Recommended bulletin inserts
for August

Who of us has not looked at a child of ours and said, "Unless the Lord does something with that temper, this kid is headed for the penitentiary?"

But God has done something. He has given your child parents.

This is for the parent who already affirms the value and appropriateness of using the rod of correction, and who understands the word "rod" in certain places in the Bible to be a literal paddle of some sort. For parents in this category, in a typically anti-spanking world, I hope to provide a few answers to the question, "Why do you spank your children?"

In my view there are three reasons:

Are you the kind of church member who makes your pastor's ministry a joy? (Hebrews 13:17) Do you esteem in love the pastors that God has put over you? (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13) Do you honor those elders who "work hard at preaching and teaching?" (1 Timothy 5:17) At this moment, are you walking in the truth, and thus causing your pastor to rejoice? (3 John 4)

Any way you look at it, the poet William Cowper (pronounced "Cooper") had a difficult life. His mother and five siblings died by the time William was six years old. He was sent to a boarding school where an older student abused him. As an adult he battled delusions and depression. And although he never recorded a single doubt about the character of God or the effectiveness of Christ's sacrifice on the cross as propitiation of sin, he spent years wavering in the assurance of his own salvation.

But Cowper was blessed with friends. From childhood until his death, Cowper was surrounded with people who came alongside him to offer encouragement and support. Some were wiser than others, but we can learn about friendship from all of them.

Seven Laws of the Race

The motif of the Olympic race was dear to the Apostle Paul. Did he sit in the stands in Athens or Corinth? Perhaps so. Regardless, parallels between "the games" and the believer's race in life were often on his mind. He (along with the author of Hebrews) gives us seven laws for running the race.

Also consider...........

• Is it OK for Christians to Cuss?
  
  
• Now that Vacation Bible School is Over . . .
  
  
• The Mysterious Ways of God in the Life of Emily Chubbuck
  
  
• The Abiding Life
  
  
• Adoniram Judson:Free Thinker Set Free
  
  
• Hit by the Pitch
  
  
• Isaac Watts - Rejected Suitor
  
  
• A Legacy of Faithfulness
  
  
• Seven Laws of the Race
  
  
• How to Become Radio-Active
  
  
• Waiting for Unexpected Appointments
  
  
• Your Best Life . . . Later
  
  
• The Likes of Danni Lites
  
  
• Our Gospel Seed
  
  
• The Hardest Change So Far