Robotics is a fascinating field.  I observed robotic firsthand during my recent visit to the Corvette plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky.  My very close, good, and wonderful friend picked up his personally built Corvette at the plant upon its completion. (I hope he reads this and someday lets me drive it!)  I met him and his wife for the “birth”. 

Ah, peace…What a beautiful word.  It conjures up different scenes in each individual mind.  For me, I think of a mountain stream rolling toward a spectacular waterfall while I just sit and watch.  Or, I think of a gorgeous golf course with a slight breeze and the sounds of birds while I play a leisurely 18 holes.  There are probably many other scenes I have imagined.

When I get in our Honda Pilot to drive after Rebecca has driven, it does not fit.  I have to readjust the seat for it to fit.  I pulled out a pair of pants hanging in the far corner of my closet.  I was wondering why they were not with the others.  When I tried them on, I found the answer.  They did not fit!  Major adjustments would have to be made.

In the mid 1800s, there was a Hanoverian countess who was a staunch unbeliever.  Her biggest objection was to the resurrection of all the dead at the end of time.  Her opposition led her to make unusual preparations for her impending death that occurred when she was only thirty years old.

When was the last time you were pursued?  Was it by that special person who pursued you into a relationship with them?  Maybe you were pursued by someone who wanted you to come and work with them.  Or, maybe you think of it as a time that you were pursued by something that you didn’t want.  Maybe you think that the devil has been pursuing you for a long time.

For many years, the Roman army occupied the land of Palestine.  The Jews, understandably, could hardly stand it.  They so much hated it that there arose a group of people called the Zealots whose sworn mission was to cause havoc and turmoil with the express purpose of expelling the Romans.  There was one Roman law that especially incensed the Jews.  This law allowed for any Roman soldier to conscript a Jewish male to carry his backpack for him for one mile.  They dreaded this proposition.

“I’ve got joy like a fountain.

I’ve got joy like a fountain.

I’ve got joy like a fountain in my soul.” 

This is one verse of a song that I have sung since I was in my home church youth group.  It’s an enjoyable song.  But, it also teaches a great lesson.  Joy really is like a fountain of water.  It constantly flows from the heart of the one who is filled with it.  If joy resides in your heart, it will not be possible to contain it.

The teacher stood before the Sunday morning Bible class of 6-year-olds.  She asked them, “If I sold my house and my car, had a big garage sale, and gave all my money to the church, would that get me into Heaven?”  The children all shouted, “NO!”  “Well, what if I cleaned the church building every day, mowed the yard, and kept everything neat and tidy, would that get me into Heaven?”  Again, the children answered, “NO!”

When I was growing up, my dad often picked up hitchhikers and drove them some distance.  It was a day and a time when doing that was not so dangerous as it is today.  I have, over the years, done my share of "hitchhiker hand-out".

Once children learn to talk, the whole world changes for their parents. One of those changes occurs when those children begin to ask questions. Those of us who have been through that phase of life with our children have probably asked ourselves several times, “Where are they getting all of these questions?”

How is it that someone can learn to love and then turn away from that love? Why do people leave their first love? More importantly, how can those people retrieve that love if they have left it?

In every age, mankind has been surrounded by sin of every sort.  The wide gate and broad way (Matthew 7:13) offer the path of least resistance.  Sin is appealing, attractive, and satisfying for the appetites of the flesh.  These appetites and sins caused God to give unrighteous men over to a “reprobate mind” and to “uncleanness”.  Romans 1:32, “…and have pleasure in them that do them” are also under the judgment of God.

The first definition for boldness is “willing and eager to face danger or adventure with a sense of confidence and fearlessness.”  This is the meaning of the Jewish leaders who admired Peter and John.  Acts 4:13 records, “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John…they marveled…”

We are social creatures. The vast majority of people join clubs, go to parties and conventions, go on dates, and many other things that evidence the desire to be with others. We find it odd when people are not social. We say, “He is so shy!” Or, “She is withdrawn and not very friendly!”

I like fruit!  It is a natural sweetness that I like even though I do not eat desserts.   Fruit is a good end to a meal.  Fruit is a good beginning to a day.  Fruit is a good snack during the day.  I have read that we should try to have 5 to 8 servings of fruit per day.  Even though I like fruit, I have a problem with that because, even though fruit is one of my favorites, I like so many other things as well that there is not enough time in a day to get in that many helpings of fruit!  Oh, well, I’ll just keep eating fruit in my way.

May 30, 2005 was the beginning of a number of bulletins that included weekly updated pictures of the construction of the new building for the Richmond church of Christ. The weekly bulletin article used those pictures to make various points comparing the construction of the building to the construction of our own spiritual lives.The first article began with these words.

One of the most frustrating experiences in life for me is doing something and then having to do it all over again.  It may have been that I was not attentive when doing it the first time and I did something wrong causing me to need to do it over.  It may have been that I rushed through it to get it completed without doing a quality job demanding that I do it over and get it right this time!  Regardless of the reason, it is very frustrating.

The more I hear people explain their convictions the more I believe people have lost the ability to reason.  I just read a story about a spiritual movement called a church for the “nones” that prides itself on accepting people who have no other church that will accept them.  Their founder and preacher was raised in a religious home whose father was himself a preacher.  These people want to be spiritual without being bound by scripture.

By the time most of you read this article, you will have found out about the passing of Orrin Nearhoof, an elder at our congregation (and two other congregations before he and Marge came to Richmond) and a kind and loving father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. My family left Richmond in 2012 so we didn’t get a chance to know the Nearhoofs when Orrin was in good health. However, over the past six months, I’ve came to know Orrin well, as I spent several late evenings with him when the Johnson family was out of town and I offered to check on him and Marge before they went to bed. In that time, Orrin and I had a number of discussions about the congregation, our faiths, and our Christian journeys. I’d like to use this space to share a three lessons from a Godly man that I learned from Orrin.

All a person has to do is mention the name “Old Faithful” and everyone immediately knows the reference. It is a cone-type geyser in Yellowstone Park that, since 2000, has been erupting every 44 to 125 minutes. This geyser is the most studied in the park though it is not the biggest or the most regular one. Some are bigger. Others are more regular. “Old Faithful” is, though, the biggest and most regular at the same time offering a greater opportunity to study its internal dynamics. The eruptions last anywhere from 1½ to 5 minutes sending steam and water 90 to 184 feet into the air. The Washburn expedition of 1870 is credited with naming this now very popular visitor site.