July 14, 2026
We Need Friends
Reflecting on Ecclesiastes, Proverbs, and the words of Jesus, this article shows how loyal friends comfort, strengthen, and lift us up—and why Christ remains our truest friend.
Articles for tag: Ecclesiastes
July 7, 2026
A Time for Everything
Ecclesiastes 3 reminds us time is precious, non-renewable, and given by God. Every season offers an opportunity to live wisely and prepare for eternity.
June 30, 2026
Living Beneath the Line of Despair
Ecclesiastes confronts the search for meaning by showing how education, pleasure, possessions, and work fall short when life is viewed apart from God.
August 19, 2019
Lesson for August 25, 2019: Lift Up One Another (Ecclesiastes 4:7-12)
Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teaches preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri. This lesson treatment is published in issue no. 9 (weeks 32-35; August 18—September 8, 2019) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ________ Lesson Aim: We are better when we have each other to care for and to care for us. ________ By Mark Scott Ecclesiastes is full of sound advice: know what really matters in life, redeem pleasure, use time wisely, be judicious with your words, think properly about wealth, act well toward
March 27, 2017
The Solomon Syndrome
By Daniel Schantz When an old friend of ours left his wife for a younger model, I was dumbstruck. “He”s smarter than that,” I said to my wife. “He knows better.” His villainy didn”t bother me as much as his sheer stupidity. We all do stupid things, like texting and driving, but when someone really smart does something dumb, well, that”s just inexcusable. And yet, being smart doesn”t make it any easier to behave. Being good has more to do with emotions and willpower than with brains. Smart people have all the same temptations we all do, plus some that
December 11, 2016
Mystery, Model, Hope
By Chad Ragsdale Difficult to comprehend, frustrating to explain, the fact that God became flesh is central to our faith. And he did it through the birth of a baby to a virgin. Sometimes I wonder what Christmas at Job”s house would have been like. Holidays can be especially difficult for families living in the wake of tragedy. The songs, parties, and decorations might have the opposite of their intended effect. Rather than inspiring goodwill and joy, they only amplify loss and grief. So try to imagine living through Job”s unimaginable loss while also navigating the joy, festivity, and family
March 24, 2016
140 Character: How to Be a Social Media Missionary
By T.R. Robertson I”ve dreamed of being a writer since I was just a kid, back in the 1970s. Being a writer would give me the chance to express myself, to share my thoughts and opinions. Little did I know by the time I became a published writer, anyone with Internet access would be able to instantly publish his or her thoughts. Social media enable everyone to have their say, whether insightful or spiteful, eloquent or ignorant. Twitter recorded 738 million tweets in the 10 days following the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. Social media drove the public
August 27, 2014
The Thread that Leads to God
By Jim Tune In Modern Man in Search of a Soul, Carl Jung wrote these penetrating words: “About a third of my cases are suffering from no clinically definable neurosis, but from the senselessness and the emptiness in their lives. This can be described as the general neurosis of our time.” The late philosopher and author Francis Schaeffer said, “The damnation of this generation is that it doesn’t know that it has any meaning at all.” Solomon put it this way: “Everything is meaningless. . . . I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all
December 13, 2013
Like Us, With Us
What are we to think of ourselves, to make of ourselves, because God became a man in Jesus? How does Jesus help us understand and define our own humanity? By Jon Weatherly What is a human? The story is told of two medieval philosophers discussing that question. One said, “A human is a featherless, two-legged creature.” The second excused himself, then returned an hour later with a plucked chicken. We need a better definition. Or perhaps we humans are better off describing our experience rather than formulating a definition. So what is our experience? We are like and unlike other
February 1, 2013
Leadership Proverbs and Models of Change
The Leadership Wisdom of Solomon: 28 Essential Strategies for Leading with Integrity Pat Williams with Jim Denney Cincinnati: Standard Publishing, 2010 Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard Chip Heath and Dan Heath New York: Crown Business, 2010 Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology (Two People, One Year, Zero Watts) Eric Brende New York: Harper Perennial, 2004 Of the writing of leadership books there is no end. So much of what you read in one seems to be copied from others of them. In Pat Williams”s The Leadership Wisdom of Solomon, though, what impresses is not that there is
October 10, 2011
Lesson for Oct. 16, 2011: Growing Old with Wisdom (Ecclesiastes 11:7″“12:14)
This week”s treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson (for October 16) is written by Daniel Schantz, professor emeritus at Central Christian College of the Bible in Moberly, Missouri. ____________ Growing Old with Wisdom (Ecclesiastes 11:7″“12:14) By Daniel Schantz Poets present October as the melancholy season, marking the death of summer. Yet, to many of us, October is the best season of all””spangled with color, rich in harvests, invigorating in weather. Old age is like October. It does indeed signal the end of life, but it is also filled with a harvest of good things: grandchildren, retirement, honors. A number
January 6, 2010
All Work and No Play?
Why Play Matters for Children, Work, and Ministry Mark A. Taylor reflects on research and reporting that connect boredom, play, creativity, and healthier relationships. Drawing from insights about children, engineers, and church leaders, he considers whether playful space may help adults work and serve together better. Boredom can give children room to think, create, and solve problems. Play may strengthen creativity, memory, problem-solving, and workplace relationships. Church staff and leaders may benefit from unstructured time that builds trust. By Mark A. Taylor “The brain in its relaxed state is more creative, makes more nuanced connections and is ripe for eureka
October 21, 2009
A Life that Matters
Mark A. Taylor reflects on success, aging, and Ecclesiastes, pointing readers toward a life that matters by fearing God and keeping his commandments.
December 14, 2008
Reflections from a Bartender’s Son
Chuck Sackett reflects on alcohol, abstinence, moderation, and Christian leadership, urging believers to weigh motives, wisdom, Scripture, family impact, and witness with humility.
July 24, 2005
Wisdom Is a Good Thing
Reflecting on Ecclesiastes and James, Tom Ellsworth shares how God teaches wisdom through life experiences, relationships, and hard seasons—inviting believers to hold on loosely to this life and keep eternity in view.
