Apr 22
Who are you? Who do you worship? Are those questions related? I would say the second question directly shapes and creates the answer to the first! You become like what you worship! James Michener writing in his book, The Source, tells the story of a man named Urbaal, who was a farmer living about 2200 …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.joshketchum.com/who-do-you-worship/
Apr 15
I have been working on my tiller this week. We have mowed the yard a couple of times already. Spring is here! Trees and flowers are bursting forth with new life. Gardens are being turned. Farmers are preparing fields. It is that time of year! It is also the time of year for school picnics, …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.joshketchum.com/quarantine-season/
Apr 08
We have returned to wartime eras where the evening news offers grim death counts. The coronavirus pandemic has brought death to the forefront of our nations conscious. The virus has halted our nation because of its power to cause death; it is not the fever or cough that frightens us–it is the possibility of death! …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.joshketchum.com/christs-victory-over-death/
Apr 01
This crisis has shown me the fragility of the world. A small microscopic bug has torn down many permanent fixtures. In a short amount of time businesses are threatened, sports has been put on hold, and fear has swept across our nation. Israel endured many such times throughout the Old Testament. They endured persecution, disease, …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.joshketchum.com/steadfast-love-of-the-lord/
Mar 24
We live in anxious times. We live in depressing times. We need social interaction and encouragement, yet many are confined to isolation. Fear is thriving. The Apostle Paul could relate to our anxieties. He suffered shipwrecks, imprisonments, countless beatings with whips and rods, vicious attacks from enemies, hunger, exposure to harsh weather. Upon top of …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.joshketchum.com/keeping-anxiety-from-ruling-our-hearts/
Mar 13
Fear! The uncertainty of the unknown is causing hysteria across our nation in response to the coronavirus. We are canceling annual sporting events that involve millions of dollars because of fear related to public safety. The stock market is crashing. Schools are being dismissed. Toilet paper and cleaning supplies are in high demand. What is …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.joshketchum.com/what-to-do-when-the-world-is-in-a-panic/
Mar 10
We are programmed to need an appropriate challenge. We need a habit, skill, or knowledge to be just a little more challenging that our current abilities to inspire us. For example, if you want to play tennis you need to find someone who is close to your same skill level. Playing against a tennis pro …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.joshketchum.com/choosing-your-correct-bible-level/
Feb 27
Every church struggles to get and keep volunteers. In most churches it goes something like this: Announce from the pulpit and run in the bulletin for a couple of weeks with no results. Finally an announcement from an elder or preacher shaming–begging–guilting someone into volunteering for the job gets someone. Yet, the church depends upon …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.joshketchum.com/shoulder-tapping-the-way-to-get-more-workers/
Feb 20
Most people have heard of the gospel of Luke, it is one of the four gospels which tells the story of Jesus in the New Testament. It’s author, Luke, also wrote the New Testament book of Acts of the Apostles which tells the early history of the church. We have read his words often, but …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.joshketchum.com/who-was-luke/
Feb 05
Was God just having a bad day when he broke out against Uzzah striking him dead for touching the ark when it was tipping over? Critics accuse God of having capricious anger. Modern Christians are perplexed at this story; often ascribing these actions to an Old Testament version of God reacting out of wrath and …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.joshketchum.com/why-did-god-strike-uzzah/
