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Click on any title to open it.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/em>Each document opens in 150% magnification. Change the document size by clicking on the controls at the bottom-center of each document page.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n On your desktop computer<\/span>, enter a word<\/span> in the “Search” blank (top left-hand side bar) to bring up articles\/MSS that contain the word<\/span> you entered in their respective titles. Or, utilize the list of pre-assigned topics<\/span> in the “Categories” section under the “Search” tool. (Regrettably, these features are not available in phone and tablet versions.)<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Share this WEBSITE PAGE on social media by clicking the respective icon(s) immediately above. Share any OPEN PDF DOCUMENT by clicking on the “share” icon in the document’s menu bar (upper right corner).<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Check out our new page:<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n McClish Sermon<\/span><\/strong><\/span>Videos<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n SPECIAL FREE<\/span><\/em> MANUAL FOR SONG LEADERS<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Music Fundamentals for Song Leaders <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Congregational “singing schools”…provided training for song leaders for several generations. These had already begun to disappear by the 1960s. Observing that void prompted me, in 1965, to prepare a booklet for those who lead singing in our worship assemblies…I was…prompted to pull my old, age-yellowed copy from its file when a young, inexperienced song leader indicated that he woujld welcome such help. My copy was so unattractive and inadequate in many ways that I was too embarrassed to give it to anyone. Rather, I decided to produce a “new and improved” version, thus taking advantage of attractive printing, type, and graphics, as well as improving its content…<\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Parental Abdication<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Some of the most pitiable people in the world are those whose personalities have been warped by ultra-strict, extra-harsh, unnecessarily restrictive parental despotism. Parents must be aware of the danger of abusing their children in this way.\u2026<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n “Past Due” Notices<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n I was thumbing through an office supply catalog recently when I found an entire page of collection stickers.\u2026intended to “encourage” people who are delinquent in their bills to make their payments.\u2026<\/span><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n People Are Impressed<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Some people are so self-conscious about what others think about them as to be unbalanced. They slink around, afraid to speak or act, for fear that someone will criticize them. They are right, of course.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Perils of the Soul<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Those who have experienced life-threatening situations understand the meaning of peril.\u2026 Few ever consider the fact that spiritual perils are far more consequential than physical ones. Jesus put these perils in perspective: “And be not afraid of them that kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul\u2026.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n “Please Turn Up the Heat”<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n I have noticed that some people do not like to sit in the center section of pews during worship because they feel the cold air blowing directly on them. Some of the ladies who sit there have had to reach for their wraps or borrow a coat from their gentlemanly husband before the last \u201cAmen.” Admittedly, this is somewhat of a problem.\u2026<\/span><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Practical Points on Prayer<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n The Lord wants us to be a people of prayer (Luke 19:46), but too often we are like the apostles in Gethsemane, sleeping when we should be praying<\/span><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Practical Problems of Preachers<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Preaching the gospel in a community, working with a local church, has its problems. If there are still any people so na\u00efve as to think that preachers “have it made” since “they only have to work three hours a week and can do what they want to the rest of the time,” maybe I can help bring you along to reality.<\/span><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Prayer Pointers<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n We all are subject to drifting into behavior and speech habits that convey unscriptural concepts. Sometimes such speech habits are manifested in the prayers in our assemblies. Such mistakes are doubtless made innocently, but they are mistakes, nonetheless….<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Prayer\u2014to Whom and Through Whom<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Prayer is the blessed avenue God has provided his children for talking with him. He has given us instruction, both plain and plentiful, concerning how to pray in a manner that he will be pleased to hear….<\/em><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Preachers and Preaching\u2014An Overview<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Pride is a temptation of special severity to preachers because they are constantly in the public eye. People often ask them questions, seek their counsel, and praise them. A preacher can begin to believe all those nice things people may write or say about him. (Of course, his wife and some of the brethren may help him keep in touch with reality!)<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n Preachers in Prison<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n God’s preachers are in prison yet,<\/span> But unlike Paul of old; <\/span>The bars and chains God’s preachers get t<\/span>oday, are manifold.\u2026<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n “Preachers” or “Pastors”?<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Preaching a Positive Gospel<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n More and more over the past few years we have heard how desperately we need to hear \u201cpositive preaching.\u201d I would guess that there are few preachers around who haven\u2019t heard people say this in their presence or suggest it to them. I agree.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Preaching on Church History<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n The older I get and the more I observe what some brethren are doing and saying, the more convinced I become that the Lord’s people do not know much about church history.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Preaching to the Brethren<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n I am noticing more and more that the very errors I was exposing in the denominational doctrine and practice in the 1960s and 1970s I am now having to expose in our brethren who have adopted them….<\/span><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Preaching to Needs<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n The ideal sermon deals with the needs of those in the pew. The unending quest of those who preach must be to find the real needs of people and meet them with inspired truth. However, one does not preach very long until he is stuck with the fact that what people\u00a0need\u00a0<\/b>and what they\u00a0desire\u00a0<\/b>are often far apart.<\/span><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Preparing for Persecution<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n In America the heinous philosophies of Hedonism, Humanism, Atheism, and Liberalism (political, theological, and moral) and the climate for persecution of the opposing force of Christianity (in the broadest sense) have increased in parallels in the final quarter of the twentieth century. It seems likely that these trials and tests to our faith will only accelerate\u2026<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n “Professional Preachers”<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n It is not unusual to hear uncomplimentary remarks made about those who are supported by others while they preach the Gospel. Often we are referred to as \u201cprofessional preachers\u201d in a derogatory way.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Public School and Bible School<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n It is such a widely acknowledged truism that strong churches do not exist without a strong Bible school that we need not even bother to document it. Generally, the stronger the Bible school, the stronger that church is going to be.<\/span><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Purposes of First Century Miracles<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Why did God empower men in the first century to work miracles? One of the Biblical words for \u201cmiracle\u201d (<\/span><\/em>semeion) provides a clue.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n “Put Things Right”<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n After sending back stunning pictures of Saturn (1980), Uranus (1986), and Neptune (1989), Voyager 1 escaped the gravitational pull of the Sun, and in 1998, this high-tech machine became the most distant man-made object in space,….<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Re-Examining a Song<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n In 2007 I wrote a manuscript for the Bellview Lectures, Pensacola, Florida, titled, \u201cBuilding up the Church Through Singing.\u201d In it I briefly mentioned that some of the songs in the books we commonly use emphasize patriotism far more than praise to God and His Son. I cited the example of \u201cAmerica the Beautiful.\u201d This song references God several times, but it praises our nation more than Him (if it does the latter at all)….<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Re-Writing History<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Some people do not like the facts of history, so they ignore them and write their own version. A case in point is the American Nazi Party that is constantly publishing denials that Hitler’s policies of genocide actually destroyed millions of Jews during the 1930s and 1940s.\u2026<\/span><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n
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