Advice is readily available to anyone who is searching for some counsel on any given subject. You need medical advise, or some answers to legal questions, or marriage counsel, just go to your next door neighbor or to a good friend and you will receive it all for free. Whether you wish to follow their expert advise is another thing entirely.

     The same is true in matters of faith. Oh There are a host of experts out there who are convinced they know all the answers about God, scripture and eternity. Frankly I would not want to trust my eternal destiny to any human. They do not have all the answers. I will even go so far as to say that those who stand before their congregations every Sunday do not have all the answers. And, do not trust your eternity with them either.

     There is only one source for answers, and that is God. He has given us His Bible to tell us where we came from, why we are here, and where we are going. He has explained to us that Jesus Christ is the answer to our question about that which matters most in life. I encourage you to open your Bible and let God give you the right counsel. You can trust Him.

     Come worship with us Sunday.

Norm Russell

We'd just like to remind everyone that the Church of Christ welcomes -EVERYONE- to our services. It doesn't matter what church you went to in the past (or if you ever did or not) or what you're a member of now or anything like that. We have a very basic philosophy here: Teach the Bible exactly as it was written, while making sure we understand what the words of the Bible actually meant when they were written. Language changes, but the core principles of the Scriptures never do. Neither does God's promise to us or His expectations of us.

    So if you're looking for a church home, or even if you're just curious as to what we have to offer, join us at our worship services. You'll be welcome among us. If you have an immediate need that we can help you with, call us on the phone or ask on service days. Our phone number is 541-756-4844. The church email address is NBCOC@Hotmail.com. Please don't hesitate to contact us.

He was an excellent professor. He knew his subject well and the students and faculty admired him greatly. When the university president resigned, the board believed that instead of going outside the institution, they should offer the position to this outstanding teacher. During a routine background check of his credentials, no evidence of this man ever receiving a degree could be found. In fact, there was no record of him ever going to college. When he was asked about the problem, the man told the board he would return in a few minutes with everything they needed. He never came back.

The professor was not the first to claim to be something he wasn’t. There have been surgeons who have practiced medicine on unsuspecting patients and lawyers who have represented clients in a courtroom, neither having the credentials necessary to carry out their duties.

In religious circles, there have been individuals who claimed to be the Messiah but were frauds. There have been those who spoke of having special revelations, even saying “God told me . . .” only to find their special revelations, more often than not, were for the purpose of lining their pockets. Beware of the con artists. Read your Bible. God will not let you down.

Come worship with us Sunday

Norm Russell - North Bend (Oregon, USA) Church of Christ - http://churchofchristnb.com

     The other day my wife was working on a dress of our granddaughter’s. It is a nice garment and some alterations were necessary. As she labored over her sewing machine, it struck me that she was engaged in a rapidly disappearing art. She learned to sew in, what was known then, home etc. It was a class to teach the kids (mostly all girls) about how to be a self-reliant home maker.

     There are a number of skills that are being lost today. Some are fading out because technology has replaced it. Some because there is no longer a use for them and still others, because we have become so affluent there is no need for them any longer, or we do not have the time.

     But, there is something that will never fade away and that is our need for God. There are attempts being made to totally remove God from every facet of life in America. The result is our sinking into barbarism. We have abortions totaling some 58,586,256 from 1973-2012. Shootings have escalated, single parent homes, and a host of other issues. All this is a reminder that when a nation turns inward and away from God, chaos erupts. Let’s put God back in our lives, and we will marvel at how God can change things.

     Come worship with us Sunday. And remember, EVERYONE is welcome here.

Norm Russell

     In addition to the website here, I also have a collection of these and other inspirational and devotional stories  on the web at http://wordforlife.com/blog. I would like to invite all of you to come on over and take a look at them. I would appreciate it if you would drop me a note after you have seen it and let me know you were there and how it well it worked on your phone/tablet/etc you visited with. Each message on that site has a "Comments: x" where the X is  the number of folks who commented. Just click that "Comments" word to enter feedback to me. Thanks a bunch --Mark Magill