Marriage is a gift. This past week Sue and I celebrated our 42nd wedding anniversary. Committed to biblical counseling as we are, we have been the beneficiaries of it ourselves. Most of the time in our marriage and in helping others, the problem is often unmet or unrealistic expectations. What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come […]
I recently read an old story of how an emperor returned to Rome in triumph. He was marching his troops through the streets along with prisoners of war. The streets were lined with cheering crowds. Legionaries were stationed at the street’s edge to keep people in place. At one spot along the route was a […]
Mark the date – Sunday, July 4. As our tradition in the past, we are going to conduct our service outside followed by a picnic. Please bring a lawn chair if you have one. We will have some metal chairs available. I plan to break from Hebrews to preach on how we can pray for our […]
My mother used to say it takes more muscles to frown than to smile. That’s not saying we as Christians have to always be happy. Circumstances in life can produce unhappiness – yet we are called to constantly rejoice in the goodness and greatness of our God. Joy and happiness are quite different. Joy is based on […]
Tomorrow is Memorial Day when we honor those who died in the armed services defending our nation. Did you know this holiday originated back during the Civil War? It was at first called Decorations Day in memory of fallen Union soldiers. The Confederacy had similar traditions but eventually both were combined. Observance of the day has diminished over […]
It is funny how you can read the Bible over the years and not see a particular verse, but then it jumps out at you. Lu 12:32 was “new” to me a few years ago. Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. It continues to provide comfort and […]
This story comes from the Sudan Interior Mission. Hassan was complaining against his Christian wife Sonya. She was to be gone a few days at a woman’s conference. As Sonya left Hassan yelled from the porch. “Good riddance! See this? It is that woman’s only key to my house. She will never come in again!” […]
I’ve been asked by couples, “Why should we have a child? What kind of world will he/she encounter?” It’s a good question. I’m sure it has been asked throughout history. But let me ask, “What kind of world have children ever encountered?” Gen 6:5, The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that […]
Dr. Paul Brand, a Christian orthopedic surgeon, spent the first of part of his medical career in India and the last part here in America. He wrote is his memoir, “In the United States … I encountered a society that seeks to avoid pain at all costs … Patients lived at a greater level of […]
Someone might ask, “Why does biblical counseling play such an important role here at Holt Baptist? Well, everyone does counsel of some kind. Counseling takes place whenever we offer advice to another about how they should think about and respond to life situations. The question is not whether to counsel, but rather – what kind […]