Devotional – Church on the Bluff

He is still on His throne,

Posted on Sep 15, 2022 in General |

Is America a Christian nation? That’s an easy question to answer: yes and no. Yes, there is no doubt
that the Pilgrims came over to the New World to escape persecution from the state-run religion of
England. If you read the charters of the newly formed states you will find, not only references to God,
but also to Christianity.

Positive Direction

Posted on Sep 8, 2022 in General |

I’m feeling so very positive about the direction of the church. I know that the Coronavirus epidemic is
not quite over and we still have a ways to go before we are back to “normal”, but all around me I see
positive attitudes and a willingness to work. The recent Church Council yearly planning meeting and the
Sunshiners organizational meeting both went well and showed me that people want to get some
activities up and running. The Nominating Committee has received very encouraging responses for
workers (though we still need some pre-school workers). All-in-all, things are looking up! Thank you for
your enthusiasm.

Division

Posted on Sep 1, 2022 in General |

In the current political division, where do Christians stand? That’s a tough question. It really depends
on where one stands on certain issues. I’m going to divide issues into two broad categories: Moral and
economic (though these categories do overlap at times). Let’s look at a couple of moral issues first.
Abortion, homosexualism, transgenderism, and racism are a few of the issues that divide us. I would say
that none of those things have a place in a Christian heart. The Bible shows none of them to be a part of
God’s character and purpose. To affirm any or all of them does disservice to the true picture of the God
that the Bible reveals.

Force

Posted on Aug 28, 2022 in General |

I saw a lady on the news berating Christians by saying that they shouldn’t try to “force their
views” on people. She was speaking of politics. What exactly does that mean? Is that a valid
argument in the political arena? Should we, as Christians, separate our Christian beliefs, our
conservative morals brought on by our beliefs, or our desire to live out our Christian lifestyles
from the way we vote?

Lottery

Posted on Aug 18, 2022 in General |

There is always a lot of talk surrounding legalized gambling in our state. The last “Mega Millions”
jackpot paid out over one billion, four hundred million dollars. That’s quite a lot of money, isn’t it? Prior
to the drawing a couple of reporters interviewed folks from Alabama who drove to Georgia to purchase
tickets because gambling is illegal in Alabama. As is predictable, each one interviewed expressed the
sentiment that we should legalize the lottery in our state. But should we?

Marriage

Posted on Aug 11, 2022 in General |

I recently mentioned that marriage was now seen strictly as a “mutually beneficial legal contract”. I
suppose that many, if not most, people have always viewed it as just that: A contract. As I mentioned in
that sermon, Jesus said that marriage was a spiritual thing. “…and the two will become one flesh”
(Matthew 19:5). That is spiritual…and that makes a difference!

10 Commandments

Posted on Aug 4, 2022 in General |

When God gave the Hebrew people the famed “Ten Commandments” it was a really big deal. When we read
them from a “civilized mindset” it seems like such a no-brainer. Love God, don’t kill or steal…what’s so great
about that? Isn’t that just common sense? Well…no. Not then.

WorldView

Posted on Jul 28, 2022 in General |

Do you have a Biblical worldview? Our worldview has been defined as: A comprehensive framework of beliefs that helps us to interpret what we see and experience and also gives us direction in the choices that we make as we live out our days”. A Biblical worldview, then, would use the Bible as that “comprehensive framework of beliefs”.

Family

Posted on Apr 6, 2022 in General |

I’m writing this on my first day back from a wonderful vacation. As with most vacations, I was eager to get back home. Well, “eager” may not be the best word. But I was ready to be home and hang out at the house, too. I needed to cut the grass, check on my bees, and other general activities. I even marked off an item from my “honey-do list”! It was good to be home.

When I used the word “home”, I used it in the sense of the structure in which I live. My house and land. In that sense, home reflects security and familiarity. But a true home is more than that. I can recall at least five different houses in which my maternal grandmother lived in the small town of Leeds. While I don’t not recall a whole lot about her I always enjoyed going to her house…whichever one she was living in. Why? Because she made it a home.

Home doesn’t just mean a house. It is an area, also, and most importantly it is people; family. And that includes church family. When we got back home, we didn’t just get back to our dwelling, we got back to our family. So, yes, I was ready to come home. I was ready to be at church. I was ready to be with all my family!

Bro. Tony

Walking Distance

Posted on Nov 30, 2021 in General |

Walking distance. What does that mean, exactly? I saw an advertisement for a condo in Gulf Shores that claimed it was within “walking distance” to the beach. After studying the photos, it looked like the condo was about a quarter of a mile from the beach…across a busy road. “Walking distance” varies according to a persons age, stamina, and strength. In other words, your walking distance may not be my walking distance!

That’s understandable. However, our culture….our society….tries to do the same thing with “truth”. I’ve heard it said much too often that someone should live out “their truth” as if their truth can be different than my truth. Truth doesn’t work like that. Truth has definition and boundaries. Truth is fact and fact doesn’t change according to the whims of a fallen world.

That is one of the main reason people have such disdain for the Bible. The Bible reveals truth. The hard core, unchanging truth of God’s character and purpose. It reveals right and wrong, good and bad, darkness and light. It is the same truth for all ages of history. If every generation could simply re-write the Bible according to current thought and desires, it would be totally worthless.

The Word of God is unchanging. It reveals actual unchanging truth. My feelings about it do not matter and your feelings do not matter. In fact, we are to change the way we feel about things to mirror God’s truth. Not the other way around. That’s the way it works and that is why we are forbidden to use the Bible in public discourse and decision making: it tells us the truth and the last thing a wayward nation wants to hear is the truth.

Bro. Tony