Shopping for Bibles is exciting when you think of the reward!
by Barrett Vanlandingham
February 27, 2012

Fishing poles, tackle, life vests, fish finders, boats, and outdoor clothing. I found it all in in my mailbox Friday!  Not the real thing unfortunately, just an elaborate publication of sale ads!  It was still fun to look at all the things I wish I had, that is, if I would actually make the time to use them.

As I looked at the lures, knives, and reels, and even got excited about the possibility of using so many outdoorsy tools, a question popped into my head.  Why don’t most people get this excited about sale ads that highlight the latest Bibles, commentaries, concordances, and Bible software?   After all, there’s not really a comparison here when it comes to importance.

On one hand, we’re talking about hobbies, really fun hobbies, but nonetheless, hobbies.  On the other hand, we’re talking about matters of heaven, hell, and many things in between such as relationships and family.

I guess the reason this was really on my mind is because lately I have been shopping for an English Standard Version of the Bible (ESV).  It’s basically a word for word translation of the Greek and Hebrew texts and is easy to read.  The exact one I want actually comes out this summer. It’s the Large Print Thinline ESV which has a good concordance and maps, but not so big that I can’t easily pack it for summer camp and other youth trips. 

In the meantime, I downloaded an ESV Study Bible onto my phone via the Kindle application which means I can also download it onto my work and home computers at no extra charge.  You just wouldn’t believe all the Bible helps I now have in my phone at just the push of a button!  It occurred to me that if I were to carry this Bible plus all its maps, concordances, topical studies, and commentaries around with me in book form, I would need a small truck! 

While I was shopping for Bibles and study resources, I was amazed at how many options are available.  I have used the 1984 New International Version (NIV) Bible for many years.  But since the new 2011 NIV has come out with several changes which I do not have time to discuss in this article, I’ve decided to promote the ESV which again is accurate and still easy to read.

So, why am I telling you all of this?  Well, you may be one of those people who stays informed on the latest in spiritual warfare.  But just in case you’re not, I thought it would be good to pass along this information to you.  After all, these days we can’t really have enough help when it comes to doing battle with the devil.  Satan is our most dangerous foe who never rests and is constantly updating and improving his arsenal of weapons and techniques of stealing souls. 

Likewise, Christians must be just as diligent in standing firm in the truth of God’s word.  We must continue to train and cross-train in the use of spiritual weaponry, whether we’re using traditional book-form Bibles and resources, free online helps, e-books, or cell phone apps.

May God bless you with a joyful week!

Both strong and struggling Christians have much in common with clay

by Barrett Vanlandingham
February 21, 2012



I always love the part of planning summer camp where I ask God to give me an idea for a camp theme. Well, for this summer it looks like the Holy Spirit has guided me toward the theme of “Jars of Clay”. Wow! At least Lisa won’t have to worry about finding a good craft idea for the kids!

That being taken care of, I spent a lot of time this past week coming up with ideas and writing Bible lessons. At one point, I noticed several small plastic containers of Play-Dough sitting on a table in my office (Yes, I am a youth minister). Seeking creative inspiration, I opened one of them and found a hard, cracked, dried-up, purplish lump of clay, not much to work with. But I thought to myself, “Hey, if this is where God is leading me, then who am I to say there’s not a Bible lesson in there somewhere.”

The first thing I did was try to mold the hardened clay as it was. That didn’t work. So, I poured water into the container, poked my finger into the clay a few times, and decided the chances of reviving this lump of mess was slim to nothing. So, I put the lid back on and left it for several hours while I worked on some other things. Later in the afternoon, I looked inside the container and found what looked like hardened smashed blueberries floating in purple soup! Again, not much to work with. But I decided to give it a shot anyway.

I dug the lumpy goo out of the cup and into my hand. Ugh! It was quite a sight and felt disturbingly gross. But, I kept squeezing and smashing until the most of the imperfections were gone. I rolled it into a ball and then flattened it repeatedly. Then, to my surprise, this odd-looking mixture eventually became a moldable piece of clay! I couldn’t help but make the connection of Jesus being our living water (John 4:13), and the powerful message of Jesus we carry in spite of the fact we are fragile and even cracked jars of clay (2 Corinthians 4:7).

The Bible has a lot to say about lumps of clay, jars of clay, dust of the earth, the hands of the potter, and even potsherd or small broken pieces of pottery. Each word or phrase is easily compared to mankind as a creation of God, the master Potter. I’m looking forward to a deeper study on each of these topics.

We as God’s children must surrender fully to our Maker, without quarrelling about why He is using us for this purpose or that (Isaiah 45:9 and Romans 9:21).

May God bless us as we allow His light to shine through our strengths, imperfections, and brokenness. Have a blessed week!

News of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection never gets old
by Barrett Vanlandingham
February 14, 2012

My daughter, Gracie, was the first to tell me Saturday night that some singer named Whitney Houston was dead. I was totally shocked. I explained to her that the death of this 80’s and 90’s superstar is seen by my generation the same as today’s younger generation would view the death of someone like Justin Bieber or Taylor Swift in about twenty years. Or maybe for others, the death of Elvis Presley on August 16, 1977.

My point is this. Celebrities come and go. And yes, they eventually die just like everyone else. But the most famous person who ever lived on this earth was no doubt Jesus Christ, the Son of God. And while he lived and died in human form, what makes him different from anyone else in all of history (besides being God’s son) is that he rose again and dwells in his heavenly home.

One of the arguments in favor of Jesus being who he said he was is the fact that we are still talking about him today, two-thousand years after his death, burial, and resurrection. The Bible is the greatest seller of all time. The Bible’s inspired writers gave us details of Christ’s death for us to remember each first day of the week during the Lord’s Supper. Those details are part of the very compelling Gospel story that changed the world beginning in the first century when thousands of Jews who listened to the preaching of the apostle Peter repented and were baptized that very day (ref: Acts 2:38). Christ’s followers almost immediately had their faith put to the test in many ways. His early followers were willing to be persecuted and even die for Christ’s sake. That’s something most people will not do if they have any doubts in the credibility of the person to whom they are committed.

In the United States, Christians today still find themselves defending their faith and the doctrine presented in God’s word. Many other countries today are still hostile towards Christians or unwilling to let the Bible be openly taught.

With time, the deaths of some celebrities fade into the history books while the deaths of other celebrities just fade.

The news of Jesus has not faded one bit! It has become stronger with time. It is not only recorded in the Bible, but also in history books and other literature. In fact, Jesus has been written about more than anyone else… ever! His story was translated into other languages by 150 A.D. The hundreds of eye-witnesses to Jesus after he rose no doubt fueled the Spirit’s fire, helping catapult his life-saving message all the way into the 21st century, an encouraging lesson for us today to carry on the torch.

We never like to see our earthly heroes or heroins die too soon. But when it comes to Jesus Christ, his self-sacrificial attitude and his well-documented resurrection give hope of eternal life to those who remain faithful to him. Have a blessed week!

Some spiritual lessons can make you say uggh!
by Barrett Vanlandingham
February 7, 2012

            A young lady who comes to my summer camp wrote on Facebook, “It’s always your favorite sins that do you in.”   To which I responded, “Yep... just like a dog returns to its vomit! (Proverbs 26:11 and 2 Peter 2:22). Too bad we can't visualize dog vomit everytime temptation presents itself!”

I guess it’s already too late to mention that you probably shouldn’t be reading this week’s column right now if you are eating lunch!

            Anyway, if there was ever anyone qualified to pen those words, it was definitely Solomon.  He asked for wisdom, and boy did he get it.  Unfortunately, one of the best places (though painful and sometimes dangerous) to get wisdom is from simply living life and making mistakes.  That’s why I often pray for God to “gently” give me wisdom, and sometimes He agrees.  I want to be able to make good choices and advise others when asked.  But I don’t like the idea of receiving wisdom from the school of hard knocks!

            The smart choice would be to learn from others’ mistakes, and remember the consequences they had to deal with because of their bad decision-making.  But we all know human nature doesn’t always accommodate this technique.  Too bad.  As hard as we try, we are still going to make mistakes because one: we just had to try it our way, and two: we’re human.

            But I must go back to that very descriptive and visual proverb and ask the question, “Why can’t we see sin for what it really is?”   Dog vomit!  We would all be much better off if we could keep that little thought in our mind for everytime we were tempted to sin.  But for some reason, most of us have a hard time staying away from our “favorite sins”. In fact, most of us probably visualize our favorite sins the way a kid thinks about cotton candy!  Unfortunately, falling into sin is always more fun than dealing with the consequences of it.

            The good news is that we have a Savior who understands our every weakness.  He came to earth and went through every kind of temptation just so he could know what we go through.  And then he even went to the cross as the only perfect sacrifice to die for our sins so we could have hope of heaven.  But he didn’t leave us as orphans (John 14:18).  Through his Holy Spirit, he left clear instructions in the Bible, his inspired word, on how to avoid sin and make sure our imperfections are washed clean everyday.   There is no better life than that of a Christian who walks confidently, looking forward to the day we kneel before Jesus as he welcomes us home.  Have a blessed week!