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 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...

  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 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...

For most of this year (2022), we've been looking at the subject of The Afterlife. Here is a complete link list of all articles written about the subject. Bound For Eternity Series Yes, Viriginia, there is an Afterlife Do All Roads Lead to Heaven? There are Two Ways    Where do the Dead Live?   See You Tomorrow   Is Eternity Forever?   The Judgement: Our Day in Court Everlasting Too Late Things Not Found on Judgment Day There are No Unbelievers There are No Mistrials There is No Studying There are No Material Possessions   There are No Invitation Songs Things You Will Never do in Heaven Series Introduction You Turned on a Light Switch You Locked Your Doors You Took some Medicine You Visited a Sick Person You Saw an Elderly Person You Drove past a Cemetery You Shed a Tear You Faced a Temptation I hope you find this series of articles beneficial to your spiritual walk. If I can assist you further in the subjects or others, please comment below.

    Introduction As we head further into December, the thoughts of the Christmas season and the figure of Santa Claus becomes prevalent in people’s life. However, parents have a tendency to increase the abilities of Santa to Godlike proportions. On the flipside, some religious people see God as a Santa Claus when they are physically blessed with material goods and health. In this article, we’ll explore both sides of the same coin.   Is Santa Claus God? While some will deny they don’t see Santa as Godlike, you should be familiar with these lyrics from a well-known song: He sees you when you’re sleeping, He knows when you’re awake, He knows if you’ve been bad or good, So be good for goodness’ sake. First and foremost, do not lie to your children that Santa Claus is real. Just because it’s a holiday tradition does not make it acceptable to lie to them. Because once the truth is found out, and they will find out, you have no idea how it might scar them m...

  Miracles without Faith, part 4   Introduction I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “Dead men tell no tales”. The idea behind it is that a person takes their secrets to the grave. But suppose one who is dead still has powers in this world? Miraculous powers! An interesting event took place revolving around the Elisha the Prophet.   Brief History of Elisha the Prophet One of the challenges of God’s prophets was to stand for the truth and be willing to defend it to the death. Elijah, however, had a moment of distrust when his life hung in the balance following the Mount Carmel victory (1 Kg. 18:19ff). God finds him in a cave and tells him, “Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Syria. Also you shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel. And Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place.” (1 Kings 19:15-16) He also tells him that He has reserved 7...

    Introduction In the book of Genesis, we see, during creation, that everything was made according to its kind. In Gen. 1:11-12, Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. When Noah built the ark, he had to fill it with animals and they were according to its kind, On the very same day Noah and Noah's sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and Noah's wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark- they and every beast after its kind, all cattle after their kind, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, every bird of every sort (Genesis 7:13-14). With this in mind, we’ll at ...

    Introduction There is a well-known movie that follows the story of a “Faith Healer” and his entourage, going from town to town, preaching, teaching, and “healing” people. The whole of it is a huge scam and they show how these “miracles” are being done. At a pivotal moment in the film, an actual crippled boy; one befriended by the preacher, comes onstage to be healed. The preacher knows he’s a fraud and is unable to do it. Not sure what else to do, he points out the local sheriff in the audience; one who’s unto his fakery, and states that since this man lacks faith, the healing won’t happen. The scene concludes when the crippled boy does become healed but without the preacher’s help. As the movie closes, we see the preacher abandoned everything he built to go straight. In our previous series of articles, we’ve looked at miracles in scripture and the fact that they have ceased. Contrary to what some believe that they continue even today. These “Faith Healers” will ...

  Introduction As we enter the cooler months, the thought of the holidays is just around the corner. With it, comes celebrations of Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s. Some see Christmas as an excuse to go to worship. Not having been there since Easter, they know it’s almost time to go again. Prior to that, churches are organizing activities to encourage more people to attend instead of waiting for Christmas. But are those activities found in scripture?   Fall Festivals? Although the temperatures in the Midwest and Eastern Coast are considerably cooler, here in the desert, the temperature dips to under 100 and we rejoice. It allows “churches” to, once again, drag their festival-like stalls out of mothballs to sell donuts, ciders, candies, and all things Autumn. There are usually carnival games, rides, and of course (for Halloween) Trunk-or-Treat events. All of this is done as people consider the “church” to be a safe haven compared to the “evils” ...

    Introduction Since I became a Christian in September 2001, I’ve learned so much about the bible and the church. One of the more interesting ideas is that of a gospel meeting. A preacher, visiting from another congregation, in another state, comes in (usually for a week) and preaches a lesson every night. To some, this seems too much. To others, it seems not enough. Overall, it’s the opportunity to hear solid gospel preaching as much as possible. However, when finances become tight, an in-house gospel meeting will solve both problems quickly.   The Purpose of a Gospel Meeting Back in the early days of the church, a gospel meeting gave members of a local congregation the opportunity to bring non-Christian friends, family members, and co-workers to hear a lesson preached. Oftentimes, they’ll refuse to attend on Sunday due to work or other commitments. With a meeting being nightly, through the week, it is hoped that they would have at least one free night to...