Judging

In Revelation 22:18-19, the Apostle John gives a stern warning about changing his writings; it’s the “go-to” passage about altering God’s Word. Though preaching professor Dr. Fred Craddock was familiar with this passage, it still didn’t stop him from “tweaking” one of Jesus’ stories to make a point.

It proved to be a memorable experience….

Ask church people about their image in the community and they’re likely to reference “hospitals for the sick” or “lighthouses for lost.” Let’s face it; that’s how we like to see ourselves.

But one prostitute in Chicago has a completely different take on Christians and the Church.

From their quiet kitchen nook, Mr. and Mrs. Caplin spent several consecutive days watching a young family move into the house behind their own. The elderly couple liked what they saw in their new neighbors; Mr. Caplin admired the younger family’s work ethic while Mrs. Caplin approved of their frugality represented by the clothesline they’d strung between two trees.

But it wasn’t long before that same clothesline became a source of serious discontentment.