Posts by Michael Cox (Page 15)
An Example That Saved Others
Never underestimate the POWER OF EXAMPLE. Living for Jesus 24/7 is vital. Last week I shared the story of how a friend of mine (Ellen) and her family became Christians through the POWER OF EXAMPLE. Today I share a story that happened to me about 20 years ago. I was given the blessing of baptizing a young man who I had taught over a series of studies. This young man (I will call him Joe to conceal his identity) needed…
The Power of Example
Never underestimate the POWER OF EXAMPLE. Living for Jesus 24/7 is vital. A big reason my friend Ellen and her children & grandchildren are Christians today is due to the POWER OF EXAMPLE. I will let her tell the story in her own words: “Sometimes I wonder what I can do to teach others about God. Then I remember how my dad found God. My mom was a Christian and tried to get my dad to go to Church with…
Roman Crucifixion
It was a punishment tool perhaps originated by the Assyrians and Babylonians, adopted by the Persians, and eventually perfected by the Romans with great intimidation success. It was a tool designed to create fear and dread over people they ruled. It was the method of death called crucifixion. Crucifixion was not designed to be a quick painless death. Instead, the Romans wanted to prolong the death process. A longer death process created more fear upon the inhabitants and fear was…
Would Jesus Post This?
I am so fortunate to serve the 70 West family, working under the oversight of our five godly elders and having the blessing to work alongside a true joy, Billy Hayes. 70 West has given me the opportunity to bless many here in Garland County and now, through our online ministry, folks around the world. I find great satisfaction when I can help people and bring them closer to God but occasionally, I fail. One of those failures happened almost…
Make God Number 1 in 2021
I have adopted a personal theme for the year 2021 and you might want to do so too. My theme is ‘Make God number 1 in 2021’”. I’m redirecting my focus on how I live my life… how I make my personal decisions… how I interact with family and friends… how I organize my daily activities… and how I prioritize each day. I’m doing all of this under the umbrella of ‘Make God number 1 in 2021’. I want to…
I Am Blessed
While standing on the field of Yankee Stadium, Lou Gehrig, the Yankee’s first baseman, made the following statement: “Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.” To somewhat borrow the famous ballplayer’s words, today, I consider myself the most blessed man on the face of the earth.” I am blessed to be a child of God. My Lord has always been there for me, both in good times and difficult times. All I have and…
The RIGHT Example!
Two weeks ago, while waiting for a late-night appointment to arrive for counseling, I did something that I seldom get to do. Usually, I try to be productive while waiting for a couple to make their appointment by working on a class outline, studying, or perhaps doing paperwork. That night I was feeling somewhat burnout, so I decided to waste a few minutes by skimming over social media. I keep a watch out outlook on the church’s social media and…
Marriage: Prepare and Enrich
In the field of marriage counseling the gold star tool used by more counselors to help couples preparing for marriage; plus married couples wishing to improve their marriage is: PREPARE/ENRICH. PREPARE/ENRICH measures a couples maturity in the 15 major building blocks of a great marriage. Building blocks such as marriage communication, financial management, faith, how to deal with the in-laws, and problem solving. I have used PREPARE/ENRICH with my couples for over 30 years and have found it to be…
Give Me 5!
The game show Jeopardy is one of the few TV shows I watch. I’m always amazed at the knowledge of the contestants in every area other than the Bible. Stories I have known since my childhood stump most of the participants. The struggle demonstrated by these contestants reflects the overall drop in Bible knowledge in the last 50-years, but it doesn’t have to be. GIVE ME 5! Give me just a little time from your personal schedule and watch the…
Remember and Understand
As I write this article over 1,000 people have viewed the first two lessons in our new study series on how to REMEMBER & UNDERSTAND THE BIBLE. That’s great! If you are not part of that 1,000 it’s not too late. The only book we have covered so far is Genesis. Maybe Bible study has been frustrating and bewildering to you because you can’t make heads or tails of what you read? Perhaps Bible study causes you to want to…
Sharing Our Faith
I’m so excited! Can you tell? Tomorrow kicks off a 12-week study that will take us from Genesis to Revelation. It’s my survey of the Bible and the survey includes the way that I REMEMBER and UNDERSTAND God’s Word. Have you ever wished that you could REMEMBER what you read from the Bible? Do you struggle with the massive amount of information and often can’t seem to keep it all straight? Perhaps you ever thought, “I would like to be…
A Hole in Your Life…
They arrive in my email INBOX almost every week. A desperate cry for help from a person in deep despair, like the one I received two weeks ago (Please note – I have been given permission to share this email message). “Michael, what do I do? I wasn’t raised this way. I have made a total mess of my life. My aim in life has been fun and excitement but that has led me to problems. Bad decisions upon bad…