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By: Gary L. Hutchens After the battles to conquer the promised land had been fought and won, Joshua gathered the people of Israel together at Shechem and addressed them (Josh. 24:1-2). During his discourse to them he admonished, “And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the river, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Josh. 24:15). Joshua could have worded it differently: “make a choice,” “make up your mind,” “ make a commitment,” “take a stand…” Whatever the expression, his point to them was simple. They had to “choose.”
(Edited; Author Unknown) There was once a daughter who complained to her father about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of all the fighting and struggling. It seemed as though, in solving one problem, two more would arise.
By: Gary L. Hutchens OK, here we are gradually coming out of the strangest time and set of circumstances any of us has ever experienced. The question is, “What Did We Learn From It?” Throughout life in this world we’re confronted with situations that challenge us in any number of ways. If we’re wise, in every case we’ll learn something that will equip us to deal better with that kind of situation in the future, should it ever occur again.
By: Gary Hutchens How many times have you heard the statement, “Freedom isn’t free!”? It’s a statement meant to impress upon us the fact that the freedoms associated with living in this country, freedoms we hold so dear, did not come cheap. Those freedoms cost the dedication, commitment and a great many lives of people who went before us to secure and insure them, not only for themselves but also for all of us who have come along later.
by: Gary L. Hutchens We are presently engaged in a deadly war. Many people might relate to that statement from the perspective of the Covid19 pandemic the world is presently struggling through. The virus has been described as an invisible enemy. While an apt representation, this pandemic is a secondary war being fought in the background of a far greater, more deadly war, a war for our very souls against a much more formidable invisible enemy. We’re engaged in spiritual warfare right now against the devil himself!
by: Gary L. Hutchens Whom do we look up to? Most everyone looks up to somebody as a role model, an individual that exemplifies particular characteristics or accomplishments which they would like to emulate. We need to be careful who we look to as role models, and why we see them as such. Fathers should dedicate themselves to be the primary role model of integrity and manhood for their children.
by: Gary L. Hutchens The devil is our deadliest and most committed enemy. The Apostle Peter described him as our “adversary” (enemy) walking about “like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Pet. 5:8). In the face of such an enemy Peter instructed us to be “sober” (under control) and “vigilant” (watchful, alert, aware, on guard).
by: Gary L. Hutchens It has been twelve weeks since the Sunny Slope family has had the opportunity to fully come together to worship God inside the church building. Probably, not a one of us ever dreamed of such a reality. The Covid19 pandemic has effectively kept most of us apart for almost three months.
by: Gary L. Hutchens Are you happy? What would make you happy? There’s a lot of talk about happiness. The appearance is that a great many people are unhappy with their lives. While many tell us we need to be happy, we need to go out and find happiness, they seem rather shallow in their analysis of what happiness really is and how to be happy.
by: Gary L. Hutchens Our culture is obsessed with materialism. Another way of putting it is we are consumed by the never ending drive to possess more and more things! A part of that obsession is the mindset that acquiring those things- fancy clothes with the right labels, a new car, a bigger house, a huge flat screen high-def television, the newest game system, the latest smokin’ hot electronic gadgetry…- will bring us happiness and a sense of fulfillment. The happiness, however, proves to be hollow and fleeting, and of course all of those things have to be paid for, a reality that tends to further diminish the fulfillment we thought having them would bring. We’ll never find lasting contentment in the possession of things.
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