On Sunday, January 28, 2025, I had the privilege to share with the Curryville Church in Pennsylvania to celebrate their becoming a Covenant Brethren Church congregation. It was a great day of worship and celebration. The Curryville folks have worked a long while since deciding in conscience, after much prayer and conversation, to leave the Church of the Brethren and join CBC.
As part of the worship service Sister Kellie Hileman shared a wonderful, poignant children’s story, and I told her I was “stealing” it! Thank you, Sister Kellie!
As Kellie invited the children to the front pew, she told them she was sad. Stressed. The children leaned in. She was very convincing. She told them that her car’s “check engine” light had come on and she didn’t know what to do! She decided to look in “the book.” The kids nodded in agreement. Good idea! Then she picked up a stack of books and handed one to each child. One got the owner’s manual for her coffee maker. They next got the manual for their lawn mower. Another child got the owner’s guide from their television. On down the line she went. Each child got an owner’s manual from some appliance or tool in Kellie’s home. Then she asked them, “Can you help me?” Look in this book and see if you can find what I should do to fix the “check engine” light.
The children began to pour through the manuals diligently. They were very serious about helping her. But one child finally said, “We need the book from the car!”
And with that, Sister Kellie began to explain that it is important what book we look to for answers. And for us, the right book is God’s Word, the Bible! Perfect!
We live in a day, in a culture, where there are lots of sources for wisdom, answers, lifestyle choices and direction. But there is only one Book that is our perfect guidebook for life. Do you look to the Bible daily for the answers to the questions you face? When you face a “biggie” in life is the Bible the place you look for guidance. Sister Kellie got it right! There’s one Book we should all look to daily. It was the best sermon of the day!
“Every word of God is flawless…” Proverbs 30:5 NIV
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV
Larry Dentler, CBC Executive Board
