I recently had the opportunity to spend a few days viewing a virtual lectureship, and working on sermon planning for 2021. I typically try to find a place that is fairly isolated, so that it’s free from distractions. This year, I came across a place called “Garden of the Gods” in Illinois. Since it was… Read More »

This is one of the questions that has come in to the Q&A box (don’t forget that it’s on the welcome center desk, if you want to submit a question): “How did the Sabbath Day of worship used through the Scriptures become the first day of the week?” I think the best place for us… Read More »

I recently read about a group of people in churches in Russia called “poustinikki.” These people would withdraw to a deserted place, and devote themselves to a life of prayer and solitude. But, they weren’t necessarily isolated from everyone, the way you might expect. In fact, the Russian word for solitude actually means “being with… Read More »

Somewhere I heard the story of a concert held in Philadelphia. One of the movements featured a flute solo that was to be played as if coming from a distance. The conductor instructed the flutist to stand offstage where she was to count the measures precisely in order to come in at just the right… Read More »

In our Elders’ meetings, we spend much of our time in prayer. One of the areas in which we continually ask our Father is for unity of the brethren at Southside. As the apostle Peter states in 1 Peter 3:8, “Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and… Read More »

I would suspect that the majority of the people that read this article have heard at least one version of the children’s story, “The Little Engine That Could”. This story has been called an American “fairytale” and became widely known in the United States after it was published in 1930. The story has remained so… Read More »

Preachers are supposed to be encouraging, right? We don’t expect to hear a sermon that makes us miserable. We might be motivated to make changes, because we need to reevaluate our lives. But, it shouldn’t leave us depressed … should it? At first glance, the “preacher” in Ecclesiastes (as he refers to himself in the… Read More »

I just finished the book of Exodus, as part of my 2018 reading plan and I wanted to share with you my most important takeaway. There are certainly a lot of things which could be said about this book and there were several things I noticed this time I had not noticed before, but I… Read More »