By Michael J. Brooks It was a disturbing call I received several years ago. His mother phoned to say Gary was in jail. Gary had grown up in our church and joined the U.S. Army. On a weekend... Read more
By Michael J. Brooks One of the most interesting questions in the Bible is one the Hebrews asked of the ancient prophet Isaiah about 500 years before Christ. They returned to their dismal ho... Read more
By Michael J. Brooks Conference leaders brought CDs, books and curriculum materials for the “free” table at our denominational retreat center last month. A lady whom I’d not met and I found... Read more
By Michael J. Brooks The Samaritans were the “untouchables” of the first century. They shared Jewish ancestry, but their lineage was changed through intermarriage with Canaanites and pagans.... Read more
By Michael J. Brooks It’s interesting that scripture exhorts us both to be like children, and not to be like children. I was always puzzled as a kindergartner by the picture we had in the ch... Read more
By Michael J. Brooks Gabriel Byrne portrayed Dr. Paul Weston, a therapist on the TV program “In Treatment.” I caught a few episodes several years ago when our cable company gave a pre... Read more
By Michael J. Brooks “Apostasy” isn’t a word my denomination uses much, probably because we don’t believe in it. Many evangelicals hold to the fifth tenet of John Calvin’s TULIP acronym that... Read more
By Michael J. Brooks I taught recently in our church about the concept of Christian liberty vs. Christian responsibility. The Apostle Paul introduced the idea in 1 Corinthians when he wrote... Read more
By Michael J. Brooks He was a pastor and quite a raconteur who entertained audiences with good stories and humor. He was also known for his hand-written letters in the days before texting an... Read more
By Michael J. Brooks I was in college and conducting a youth revival in an Anniston-area church. The protestant chaplain at Ft. McClellan was a member of the church, and he’d asked the... Read more