Of the Week

supplies •  table •  chairs • tablecloth •  placemats •  plates •  napkins •  forks •  knives •  spoons •  glasses •  bowls •  food steps 1.  Cover the table with a  tablecloth. 2.  Put  placemats on the table at each seat. 3.  Put one  plate at the center of each placemat. 4.  Fold napkins rectangularly and place to the left of each plate, with the folded side of each napkin on the outside. 5.  Place the forks on top of the napkins. 6.  Place the knives to the right of the plates, with the sharp ends facing toward the plates. 7.  Place the spoons to the right of the knives, and make sure the forks, knives, and spoons are lined up along the bottom. 8.  Place glasses to the top-right of the plates, above the knives and spoons. 9.  Place the dessert bowls  in the center of the plates. 10.  Put the food on the ta...

William Borden There must be a definite determination to do God's will—a will to obey. Christ laid down the conditions of discipleship as denying self and following Him, and that is just what is required here. Each one must examine his life and put away all sin, not holding on to anything which the Spirit tells him he should let go. One of the hardest things anyone can have to do is to confess he has wronged another. But we read, "If thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee, leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift" (Matthew 5:23-24).  We touch upon this matter of confession to others because it has played such a prominent part in spiritual awakenings, and because of the conviction that lack of such confession is the cause of much powerlessness in Christian service. Questions of life-work also need to be met squarely and the inq...

On November 16, 1925, Howard Boone Frank, Jr., was born in Daisetta, Texas. At only 14 years of age, he contracted polio, but this difficulty didn't stop him. He and Helene Lavern Casey were married in January 1949, and together, they spread the gospel to many. For 50 years, H.B. was a preacher for churches of Christ in Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Georgia, as well as churches in France and England. He also wrote two books:  From Riches to Poverty to Glory and God's 10 Covenants. Many lives have been touched  through his preaching, writings, and example . H.B. passed away on Christmas Day 2008. My grandfather was a man of honor, truth, and strength. Above all, he was a man of God,  a mighty warrior in His Kingdom.  He knew Whom he had believed, and God was not ashamed to be called his God. What an example for all of us! "I am not ashamed; for I know him whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to guard ...

Paris Reidhead (1919-1992) "In over fifty years of Bible teaching and preaching 'Ten Shekels and a Shirt' is the only message that I feel constrained to explain how it came to be preached. "During a Bethany Fellowship Summer Conference in the mid sixties I was preparing to speak at the Tuesday morning Bible hour. Upon returning to my room after breakfast to meditate and pray about the message for that morning hour, I felt strangely impressed that I could not deliver the message that had been prepared for the session. Instead, I felt that there was some other message that was needed which I was to bring. "After prayer, the message that came to mind was one on which I had begun preparation for the ministry at the church in New York City of which I was pastor at that time. My notes were not with me, but were in a file folder in my study. An empty envelope was on the desk in my room, on the back of which I wrote the scripture texts to be used and one or two id...

Eighty-eight years ago today, on November 1, 1925, Helene Lavern Casey was born in Pontotoc, Oklahoma, the youngest of James and Mollie Casey's ten children. When only 11 years old, Lavern was struck with polio, taking away the use of her legs for the rest of her life. In the late 1940s, God providentially brought Lavern and Howard Boone Frank together, and on January 22, 1949, they were married—"Polio Takes a Back Seat to Love." H.B. and Lavern would be married for over 59 years. Despite her polio and her physical pain, Lavern never stopped being a worker for God. Along with daily housekeeping, she raised five children, all while on the mission field. R eaching out to others and spreading the Good News of Christ,  H.B. and Lavern lived in the United States, France, and England and visited at least 10 others countries. In 2004, Lavern had a stroke which took away the use of her left arm and affected her vision. But even this couldn't diminish her positive spirit or he...