minutes later another announcement came: “The … Continue reading “Rob Peter to Pay Paul”

How a Roman Road was Built The Romans were prodigious road builders. They spent five centuries completing a road system that extended to every corner of their empire and eventually covered a distance equal to 10 times the circumference of the earth at the equator. This included over 80,000 km. (50,000 mi.) of first-class highways … Continue reading “Road”

Ticket Please groups of students—math and engineering majors—boarded a train that was headed for a technical convention. Each of the math majors had a ticket, but their engineering counterparts had only one ticket between them. The math majors were snickering at this when an engineering student shouted, “Here comes the conductor!” With that, all the … Continue reading “Rivalry”

Taking a In Kon-Tiki: Across the Pacific by Raft, Thor Heyerdahl tells how he and a crew of five crossed the Pacific Ocean from South America to the South Pacific Islands on a crude raft of balsa logs bound together with hemp rope. During the three-month journey in 1947, they had little control of the … Continue reading “Risk”

Just Like Dad Maybe my father could have been a successful major-league catcher if he hadn’t injured his shoulder. We’ll never know. Coming up through the minors I heard a lot of stories about frustrated fathers pushing their sons to achieve something they never did. But Senior wasn’t that way at all. One of his … Continue reading “Ripken, Cal, Jr. and Sr.”

Dialed the Wrong Number Pastor Don Baker relates a story of Rev. Tom Erickson: The public Library has a system called “Dial-A-Tale.” Anytime a young child wants to hear a fairy tale, he can call the number and a voice comes on reading a short fairy tale to the listening young ear. However, the number … Continue reading “Rights”

One of the greatest challenges confronting believers today is to communicate the message of Christ in terms that everyday people can understand. Words like “Righteousness” (Rom. 1:17) have become unrecognizable to many in our culture, and even to many in the church. Yet it’s hard to talk about the gospel—and virtually impossible to understand Romans—without … Continue reading “Righteousness”