Nov 02
Why do you worship God? Do you worship from a sense of duty? We should feel a duty to worship God, after all Jesus said, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve” (Mat. 4:10). It should eat away at our conscience when we fail at our obligation to worship, …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.joshketchum.com/the-difference-in-duty-and-joy/
Oct 18
Today, Wednesday, October 18th is Seven Oak’s day of prayer and fasting. We have done this several times over my 14 years with this congregation. It was first started when we were involved in a new building project.back in 2005. We did it every year for a number of years. Then we stopped it for …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.joshketchum.com/our-churchs-day-of-prayer-and-fasting/
Sep 28
Mrs. Ruby Sanders, a sweet widow at Seven Oaks, gave me an old bulletin from 7th and College (the location and preceding name of our church). It was dated Dec. 9, 1962 (almost 55 years ago). I am sure she had kept it because it announced her marriage to Laddie Sanders. I enjoyed reading it …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.joshketchum.com/thoughts-from-a-55-year-old-bulletin/
Aug 16
The so-called Great American Total Solar Eclipse will darken the skies across the continent on August 21st. This is the first time in 99 years a solar eclipse has covered the continent of America. Here in Western Kentucky we are blessed to be in the “path of totality” that will travel across the U.S. A …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.joshketchum.com/how-we-can-eclipse-the-son/
Aug 15
It had been five years. Yet, when we returned it seemed like we had never left. I held a Gospel Meeting with the Roan’s Creek Church of Christ in Clarksburg, Tennessee. My whole family got to attend the meeting. It was a wonderful week for us. The Roan’s Creek church traces its history back to …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.joshketchum.com/our-trip-back-to-roans-creek/
Jul 12
On Saturday evening July 9th, 10 people had been pulled 100 yards off the shore of Panama City Beach. A riptide had separated these individuals from the shore and was threatening them with drowning. Some of the ten were adults who had gone trying to rescue two young boys and got pulled into the riptide …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.joshketchum.com/how-the-church-should-be-a-human-chain/
Jul 02
Lewis is a six months old Barbados Blackbelly sheep on our farm. His mother died when he was born. We bottle-fed Lewis for the first two months of his life. Lewis had a twin brother named Clark, who sadly died unexpectedly at about a month old. Lewis is strong and healthy. But he has …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.joshketchum.com/lewis-the-lamb-fearful-of-sheep/
Jun 01
The Bible speaks often about shepherds. God is the Shepherd of Israel, who is the flock of His pasture (Ps. 23; 95). Jesus describes himself as the “good shepherd” who knows his sheep and leads them to an abundant life (John 10). Elders or overseers of the church are described in the New Testament as …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.joshketchum.com/have-we-turned-shepherds-into-fences/
Mar 30
Most folks don’t think of themselves as holy. It is too much of a pure and sacred term for us sinful humans. But God calls us to be holy in word and deed.¹ We are made holy through the cleansing blood of Jesus. The term holy involves being distinctive and set apart from the world …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.joshketchum.com/a-relationship-with-god-changes-everything/
Mar 03
People love the cross; and well we should! The cross is our only hope for boasting and pride!¹ It is through the cross of Christ that we are saved. It is that old rugged cross that held the Savior of the world between heaven and earth to reconcile us back to God. But sadly many …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.joshketchum.com/why-you-cant-love-the-cross-and-reject-the-church/
