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Rev. W. O. Taylor, 91, was the oldest man attending the Southern Baptist Convention a few years ago. At the annual free breakfast for retirees, Brother Taylor rose and recited his own alliterative version of the parable of the prodigal son, which he entitled "The Final Fixing of the Foolish Fugitive"

I have heard of an advertisement of a burial service that began, “Seeing that many persons find it extremely difficult to bury themselves …” That is not my experience; I would have to say, “Seeing that many church members find it exceedingly easy to bury themselves.” We receive them into our number with…

Communion Order taken largely from a Communion Liturgy published by R. Kent Hughes. (Hughes, R. Kent. The Pastor's Book (pp. 447-449). Crossway.)

In the Battle of Salamanca, when Wellington told one of his officers to advance with his troops and occupy a gap that the Duke perceived in the lines of the French, the general rode up to him and said, “My lord, I will do the work, but first give me a grasp of that conquering right hand of yours.” He…

In the center of my lawn, horseradish will sprout up. After the smallest shower of rain, it rises above the grass and proclaims its vitality. There was a garden there once, and this root maintains its old position. When the gardener cuts it down, it resolves to rise again. Now, if the gardener cannot…

The service of God is the element in which alone we can fully live. If you had a fish here upon dry land, supposing it possible that it could exist, yet it would lead a very unhappy life. It would scarcely be a fish at all! You could not tell of what it was capable; it would be deprived of the opportunity…

There are churches wherein the minister is nominally the leading officer, but he cannot lead, for the church does not follow. A young officer, sword in hand, leaps the rampart. He looks back, but his troop is yards behind him. He cries, “Come on! Come on!” But there is no answer; he might as well call…

Writing for Healthline, Ann Pietrangelo says, “Loneliness isn’t the same as being alone. You can be alone, yet not lonely. You can feel lonely in a houseful of people. It’s a feeling that you’re disconnected from others, with no one to confide in. It’s a lack of meaningful relationships and it can happen…

A study funded by health care insurer Cigna found that fifty-eight percent of 20,000 American reported feeling lonely in 2018. The following year, the number had increased to sixty-one percent prompted chief medical officer Doug Nemecek to say that loneliness is at epidemic proportions, and the coronavirus…

According to Medical News Today, “There are a number of health and lifestyle factors – obesity, smoking, air pollution – that are known to be risk factors for early mortality and receive considerable attention. New research has suggested that social connections should be added to this list, with a study…

Dr. Lisa Firestone, the Director of Research and Education at The Glendon Association (https://www.glendon.org/), says “Even before the pandemic struck, loneliness was widely considered an epidemic in this country where 61 percent of Americans over age 18 struggle with feeling lonely. Among this group,…

A University of Chicago professor finds that those experiencing extreme loneliness have a “14% greater chance of premature death.” https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/272705 Some loneliness can be addressed by deepening relationships with friends and family, but sometimes it can only be address…

According to Medical News Today, • “A 2010 survey of more than 3,000 adults in the US found that more than a third of respondents aged 45 and older were categorized as lonely • Younger adults aged 45-49 reported higher rates of loneliness than adults aged 70 and older • Lonely adults were significantly…

Dr. Jacqueline Olds, a psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, gives advice for overcoming feelings of loneliness. She says, “Reaching out to tell a friend who lives across the country that you miss her (and scheduling a time to catch up) or grabbing lunch with your sister can help…

Maike Luhmann, a psychologist at the University of Cologne in Germany says, “As long as we then do what we should do — reconnect with people — then loneliness is a good thing. It signals that we need to do something about our social connections. This is a sign from our psychological systems that there’s…

Denis Estimon remembers what loneliness felt like. As an immigrant from Haiti he felt isolated and alone when he first immigrated to the US. “It’s not a good feeling, like you’re by yourself.” Now that he has become a popular senior at his high school he is working to help others overcome their loneliness.…

In his book Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God, Timothy Keller says, “The famous statement of Jesus to the church in Laodicea—“ Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me” (Rev 3: 20)—is often…

A pair of men in China can teach us a thing or two about working together in the church. Jia Haixa is blind. Jia Wenqi is a double amputee. They found it very difficult to find traditional jobs. In 2001 they began working together planting trees along the riverbank in their hometown of Hebei. The two…

# Philippians 1:3–8 ## Opening: Paul’s Thanksgiving As we move on this morning in our study of Paul’s letter to the Philippians, we find Paul following his normal pattern of thanksgiving and prayer. This week we will look at his statement of thanksgiving about the Philippians, and next week we will look…

FELLOWSHIP In Measure What Matters Most, John Doerr writes, “If you put two people in a boat and have one row east and the other row west, they’ll use up lots of energy going nowhere.” —Measure What Matters Most, 92. Colossians 3:17 (CSB) And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the…

Vince Lombardi, the former head coach of the Green Bay Packers, emphasized going over the fundamentals in his training camp. He would repeatedly go over football basics like block and tackle, and review his plays over and over again from page 1. Through this method of building on a strong basic foundation,…

Clinical Psychologist Karra Harrington said, “Maintaining high quality relationships may be a key for protecting brain health from the negative impacts of loneliness. Older adults who feel more satisfied in their relationships have a 23% lower risk of dementia, while those who feel their relationships…

When someone stole a brand new $3500 air conditioner from Akron Alliance Fellowship Church in Akron Ohio, church officials posted "Whoever stole our AC Unit: Keep it. It's hot where you're going" on their marquee sign. When interviewed about the sign, Pastor Gus Brown, told reporters "Staying on this…