S.D. Smith

Think about the times when people told you that God led them to make certain life choices? Did you readily accept their decisions because God told them ? Perhaps you had reservations but kept silent because you did not wish to discourage them from listening to God. Maybe their successful outcomes made it easier to believe that God guided them. Regardless of your response, did the additional detail of God driving that person toward a decision increase your faith in God? Ther

A disturbing story was reported this month by RTV6 out of Indianapolis . The news station shared that an elementary teacher from Indiana had warned a group of students not to use the words, "God, Jesus, and Devil" at school. After overhearing the group discuss these topics on a subsequent day, the teacher sent a letter home with the students informing the parents that their children were not to use these words at school. The teacher's letter communicates a belief that convers

Be ready was the theme growing up. The Rapture could happen at any moment and if you have unrepented sin in your life, you will get left behind and suffer through the Great Tribulation for seven years... or so I was told. I grew up fascinated by the prophecies that I was taught pointed to end-times events. I bought the Prophecy Study Bible by Tim LaHaye and dove into it headfirst, but the more I read his comments, the more questions I had. This conflict disturbed me, so I did

The word scripture is defined as the sacred writings of a religion and is most specifically used to define the writings of Christianity contained in the Bible. However, my own upbringing in the church, and possibly yours as well, has brought about a slightly more specific definition in my mind. I was raised to believe that the Bible, in its entirety, is Scripture – with a capital S – because it is the inspired and infallible Word of God . As I study the Bible and its histor

According to the Pew Research Center , 70.6% of United States residents are aliens. This is no joke. You have aliens living all around you, and, chances are, you are one as well! We should not be surprised by this statistic. After all, the apostle Peter addressed his letter, known as 1 Peter, to aliens. I encourage you to read and analyze chapter one with me. “To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen according to

An honorable event occurred last week for my father, Dale Smith, in which he received due recognition for superior performance. He did not obtain this credit for winning the lottery, winning a lawsuit, or winning first place on The Voice. His grand achievement was driving a semi-truck for Walmart for 3,000,000 miles accident free! Anyone who has driven a car that far, accident free, is to be congratulated, but to perform this amazing feat in an 18-wheeler is rare. In fact, he

Have you ever caught yourself, as a Christian, saying something to comfort someone in distress, but the words that came out of your mouth sounded lame? Perhaps someone struggling with their marriage was confiding in you, looking for Christian guidance, and you heard yourself say, "That's too bad" or "These things happen for a reason." Why do we say such helpless words? Can we, as believers, challenge ourselves to read the book of Proverbs in one month or to read the whole Bib

God reveals truth and deception in different ways as long as we look to better understand Him. With this in mind, I listen to secular songs, read secular books, and watch secular films, looking for God. The following five films include lines that gave me pause for theological reflection. 1) FORREST GUMP (1994) Lieutenant Dan: "Have you found Jesus yet, Gump?" Forrest Gump: "I didn't know I was supposed to be looking for him, sir." Forrest Gump did not know that he was supp

Merriam-Webster defines the good old days as, "A period of time in the past that a person thinks were pleasant and better than the present time. * In the 1960s, everything seemed possible. Those were the good old days." Ironically, this example of the 1960's is true, at least from a Christian point of view. According to "The American Heritage Collection" DVD series by WallBuilders , unprecedented Supreme Court decisions in 1962 and 1963 removed voluntary prayer from and pr

On March 2, 2012, the small town of Henryville, Indiana was devastated by an EF-4 tornado. There was not one person of the 2,000 residents unaffected in some way. Many homes, businesses, and vehicles were destroyed or damaged beyond repair. Deaths in Henryville contributed to the 13 Hoosier fatalities by several tornados that evening. Pastor Carl Lamb, Spencer Lamb, and I arrived in Henryville six hours following the massive twister, and, the following morning, we were asses