Blog Archives
An Upside-Down World
January 03, 2023
An Upside-Down World By: J.B. Hixson, Ph.D.
Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! (Isaiah 5:20)
The Frenchman Henri Matisse is widely regarded as one of the most influential painters of the first half of the twentieth century. He is mentioned often in the same breath with his Spanish counterpart Pablo Picasso. In one of the more embarrassing faux pas of the high-class world of art, a Matisse painting hung upside down for ...
Joy Comes in the Morning
December 27, 2022
Joy Comes in the Morning By: J.B. Hixson, Ph.D.
For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. (Psalm 30:5)
C. S. Lewis wrote, “There are far better things ahead than any we leave behind.” This is a great reminder as we wake up each morning and face the new day. Each sunrise brings with it hope that a better day lies before us. Whatever happened yesterday is in the past; today’s script is yet to be written.
Only the gloomiest of cynics wakes up each morning and ...
The Amazing Race
December 12, 2022
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1–2)
It was a bitterly cold, snowy Saturday morning in a little town in New Hampshire. The whole community was gathered, as they ...
New Life in Christ
December 05, 2022
New Life In Christ By: J. B. Hixson, Ph.D.
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ-by grace you have been saved. (Ephesians 2:4–5)
I came across a humorous story recently that perfectly illustrates what Christmas is really all about. It seems a pastor was sitting in his office on the first Saturday of December. Outside in the courtyard of the church the men of the church were in the process of building a stage for a live ...
Do You Know Who God Is?
December 01, 2022
Do You Know Who God Is? By: J.B. Hixson, Ph.D.
Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. (1 Timothy 1:17)
Several years ago, I had an incident that ended up on my running list of embarrassing moments. Actually, there were two incidents about five minutes apart. It was one of those days.
The episodes happened in a hotel lobby in Tulsa. I had just arrived at the hotel where I was scheduled to speak twice at a conference. I pulled up to the main entrance and went ...
Satan Is a Loser!
October 18, 2022
Satan Is a Loser! By: J.B. Hixson, Ph.D.
Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. (Revelation 19:15–16)
When I was a teenager, I played basketball on the freshman team of our large 5-A high school in Texas. Being vertically challenged, and not particularly fast, I mostly rode the ...
Never Underestimate the Enemy
October 12, 2022
Never Underestimate the Enemy J. B. Hixson, Ph.D.
“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)
Some years ago, we had the unfortunate experience of being burglarized at our home. It was in the middle of the night, and my family and I were all sound asleep. No one heard a thing. I inadvertently left our garage door open, and a thief soundlessly sneaked into our garage and stole the stereo from our car. He also helped ...
Seeing the Invisible
October 04, 2022
Seeing the Invisible J. B. Hixson, Ph.D.
Therefore, we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)
Recently I was moving several boxes of books from our ...
He did it!
September 22, 2022
He did it! By: J. B. Hixson, Ph.D.
“This was the LORD’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.” (Psalm 118:23)
One of the many joys of parenthood is watching your children reach milestones such as learning to walk, learning to talk, or learning to ride a bicycle. We have raised six children, and the older I get the more these special memories tend to blur together in my mind’s eye. Was it Brooke or Faith who skinned her knee when the bicycle fell over on her that time? However, I recall one particular moment as if it happened yesterday....
Comforting Words in a Confusing World
September 07, 2022
Comforting Words in a Confusing World By: J.B. Hixson, Ph.D.
“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” (John 14:1–3)
It was Thursday, April 2nd, in the year 33 AD. Jesus and eleven of His closest friends were celebrating the Passover in Jerusalem. There was an ...
Whose Neighbor Are You?
September 01, 2022
Whose Neighbor Are You? “So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?” (Luke 10:36)
On July 3, 1988, the navy cruiser USS Vincennes shot down an Iranian jetliner with 290 civilians aboard. There were no survivors. It was a tragic mistake. The ship's captain mistakenly thought they were under attack by an F-14 Iranian fighter jet. Following the incident public opinion polls in America showed that most Americans opposed paying compensation to the victim's families. The cruel treatment of American ...
God Can Tie His Own Shoes
August 25, 2022
God Can Tie His Own Shoes J. B. Hixson, Ph.D.
From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” (Matthew 16:21–23)
Every new ...
God in the Hands of Angry Sinners
August 16, 2022
God in the Hands of Angry Sinners By: J.B. Hixson, Ph.D.
Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. (Revelation 19:15–16)
In the mid-eighteenth century, a spiritual resurgence swept across the New England states. Known as The Great Awakening, this widespread revival affected Christian ...
The Beginning of the End
August 10, 2022
The Beginning of the End By: J.B. Hixson, Ph.D.
He answered and said to them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.” (Matthew 16:2–3)
I still remember the first major league baseball game I attended. My Dad took me and my sister to Yankee Stadium (the old Yankee Stadium) when I was ten years old. It was bat day, ...
Satan's Counterfeits
August 03, 2022
Satan’s Counterfeits By: J.B. Hixson, Ph.D.
For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. (2 Corinthians 11:13–14)
Satan has been conspiring with fallen angels and human agents to take over the world for approximately six thousand years now. Just moments after his failed coup in heaven, he set his sights on earth, and he has been hard at work ever since, deceiving and devouring (Revelation 12:9; 1 Peter 5:8). ...
Believe It Or Not
July 19, 2022
Believe It Or Not! By: J. B. Hixson, Ph.D. “Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ. . .” (Philippians 1:27)
Children usually believe whatever you tell them. They can be quite gullible. Moreover, because their faith is so simple and straightforward, they tend to act on what they believe. Adults, by contrast, do not always act in a manner that is consistent with what they believe.
A humorous anecdote illustrates the point. When my oldest daughter Bethany was about five or six years old, she was sitting next to her aunt at ...
The Golden Key
July 14, 2022
The Golden Key J. B. Hixson, Ph.D.
So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” (1 Corinthians 15:54-55)
Death. The word itself is conclusive, leaving no room for ambiguity. It invokes feelings of finality, termination, the end of the story. Death is a topic of discussion best relegated to the twilight hours of the day, not the sort of ...
Performance-based Salvation
July 07, 2022
Performance-based Salvation By: J.B. Hixson, Ph.D.
Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness. (Romans 4:4–5)
A few years ago, Wendy and I were having dinner at a restaurant near a church where I was speaking. It was the third day of the conference, and I had spoken several times already. We were enjoying a quiet meal away from the crowds prior to my final message later that evening. As we were ...
Is the Sun Setting on the Church?
June 28, 2022
Is the Sun Setting on the Church? By: J.B. Hixson, Ph.D.
He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! (Revelation 22:20)
Recently Wendy and I had the opportunity to get away for a rare vacation. It had been more than two decades since we were able to break away from family and ministry and enjoy a week of down time. We spent a week on the beach and watched the sunset every night for seven straight nights from various vantage points. Each one was gloriously different, depending on ...
What Goes Around Comes Around
June 22, 2022
What Goes Around Comes Around By: J. B. Hixson, Ph.D.
“Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and he who rolls a stone will have it roll back on him.” (Proverbs 26:27)
When my children were younger, I used to plan an occasional “date with dad” for my girls. I remember one occasion when I took the two oldest bowling. The joy on their faces as they watched their bowling balls make their way down the alley toward the pins was priceless. My eight-year-old’s rolls were more like throws. With one hand, she slung the ball down the lane as hard as ...
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