Monthly Archives: November 2025

Easy Bridge

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I spent two hours with a man who was doing some work for us. As we talked, he shared his story with me. He grew up attending church with his family. The church had a band. As a young teen he learned to play the electric bass for the church band and along with that to love contemporary Christian music. A high school buddy had a small rock band and invited him to join. He told him that his dad wouldn’t agree to it. His friend suggested he lie about it, which he did. He ended up playing with the group for ten years, loving the music and the culture that went with it. He is covered with tattoos and had large plugs/gauges in his ear lobes. He now regrets all of that and is in the costly process of removing them. “Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD” (Leviticus 19:28).

Contemporary Christian music is, in general, a bridge to the world’s music and the life that goes with it. What the world’s music and its stars promote is easily embraced.

“But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:15-16).

What a Gift

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What might be the best and most precious gift that your children could give you, Dad, this Christmas (or at any time)? It’s worth is beyond measure, and yet they could still afford it. Sadly, it is most often given to their friends. It’s possible they never considered it a gift you would want if you haven’t expressed or shown interest in it. There are some dads who wouldn’t want it because they wouldn’t want what comes with it. 

“My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways” (Proverbs 23:26). The dad in Proverbs is asking for his son’s heart This is asking for the center of the child’s emotions and desires and that the son would be willing to follow the dad’s example. But, Dad, oh, the responsibility you bear. Is your life one that is worthy of your son’s following? It is one thing for us to think it, but would the Lord Jesus agree? Of course no dad is perfect, but have you set your heart and mind on things above with Christ? Do you love the Word and are you seeking to live it? “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:1-2).

Oh, to love our children and the Lord Jesus, others, and to love NOT the things of the world. (1 John 2:15) That is where the joy is my brothers. 

Sadly Common

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He rang the doorbell and introduced himself as selling fantastic steaks to my neighbor and wondered if I was interested in some. Then he called me, “Brother.” A bit surprised, I asked him what he meant by that. He said everyone is a brother in Christ. I asked him how that happens—how is someone saved and brought into a relationship with Christ. Seeming a bit uncomfortable, he had no answer other than he was baptized as a Catholic. Then, more recently he related to me that a friend prayed for him while they stood in a circle holding hands. He broke out in goose bumps and was sweating and knew at that point he was saved. 

Gently, I summarized with him the following verses:

  • “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:8-10). 
  • “And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15) 
  • “… how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3b-4). 

If you think of it, please pray for Billy. He also has pretty serious cancer. 

I plead with you, know that you know, and that what you know agrees with Scripture. 

A Grateful or Murmuring Woman?

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I want to be more thankful. It is easy for my thoughts to be stuck on problems, difficulties, unhappiness, or inconveniences rather than turning those into opportunities for gratitude. When my back hurts, rather than feel sorry for myself, a thankful heart is grateful for all I can do despite chronic back pain. When the day seems extra busy, rather than stress about it, a thankful heart praises God for each thing He sets before me to do. When a family member disappoints me, a thankful heart praises God for that loved one rather than allowing bitterness to creep in.

A thankful heart focuses on the positive and all that God is, does, and gives in our lives while an ungrateful one complains, seeing the negative. A thankful heart puts our minds on things above while ingratitude keeps them on ourselves and often grumbles in the process. 

Consider the following two verses:

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. 1 Corinthians 10:10

What do you see in the verses? There appears to be a huge contrast between thanksgiving and being in the will of God versus murmuring, the opposite of thanksgiving, that leads to destruction. Who do you want to be? I sure know the one I choose. Don’t we as Christian women desire God’s will in our lives? He tells us to give thanks in every thing. On the other hand, we can be complainers, and those who chose that in the Old Testament account were destroyed. 

Then there is a convicting and concerning verse in Romans about being thankful. It goes like this: “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened” (Romans 1:21). 

Dear Sisters, I believe this is serious, very serious, and I rebuke myself with it as well. We know God, so we must glorify Him as God – continually – and be thankful. When we aren’t thankful, we are complaining against the God of the Universe, and the One Who allows us to call Him, Abba Father. It is pride that takes us down that bad murmuring path, and the outcome is disastrous.

We don’t think of it in those terms, though. We justify and excuse our ingratitude and complaints, if we even consider that we don’t have a thankful heart and should. Maybe we think the complaint is just expressing truth and the way things are. We might deceive ourselves by saying the complaint is not a big deal and doesn’t really matter after all. Or we could say we aren’t ungrateful or complaining, but we are just pointing out areas that need to change (and that could be true and needed sometimes).  

Not only does gratitude keep our thoughts in the right place, but it makes us more pleasant people to live with. You may not even be aware of how depressing negativism is, with lack of thankfulness, to those around it. Don’t you want to bring smiles to your family? 

As we enter a month where we have a national holiday dedicated to thanksgiving, may we as believers be reminded again of the importance of thanksgiving every moment of every day. Challenge yourself to have grateful thoughts in your mind and when ingratitude enters, ask the Lord to help you turn it around.

Here are just a few more verses to help us keep this in the forefront of our minds.

“Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” ( Ephesians 5:20).

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” (Philippians 4:6).

“Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving” (Colossians 4:2).

Trusting Jesus,
Teri Maxwell 

What a Friend

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Life is full of difficult decisions or at least should be. The easy decisions seldom deepen our walk with Christ. An example of such is your ole buddy that you grew up with. Oh what fun times you had together. Now with marriage and a full-time job and more responsibilities you can’t spend as much time with him as you’d like to. After coming to Christ you have realized, not only doesn’t he encourage you in your walk with Christ, but he often pulls your heart away from Him. The things he says can make you want to do what your buddy is doing and gives you a feeling of discontent for life in Christ. How can it be that he often has the best things to do with you on Sunday? Certainly one reason is he cares nothing for the things of our God. 

Eventually, you will become like him or realize your friendship with him has to go in the trash. But how long and at what cost will it take for you to come to that decision? The world isn’t going to sever it’s affair with popular media, will you? “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world” (1 John 2:15-16).