Christ: Delivered to the Will of the People
by Dr. Johnny O. Trail, LMFT
Jesus did not meet the expectations of the religious leaders of His time. It seems that He did not live up to the hopes of the people regarding the things that He rejected or demanded of those who would be His disciples. He was not the Messiah they expected, wanted, or accepted. Isaiah’s prophecies point this fact out several hundred years before Jesus’ birth. Isaiah 53:3-54 says, “He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted.”
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What the Fires Meant
by Dr. Johnny O. Trail, LMFT
When I was younger, I seldom woke up during the night. As I have gotten older though, mother nature makes my sleep determinations if you know what I mean. Even though I did not wake easily when I was younger, there was one night in the early eighties when I woke up for no reason. I remember it vividly.
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Broken But Valuable
by Dr. Johnny O. Trail, LMFT
C.B. Arnett was the first person in the Southeastern United States to import antiques and other items from Europe. I met Mr. Arnett when I worked for him to earn some extra money as a student at MTSU. As we interacted over a ten-year period of time, he shared some very interesting stories regarding his quest for antiques at various European destinations.
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Reaching for the Fallen
by Dr. Johnny O. Trail, LMFT
Just recently, the mayor of Dallas, Eric Johnson, was interviewed by Ben Ferguson and Ted Cruz on the Verdict podcast. While Johnson is not a member of the church of Christ, as evidenced by things said in his interview, he indicated that his grandparents were devout members of the church.
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Fighting Discouragement
by Dr. Johnny O. Trail, LMFT
Every person faces discouragement in their lives—even the child of God. Paul makes this evident in various places and offers solutions to the problem. He underscores the discouragement in the lives of the Corinthian brethren in his letter labeled Second Corinthians. He says, in 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, “We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.” The Corinthian brethren had been greatly mistreated but they had not been “in despair,” “forsaken,” nor “destroyed.” Since all people face discouragement, how can we be equipped, through God’s word, to overcome the disappointments we face in life?
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Biblical Preaching
by Dr. Johnny O. Trail, LMFT
What is good preaching? Should it be the goal of the preacher to build numbers by entertainment? Should one’s success in preaching be measured by the numbers on the board at each service or is there a different standard that we must use? Can one serve as an evangelist for a small congregation and still be called a “good” preacher?
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Team Players
by Dr. Johnny O. Trail, LMFT
The idea of playing as a team is exemplified in many sports. One great example of playing as a team is found in the game of football. If you have ever played this game as an organized sport, you know that every person’s position is important for the success of the entire team.
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Jealous of Your Christianity
by Dr. Johnny O. Trail, LMFT
Jealousy is not always a negative thing as presented by scripture. God is described as “jealous” over His people. Exodus 20:5 says, “You shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me.” In the realm of human interaction and Christianity, there can be good envy or evil envy depending upon the situation.
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Correct Terminology
by Dr. Johnny O. Trail, LMFT
When our youngest son was about five years old, we had some interesting, albeit confusing, conversations. His inquisitive mind always had diverse and varying discussions ready for our daily commutes. One day after being picked up from school, he was conversing with his mother and their dialogue focused on peanuts.
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A Thing to Be Executed
by Dr. Johnny O. Trail, LMFT
Cruelty in any form disturbs reasonable human beings. Our country has laws in place that protect animals and people from cruelty, because we know that certain people mistreat others for their own demented pleasure. When one reads about the nature of the crucifixion, several facts stand out about those putting Jesus to death. One overriding fact is the unbridled cruelty that was manifested during His punishment and death.
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The Cornerstone Rejected
by Dr. Johnny O. Trail, LMFT
When Jesus made His triumphant entry into Jerusalem, those celebrating Passover were quoting a messianic passage (Matthew 21: 42) from Psalm 118. The passage as quoted from verse twenty-two says, “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone.” The event and Psalm are at once a prophecy of rejection and praise for the Messiah who would ride a donkey into the city just days before His crucifixion. The praise portion says, in Psalm 118:26, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD! We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.”
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Share My Delusion
by Dr. Johnny O. Trail, LMFT
The agenda of woke culture has moved from ridiculous to delusional to forced participation in delusional thoughts and behaviors. It seems that reasonable people are being forced to share in the delusion of those who are uncertain of their gender, pronouns, or sexuality.
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Remembering the Password
by Dr. Johnny O. Trail, LMFT
Several years ago, we would not have even considered paying our bills online or doing our banking using a computer and the internet. Most everything is done online nowadays and for the most part it is a wonderful thing. It is much easier to pay bills via online account platforms. Instead of worrying about things being on time or stolen in the mail, you share your bank account information with the billing group, click a few buttons and your bills are paid in an immediate fashion.
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Accept and Acknowledge or Else!
by Dr. Johnny O. Trail, LMFT
J.K. Rowling, the author of the popular Harry Potter series has come under fire for her opposition of transgender labeling. There is speculation that mislabeling a person could earn citizens of the United Kingdom two years in prison. Rowling, to her credit, expressed a willingness to serve two years in prison rather than bow to the crazy wokeness that is permeating so much of modern society.
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You Cannot Raise Them
by Dr. Johnny O. Trail, LMFT
The most precious “thing” we have in our lives as a married couple is our children. God has designed marriage to be the primary consideration in the family and married couples should strive to have successful marital unions. After the primary unit of the family is fortified, parents should make every attempt to raise and train godly children.
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A Conquering Messiah
by Dr. Johnny O. Trail, LMFT
The Bible records Jesus entering the city of Jerusalem just a few days prior to His crucifixion. This is hailed as the “triumphant entry” by people who study scripture. When one does a close examination of the event and the symbols present at the time of Christ’s entry, some harsh irony becomes evident regarding their understanding of the Messiah and His complete rejection just a few days later.
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Be Kind
by Dr. Johnny O. Trail, LMFT
The light just turned green, and cars slowly moved through the intersection. I was turning left but could not help noticing the woman in the SUV next to me in the adjacent lane. She had put her left hand out the window and was making an obscene gesture to the person in the car behind them. As if that was not enough lewdness for the moment, she stuck her head out the window and shouted several profanities to the same car. I was unable to determine what the other driver had done to incite the anger of the woman driving the SUV, but one does not have to respond to any situation in this manner.
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Sometimes the Pain Helps
by Dr. Johnny O. Trail, LMFT
When I was a small child, the medical profession worked differently in consideration of common sicknesses. In the early seventies, our regular physician would give a shot of antibiotics for just about any disease one could think of—even trivial sicknesses. Nowadays, doctors are reserved about giving antibiotics; especially in cases where they are deemed ineffective.
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The Significance of Reeds in the Life of Christ
by Dr. Johnny O. Trail, LMFT
The first recorded miracle of Jesus’ earthly ministry occurred in Cana of Galilee. Sometimes the place of the miracle is overlooked and not considered when John chapter two is examined. John 2:1 says, “On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.” In the Hebrew language the word “Cana” can be translated as “place of reeds.”
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Without Murmuring and Complaining
by Dr. Johnny O. Trail, LMFT
It has been observed by some that murmuring and complaining are part of human nature. Beyond the normal gripes and complaints that one hears, it seems there are people who delight in murmuring and complaining to excess. There are people who simply love keeping controversy stirred up in various situations—including the church. The Bible admonishes the disciple of Jesus to avoid such behaviors.
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