Copyright 1970

Published by Firm Foundation Press

1970 Preface

Someone once said that the best service a book can render is not to impart truth, but to cause a person to think it out for himself. To a large degree this philosophy has provided a framework for the ideas presented in this book. The reader will not find an answer to every question which has been asked. My goal has been to inspire and to challenge the reader, not to indoctrinate him.

The Romans had an appropriate proverb: "Verba volant, scripta manent." Loosely interpreted it meant, "What is spoken flies away, what is written endures." God's people are becoming more aware of the evangelistic opportunities which the printed page offers. Dr. James D. Bales of Harding College has said:

A book once written wrong will never go right, but a book written right will never go wrong. The author may later in life apostatize, the building in which he wrote may be occupied by those who deny all that he taught, but the book will go on teaching the message which he wrote. A building may decay or it may be taken over and utilized for purposes foreign to its builders; but a book may never decay. It can be reprinted throughout the centuries and it will not depart from the messae it proclaimed the day it was published. Since my teens, I have been convinced of the importance of conveying the gospel through the printed page. This conviction has deepened throughout the decades("A Building and a Book," Firm Foundation, April 20, 1968, p. 278).

Each of the chapters in this book is actually a sermon which was first delivered from the pulpit of the University Church of Christ in Las Cruces, New Mexico. I have made a concerted effort to retain that conversational flavor in the written form of these lessons.


Stan Paregien in 1968

"Of the making of books there is no end," the writer of Ecclesiates lamented. Professor Colin Cherry, in On Human Communication (p. 77), has facetiously said that "the present times might well be called the Age of Paper...." It is not without considerable soul-searching that this writer has decided to place this bark on the seas of literature. Whether it sinks or sails remains to be seen. But let this be said: the superficialities and shortcomings of this effort should be blamed on the author; the praise for whatever good it may do should go to God.

I cannot close these introductory remarks without making a few personal statements. Invaluable inspiration has been given to me by my wife. Literally hundreds of hours were spent int he various stages of development of these lessons, with much of the time being spent away from my family. A less understanding companion would have resented this intrusion.

In addition, the bishops of the University Church helped this effort by their continued patience with me during the difficult days of my full-time ministry. And to my friend and brother in Christ, Virgil R. Trout, I gladly express my deep appreciation for his encouragement during the final preparation of this book.

--Stanley Paregien

2001 Preface

Thirty-one years have passed since I wrote this book and guided it through the "birthing" process of proofing, artwork and final production. My wife, then, is still my wife now. And she is still amazingly longsuffering with the time I spent at the computer (Some things do change, as I typed the original manuscript on a portable Smith Coronoa typewriter that I used all the way through college.). Virgil Trout , who is now in semi-retirement (he has slowed down to doing just the work of two men half his age), is still my friend. And the truths contained in the book are still valid.

It is for the latter reason that I have decided to put this book in electronic form on the internet for wider exposure. The book itself has been out-of-print for twenty years, but the information is still useful. Therefore, I wish a blessing for you the reader. May my halting words somehow touch your heart and mind and point you toward Jesus the Christ.

Looking back, the godly bishops of the University Church were more kind and patient with me than I certainly deserved. That, after all, was my first full-time ministry. I was as "green" as the Jolly Green Giant, though I had been "making talks" in church since the age of 16 and had graduated from a Bible college (now David Lipscomb University). My horizon had been expanded some, mainly by my exposure to the writings of W. Carl Ketcherside and Leroy Garrett, but I was youthfully dogmatic and opinionated. Those leaders -- Arthur Armstrong, J.D. Burrow, Joe D. Herman, Sr., and W.H. "Bill" Moody -- guided me and counseled me through those early days. Since then, I have myself served as an elder in two different congregations, so my appreciation of their efforts has steadily grown over the years.

--Stanley Paregien
Feb. 23, 2001

Table of Contents

Chapter 1....................God and Discrimination

MORE TO COME:

God's Cure for Sick Souls
God's War on Poverty
The Problem of Unbelief
The Peace of God
The Day Jesus Died
The Conquering Christ
The Good News
The Heart of the Good News
The Invitation of Jesus
How to Find Success in the Kingdom
The Storms of Life
A Holy Heartburn
Speech: An Index to Character
The Empty Life
The Forgotten Virtue
Prejudiced---Who, Me?
The Importance of Truth