The caravan is moving to a new site. This gives me a better opportunity to reach more readers and those who are interested in all things scriptural. The site, here at blogger, will still be operational as there is a lot of good content still on it. I won't be moving all of my articles over to the new site. Currently, I have moved my Conversions in Acts series over there. I've been at this site for 4 1/2 years and even though I don't have much in the way of followers, I've still maintained the motivation to keep writing these articles. I hope you will join me at the new site! The Caravan's New Home

  Who Am I? Part 4   Introduction I was born and raised in the denominations, “baptized” as an infant, and all that time I thought I was a Christian simply because I went to church and led a relatively good life. But when I sat down and actually studied with someone, I realized that I wasn’t a Christian; even though I was “baptized” as a baby. There was more to it than just a little sprinkling of water.   Obedience to God When I first moved out here to Arizona, I couldn’t believe the number of churches (denominations) that were in existence. I said to myself, “There is no way that all of these churches can be right.” Instead of looking for answers, I stopped going to church altogether. I didn’t understand that the bible had those answers. I assumed the bible was just another history book that covered information from Creation to the end of the first century more or less. In September, 2001 I obeyed the gospel and became a New Testament Christian. It wasn’t...

  Who Am I? Part 3   Introduction There are some in the religious world who view the bible in two ways. The Old Testament is a book of Law, and the New Testament is a book of Love. The latter, meaning that since the Old Law was taken out of the way and nailed to the cross (Col. 2:14), we aren’t under any sort of law even today. People will go one step further and state that God’s love is unconditional. We’ll look at both of these aspects and show, from scripture, that there is law and God’s love does come with conditions.   God’s Conditional Love in the Old Testament When you follow the story of Abraham (Gen. 12ff), to Isaac (Gen. 17ff), to Jacob (Gen. 25ff), to his 12 Sons, you know that God had plans for a special people; His chosen people. He gave them the law; initially the ten commandments and others as well (see Leviticus) as they were His chosen people because He loved them. It's not that He didn’t love the rest of creation, but He chose this speci...

  Who Am I? Part 2   Introduction Most of us should be familiar with the children’s song, Jesus Loves Me. The last line of the chorus is, The Bible tells me so. And this is how we know that God, and Jesus, loves us. We simply can’t assume based on the premise that since God exists, and created us, therefore He loves us. To understand it fully, we must go to God’s word.   The Things God has done for Us He Gave us a Place to Live— In Gen. 1, the creation chapter, we know that God loves us because He gave us a place to live. Air to breathe, food to grow and eat, animals for food and clothing, and the intelligence to care for ourselves. He Gave us a Soul— And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed (Genesis 2:7-8). The soul is what separates us from animals. We think, we reason, ...

  Who am I? Part 1   Introduction During the time of creation, in the book of Genesis, it is written, Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them (Genesis 1:26-27). This, of course, is what sets us apart from the rest of God’s creation. We are made in His image therefore was are the primary of all creation.   Not the Physical Form There are some who think that if we are made in God’s image than He must have had a (insert physical oddity); be it: big ears, large nose, huge hands, etc. But that’s not it. It’s the moral code that is part of our souls. Even those who claim to be atheists have a moral code. They understand right from wrong and won’t upset th...

  You might recall, late last year, I did a series on miracles. Today's bible article features the discussion of miracles; particularly snake-handling as referenced in Mk. 15:20. You can read the article by clicking HERE .

  Series Introduction   Introduction Have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror and asked the question, “Who am I?” You have a name, family, ethnic background, etc. But do you really know who you are? We’ll look at four aspects to answer this question, and I’ll be using myself as the example.   I Thought I knew As children, adults always ask the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” For most of us, our answer changes year by year. I, personally, wanted to be a professional baseball player but I don’t really like sports. In College, I wanted to be a computer programmer but I wasn’t very good at math; not to mention that I flunked out in two classes that were part of my major. While in college, I took an aptitude test that I should be in the television industry. I took the courses and then got a job with a local TV station, but it didn’t pan out in the long run. When I became a Christian in September 2001, that was when I realized who I ...

  Today is a guest article as I attempt to complete the beginning of my next article series. This article dates back to 1962 and has to do with the function of the church building, et al. Not everyone understands it sole use is for the assembly. The apostle Paul writes,   Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil;  for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Romans 14:16-17) Please enjoy this article when you click here .

  What is Your Life, Part 4   Introduction Remember during the cold, winter weather, you used to go outside and exhale just to see your breath? As children, it was always neat to see your own breath as it left your mouth. However, that breath is visible for only a brief moment, and then it disappears. Our life is quite similar to that image. James writes, Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away . Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” (James 4:13-15) This is a constant reminder that we only have a short time here on earth. Whether we live for 85 years or, even, 969 years, like Methuselah, it is still temporary.   The Magic Number I’ve posted this at least twice before, in other ar...

    Introduction In a previous article, we showed how Christians can be viewed as troublemakers . In this one, we’ll see how some view the gospel as unpleasant to the ears. When I first became a Christian, naturally, I tried to share the gospel with others, especially my co-workers. I remember one incident in which a group of them were sitting at a break table and one of the older members was telling a story. She said, something to the effect, of a deceased relative was sitting at the foot of her bed and smiling. After she finished, I tried to tell her it that it wasn’t true, citing scripture. At that very moment, the entire table cleared as they weren’t interested in what I had to say. It was as if the words, coming out of my mouth, carried a foul odor; a stench, if you will.   Sweet Smell or Foul Odor In Paul’s second letter to the church in Corinth he writes, For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are...

  What is Your Life? Part 3 Introduction Several years ago, someone turned the word, “Bible” into an acronym and it stands for: Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth. This couldn’t be a truer statement and I used it, once, for a sermon outline. Solomon wrote, Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, Before the difficult days come, And the years draw near when you say, “I have no pleasure in them” (Ecclesiastes 12:1). If we become a Christians at a young age, instead of waiting for retirement, we can utilize our life in preparation of eternity. At the conclusion of chapter 12 it states, Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man's all. For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). Keeping God’s commandments is what makes up the Christian. The more time we give ourselves, the more ready we will be for the Day of Judgment.   ...

    Introduction Certain people obtain a reputation, whether warranted or not, that when they walk into a room, someone would say, “Here comes trouble.” Sometimes it’s a child, who causes problems or creates a commotion constantly. Or it might just be an innocent child who has the look of mischief on their face. Then, there are those who see Christians as troublemakers as they want everything done by the book (God’s word) and seemingly disrupt the general flow of things or, what they’d call, the “balance of normalcy”. But, it’s usually because they want what’s best for people who’d rather be left alone. The scriptures gives us a few examples of God’s people who were deemed troublemakers.   O Troubler of Israel In 1 st Kings 18, we read the story known as the Mount Carmel Victory. Elijah, God’s prophet goes up against the 450 prophets of Baal in a contest of which god is the true one. In verse 17, when he comes to see King Ahab, the King’s response is, “Is tha...