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Articles linked from this page are suitable for use in church bulletins and may be reproduced with appropriate credit given. Most articles are dated to help identify more recent materials.
Some articles from this page (or edited versions) are also available on my "blog". You can use the topical index at the blog site to find additional articles and reflections. The blog also contains articles that do not appear here.
The "bits from bob" articles from 1987 to 1995 are available and indexed separately. These articles appeared in the Fort Gibson Family of God bulletin.
Articles are formatted as either htm (web pages) or pdf files. Articles are organized as follows:
| Recent Articles |
| General Articles (Holidays) |
| Reprints (Author Unknown) |
| Not Classified |
| Church |
| Church: Emergent-Missional |
| Church Growth |
| Church Leadership |
| Evangelism |
| Ministry and Preaching |
| Missions |
| Youth Ministry |
| Christian Living |
| Family |
| Prayer and Spirituality |
| Bible |
| Textual Studies |
| Topical Studies |
| Jesus |
| Theological-Doctrinal |
| Worship |
| New Millennium Series |
Recent Articles
2009
6.24.09 | My List
6.1.09 | Education and Foolishness
5.2.09 | Worship as Spiritual Discipline
4.26.09 | Ministry after 40 Years
3.14.09 | Rethinking Mission Philosophy
3.10.09 | Two Religious Surveys
3.7.09 | Episkopos: The Importance of Leadership in Healthy Functional Churches
3.7.09 | Your Cloud of Witnesses
3.5.09 | Not By My Power
2.23.09 | Missions and Money
2.23.09 | Reinventing the Closed System Model
General Articles, Seasonal, and Holidays
A Building for God in the New Year
The New Year--2009
New Beginnings
Better Than Resolutions--Set Goals
For the New Year
Welcome to a New Year!
Run with Perseverance [Heb. 12:1]
Mothers: Quotations
Seven Characteristics of Effective Mothers
Before I Was A Mom
Father's Day [2003]
Father's Day [2004]
Thinking About Fall's "Flight Patterns"
Halloween--Bless the Unitarians!
A Bright Spot Before the Election
God and My Telephone: Reflecting on Political Calls
On Honoring Our Veterans
George Washington's Thanksgiving Proclamation
Humbly Grateful or Grumbly Hateful?
Gratitude: An Indication that the Kingdom is Present
A Christmas Invitation
Christmas 2008 Reflections
Reprints [Author Unknown]
8.6.08 | Seven Things I Have Tried
3.15.08 | Ten Principles for Life
3.15.08 | Prayer of Abandonment
11.15.06 | Hymns for the "Over 50" Crowd
11.15.06 | Parable of the Pencil
11.15.06 | God Knows
11.15.06 | It Depends On Whose Hands It's In!
11.15.06 | Two Horses
11.10.06 | Ten Commandments for Getting Along with People
11.9.06 | An Indian Version of the Twenty-Third Psalm
11.9.06 | The Fellowship of the Unashamed
11.9.06 | Lord, Make a Regular Man Out of Me
11.9.06 | Ten Most Wanted Individuals
11.9.05 | Reasons to Smile
8.27.05 | Three Things
Not Classified
11.10.06 | A Contemporary Study of Aging
3.1.04 | Passionate Because of "The Passion"
2.18.04 | Reflections on the 2004 Oklahoma Christian Lectureship
1.7.04 | The Challenge of Civic Religion
12.1.03 | Written Up or Written Down?
11.4.03 | On Whom Should the Dogs Be Set? [sexuality in our culture]
11.1.03 | Can Christian Education Teach Moral Autonomy? [Christian education]
10.9.03 | Eschatology: Living in the Present
4.14.02 | Anticipation
Articles About Church: General
2.23.09 | Church: Where the Gifts of God Come into View
8.6.08 | Stress Fractures
8.6.08 | What Is Fellowship?
8.6.08 | Reflections-Spring 2008, by Stan Granberg
6.21.08 | Church Wellness
3.17.08 | Changing Religious Affiliations: Results from a Pew Forum Survey
1.26.08 | Healthy Churches? [short version]
1.26.08 | Healthy Churches--Faithful Churches [long version]
11.10.06 | Why Does the Church Exist (1)
11.10.06 | Why Does the Church Exist (2)
11.10.06 | Why Does the Church Exist (3): Implications for Ministry Training
2.18.04 | Who Are the Churches of Christ?
10.9.03 | Product and Package!
3.7.03 | Thinking About Differences
1.31.03 | The Church is the Hope of the World
6.9.02 | Is the Church "Playing Small?"
1.8.02 | What Are the Marks of a Good Church?
1.8.02 | The Church Is Like A Jigsaw Puzzle
1.2.02 | The Church is Not....
1.2.02 | How's The Church Doing?
1.2.02 | Neglecting the Church to Death
1.2.02 | You Should Be In Bible School Because...
1.21.01 | The Church Is a Place of Belonging
Church: Emergent/Missional Models, Surveys of Contemporary Church Culture
2.15.09 | Barna: Spiritual Gifts Survey
1.24.09 | Denominational Loyalty
1.15.09 | Barna: Christianity No Longer the Default Religion in the United States
8.6.08 | Afraid of the Future
8.6.08 | Evangelism and the Missional Church
8.6.08 | Reflections-Spring 2008, by Stan Granberg
12.27.07 | Forward to the Past
11.6.06 | Missions/Missional: What Are We Talking About?
11.6.06 | We Are Planting Traditional Churches: Is There a Better Path to the Future?
11.1.06 | Missional Church: Sent Next Door
11.20.05 | How Do People Choose Churches Today? [summary of a Barna report]
2.18.04 | Are We Preaching the Gospel?
12.1.03 | Worshiping the Mysterious God
12.1.03 | Understanding the Nature of Religion
8.15.03 | Missional or Maintenance?
Articles About Church Growth: Vision, Planning, Spiritual Gifts
8.6.08 | Reflections-Spring 2008, by Stan Granberg
11.8.06 | Purpose, Mission, and Vision
11.8.06 | Rethinking Vision: Basic ABC's
5.22.06 | What Business Are We In?
11.20.05 | How Do People Choose Churches Today?
12.1.03 | Beyond Baby Boomers: Two New Generations
11.20.03 | What If We Miss Our Destiny?
11.5.03 | Selective Vision
11.5.03 | Four Dimensions of Church Growth
11.5.03 | So You're Looking for a Preacher
10.9.03 | On Purpose
10.7.03 | A Vision Worthy of Our God
9.15.03 | Do We Really Care?
8.15.03 | Sharing the Vision
7.1.03 | What Is Our Mission?
3.7.03 | Nothing Less Than Excellence
7.17.02 | Automatic Church Growth
7.17.02 | A Mission Consistent with God's Mission
7.17.02 | Empowering Leadership--Structures for Encouraging and Enhancing Ministry
7.17.02 | Gift-Oriented, Empowered, Participative Individual Ministry
7.17.02 | Healthy Relationships, Holistic Spirituality
7.17.02 | Celebrative, God-Centered Worship in the Context of Community
7.17.02 | Spiritual Nurturing on the Faith Journey
7.17.02 | Involvement in the Global Search
1.8.02 | Catching the Vision: Developing the Church
1.8.02 | The Church Is Like A Jigsaw Puzzle
1.7.02 | Looking at Church Growth Again!
1.7.02 | Revitalizing the Church
1.2.02 | Another Look at Church Growth--1
1.2.02 | Another Look at Church Growth--2
1.2.02 | Another Look at Church Growth--3
1.2.02 | Growing Churches Pay Attention to the Needs of Adults
1.2.02 | What Do Growing Churches Have in Common?
1.21.01 | Finding Your Gifts, Finding Your Ministry
Articles About Church: Leadership
8.6.08 | Stress Fractures
8.6.08 | Changing Leadership Paradigms
6.2.08 | A Leadership Revolution?
11.5.03 | Strange Shepherding Styles
1.8.02 | Quote Without Comment: Church Leadership
1.7.02 | Did Anything Happen?
1.7.02 | How Else Would We Decide?--1
1.7.02 | How Else Would We Decide?--2
1.2.02 | The Members Have a Responsibility
1.2.02 | The Elders Have a Responsibility
1.23.01 | Elders--1
1.23.01 | Elders--2
1.23.01 | Deacons
Articles About Evangelism
11.18.08 | Not Rocket Science-2
11.15.08 | Not Rocket Science-1
11.14.08 | Come and See: Knowing What We Are Doing and Why
10.27.08 | A Gospel Tipping Point?
8.6.08 | Evangelism and the Missional Church
8.6.08 | Reaching the Non-Seeker
3.17.08 | Changing Religious Affiliations: Results from a Pew Forum Survey
2.15.08 | Just Thinking About...Sharing the Gospel
12.25.07 | Seeking and Helping
11.10.06 | The Importance of Doctrine in Effective Outreach
11.1.06 | The Christian Mission: Responding to the Commission
11.1.06 | Principles for Evangelism
11.1.06 | Problems in Evangelism
11.1.06 | Missional Church: Sent Next Door
11.1.06 | The "Great" Commission
11.20.05 | Just Thinking...About Light!
12.1.03 | Let Us Return to "Personal" Evangelism
11.5.03 | Exclusivism
11.5.03 | Are You a Customer or a Worker?
10.9.03 | Product and Package!
10.9.03 | The Reality of Our Clergy System
10.9.03 | Evangelism "Musts"
10.9.03 | Evangelism: Why Can't We See?
10.9.03 | We Can Evangelize!
9.15.03 | Do We Really Care?
3.7.03 | Visitors
1.23.02 | Evangelism: Boomers, Busters and ???
1.8.02 | Can I Be A Christian? [evangelism]
1.7.02 | Can Our Nation Hear the Gospel?
1.7.02 | Do You Know the Three Ps of Evangelism
1.2.02 | I Am Afraid!
12.2.01 | Rethinking Evangelism--#1
12.2.01 | Rethinking Evangelism--#2
12.2.01 | Rethinking Evangelism--#3
12.2.01 | Rethinking Evangelism--#4
12.2.01 | Tell the Story
12.2.01 | What is Personal Work?
11.21.01 | Caught!
2.21.01 | The Crisis in Evangelism
2.21.01 | Evangelism--Is There A Better Way?
2.21.01 | Evangelism--Do We Have a Plan?
2.21.01 | Evangelism--The Acts Approach
2.21.01 | Evangelism--Preparing the Soil
Articles About Ministry and Preaching
12.13.08 | Stewardship Again
12.13.08 | Church Attendance and Marriage
8.6.08 | Ministry: Self-Image and Job
8.6.08 | Doing Church: Preaching and Worship
6.21.08 | Church Wellness
1.26.08 | Healthy Churches? [short version]
1.26.08 | Healthy Churches--Faithful Churches [long version]
12.27.07 | Pray For Us
12.25.07 | Communication
12.25.07 | When Elephants Fight
11.12.06 | A Contrast in Preaching: Depending on Human Ability vs. Depending on God
11.1.06 | Dangers in Ministry
11.1.06 | Ministry in Today's World Requires Adapatability
10.30.06 | What Is A Minister?
10.30.06 | Creating High Impact Sermons
11.20.05 | Yellow Sermons
11.20.05 | I'm Going to Be Preacher Someday
12.1.03 | Principles for Ministry: Creating Lasting Value
11.05.03 | Ministry Reflections
11.5.03 | On Selecting and Keeping Preachers
11.5.03 | So You're Looking for a Preacher
11.5.03 | He's Not Church of Christ--About Preachers and Preaching
11.1.03 | Principles for Ministry to Youth
10.9.03 | Motivations in Ministry
10.9.03 | The Reality of Our Clergy System
10.9.03 | Shaping Ministry
4.2.02 | How to Kill/Lose/Help Your Preacher
1.8.02 | Beyond Keeping House: Principles for Effective Ministry
1.7.02 | Did He Preach the Gospel?
1.2.02 | "Preaching To" and "Preaching With"
1.21.01 | Effective Counseling Enables Effective Ministry
1.21.01 | Four Questions for Ministers
1.21.01 | Is There a Crisis in Preaching?
1.21.01 | Ministerial Ethics
1.21.01 | The Minister's Spiritual Life--Separating God and Job
1.21.01 | What Will 21st Century Ministers Do?
1.21.01 | Where Have All the Preachers Gone?
Articles About Missions
11.24.08 | Why Short-Term Missions? (with bibliography)
11.24.08 | Why Short-Term Missions?
10.24.08 | Short Term Missions: A Barna Report
6.8.08 | Cultural Missteps
6.2.08 | A Leadership Revolution?
6.2.08 | Esperanza Eterna--"Eternal Hope"
5.15.08 | Ten Ways to Ruin a Short Term Mission Trip
5.15.08 | Short Term Missions--Jesus and His Disciples (#2)
5.15.08 | Short Term Missions--Jesus and his Disciples (#1)
4.30.08 | Short Term Missions as a Spiritual Exercise
11.6.06 | Missions: A Funny Thing Happened To Me on the Way to Where I Am Going!
11.6.06 | Missions: The Power of Perseverance
11.6.06 | Missions/Missional: What Are We Talking About?
11.5.06 | The Mission Field is Here!
11.5.06 | How to Select a Missionary,a Field, and a Work
11.5.06 | Missions in a Changing World
11.1.06 | The Christian Mission: Responding to the Commission
11.20.05 | Missions: Reflections on a Real Tragedy
11.20.05 | What Do You Think?
12.1.03 | When Did God Give You His Message?
12.1.03 | The New Face of Missions
10.9.03 | The Basis of Missions: Why?
10.9.03 | Missions: How Devoted Are We?
10.9.03 | The Goal of Missions
10.9.03 | Missions: Because of Jesus
10.9.03 | The Missionary's Master
10.9.03 | The Missions Message
10.9.03 | Missions: What Should Be Our Methods?
10.9.03 | What Is A Missionary?
6.6.02 | How Much Is Enough?
2.28.02 | A Heart for Missions
1.8.02 | Are You a World-Aware Christian?
1.8.02 | Missions...Again
1.8.02 | Why I Give to Missions
1.7.02 | Is the Church "Playing Small?"
12.2.01 | What is Your Missions Philosophy?
Youth and Youth Ministry
8.6.08 | Understanding Teens
11.5.03 | Creative Motivation: How to Motivate Your Children (and Other People Too)
11.1.03 | Principles for Ministry to Youth
10.9.03 | Understanding Our Youth: Esteem Issues
5.23.90 | Youth and the Church
12.13.89 | Expectations and Parenting
Articles About Christian Living
2.23.09 | Church: Where the Gifts of God Come into View
2.21.09 | There IS a God!
12.13.08 | Learning to Walk in the Story of God
8.25.08 | Spiritual Vitality
8.6.08 | Hebraic Thought
8.6.08 | I Want to be Bold!
8.6.08 | Just Thinking...About Ambulances
8.6.08 | What Do You Worry About?
8.6.08 | A Three-World Faith
8.6.08 | What Is Fellowship?
8.6.08 | Pursuing God
7.24.08 | Meeting God
11.10.06 | Regeneration
11.10.06 | Vioxx and Sin
11.10.06 | "De-sin-sitization"
11.9.06 | I Want to Be Bold!
11.9.06 | A Time To Build
5.16.06 | Thinking About...Reliance
5.16.06 | But Grow....
5.16.06 | Thinking About...Love
5.16.06 | Thinking About...Consistency
11.20.05 | Don't Forget Gethsemane
4.27.04 | Under Oath
4.27.04 | Adversarial On Purpose!
4.27.04 | Overcoming Bigotry
11.20.03 | Five Steps of Confession [borrowed from "Focus on the Family"]
11.5.03 | "Such-Likers" and the Kingdom of God
11.5.03 | Life Lists
10.9.03 | Friendship With God
10.9.03 | Who Do You Think You Are?
10.9.03 | On Purpose
10.9.03 | Priorities: What Matters to Us?
10.9.03 | The Three R's of Spiritual Recovery
8.15.03 | A Friend--From A to Z
8.15.03 | God's Promises
8.15.03 | How Long Has It Been?
7.1.03 | Evaluating Your Spiritual Portfolio
3.7.03 | Recall Announced
3.7.03 | Psalm 23!
3.7.03 | My Life
3.7.03 | Zones
3.7.03 | Where Do You Hide Your Heart? [treasures]
1.31.03 | Lessons From Moving! [possessions]
1.31.03 | Principles for Swimming
12.19.02 | Four Marks of Maturity [from Henry Van Dyke]
12.15.02 | Thinking about Spiritual Coherence
6.9.02 | Do We Need A Better Mousetrap or a Better Mouse?
6.6.02 | Say "Sandia!"
6.3.02 | You Are Responsible For Your Face!
5.29.02 | Under Construction
5.29.02 | Cleaning Cobwebs or Killing Spiders?
2.5.02 | Do You Hear What I Hear?
1.21.01 | Are We People of Character?
1.21.01 | Upon Whom Do We Depend?
1.21.01 | Just Thinking...About Elbows
1.21.01 | Just Thinking...About Pacifiers
1.21.01 | Just Thinking...About Needs
Articles About Families
8.6.08 | Keep Your Family Strong
8.6.08 | Understanding Teens
11.20.03 | To Resolve Conflict--START
11.5.03 | Creative Motivation: How to Motivate Your Children (and Other People Too)
10.9.03 | Understanding Our Youth: Esteem Issues
9.15.03 | The Man I Want To Be
9.15.03 | Seven Characteristics of Effective Mothers
6.9.02 | Praying for Fathers
6.6.02 | Just Thinking...About Grandmothers and Mothers
Articles About Prayer and Spirituality
12.13.08 | A Prayer Guide from Psalm 27
10.27.08 | Changing Views of Spirituality: A Barna Report
8.25.08 | Spiritual Vitality
8.25.08 | Encountering God
8.6.08 | Hebraic Thought
8.6.08 | A Three-World Faith
8.6.08 | Pursuing God
7.24.08 | Meeting God
2.15.08 | Thank You, Lord
12.26.07 | When You Pray...
11.11.06 | Prayer and Caregiving
11.11.06 | He Prayed a Good Prayer....
11.11.03 | Hearing God
11.10.06 | College Students and Spirituality
10.9.03 | Are We Spiritual? [read the results of a Gallup poll]
10.9.03 | A Plan for Your Daily Time With God
10.9.03 | A Journey To the Inner World of Prayer
3.7.03 | A Contemporary Acrostic Psalm
3.7.03 | Walking Daily with God
10.9.02 | Pray in the Spirit [Eph. 6:18]
6.6.02 | The God Who Hears Answers [Psalm 4]
6.3.02 | Speaking Friend to Friend
5.29.02 | Rest Your Eyes--You Will Be Able to See Better
5.29.02 | Thinking about Wholly Holy Heart Hugs!
5.29.02 | Good Morning, God!
1.24.02 | That's A Wrap! [a daily devotional plan for regular quiet time]
1.24.02 | A Fresh Look at the Model Prayer
1.24.02 | Jesus' Prayer Life
2.21.01 | How is Your Daily Walk?
2.21.01 | Are You In Shape Spiritually?
5.13.92 | God's Secret Weapon--Prayer
5.13.92 | Thoughts on Prayer
Articles About the Bible
11.10.06 | "The Sword"
11.1.03 | Old or New Hermeneutics--Is There an Alternative?
10.9.03 | What Do You Know About the Bible?
10.9.03 | Why Read the Bible?
10.9.03 | You Can Read the Bible
6.9.02 | Praise God for the Bible
2.5.02 | The Generalized Bible: General or Specific?
Biblical: Textual Articles
The Rock of Our Salvation [Joseph, Genesis 39-50]
We Need More Hurs [Ex. 17]
Principles for Warfare [Dt. 20]
Leadership Principles [Joshua 6]
A Mind to Work [Neh. 4]
Understanding the Psalms
Like Streams of Water [Psalm 1]
The God Who Hears Answers [Psalm 4]
Psalm 23!
A Prayer Guide from Psalm 27
Teach Us To Number Our Days [Psalm 90]
Isaiah: Promise Theologian
Finding Stability in an Unstable World [Isaiah 33:5-6]
Staying in Love! [Hosea 2]
"Trust" in the Sermon on the Mount: A Model for Applying Wisdom Literature [Matthew 5-7]
When Will You Live? [Matthew 6:33-34]
Seek Ye First.... [Matthew 6:34]
The Secret of the Easy Yoke [Matthew 11]
Nobodies [Luke]
Using God--Luke 15 Revisited
Gratitude [Luke 17]
Gratitude: An Indication that the Kingdom is Present [Luke 17]
It's All About Jesus [John 1]
A Weapon of Mass Salvation [Romans 1:16]
Love the Lord With All Your Mind [Romans 1]
What Does It Mean to Be Spiritual? [1 Corinthians survey]
Your Sure Calling and Confident Election [1 Corinthians 1]
Made to Be Sin [2 Cor. 5:21]
Getting Ready in the Desert [Gal. 1]
Spiritual Cannibalism [Galatians 5]
Living Above the Law [Galatians 5]
Is Jesus at Home?--The Christian Walk [Ephesians 3-5]
Criticism [Ephesians 4]
A Top Ten List for Healing Hurts [Eph. 4:25-32]
Fight the Good Fight [Ephesians 6]
Pray in the Spirit [Eph. 6:18]
Have You Seen Jesus? [Colossians 1]
The Work of God [Colossians 1]
Giving All Diligence [2 Tim. 2:15]
Be Diligent! [2 Tim. 2:15]
Land Your Ship, Do Not Drift By [Heb. 2:1-4]
Hope, Help, and Home (#1) [Hebrews 9]
Keys to Perseverance [Hebrews 10]
Run with Perseverance [Heb. 12:1]
As Living Stones [1 Peter 1-2]
A Word Against Ungodliness [Jude 15]
Biblical: Topical Articles
3.7.03 | The Gospel
1.2.02 | New Testament Baptism
2.21.01 | Bible Authority
1.23.01 | Elders--1
1.23.01 | Elders--2
1.23.01 | Deacons
Articles About Jesus
11.5.03 | And His Name Shall Be Called....
9.15.03 | It's All About Jesus [John 1]
5.29.03 | Jesus: The Indescribable Gift!
5.29.02 | Jesus: There's Something About That Name!
2.5.02 | What's In a Word? [a fresh look at Jesus' words from the cross]
1.24.02 | Jesus: The Master Teacher
1.24.02 | Jesus' Prayer Life
Theological-Doctrinal Articles: Faith, Forgiveness, Grace, Mercy
11.10.06 | Satan's Fatal Error
10.22.03 | Grace: Seeking Balance
10.9.03 | Doing Faith
7.1.03 | The God Who Reverses the Irreversible
3.7.03 | The Work of God
10.11.02 | The Bias of My (Sinful) Human Nature
10.11.02 | Made to Be Sin [2 Cor. 5:21]
2.22.02 | The God Who Cannot Forgive Sin
2.21.01 | Have You Seen God's Heart? [the cross]
5.20.93 | How Narrow Minded!
Worship
8.25.08 | Encountering God
8.6.08 | Valuing Sundays
8.6.08 | Doing Church: Preaching and Worship
12.27.07 | Forward to the Past
11.11.06 | The Value of Singing in Worship
2.3.04 | Another Perspective on the Value of Singing in Worship
11.5.03 | Embarrassed by Our Prayers
11.5.03 | Do You Come Empty?
New Millennium Series
A series of articles treat eleven topics of primary importance in our faith journey as we look toward the future.
Introduction
Is the Bible Truth?
Is the Bible Inspired?
How Should the Bible Be Interpreted?
What is the Nature of the Church?
Can We Achieve Unity?
The Relationship
Between the Church and the World
What is the Christian Experience?
What is the Christian Hope?
What is the Christian Mission?
Human Nature
What Does It Mean to Live as a Christian?
