By: Mike Riley

 Ok folks, clear your calendars because a very important event is coming up for which you want to be prepared. I’m not talking about Easter, Labor Day, the 4th of July, Thanksgiving, or even Christmas. No, it’s nobody’s birthday either. However, I think you will want to be ready for this because an event like this only occurs once every thousand years or so. Oh, you want to know what’s going to happen that day? Scientists estimate that on that day, a meteor about 1/3 of a mile in diameter will come close enough to Earth so that you can see it passing by overhead in the sky.

By: Mike Riley

Have you ever finished a good book wishing there was more to the story? Have you ever watched a movie leaving the theater unsatisfied? Perhaps after a good meal you’ve wished there were more to come. Such things provide us with momentary pleasure, but our desire for more belies our unhappiness. Why are we so unhappy in our society today? We are the most prosperous nation on the earth yet one out of every four individuals in our nation is depressed in some way. What are we doing wrong? Are we confusing pleasure with happiness? Many feel that their happiness rests upon having one pleasurable moment after another. They reason that they simply aren’t happy unless each moment is filled with pleasure. We need to stop thinking this way and look at happiness differently. Happiness does not depend merely on having pleasurable moments, but rather, on whether we are content or satisfied with the moments that come our way. In other words, I don’t have to feel pleasure from something in order to be happy. Is this a strange concept to you?

By: Mike Riley

 A querist asks, “What do you consider a hindrance to spiritual growth?” One hindrance to spiritual growth would have to be the problem of neglect (see Hebrews 2:3). It’s been said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and there’s more truth to that saying than we might realize. Because of the fast pace many of us experience in today’s society, it’s very easy to become careless in leaving undone the proper study of God’s word, praying in behalf of others, visiting the sick, or any number of other spiritual priorities that might be considered. In Hebrews 2:3, the Hebrew writer says that if no “transgression and disobedience” went by unaccounted for under the Mosaic law delivered by angels; and since the Lord’s message deserves more respect than the message of angels, what hope is there for those of us who would neglect “so great salvation” under the New Testament law of Christ? To ask the question is to answer it.

By: Mike Riley

 The following is a story of nature demonstrating the fact that struggles are a necessary part of growth and development for the Christian in this life. God places these struggles (or trials) before us to prepare us for that perfect home in heaven with Him.

The Man and The Cocoon