Mineral Springs Church of Christ Podcast

David Blevins of Ottawa, Kansas, tells listeners that so many miracles surrounded no other event as much as that of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. This event's magnitude was marked by six miracles as well as two miracles that were requested but refused by Jesus culminating in the greatest miracle of all: the resurrection of Christ. It was in these signs (miracles) that God's presence i...

Ken Dye tells the story of a poor little boy who really wanted to see a circus. He begged his father to get to go, and the father finally agreed he could if he finished his chores first. After finishing his chores, the father gave him a crumpled dollar bill and sent him on his way.  As the little boy drew near the town, he heard the band, and his excitement grew. He came to Main Street, and he saw...

Have you noticed that as we have more opportunities for connection, we are becoming more and more disconnected? Matt Carter reminds listeners that as God's people, we represent a living example of connection. We are united. We are one. The Bible doesn't say become one. It says we are one.! As such, we must clothe ourselves from God's closet. We are to put on compassion, kindness, hu...

Sight is complicated! Not only does it involve physical eyes, but it also involves background knowledge and context. We don't all see the same things in the same way, and we don't always understand what we are seeing. Kraig Martin of Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas, discusses Jesus' healing of two blind men as recorded in the gospel of Mark to help listeners understand the nu...

Jewish Christians had a problem. They found it hard to let go of the old covenant and fully embrace the new covenant instituted by Jesus. They likely wondered why they should they abandon the old covenant they had been raised with, that their ancestors had followed for centuries. Brent Franks of Antlers, Oklahoma, explains that God had a plan for the first covenant, and it had a fulfilment; it end...

Stephen Morris of North Little Rock uses facts about trees in a forest to illustrate the importance of human relationships. Though we may not have thought about it, trees in a forest do not live as individuals. They are interconnected with other trees and plant life found in the forest. In fact, trees will not thrive if the other supporting trees and plants are removed. We are not trees, but we ha...

What is the Bible, and what should we do with it? Dale Manor, professor of archaeology at Harding University explores these questions in his sermon. While the Bible doesn't answer all the questions we might have, it does answer the essentials. Where did I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going? How do I get there? Given its importance, we need to consider how we approach the Bible and how...

This is the time of year when the world celebrates the birth of Jesus. It is a reason to celebrate, but Mike Ireland of Searcy, Arkansas, tells listeners that there is much more we can learn about God by examining the birth of Jesus. We learn how far God was willing to go to humble himself for us, allowing Jesus to be born in the most humiliating of circumstances. We also learn how much God wants...

It is clear that living in this world involves suffering. We have been justified, and the hope of glory is within us. We've been crowned with glory, but the crown has been tarnished by sin, and sin's consequences cause suffering. We are to rejoice in our suffering (Phil. 3:10-11) to share in the suffering of Jesus. Suffering results in one of two possibilities. The danger is that we beco...

Lee Henson of Russellville, Arkansas, uses James 2 to challenge listeners to examine themselves to determine the status of their faith. Is it a faith of action, or is it mental faith?  If all we do at church is make ourselves feel good about our faith, we've done nothing. James tells us that faith without works is dead. We have opportunities every day to practice our faith. God has created us...

Harding professor Kraig Martin says we have to become the kind of people whose gratitude is as natural as breathing. We often have trouble being grateful because we have deep anger because of something that we want that we're not getting. Anger and resentment are poisons that destroy the vessel in which they are stored. When we hang on to entitlements, we'll become bitter and angry, but...

We are obsessed with words. We listen to political and sports talk shows and call them entertainment. People sometimes stay on hold for more than an hour just to get their chance to voice their opinions to the listening audience. Studies show that we typically hear 20,000-30,000 words a day. On average, that's about 175,000 words a week and more than nine million words a year! Though we proba...

Life is stressful. World and local disasters stress us. Illnesses stress us. Facebook posts and comments stress us. Traffic stresses us. Every day adds to the stress we feel. Being a Christian doesn't lessen our stress levels. As Christians, we have to learn how to deal with the stress. Matt Carter, Director of Admissions at Harding University, shares scriptural help for dealing with the stre...

It's amazing how contemporary the Bible stays. It speaks to every generation. Gary Jackson of Searcy, Arkansas, leads listeners through the Beatitudes in Matthew 5 to remind us of the inside out, upside down focus of Jesus' kingdom. Having Jesus in mind while reading the Beatitudes reminds readers that our worldview and God's worldview are at odds. What we value, God hates. Jesus sh...

What does it mean to be king? Kraig Martin, a professor at Harding University, say that in worldly terminology, we may think of someone who is in total control of a region, one who is all powerful, whose word is law. A king lords his authority over his subjects. Jesus, however, reveals that His kingdom doesn't work that way. In Mark 10: 42-44, Jesus says, “You know that those who are regarded...

Have you been broken like Humpty Dumpty? Do you feel that not even "all the king's horses and all the king's men" can put you back together again? Beginning with Jeremiah 30:17, Willie Williams of The Colony Church of Christ in The Colony, Texas, assures listeners that God can restore what people cannot. You may feel like you've lost, but God will not leave you alone. God...

No one wants to suffer, yet Mike Ireland of Searcy, Arkansas, points out in his sermon that there are good things that can come from suffering. Our suffering can help us release our grip on this world. We learn that people are more important than things. It can make us more useful to others, and our suffering can deepen our fellowship with God. We give meaning to our suffering through our response...

We've experienced a lot of changes in our world since the beginning of the Pandemic in 2020. Life has been anything but what we would consider normal, but John Phillips of the Pinnacle Church of Christ in Little Rock assures listeners that there is a way to handle the new normal. He reminds listeners that God's way is always forward. We can't go back, but there are three realization...

Have you ever been hated? How did that feel? Christ knew what it was to be hated, and those who  live the Christian life must know that they will experience rejection. Christians must be willing to accept their death to this world before they can know the power of the resurrection, dying to the way they think things ought to be. Journeys aren't always what people expect. Sometimes they have t...

Our faithfulness is determined by how we live life day to day. Lee Henson uses Romans 8 and verses from Ezra to show us what a life walked in and by the Spirit will look like. How will we be remembered? It probably will not be by some great thing we've done but by the simple everyday practices that impacted others day by day.  **Note - The audio did not record correctly at the beginning of th...

Kelly Neill, a professor at Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas, addresses anxiety and worry using the words of Jesus recorded in Matthew 6. Neill reminds us that Jesus directs our attention to the birds and to the flowers and the care that God provides for them then tells us that since we are worth much more than flowers or birds, we can count on God to take care of us. God does not take care...

Harding University professor Kraig Martin uses the story of Hannah in the book of first Samuel to illustrate the way we can find true joy in our lives. First and foremost, he says, is to remove idols from our lives, whatever they may be. He goes on to contrast Hannah's approach to God with Eli's. Their approaches were different, and their outcomes were as well. Hannah's outcome was...

Dustin Finch of Jonesboro, Arkansas, reminds listeners of their place in God's story by outlining the story from the beginning until today to show the evolution of God's kingdom, God's plan for His people. Finch begins with the creation of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden showing the pattern of the kingdom. Adam and Eve's sin results in the the perished kingdom. With Abraham...

God told Abraham to leave his country and most of his family and travel to a place he didn't know. He made promises to bless Abraham, telling him He would make of him a great nation. Abraham moved forward by faith, waiting 25 years before the promise of a child was fulfilled. Willie Williams III, minister at the North Colony Church of Christ in The Colony, Texas, says the first step is the ha...

Jerrie Barber of Nashville, Tennessee, encourages listeners to do what they can with what they have where they are. Using the text of Mark 14 that tells of the criticism a woman receives for anointing Jesus with an expensive perfume, Barber reminds the audience that Jesus quieted the critics and told them, "She did what she could do." She did what she could do with what she had where she...