By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

As my wife and I explored the quaint town of Bartlesville, Oklahoma, our first adventure in the downtown area was into a store that bore our last name.  “Campbell’s Antiques,” the sign read.  So, of course, we marched right in, and hopefully you can tell from my photo what we saw there.

That tiny little shop was packed absolutely full with all kinds of treasures.  From wall to wall, from floor to ceiling, literally everywhere we looked was something else upon which to set our eye’s gaze.  The proprietor, an older lady, enjoyed chatting with us and the other folks crowded into her place of business.  I’m not sure we learned very much, but we most definitely saw a lot, and we even brought a couple of those treasures back home with us.  There is a lot of truth in the old phrase, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”

The art of exploring is one which I enjoy very much.  For a few days, we roamed around Oklahoma prairies, walked through beautiful little towns, and were amazed at God’s handiwork as He painted glorious pictures across the sky.  No trash there.  All treasure indeed.

Part of the excitement of exploration is that you never know what you will find.  We walked through that little shop and a few others, at each place intrigued at the enormous selection of various things gathered from times past.  As we drive mile after mile, we were constantly commenting on the animals, land, and other scenery that lined our way.

As I sit down with the Lord’s Word in my hands, I pray that I handle it as delicately and yet as firmly as I held onto the steering wheel of the car as we drove through unknown territory, faced with prairie fires and seventy-five mile-per-hour wind gusts.  I pray I peruse the Scriptures as intently as I scanned each and every crowded little shelf in those stores.  I pray I’m even more gloriously amazed by the Bible as I have been by the things that flew past our view along the way.

In our travels through the week ahead, may each of us stand amazed in His presence, ever thankful for the beauty of it all, His loving arm of protection through it all, and His willingness to be our all in all.  What a treasure He is!

Just a thought.

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

“Oh give me a home where the buffalo roam, where the deer and the antelope play.”  Recently, my wife and I have experienced all of these.  Reservations in the vast Oklahoma prairies provided glorious opportunities for us to get up very close and personal with each of these creatures, as evidenced by the buffalo you see here.

Massively huge are these animals. Posted signage warned us over and over that the animals could “be dangerous,” so we were cautious. But even these buffalo seemed so slow, easy going, and majestic that one would need to remind himself to be wary.

Buffalo have roamed these lands long before we came through. Now, through preservation efforts, great herds are protected and can roam to their heart’s content. We must respect them to remain safe.

The world is full of many things that can attack, take us down, or otherwise make life unbearable for us. We must respect the dangers, posted or not, and leave those dangers alone.

Seen from a distance these buffalo are beautiful to behold. Up close, they could be deadly.  Sin treats us the same way.  As Mother might say, “Look but don’t touch.”  

Respect the dangers roaming around you in the week ahead. Keep your distance. Then, come out the other end amazed at the power of it all in the safety of your Savior’s watch.

Just a thought.

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

If you had to choose between those mountain top experiences in life and the valley times, which would you say is best?

I took this photo as we traveled up the side of one of those Great Smoky Mountains a few years ago.  It is a nice picture, but you don’t see the rest of the story.  As I held onto my camera, making sure the strap was securely wrapped around my wrist, my other hand had a death grip on the seat beside me.  There were no safety bars in front of us to keep us on that little yellow bench.  There were no seat belts fastened around our waists.  There was nothing.  Just us and fear — or trust.

My wife and kids had to do some strong persuading in order to get me on one of those things and ride up the mountain side.  We stood in our places, waited for the swinging seat to catch us from the rear, scoop us up, and swing us higher and higher until we finally reached the top, where it was up to us to quickly jump out of the seat and to a safe spot on flat ground.

Down below us, as we crept up the mountain, we could see the many shoes, jackets, and other items that had been forever lost by previous travelers.  But once we were at the top, we were treated to some beautiful views.  We were able to purchase some of those delectable deep fried peanuts, and just wander around enjoying ourselves for a while.

Of course everything that goes up must come down.  In the same manner, we eventually hopped on another seat and made our way down to town.  For me, it was the nerve-wracking moments of the ride itself that were the worst.  I don’t mind being on top of a house, but I do not at all like the climb up or down the ladder.  I think it’s the journey that scares me the most.

Well, we begin the journey of a new day, new week, etc.  Do we do it with the same fear, or is there a trust to the journey?  Do we trust our Lord enough to get us through whatever we face in the week ahead?  Or are we cringing, worrying, and holding on with a death grip to whatever we can reach?  

Had I relaxed a little, I could have enjoyed that skylift ride.  My goal this week is to trust the Lord to take me where He wills, knowing wherever that is, and no matter the remains of previous disasters that I may see below, I will be alright, because I have trusted in Him.

Just a thought.

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

When I graduated from high school nearly forty years ago and was preparing to leave for college, my grandparents came to visit and go to my graduation.  With them, they brought a stack of my grandmother’s homemade quilts.  She showed them to me and told me to pick out one for my graduation gift.

There were some that she considered beautifully done and nicer, but I surprised her by choosing the one I did.  I went for the one that was made up of small 3×3 different-colored squares.  There was no rhyme or reason to the design.  All those small quilt blocks were backed by a large red piece.  That quilt now resides on a trunk at the foot of our bed.  I call it my quilt of many colors.  It is precious to me because it was made with love by a dear woman who loved me.

My photo this week is of Dolly Parton’s famous coat of many colors, about which she wrote that famous song.  This coat is on display in her museum at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.  You can tell that the small coat was made of different colors of scraps of material.  And, no doubt, as Dolly wrote, those pieces were sewn together with love.  That coat was dear to her because it was made by one who loved her.

Life is full of many pieces.  Some of the scraps are evenly cut while some may literally just be uneven scraps.  There are many different colors, maybe even many different sizes.  Yet, each piece is woven together just for us.  Some of those pieces make no sense to us.  Maybe we wish life was simpler, with much more happiness, much less grief and sorrow, but all the pieces come together to create the exact masterpiece we were meant to have.

Life is precious.  The One Who loved you most took His time to create for you a Masterpiece that could be only yours.  Full of color, shapes, and sizes.  Full of the many ups and downs of life.  Dear to you because it was made by One Who loves you still.

Time is fleeting.  Days are too short with those we love.  Wrap yourself in His loving arms this week.  Enjoy all the parts and pieces that make up your life.  Be thankful, as the Scripture reminds us, in all circumstances.  And give Him the glory for precious memories.

Just a thought.

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

Birds are on my mind and focus today. First thing this morning, I spent some time watching a Canada goose couple as they made their way around the pond. She pecked around at the water’s edge, I assume looking for breakfast, while he stood a few feet behind her, ever watching and ever protecting.

About a year ago, I wrote of a cardinal that insisted on pecking on our bedroom window, apparently fighting its own reflection. Each morning, almost without fail for the past year, it continues the insanity for hours at a time. Alas, this bird has added the windows of two adjacent rooms to its daily bombardment ritual.

I recently spotted what a friend tells me is probably a snow goose traveling along with several Canada geese. They had stopped over for a rest and swim meet of sorts on the pond. A couple of wood ducks occasionally drop by for the same reasons. Along with those pond visitors are our regular tenants, the egrets. Some are blue gray, and some are stark white. Their wings spread enormously wide as they soar above the water and pasture.

Many thousands of black birds arrive all at once some days. They fill the trees or cover the yard, and every single one of them sings and chirps at the same time. Interestingly enough, they all go quiet at the same time as well.

This particular bird in my photo is just a fat seagull, one of many we spotted at Lake Michigan. It looks not much different from all the gulls we routinely see on our Gulf Coast. This one, though, seemed to pause and pose to have its picture taken.

This beautiful world is full of so many wonderful types and colors of birds, each very unique to its kind. So what makes any of them particularly special or important? The Bible reminds us that the Lord takes care of the birds. And if He cares for them, surely He cares for us.
Scripture says that His eye is on the sparrow. And, as the song goes, if His eye is on the sparrow, “I know He watches me!”

I’m thankful that the Lord loves watching over me even more than I love watching the birds. Even if all I do is perch my fat self in one spot and stick my feet in the sand, He is watching, and He cares. Ever thought of taking up bird watching? You might just see His hand in it all.

Just a thought.

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

Donuts (doughnuts) are some of my favorite things.  I very much enjoy the national chain varieties, especially those that turn on the “Hot” light when the fresh ones come out of the oven.  There are also some extremely good local varieties within driving distance of where we live, and I’ve eaten some of them all.  Donuts really are wonderful.  However…

Wife and I had gotten up much earlier than we normally do.  We left home before the roosters had even thought of crowing, and we headed out of town to be present at the hospital when Relative was to have serious surgery.  Wife had her tote bag prepared with reading material, snacks, and several of her ever-present water bottles.  Radio was set to one of those play-the-same-songs-over-and-over-every-day Christian music stations, and we hit the road.

I heard the odd noise and felt the strange thump that made me think I had run over something.  But before we even left our town, I had stopped twice to look, found nothing out of the ordinary, and off we went.  Barely twenty miles later, the dreaded dashboard light was blinking at me, off the interstate exit I went, and we pulled up at the nearby truck stop.  The time was now 5:30 a.m., long before any regular tire repair businesses of any kind would think of opening their doors.

I “just happened” to be right at that particular exit, “just happened” to be merely yards from the large national chain truck stop, “just happened” to pull up right in front of the semi-truck tire repair business as my tire went completely flat, and there “just happened” to be an employee walking my direction.  No doubt, the Lord had put us exactly where we needed to be at the precise time we were to be there.  The kind gentleman was a great help in getting the flat tire off the car and replacing it with the manufacturer-included “donut” tire that had previously been hidden in the bowels of my car.  After spending his time crawling around on the cold pavement, changing my tire, and getting us prepared to go, the same kind gentleman refused any payment, and simply said, “Just be safe on the road.”

I promised I would.  I set the cruise control to the recommended maximum speed for a donut tire, made the trek back home, swapped vehicles, and again we were on our way.

We left home that second time two hours later than we originally had.  We arrived at the out-of-town hospital as Relative’s successful surgery was completed.  We were late, and we had missed it all.

That “donut” of a tire, as of my writing this, has been returned to its rightful spot in my car.  Our donut experience made for a longer day than we expected, but I’m grateful that the Lord provided the donut (and all of those other details) exactly when they were needed.

Trust the Lord to provide for you the exact remedies to your needs this week!  It may seem as if your plans are thwarted and rearranged, but He provides the right needs for the right times.  God bless donuts!

Just a thought.

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

When a person visits the beach, such as the Gulf Coast, he or she could likely see one of these wooden sidewalks.  Of course, a wooden walkway such as the one in my picture here on the Alabama coast, is known as a boardwalk.  Very simply, it is a walkway made of boards.

Because of the difficulty of walking upon the loose sand, and also because of the ongoing preservation of the sand dunes and grasses, these boardwalks provide easy access to the water’s edge without causing any undue harm to the environment or making for problematic walking on the sand’s unstable surface.  Someone with limited mobility could manage a trek along the boardwalk much easier than a walk in the sand.  Stability is a wonderful thing when we are uneasy.

The familiar Bible story of the man who built his house upon the sand reminds us that the house built upon the rock, the stable surface, was much stronger and much more able to withstand life’s storms and shifting sands.

The boardwalk doesn’t take away the difficulty or perhaps even some danger of walking across those hot shifting sands, but it provides a much easier way to cross those same difficult areas while walking above them.

Perhaps you are one of the many who prayed for a much easier 2025 than the experiences you had in the past year.  Perhaps you are one who have dreamed of better days than those you’ve been having.  As you pray for the Lord to take away those difficulties and problems, be aware of the very real possibility that He, in His infinite wisdom, may never remove those shifting sands from your life.  He may, however, be providing a much easier walk across those same sands by giving you His boardwalk.

The thing about those boardwalks is that they are only sparsely created.  You may have to trudge through some tough sandy areas before you get to the boardwalk.  Don’t give up.  When you get there, you will find the walk much easier.  Walk along, looking down upon those same difficult areas of life you’ve just walked through, and take your trek out to the edge of His Living Water, where the refreshment makes it ALL worthwhile.

Praying you reach the boardwalk this week.

Just a thought.

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

Admittedly, my home office space is a mess.  However, it’s my mess, and my level of organization, so therefore, it is not problem to me.

A few years ago, I purchased this old sign at an antique store, brought it home, and hung it on my office door.  I did it as a joke, but the sign really serves a purpose.  It’s a kind of deterrent for anyone that might get too close to my piles and stacks of stuff.  “Shown By Appointment Only!”

I pray to the Lord very often.  I find myself talking to Him as I lay down at night.  I start my day talking to Him as I first open my eyes every morning.  I talk to Him at various random times throughout the day.  And, I talk to the Lord every time I sit down for a meal.

Because God is ever-present, and because, as the Scripture reminds me, He will never leave me, I know that I need not be concerned about making an appointment to meet with Him.  He is always readily available, willing, and welcoming.

If God had a sign similar to mine hanging on the “door,” and we had to make an appointment just to see Him, what a waiting list that would undoubtedly be!

Of course, my old sign serves as another reminder to me as well.  It may imply that no one is allowed without an appointment, but that doesn’t include the Lord.  No matter how big the mess is, no matter how unorganized I can become, no matter how crazy life gets, I can never hide it from Him.  He sees all, knows all, and cares about it all.

“No Appointment Needed!” is what His sign would say to us this week.

Aren’t you thankful?  I am!

Just a thought.

By Vijayan Rayappan

Luke 7:36-50

As a help in understanding the expression “in His human virtues with His divine attributes,” let us use some cases in the Gospel of Luke as illustrations. In 7:36-50 a sinful woman came into the home of a Pharisee who had invited the Lord Jesus to eat with him. As we read the account of this incident, we see that Jesus, the Man-Savior, conducted Himself in His human virtues. He was not at all bothered by that sinful woman… If we had been the Lord Jesus, we probably would have been troubled by the behavior of this woman. We might have said to her, “Don’t you know that I am a guest in this house? Can’t you see that I am eating?”

However, to act in that way would be to fail to act in the proper human virtues. In this situation the Savior was very kind and patient, realizing that this woman had been convicted of her sins. He was also merciful. To be merciful is to sympathize with others in their poor condition and low estate. In addition to exercising kindness, patience, and mercy toward the woman, the Lord Jesus also exercised His understanding.

Furthermore, He was wise and loving. Perhaps you are wondering what divine attributes are expressed in 7:36-50. First, here we have the divine forgiveness (7:47-48). God is the only one who can grant forgiveness of sins. He alone is qualified to forgive sins. In 7:50 the Lord Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” The giving of peace is also a divine attribute. God is the only one who can give inner peace. In 7:36-50 we see the Man-Savior in the house of a Pharisee acting in His human virtues with His divine attributes.

He could behave in such a manner because He was God. Hence, He acted in the highest standard of morality, for His human virtues expressed His divine attributes. Amen!!!

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

Evidence. It’s the kind of thing every detective or trial lawyer looks to find. Evidence is the proof that something has happened, or that someone has been somewhere or done something. Evidence is that which is left behind once we have moved along.

In my most recent Sunday sermon, I used Paul’s missionary life as an example for us to follow. From Paul’s writings in the book of Romans, we are reminded that our missionary work as preachers, teachers, and sharers of the Gospel should include evidence – evidence that we know Christ ourselves and evidence that we have personally experienced the gift of the Gospel about which we speak.

This photo is one of those I didn’t take the time to think about beforehand. I just snapped it as the two of us walked along the pier at Grand Haven, Michigan, one of the many historic towns located on the shores of the vast Lake Michigan. We were taking a trek out to the lighthouse. We wanted to experience the views for ourselves.
We were walking along the concrete pier, not on the sand. Therefore, we left no footprints. We didn’t need to purchase a ticket or have some type of a pass in order to visit, so there was no paper trail. It was just us.

Our long shadows cast upon the sandy shoreline were the only visible evidence of our presence. And yet, those shadows lingered no longer than did we. As quickly as we had come and gone, our shadows, the evidence of our visit to that beautiful place, were gone as well. The evidence didn’t last long. Our mark on the place was temporary. The difference we made, if any, was fleeting.

As you walk along the trek of this week’s pier, you may experience beautiful scenery. You may meet fascinating people on their own personal journeys. And each of those experiences will be brief and momentary. How will you spend them? What difference will you make?

You may say, “Well, it won’t last. What good am I doing when I attempt to share with others?” Why don’t you just let those others answer those questions. Perhaps the shadows of our presence there, with the Lord’s help, will remain longer than we think. Maybe our shadows are longer than they appear. Prayerfully so.

Just a thought.