Category Archives: Bible Study

Real Help in Understanding the Bible

Posted on January 23, 2024 by russellmckinney

Every so often someone will ask me to recommend a resource that will help them understand the Bible. This gets into the area of study Bibles, commentaries, reference works, etc. The problem with these resources is that the bad ones cost as much as the good … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible Study, Personal | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Are You Too Busy?

Posted on January 17, 2024 by russellmckinney

I live in Mitchell County, way up in the mountains of western North Carolina. Our total population is under 16,000. We roll up the sidewalks at night in our two towns, and we know far too much about our fellow … Continue reading →

Posted in Balance, Bible Study, Business, Church Attendance, Personal, Prayer, Priorities, Work, Worship | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Does Satan Exist?

Posted on January 15, 2024 by russellmckinney

I once watched an interesting debate on the topic: “Does Satan Exist?” The debate was held at Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington and featured four speakers. Two argued for the existence of Satan and two argued against it. Arguing … Continue reading →

Posted in Belief, Bible Study, Discernment, Doubt, Faith, Satan, Scripture, The Bible, The Devil | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Reunions

Posted on January 3, 2024 by russellmckinney

When I was elected President of my high school’s senior class in 1984, I thought it was an honor. What I didn’t realize was the title carried with it the lifetime task of organizing a class reunion every ten years … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Backsliding, Bible Study, Change, Church Attendance, Commitment, Discipleship, God's Work, New Year, Obedience, Personal, Personal Holiness, Prayer, Repentance, Salvation, Sanctification, Service, Witnessing | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Are You Getting Better?

Posted on January 1, 2024 by russellmckinney

When my youngest son, Royce, played 5th/6th grade football, his team’s line coach was a guy named Stacy Peterson. Even though I’d gone to high school with Stacy and had loosely known him for years, we’d always run in different … Continue reading →

Posted in Backsliding, Bible Study, Change, Commitment, Discipleship, Doing Good, Evangelism, Faithfulness, Giving, God's Word, God's Work, Ministry, Missions, Money, New Year, Personal, Prayer, Prayer Requests, Sanctification, Service, Sports, The Bible, Witnessing, Youth | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

The Christian & His New Year’s Resolutions

Posted on December 29, 2023 by russellmckinney

A boy was running along a beach gathering up the best seashells he could find. As he bent down to pick up a certain shell, he caught sight of the biggest, most beautiful shell he had ever seen. It was … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible Study, Church Attendance, Commitment, Faithfulness, New Year, Personal Holiness, Prayer | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

How We Know the Bible Is God’s Written Word

Posted on December 13, 2023 by russellmckinney

Imagine the following conversation between the two of us: The problem with my defense of the book’s authority is obvious, isn’t it? No book should be considered God-inspired and authoritative simply because it claims to be God-inspired and authoritative. This … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible Study, God's Word, Scripture, The Bible | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

J.C. Penny & Chick-fil-A

Posted on November 13, 2023 by russellmckinney

For eight-and-a-half years, I pastored a non-denominational church that I started. Some Sundays, as a part of our services, I would describe an everyday situation and ask, “What would Jesus have us do in this situation?” My original plan for … Continue reading →

Posted in Adultery, Balance, Bible Study, Church, Current Events, Discipleship, Doing Good, Evangelism, Faithfulness, God's Word, God's Work, Homosexuality, Hypocrisy, Marriage, Ministry, Personal, Preaching, Scripture, Sex, Sin, The Bible, Truth, Witnessing | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

How’s Your Contending?

Posted on October 18, 2023 by russellmckinney

Jude was the earthly half-brother of Jesus. He was also the writer of the Bible’s book of Jude, which is a letter he wrote to his fellow Christians. Jude’s original plan was to build the letter around the subject of … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible Study, Christian Unity, Courage, Discernment, Discipleship, Doctrine, Faithfulness, God's Word, God's Work, Ministry, Pastors, Preaching, Salvation, Scripture, Service, Truth | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

A Word About the Media & Polling

Posted on October 16, 2023 by russellmckinney

An international automobile race was once held in the Soviet Union. With that country being under strict Communist control, the international media was forced to rely upon Pravda to report the race results. Pravda was the mouthpiece newspaper for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Abortion, Bible Study, Capital Punishment, Current Events, Deception, Discernment, Discipleship, Doubt, God's Word, Homosexuality, Politics, Scripture, The Bible, The Death Penalty, Truth | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments