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One shot and many memories

Last weekend, while hiking in the woods, I was surprised to realize that hunting season now includes Sundays. I was ill-prepared: tromping through the trees in a brown sweater, my dogs bounding about with no safety gear. It had been a long time since I’d been in the woods as a hunter, and somehow, I’d missed the memo. That realization sent me down memory lane to my short and fearless stint as a hunter. The “fearless” part is said entirely tongue-in-cheek. What I did have was time with my dad, uncles, and cousins, and those hours were worth more than any trophy. Hunting season ...

Friendship with sinners, part two

Editor’s Note: This is part two of an article submitted by Rev. Dr. James Barnes. Luke 5:28 says he forsook everything. Why does Luke tell us that interesting fact? Because if you were a fisherman and followed Jesus and it didn’t work out you could always go back to fishing. But once you walk away from a tax franchise, there is no turning back, someone else would have taken over your tax booth and there would be nothing to go back to. So when Luke says he forsook all, he meant it. There was no return. Levi abandons everything which had been everything. That is the kind of man ...

We must understand the covenants God made with His creation

And it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. Genesis 17:11 I believe we should have some understanding of the covenants that God made with His creation if we want to comprehend His purpose for our lives. To gain some understanding we will look at a few covenants in the Old Testament and then compare them to the “new covenant” that Christ instituted before He went to the cross. Hopefully, this will help us to understand the new covenant, the sign of the covenant, and the consequences for someone who violated the covenant. We will begin by looking at God’s ...

Youthful flair of The Graystones takes Internet by storm

Can a group of musically-talented 12-year-olds hailing from the San Francisco Bay Area, who covers classic hits in a living room full of amps with a whole lot of heart, really be considered a throwback? Absolutely, when it comes the phenomenon called The Graystones, a kid-powered rock band which has taken social media platforms by storm. Blending rock, pop and blues influences, the middle-school rockers have brought a fresh energy to beloved songs while crafting a sound that’s entirely their own. Their videos are racking up millions of hits and legendary artists are even taking ...

Have we forgotten how to be one nation?

Since when did we become such a divided nation? When did words of hate begin rolling off our tongues more naturally than words of love and acceptance? Lately, it feels like everywhere I go, whether it’s a coffee shop, grocery store, a community event, or just scrolling through social media, I hear people expressing the same thing: they’re tired. Tired of the negativity. Tired of the arguing. Tired of feeling like we’ve lost something important along the way. It doesn’t matter who you are, rich or poor, black or white, young or old, urban or rural, we’re all feeling the weight ...

We should embrace some type of covenant theology

Yet He has made with me an everlasting covenant – II Samuel 23:5 Last week we mentioned a few of the covenants that God made with man. One that we didn’t mention was the Davidic covenant in II Samuel 23:5. The new covenant that Jesus introduced in Matthew 26:28, Mark 14:24, and Luke 22:20, will extend into the time of the new heavens and the new earth. Any rational person who reads the Bible will be confronted with the fact that God dealt with His creation through covenants. So I must confess that I am a believer in some type of covenant theology. I suppose I would be close to the ...