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The One Thing Christians Need to Stop Doing Right Now — by Michael Burns

Family, we need to talk. This won’t take long but it is important. I’ll be brief and try to avoid that lecturing tone that no one appreciates. In the early 20th century, Swiss psychologist Hermann Rorschach developed the famous inkblot test, which soared in popularity...

Passing the Torch – Do We Have a Plan? By Daren Overstreet

This will be the last in my three-part series about passing the torch to the next generation of leaders. I have been tremendously encouraged by the feedback I’ve received from the two previous articles and have come to realize we find ourselves in a spot where we have...

Avoiding the Rabbit Hole – In 3 Parts

Rabbit Hole! – Stop! Cease! Desist! Flee! Avoid at all costs! The old saying, “going down the rabbit hole” essentially means to follow negative thinking patterns until we are swallowed up in the quagmire of negative thinking. This depth of negative thinking produces...

Which Political Party Should a Christian Choose? by Michael Burns

I recently read an article online which mourned over the fact that millions of people claiming to be Christian voted for the democratic party again. How could they? The article assumed that this was an outrage and went on to blame...

Passing the Torch: Let Them Dream! by Daren Overstreet

As a person who grew up in the evangelical world, I remember vividly one of the things that specifically inspired me about the ICOC. Men and women read the scriptures, internalized them, and allowed God’s truth to blossom into big dreams and goals! It was the...

Passing the Torch: Are We Inspiring the Next Generation to Lead? by Daren Overstreet

An Introduction by Gordon The ICOC family of churches is facing a crisis of which too many are unaware. It is an age crisis in leadership. It is an issue all movements inevitably must figure out, and their ability to do so defines their ongoing impact. Early in this...

Can You Come Out and Play? by Jim McCartney

Can You Come Out and Play? -- Spiritual Friendships When I was in the 6th grade my best friends were Mike McFadden and Mike Doherty. We were all patrol boys at our elementary school; I was the Captain, Mike M. was the Lieutenant, and Mike D. was the Sargent at Arms....

A Revival of Hope in the Heart of a Black Woman

As noted in my recent post on Facebook and in the introduction to my new article regarding male and female role relationships in the church, the article grew out of a midweek outline for a lesson I taught. One sister who heard the lesson, Demerris Johnson, wrote me an...

Another Adoption of Another Kind

After Kelly Flores and I exchanged some Facebook posts on this Father’s Day, I thought of another of my adopted daughters who had texted me quite a message today also. (Kelly is the young woman described in the “Another Kind of Adoption” article on this website.)...

Why Did My Savior Come to Earth?

An old hymn has a stanza that asks the question posed in the title of this article. That’s a very good question, with many answers, but at least four of them are of ultimate importance in truly understanding the gospel of Christ. I recently preached a series of two...

I Have Lost My Faith! (in coincidences)

Today, as I begin this article, it is April 8, 2018 – one day after my son Bryan’s 50th birthday. I spoke in a part of the Dallas East Region of the Dallas/Fort Worth Church, a part that has most of our East campus students in it. Our oldest grandson, Bryce Gordon...

American Slavery and the Bible by Richard Rodriguez

Biographical Sketch I was baptized into Christ at the Crossroads Church of Christ of Gainesville in 1981. There I studied the Bible with Dan Davis out of Reese Neyland’s bible talk and counted the cost with Sam Laing. As God would have it, Sam also performed my...

The Theological Basis for Discipling Relationships

Special Note: This material once comprised a chapter in my book entitled Discipling (1997). This longer book was condensed into a shorter version called The Power of Discipling - now in its second (slightly longer) edition. A number of chapters from the original book...

Regaining Our First Love

Revelation 2:1-7 1 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot...

Matters of Conscience − A Deeper Look

I wrote this article back in 2007 and included it as an appendix in the second edition of Prepared to Answer. At that particular time, it seemed to be quite in vogue to object to countless issues in our movement of churches, claiming that those things violated one’s...

Grace, the Holy Spirit and Heaven by Jim McCartney

“But when the goodness and love for man appeared from God our Savior, He saved us – not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit. This Spirit He poured out on us...

The Fallacies of Popular End-Times Teaching

I was exposed to the now popular futurist teaching as a young person and accepted it as being true for many years. I did not know an alternative was available, and being biblically ignorant, saw no reason to question what I was taught. However, I did not like the...

When is a Person Ready to be Baptized?

The title reflects a question that people often have, both those who are studying and contemplating being baptized and those who have already been baptized and now are studying with others. Biblical concepts give us direction, along with common sense based on the...

The Problem of Pain

One of the most popular Christian writers of last century was C.S. Lewis. He wrote a book with the title that I’m using for this article. Pain is a problem. It is a problem physically to be sure, but it is a bigger problem emotionally and spiritually. It can fill up...

Observations About ICOC 3.0 (And An Introduction to ICOC 3.00!)

A number of people have asked me what my thoughts are about the current ICOC 3.0 discussions taking place among leaders in our family of churches. It perhaps goes without saying that ICOC 1.0 would be a moniker for our earlier days as a movement; 2.0 would have begun...

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GREAT Book #2!As I said in my previous post, I am rarely on Facebook these days. This means that algorithms used by FB will ensure that not many of my FB friends will even see this post. Therefore, please share these posts with your FB friends and help spread the word.Tom Jones has written many books, all very outstanding. His most recent book is like nothing he has ever written. In the Introduction, he expressed the thought that this difference might cause some to wonder if his mind had checked out on him!I don’t know what genre to put the book in, but I do know that it is a book that has left me where the title suggests: Captivated. I have read the book at least three times and my wife has read it twice in a two day span this week. It introduces Jesus in a way that all those in the younger generations need to see. It shows those of us in older generations the Father through Jesus, correcting erroneous and damaging views of God in a most unique way.To borrow a phrase from cyberspace usage, this book should go viral. I’m buying copies to hand out to those who need to see God clearly, whether they are currently religious or non-religious. It is truly a “must read.” ... See MoreSee Less

CAPTIVATED

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Your One Wild and Precious Life and the Loving Outrageousness of Jesus A fresh, even surprising and sometimes provocative look at our own lives and the Jesus we might not know. In a brilliant, compell...

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Two GREAT Books!The last two books I have just read are amazing! I will make a post about each separately. Since I am rarely on Facebook these days, and algorithms being what they are, not many of my FB friends will even see this post. Therefore, please pass these posts on to your FB friends and help spread the word.Book #1 is written by my friend, Dr. Michael Messina, a clinical psychologist with a large practice in several locations. His credentials are impressive. Mike and I shared a lunch and long conversation recently and he gave me a copy of his book. I assumed that it would strongly reflect Dr. Michael Messina as a psychologist with a great deal of education and widely varied experience. Instead, it strongly reflected Mike Messina as a serious Bible student and disciple of Jesus. He has quite a grasp of both psychology and scripture.Of the hundreds of books I have read, those by Christian counselors have been some of my favorites and the ones which have helped me the most personally. I would put this one at the top of that list. It is my favorite. Mike’s understanding of the Bible and people is combined in a truly remarkable way. It should be a “Must Read” for everyone. Despite his credentials, Mike just wants to get the book into the hands of people, a goal reflected in the price of the book. I just downloaded the Kindle version for Theresa – 99 cents! Buy it and pass the word on. You won’t be sorry! ... See MoreSee Less

Death, Disease, Disaster, & Despicable Evil

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Several months ago, I posted an announcement about a new book written by Theresa and me, published at the request of Toney Mulhollan of Illumination Publishers. As I explained, Toney discovered a number of previously unpublished articles that he asked us to update and edit into brief chapters, twenty by each of us, plus add some thought questions and action items at the end of each chapter. Now he has asked us to choose one chapter by Theresa and print it on Facebook to give you a better idea of what this 40-chapter devotional book is like. So, here ‘tis! Enjoy (and buy the book)!Hungry and Happy! —Theresa Ferguson “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” (Matthew 5:6)In looking at the high calling of the Beatitudes spoken by Jesus, some questions are in order. Do you really want true happiness? Are you willing to do whatever it takes to get true fulfillment? It is our response to Matthew 5:6 that will determine our joy level now and for as long as we live. From a worldly perspective, being hungry and happy at the same time does not seem correct. However, in the kingdom, we cannot be truly happy (blessed) without first being hungry—hungry for God! But what does this phrase mean in a practical sense? In the preceding context, Jesus had been performing miracles and meeting many physical needs (Matthew 4:23-25). The people were happy and impressed with both his message and his miracles. They were hungry and thirsty to have their physical needs met, but like most of us, their spiritual interest may not have been their primary focus. He wanted them to know that they could have lasting fulfillment only if they were hungry and thirsty to be filled with God. Our Food Must Be Christ Jesus himself was the Bread of Life (John 6:35), and the one who could give them living water (John 4:10). In John 4, after he offered the woman this living water, she was so happy that she went to share this new nourishment with all of her friends! Right after she left, Jesus told the disciples (who had just returned with food) that he had already received food. When they responded in a puzzled manner, he replied that his food was to do the will of God who had sent him and to accomplish his work. He was so happy about impacting this woman’s life, and so caught up in doing God’s will that he literally lost his appetite! The kind of hunger and thirst being asked of us is not that of simply enjoying a nice little meal – it suggests an all-consuming craving for a relationship with him. It is seeking him with an urgency and a feeling of being absolutely starved without him. Can you remember going without food or water for a prolonged period of time, and how you could think of little else but satisfying the cravings of your body? Jesus is telling us that we need to live in this sort of state spiritually, not that we are to go around unsatisfied, but that we will stop at nothing to continue eating and drinking of God! The Psalmist understood well what Jesus was discussing: “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” (Psalm 42:1-2). Just how excited are you about getting time to be with God every day? Do you make time? Are you looking for more time? Is your heart yearning to be with God? Consider another passage in Psalms: “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water…My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you” (Psalm 63:1, 5). Not only must we be hungry in our souls for an ever-deepening walk with God, we must also be hungry and thirsty for the word of God. For a deepened conviction about loving the Word, just read through the 119th Psalm. Over and over, the writer talks of loving God’s law and meditating on it day and night. He is completely delighted with it, devoid of any sense of duty in reading it (for a Quiet Time) but overjoyed at the privilege of being able to commune with the expressed heart of his Creator! As we feast on the word of God, we will also hunger to please him, to obey him, to become more and more like him. This desire to please him will find a direct application in loving others as he does. Jesus hungered to serve others, to even give up his life for them. The things of God (Matthew 16:23) were all about serving and saving others for the glory of God. When our souls really do hunger for him, we will also hunger to bless the ones for whom Jesus died! An Eternal Longing for Him One of our greatest needs in growing spiritually is to keep an eternal perspective on our lives. We are not talking simply of being happy in the sense of enjoying our lives on this earth. Christianity is not another self-help approach to life or another “find yourself” philosophy. It is a religion teaching us how to live so we will know how to die. Christ is telling us how to live in our day so we will live in eternity. My own determination to hunger and thirst for righteousness was strengthened tremendously in the past by watching a dear sister, Suzanne Atkins, face death with an amazing hunger to see God. At age 32, with two small children, she discovered that she had a serious malignancy and would die in a matter of weeks. When I went to see her in San Diego just a few days before her death, I went for the purpose of encouraging her. However, she did most of the encouraging! As the pain of cancer racked her body, her eyes were lit up with the thought of seeing the God for whom she had hungered and thirsted. Each morning when she awoke, she was disappointed that she had not yet gone to see him. As we talked and laughed and prayed and wept, the real issues of righteousness came into clear perspective. The only way to hunger to be with God in the next life is to hunger to be with him now—every day! He is not simply a part of life—he is life itself. “When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Colossians 3:4). Suzanne left behind a family and many friends, including me, who are more determined than ever to hunger and thirst for God. My prayer is that her example of dying with the joy of Jesus will help to create a thirst in you that will lead you to live and to die as she did. If you were to die today, what would others be able to honestly say about your hungering and thirsting for God and his righteousness? When we live out the beatitude of Matthew 5:6, then we can die with the beatitude of Revelation 14:13: “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.” QUESTIONS FOR THOUGHT 1. How intense has your hunger and thirst for righteousness been over the past several months? How do you feel about your answer? 2. Do you have a plan for Quiet Times with God and are you carrying out those plans? 3. The Bible speaks of longing to be with God in eternity. How does this idea impact your heart? ACTION ITEMS Select two of your Christian friends who seem to have a real hunger and thirst for God and talk with them about what inspires them. ... See MoreSee Less

Living to Please God

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Forty Short but Powerful Devotionals on Christian Living Gordon and Theresa Ferguson have both been walking with God for a long time now, starting in their 20s and continuing into their 80s. Through m...

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The One Thing Christians Need to Stop Doing Right Now — by Michael Burns

Passing the Torch – Do We Have a Plan? By Daren Overstreet

Avoiding the Rabbit Hole – In 3 Parts

Which Political Party Should a Christian Choose? by Michael Burns

Passing the Torch: Let Them Dream! by Daren Overstreet

Passing the Torch: Are We Inspiring the Next Generation to Lead? by Daren Overstreet

Can You Come Out and Play? by Jim McCartney

A Revival of Hope in the Heart of a Black Woman

Another Adoption of Another Kind

Why Did My Savior Come to Earth?

I Have Lost My Faith! (in coincidences)

American Slavery and the Bible by Richard Rodriguez

The Theological Basis for Discipling Relationships

Regaining Our First Love

Matters of Conscience − A Deeper Look

Grace, the Holy Spirit and Heaven by Jim McCartney

The Fallacies of Popular End-Times Teaching

When is a Person Ready to be Baptized?

The Problem of Pain

Observations About ICOC 3.0 (And An Introduction to ICOC 3.00!)

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