“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope–the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:11-13
Author: Gary Combs
Crooked culture
“So that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe” (Philippians 2:15 NIV). What is culture and how did it get crooked? While there are many ways to define the word “culture,” the definition that we will be using
Sorry Mr. President, I guess we’re hurting the economy
“The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender” (Proverbs 22:7 NIV). It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1 NIV). These past several weeks we’ve been teaching on how
Fit for what?
“Jesus replied, ‘No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God’” (Luke 9:62 NIV). My wife and I try to work out at the YMCA three days a week. It’s a discipline we started a few years ago after noticing a decline in our health. We’re
What kind of inheritance will we leave?
“A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children” (Proverbs 13:22 NIV). On Sunday, January 10, 2010, our tribe increased again. Our son, Stephen, and his wife, Caroline, had a baby girl. They named her Cadence Story Combs. “Cadence” is named for their love of music and “Story” is a family name on Caroline’s
Even Barbie has a credit card
“Let no debt remain outstanding” (Romans 13:8 NIV). This past week in our community group meeting we were discussing the importance of getting out of debt. I asked our group to answer the following question: “What does our culture teach us about debt?” Everyone agreed that the culture teaches us to charge now and pay
Know your financial vitals
“Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds; for riches do not endure forever, and a crown is not secure for all generations” (Proverbs 27:23-24 NIV). “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men” (Luke 2:52). For the last several years I’ve taken
We’ll see you in heaven Nana.
“For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down—when we die and leave these bodies—we will have a home in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands” (2 Corinthians 5:1 NLT). When I first started dating Robin, I had to date the
I wanted a Johnny West for Christmas
“For God so loved the world that he gave…” (John 3:16). In 1966 I wanted a “Johnny West” for Christmas. But ’66 was a tough year. My father died of cancer in November of that year at the age of 39. I was eight. My mother was so exhausted and emotionally overwhelmed after a year of
Do the opposite
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given:” (Isaiah 9:6 KJV). I started watching the sitcom “Seinfeld” only after it went into syndication. I guess the daily dose of reruns finally got me interested. If you know anything about the show, you know that the character played by Jason Alexander,