Rev. Mark H. Creech column
Rev. Mark H. Creech was Executive Director of the Christian Action League of North Carolina, Inc. He was a pastor for twenty years before taking this position, having served five different Southern Baptist churches in North Carolina and one Independent Baptist in upstate New York.
Rev. Creech is a prolific speaker and writer, and has served as a radio commentator for Christians In Action, a daily program featuring Rev. Creech's commentary on social issues from a Christian worldview.
In addition to RenewAmerica.com, his weekly editorials are featured on the Christian Action League website and Agape Press, a national Christian newswire.
Rev. Creech is a prolific speaker and writer, and has served as a radio commentator for Christians In Action, a daily program featuring Rev. Creech's commentary on social issues from a Christian worldview.
In addition to RenewAmerica.com, his weekly editorials are featured on the Christian Action League website and Agape Press, a national Christian newswire.
Subscribe to Mark's columnRev. Mark H. Creech
December 23, 2024
Paul "Skip" Stam, North Carolina’s foremost champion for the pro-life cause, spent 42 years leading efforts to protect the unborn and their mothers. His . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 5, 2024
In the 1830s, long before he became the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln faced a period of profound personal and financial hardship. After a . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
July 27, 2024
By Hunter Hines, associate of Rev. Creech
The Christian Action League (CAL) announced this week that its Executive Director, Rev. Mark Creech, will . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
July 13, 2024
In the book, “The Ten Commandments Yesterday and Today,” author James Burton Coffman, formerly the minister of Manhattan Church of Christ in New York . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
June 24, 2024
The study of the fall of civilizations is believed to be a complex phenomenon considered by sociologists, historians, archaeologists, and other academics using . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
June 17, 2024
The foundation of any community is built upon the rule of law. The Ten Commandments serve as the essential framework without which the formation and maintenance . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
June 8, 2024
In 1989, the Chicago Tribune editors published their top photos of the decade. One poignant image, taken by Michael Fryer, showed a somber fireman and paramedic . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
June 3, 2024
Louisiana is on the verge of becoming the first state to mandate the display of the Ten Commandments in all publicly funded schools and colleges if . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 27, 2024
The Prohibition era in the United States, which spanned from 1920 to 1933, is often deemed a failure, but in reality, it achieved many of its intended goals. . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 20, 2024
For Christians who believe America’s religious heritage is the cornerstone of the nation’s identity and maintaining this heritage is essential for the . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 10, 2024
Philosopher, journalist, novelist, and diplomat Michael Novak said nearly 50 years ago: “We live in curious times. Choosing to have a family used to be . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 6, 2024
Loran Livingston, the esteemed pastor of Central Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, recently garnered national attention for his bold sermon critiquing the . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 28, 2024
A recent article in the Christian Post highlighted a gathering of Christian clergy, theologians, and scholars at the Yale Divinity School’s Center for Public . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 20, 2024
April is Alcohol Awareness Month. In recognition, the following article is part two of a two-part series addressing two popular arguments made in favor of . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 15, 2024
April is Alcohol Awareness Month. In recognition, the following article is part one of a two-part series addressing two popular arguments made in favor of . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 6, 2024
There’s a charming old tale about three pastors hailing from the American South who found themselves sharing lunch at a quaint diner.
One of the pastors . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 30, 2024
More than a half-century ago my mother had a career in country music. She did quite well, having recorded a country version of the song, “The Night They Drove . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 24, 2024
Dr. Howard A. Kelly, a distinguished physician and committed Christian, stood as one of the original four founding professors of the Johns Hopkins Hospital . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 16, 2024
Say the name Billy Graham and almost everyone from around the world will know of him. His ministry is regarded as one of the most influential and . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 9, 2024
There is this timeless tale, a fictitious story of strategy and urgency, set within the confines of Satan’s boardroom. The Evil One, being the cunning . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 3, 2024
Joseph M. Stowell, former president of Cornerstone University, recounts a compelling narrative in his book, “Eternity,” shedding light on the tragic bombing . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
February 24, 2024
Few books occupy as prominent a place in literary history as Charles Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities.” It is a masterpiece of storytelling, social . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
February 17, 2024
Urban revitalization projects are not something new, but they certainly deserve credit for making all things new in various cities worldwide. Perhaps one of the . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
February 10, 2024
Dr. Wernher von Braun was a German-American aerospace engineer and spaceflight visionary who played a significant role in the development of rocket . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
February 5, 2024
In the quiet warmth of our den, I sat beside my little boy, his golden hair shimmering under the gentle afternoon sunlight pouring through our picture . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
January 28, 2024
Imagine a homeless person living on the streets, struggling daily to survive with no shelter, food, or support. One day, an incredibly generous and . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
January 20, 2024
Although now long out of print, “The Sunday School Times” once published an interesting story about a Christian woman who was talking with a Christian man . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
January 13, 2024
A few years ago, I came across a tremendous sermon written by Theodore F. Adams, the late pastor of the First Baptist Church, in Richmond, Virginia. . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
January 6, 2024
Read or hear the word, Armageddon, and most people are struck with a sense of fear, dread, and anxiety. This is primarily due to its association with the . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 29, 2023
Rev. Mark Creech, Executive Director of the Christian Action League of North Carolina, issued the following statement today regarding the passing of Don Wildmon . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 21, 2023
While Christmas is traditionally associated with gatherings of friends and family, joy, and cheer, it can also be a season of deep pain and sadness for many. . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 16, 2023
Dr. Andrew Bonar recounts an episode from the 16th century when Protestantism seemed to be faltering. It was during these troubled times that John Knox received . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 10, 2023
In the annals of world history, there were figures whose names became synonymous with hope and liberation. Their actions resonated with a people’s . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 2, 2023
Dr. Billy Graham’s book, “Angels: God’s Secret Agents,” had an impressive sales record. By the end of 1975, even though it was only released in October, . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 25, 2023
Marriage ceremonies are celebrated in diverse ways around the world. The institution of marriage between a man and a woman transcends cultural boundaries and . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 18, 2023
On April 10th, 1852, under the African sun, an American passed away. He was laid to rest in a remote cemetery in Tunis, Africa.
Thirty-one years later, . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 11, 2023
Imagine a large corporation that has a significant impact on a small town. To some of the town’s residents, this corporation represents job opportunities, . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
October 28, 2023
Recently I came across a compelling illustration of the kingdom of God, shared by John Hess-Yoder. Hess-Yoder had served as a missionary in Laos.
. . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
October 22, 2023
It was July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, when representatives of thirteen American colonies gathered to declare their independence from British rule. . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
October 15, 2023
Han Van Meegeren, a Dutch artist and art forger, is said to have duped buyers out of as much as $30 million. He gained notoriety for his forgeries during and . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
October 7, 2023
Imagine that you are seated in a grand theatre where the stage is set for an epoch drama. The actors are preparing to take their places. You watch as the . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
September 30, 2023
There’s a small diner downtown where I live. They make the best hot dogs. I bellied up to the bar in front of the grill, waiting for my order while . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
September 23, 2023
Within the sacred pages of Revelation chapter 16, the reader encounters a compelling portrayal of God’s incomparable power, the gravity of human defiance, the . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
September 18, 2023
Rivers, great moving bodies of water, serve us in so many ways. They supply humanity and wildlife with water necessary for drinking, and habitat, . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
September 10, 2023
Author, political activist, and lecturer Helen Keller once said, “I have often been asked, ‘Do you believe in the supernatural?’ I have said . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
September 2, 2023
Once upon a time, in a land named Arran, which means “very wealthy,” there was a man named Eli, who was known as one of the Architects of Policy. Eli was . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
September 1, 2023
Garnering considerable media attention were last year’s remarks by John Mackey, the founder of Whole Foods. Mackey criticized the younger generations, . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
August 28, 2023
It’s certainly been hot lately – so hot even air conditioners are feeling intimidated.
According to data provided by the National Centers for . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
August 19, 2023
Sarah was a hardworking college student who received an email from her professor informing her that her final project was due on Friday. The message read, “Be . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
August 13, 2023
In the book, “Is It Real When It Doesn’t Work?” authored by Doug Murren and Bob Surin, an intriguing antidote is shared. It comes from the . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
August 5, 2023
Throughout various wars and conflicts, military figures have indicated that victory or a resolution is close at hand. When working on finding a solution to some . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
July 31, 2023
In the book Meet Yourself in the Psalms, author Warren Wiersbe talks about a town in America’s era of early development where a horse bolted and ran . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
July 23, 2023
In today’s Western culture, the word “diversity” is referred to as a social value that people are encouraged to laud and celebrate. There is racial/ethnic . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
July 16, 2023
On V-E Day (Victory in Europe), May 8, 1945, President Harry S. Truman made the official announcement by radio from the White House that Germany had surrendered . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
July 10, 2023
In chapter 14 of the book of Revelation, there are references to several angels performing specific actions, such as proclaiming the eternal Gospel, warning the . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
July 2, 2023
In Revelation, especially chapters 11-13, the rise of evil forces in the end times is prophesied. These powerful forces, specifically the Antichrist and . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
June 24, 2023
Sports gambling is now legal in North Carolina. Gathered around Gov. Roy Cooper in Charlotte at the Spectrum Center, lawmakers and stakeholders smiled . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
June 18, 2023
The False Prophet, the Second Beast, rises out of the earth and has two horns like a lamb but speaks like a Dragon. He performs great signs and wonders, such as . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
June 4, 2023
Ethel Merman and Ray Middleton first performed the song “Anything You Can Do” in the Broadway production of “Annie Get Your Gun” in May of 1946. The . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 27, 2023
In his classic book, World Aflame, the late Dr. Billy Graham shared a quote from Harper’s Magazine about a coming world ruler. The quote, a description of the . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 20, 2023
Various leaders have discussed the concept of a New World Order throughout history, but it gained particular prominence in the aftermath of the Cold War. . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 17, 2023
As I listened intently today (Tuesday, May 16, 2023) to the debate on the Senate and House floors concerning the override vote of Governor Cooper's veto of . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 14, 2023
Revelation chapter 13 describes the rise of the Antichrist and his activities. It will be necessary to tarry on this subject for a while, cross-referencing this . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 12, 2023
In his book Laugh Again, Charles Swindoll tells this fabulous story about a three-year-old, freckled-face boy in a hallway. The little guy's pajamas . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 7, 2023
Somewhat like a man who loses his job because of his drunkenness, is thrown out the door by security, and afterward, in a rage, takes out his demise on the . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 29, 2023
Most people have heard the expression “a holy war” before. Countless worldly conflicts are anything but “holy,” whether between nations or . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 25, 2023
Up until the start of World War I in 1914, the world had never been free of war. The only thing redeeming about this fact is war had never been universal before . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 15, 2023
Starting with verse 14 of Revelation chapter 11, an announcement is made that the second woe has passed. The first woe of the three to which we were . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 8, 2023
Jesus wanted people to believe in him. His words and works showed them he was worthy of their faith. He performed miracles by healing the blind, the . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 1, 2023
Perhaps one of the most treasured books in my library was written by W. Phillip Keller, titled Predators in Our Pulpits. In one chapter, Keller talks . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 25, 2023
We currently live in an era when temples, church buildings, and other religious edifices are mostly diminished in importance. We rightly understand God to be . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 19, 2023
Many years ago, Christianity Today shared a remarkable true story about a drug-store security guard in Washington, D.C. Louie D. Hairston always kept a small . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 11, 2023
An interlude is an intervening or a period of interruption, providing space or time before something continues. Chapter 6 of the Book of Revelation . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 4, 2023
In The Bruised Reed, Richard Sibbes asks, “Can we think that he that threw the angels out of heaven will suffer dust and worms’ meat to run a contrary . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
February 25, 2023
In the spring of 1994, the Associated Press reported that Sweden’s defense ministry determined a Soviet submarine had violated Sweden’s territorial . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
February 17, 2023
In the book Storm Warning, the late Dr. Billy Graham writes about a group of people having a “hurricane party” before Hurricane Camille.
Graham says the . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
February 13, 2023
These are times of significant anxiety. Every day tens of thousands of people feel like something bad is about to happen. This free-floating worry is vague and . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
February 6, 2023
Revelation chapters 6-19 describe the Tribulation period during the end times. After the Church is taken out of the world in what might be called the first . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
February 5, 2023
Written by L.A. Williams, an associate of Rev. Mark Creech
An hour-long telecast critical of the state’s Alcoholic Beverage Control System released Monday . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
January 28, 2023
Actor, filmmaker, and liberal activist Rob Reiner once said, “I think Jews are the smartest people in the world.” For once, I agree with him. My . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
January 22, 2023
Historian and International Affairs Specialists Arnold Toynbee once said, “The fundamental need of our world today is a rebirth of belief in the supernatural. . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
January 14, 2023
Recently, there was an article in the New York Post titled: Nostradamus Predictions for 2023: An Antichrist Arrives, World War III and the Monarchy Dies. The . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
January 8, 2023
During the early years of Christian martyrdom (between the 2nd and 5th centuries BCE), Christians fled by the thousands into underground caverns outside of Rome . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 28, 2022
Recorded in the book of Exodus is the true story of how God judged Egypt and set the Hebrews free from slavery. God sent disaster and pestilence. The land . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 25, 2022
It was published in November of 1880 and was considered the most influential Christian book of the nineteenth century. It was a best-selling novel and . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 19, 2022
Winnie Byanyima, Ugandan politician, human rights activist, and diplomat, said: “Conflict and callous politics drive famine.” Famine is intense . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 10, 2022
According to a recent Pew Research Survey, in the U.S., 39 percent of people believe “we are living in the end times.” Most people in America, . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 3, 2022
Some argue that no one has ever gone to heaven and come back to tell us what they saw, but evidently, that’s what happened to the apostle John. In chapters . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 29, 2022
I remember that kick-in-the-gut feeling I had when, after more than 12 years of my own sweat and toil to preserve marriage in this state as one man and woman, . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 25, 2022
In 1995, I joined a group of Christian theologians to teach Christian pastors in Calcutta, India. Knowing Mother Teresa and her ministry, The Missionaries of . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 19, 2022
Over sixty years ago, the Soviets made their first space journey around the globe. Atheistic cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin returned puffed-up with pride, boasting, . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 12, 2022
In 2019, Time did a story about the sad plight of small American farmers, saying the family farm is being threatened on every side. It’s been thrashed by . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 4, 2022
The late Dr. Billy Graham, the worldwide renowned Christian evangelist, asked, “What is heaven? It’s the home that God created, and he possesses. . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
October 28, 2022
By the time most people have read this article, there will be less than ten days before the mid-term elections. Early voting started in North Carolina on . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
October 22, 2022
D. Martin Lloyd Jones, the famed Welsh-English theologian and preacher, said: “Nothing is more dangerous than to put a wedge between the Word and the Spirit, . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
October 15, 2022
A Jewish legend says that during the great famine in Canaan, Joseph, while second to Pharoah in Egypt, ordered his officers to throw wheat and chaff upon the . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
October 8, 2022
The Rainbow is unquestionably a phenomenon of nature with incomparable splendor. As Kyle Hill, the science communicator and educator, said, “A rainbow is the . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
September 30, 2022
In recent years, some fantastic stories have been told by people who literally died, stepped into eternity, and later lived to talk about it. There have . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
September 24, 2022
C. S. Lewis wrote, “The doctrine of the second coming has failed, so far as we are concerned, if it does not make us realize that at every moment of every . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
September 17, 2022
Jesus’ final letter to the seven churches of Revelation is to the church in Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22). The city’s name means “the rights of the people . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
September 11, 2022
One of the finest speeches ever delivered by an American President was given on June 26, 1963, in West Berlin. Less than two years earlier, East Germany had . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
September 4, 2022
The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) just released a report on global climate change, arguing environmental activism has the support of the . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
September 2, 2022
John Phillips, in Exploring Revelation, tells a cute story about a little girl who was required to take her birth certificate to school but lost it on the way. . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
August 27, 2022
Our Lord Jesus Christ sent his fourth letter recorded in the book of Revelation to the Church at Thyatira (Revelation 2:18-29).
Thyatira was a union city . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
August 19, 2022
Christian Cynosure said, “Some folks take up religion as a kind of insurance against hell – and then are not willing to pay the premiums.”
Salvation is . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
August 13, 2022
Smyrna was a city in the Roman province of Asia. It became a prosperous city famous for its wealth, beauty, and magnificent public buildings.
The second . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
August 6, 2022
H.A. Ironside said concerning the book of Revelation:
We need this book in order to judge aright the various movements that are going on now. For . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
July 30, 2022
Not long ago, I finished reading through the entire Bible again. Of course, I finished in the book of Revelation. The experience of reading “The . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
July 22, 2022
Chapter 5 of the book of Revelation gives the account of St. John’s visualization of a tremendous futuristic throng of people worshipping in heaven.
In the . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
July 9, 2022
It’s been said that “silence is golden.” Is this always true? – especially when something desperately needs to be said – especially when we . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
July 1, 2022
Freedom. We love it. We’re jealous and protective of it. We demand it. We’ll fight to defend it. Still, few people know from whence it comes or its . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
June 24, 2022
Today, June 24, 2022 – a day that will live in dignity – the United States Supreme Court overturned the infamous landmark decisions of Roe v. Wade and . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
June 18, 2022
Years ago, as part of one of his sermons on fatherhood, Dr. George Sweeting said that a job description for a father might read something like this:
“The . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
June 10, 2022
North Carolina’s Lieutenant Governor, Mark Robinson, has stirred controversy again. For some, his words were apocalyptic, like an earthquake, and the sun . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
June 4, 2022
By a vote of 35-10, the North Carolina Senate approved SB 711 – N.C. Compassionate Care Act on Thursday – a measure that would make so-called medicinal . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 29, 2022
Uvalde – one wonders whether most people would even know how to pronounce the city’s name if they hadn’t heard it so often in the news media . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 21, 2022
I stopped at an old country store many years ago to purchase some gas and a snack. While there, I took the occasion to share the Gospel with a man. I . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 13, 2022
Chuck Swindoll, a marvelous Christian pastor, writer, educator, and radio preacher, tells a humorous story about a young boy who rushed out of his . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 8, 2022
There is a book I came upon years ago simply titled Mothers. The volume gives short biographies of the mothers of one hundred prominent men and women of . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 30, 2022
The unbelievable title was plastered across the top of MSN (Microsoft Network). It read: People Who Reject the Theory of Human Evolution Tend to Have . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 23, 2022
Some people today see freedom as that state or condition in which the individual is released from all restraints, free from any suggestions of moral guilt or an . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 15, 2022
Those who follow my columns know that I haven’t addressed the issue of COVID vaccines, whether to get them or not. Exemplary Christian leaders have . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 8, 2022
Vice might be defined as something that negatively impacts one’s behavior patterns so as to not only make one a detriment to themselves, but also to others.
. . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 2, 2022
It seems everyone is talking about the Oscar slap flap. But not too many preachers have weighed in on the incident. Here's my wading into its treacherous waters . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 25, 2022
Various Christian media outlets have been sharing this week the story of Leah Church, a young woman who played basketball for the University of North Carolina, . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 18, 2022
Sometimes Christians think there is never a reason to be fearful or angry. But not all fear is bad; some fears are helpful. The child afraid of running . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 11, 2022
The recent now-deleted tweet by Andy Stanley, son of famed pastor emeritus of the First Baptist Church, Atlanta, read:
The Christian faith doesn't rise and . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 4, 2022
Narconon Ojai, a center located in California which helps people overcome their addiction to alcohol and other drugs, tells Andy's story on their website.
. . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
February 25, 2022
Everyone is watching what is now transpiring in Ukraine. It's somewhat reminiscent of historical events that preceded World War II. Led by despot Vladimir Putin . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
February 18, 2022
Is it a sin to buy a lottery ticket? What about making a bet at a casino – so long as it's a budgeted amount of money and made responsibly? How about dropping . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
February 11, 2022
One may often wonder what happened to deprive this country of distinguished leadership. Finding a great leader now seems as hopeless as Diogenes the Cynic's . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
February 4, 2022
It was “Sanctity of Human Life Sunday” at this church; I was a guest speaker for the morning worship. The pastor invited me to come and preach on . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
January 28, 2022
My pastor friend is an excellent and faithful leader. We grew up together and graduated from the same high school. He pastored a well-known and historic . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
January 22, 2022
In More Than Just a Game, legendary Former Florida State football coach Bobby Bowden claimed he was sitting in church with his wife and their six children . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
January 14, 2022
Race and racism are closely related, but very different in their meaning, said John Suk, in Creation and/or Evolution.
Race describes a certain kind of . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
January 8, 2022
You may have heard the story about the young priest who was playing golf alone one day when he approached the fifth tee. Between him and the green was a . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 30, 2021
America's beloved comedian, the late Milton Berle, once told this story:
The Emersons lived down the block from the church. At two in the morning . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 22, 2021
In What's So Amazing About Grace, author Philip Yancey tells the story of a conference held in England on comparative religions. A debate broke out . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 19, 2021
Christmas and New Year celebrations pose, for many, a significant risk for problematic drinking. The results can be disastrous.
. . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 10, 2021
Growing up at my house, Christmas was exceedingly special. On Christmas Eve, everyone in the family came together to exchange gifts. Present were Mama . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 3, 2021
In a sermon about Isaac, Abraham’s son, Brian L. Harbor sited a book that Malcomb Forbes wrote in 1990 titled What Happened to Their Kids? It’s a . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 23, 2021
The apostle Paul is rightly lauded today as someone whose influence on Christianity was second only to Jesus himself. For the sake of the Gospel, his . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 19, 2021
Tyranny not only robs people of their God-given rights, but the fight against it can result in an unreasonable revolt against even the shadow of . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 12, 2021
In a recent report, Ali Ingersoll, an investigative data journalist for WRAL News, said that more than 7,000 North Carolinians committed suicide between . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 5, 2021
Knowing me to be a minister, a friend recently asked me about the expression "The Patience of Job." She said, "You know, some people will say that . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
October 29, 2021
Peter Cartwright was a nineteenth-century, circuit-riding Methodist preacher known for being an uncompromising individual. One Sunday morning, he was apprised . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
October 22, 2021
Today there doesn't seem to be anything considered more inappropriate or reprehensible than discrimination. But there are two meanings to the word . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
October 15, 2021
There are many reasons pastors and other Christians offer for avoiding politics and other forms of cultural engagement, but one I find particularly annoying is . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
October 1, 2021
It has been a startling evolution to witness in North Carolina. Republican lawmakers, long-standing friends of Christian values, are now touting for increased . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
September 25, 2021
In the 1990s, Reuters News reported on a steer named Husker, who weighed in at 1,190 pounds, and was named grand champion at the Galveston County Fair and Rodeo . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
August 27, 2021
Just before the North Carolina Senate passed a bill that would legalize sports betting in the Tar Heel state, Sen. Jim Perry (R-Lenoir), the legislation . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
August 20, 2021
After Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, God came calling for them in the Garden. God knew what they had done, but he allowed them an opportunity to take . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
August 13, 2021
Now and then, we read in the news about some fellow who has a fit of conscience and confesses to a cold case crime.
A 2012 story in HuffPost reported that . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
August 6, 2021
Someone once said, "Be grateful for the doors of opportunity – and for friends who oil the hinges."
That's how I feel about a recent magnanimous offer made . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
July 28, 2021
If you've been to Cracker Barrel lately, you might have noticed something new and different on the menu – alcohol.
Recently, my wife Kim and I went . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
July 16, 2021
While at the grocery store this week, a woman was ahead of me in the checkout line using the word, "Mother F&*#@%." To the left of me, in another line, was a . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
July 10, 2021
Last week, a venomous spitting zebra cobra escaped from a home in Raleigh. The snake was later spotted on the porch of a house about a half-mile from the . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
July 2, 2021
The story has been told and retold. It’s been said that Benjamin Franklin had just walked outside of Independence Hall after the Constitutional . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
June 19, 2021
William Ellery Channing once wrote, “Erase all thought and fear of God from a community, and selfishness and sensuality would trample in scorn on the . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
June 11, 2021
In my hometown, prominently sitting high on a hill, is an old and empty Episcopal church. No one attends there anymore. It's a historical edifice, which serves . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 29, 2021
"This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave," said Elmer Davis, the director of the United States Office . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 21, 2021
If ever there was an example of breach of the public trust, if ever there was a demonstration of political leadership’s shortcomings, it was President Richard . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 15, 2021
During last week’s National Day of Prayer, President Joe Biden issued a proclamation that spoke of the “power of prayer” and urged Americans to . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 7, 2021
Most doting parents have grand ambitions for their children, like the mother who was asked about her two kids in elementary school and answered: “The . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 30, 2021
When North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper gave his State of the State speech to a joint session of the General Assembly on Monday, April 26, it was a historic . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 27, 2021
Today, lawmakers and the Governor celebrate the promise of Apple’s plans to invest more than $1 billion in North Carolina and build a new campus in . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 24, 2021
According to WRAL News, officials responded to a car fire at an apartment complex in Raleigh, North Carolina, around 1:00 a.m. on Tuesday (April 20). A . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 16, 2021
It's more than disturbing lately to hear of so many prominent Christian personalities turning from the faith. It seems as though it's becoming a regular . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 9, 2021
A friend of mine, who is an attorney, recently sent me an email saying that he had been reading the Christian classic In His Steps. He was given the . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 1, 2021
This week the Washington Post reported on a Gallup poll that says church membership has fallen below the majority in America for the first time. In 2020 . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 27, 2021
While attending a luncheon hosted by the American Renewal Project, I was privileged to hear Ken Graves, pastor of Calvary Chapel in Bangor, Maine. Graves and . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 19, 2021
Best known for her part in the 90s film "Clueless," actress and former Fox News commentator Stacey Dash recently announced she was stepping away from politics. . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 12, 2021
You have heard the phrase "There are none so blind as those who will not see." The expression is not in the Bible, but Jesus did state the principle . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 5, 2021
It's been approximately six months since Cannon Hinnant was gun downed in Wilson, North Carolina. The five-year-old boy, innocent as a lamb, was shot in . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
February 26, 2021
There are few charges more often leveled against the Christian religion than those that claim it’s too restrictive. It stifles passions that are innate and . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
February 19, 2021
Several years ago, the U.S. Senate took up the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," a policy that allowed gays, lesbians, and bisexuals to serve . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
February 12, 2021
I once read a story about a father who was walking down the road with his son when the boy asked, "Dad, do you suppose anywhere in the world there is a . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
February 6, 2021
The North Carolina State Board of Education voted 7-5 on Thursday to move forward with new social studies standards that over 30,000 people in the state signed . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
January 29, 2021
Recently I came across a fascinating story about Norma Jean Mortenson, as told by Father John Powell, a Jesuit priest and author.
"Norma Jean . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
January 22, 2021
James Russell Lowell was a tremendous American poet, who also served as the editor of The Atlantic Monthly and an American diplomat. When he was only twenty-six . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
January 20, 2021
O God, only your kingdom is everlasting and your power infinite.
Your Word tells us that you plant, uproot, and tear down the nations as you will. . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
January 15, 2021
In the 1980s, I made three trips to India as a short-term missionary. During one of these trips, I spoke at a leper colony where people were separated . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
January 8, 2021
Franklin Graham was right when he recently posted on his Facebook page that “the division in our country is as great as any time since the Civil War.” The . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
January 1, 2021
According to the Associated Press, actor Bryan Cranston, best known for playing Walter White on the series Breaking Bad, says he hopes that in 2021 Americans . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 24, 2020
When I was a youngster, during Christmastime, my Dad would set a small table in the foyer by the front door of our house. On the table, dressed in greenery, was . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 18, 2020
I live in the Tar Heel state, the great state of North Carolina. My wife, Kim, hails from Norfolk, Virginia. So over our 41 years of marriage, I've come . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 14, 2020
Lillian Pearsall says that a customer talked overtime on a long-distance call from a pay telephone booth when she was a telephone operator several years ago. . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 12, 2020
The Faculty Senate of the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) voted to censure Chancellor Jose Sartarelli on Tuesday. A censure is the worst charge . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 4, 2020
For the last few months, I've been on the telephone with hundreds of pastors, asking them how their churches are navigating the Coronavirus Crisis. The stories . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 2, 2020
I realize that the election isn’t over, but it isn’t looking good for President Trump. Let me say something about that. Despite all of the investigations of . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 27, 2020
His writing ministry is not well-known, but the late Crate Jones, who was from Durham, N.C., once moved Ruth Bell Graham to say that there were few . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 26, 2020
Several years ago, in the Pentecostal Evangel, J.K. Gressett wrote about an agriculturist named Samuel S. Scull, who lived on a farm in Arizona. This is part . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 21, 2020
Peggy Noonan, a former correspondent for CBS News and a speechwriter for Presidents Reagan and Bush, once said . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 13, 2020
It’s strange how we can hear a Scripture passage for years and fail to experience the full import of its meaning. We may have a cursory understanding . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 10, 2020
There once was a man who hated his wife. He nit-picked everything she ever did. He had friends to spy on her. With the help of others, he continuously plotted . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 6, 2020
Joe Godfrey, executive director of the Alabama Citizen's Action Program (ALCAP), is a good friend of mine. Like half the country, Godfrey is troubled over what . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 1, 2020
This election, with its myriad of issues to navigate, poses a tough choice for some Christians. For me, however, there's a way of simplifying the matter . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
October 16, 2020
During the early nineties, the leaning Tower of Pisa started to lean too far. So engineers designed a plan to salvage the twelfth-century landmark from toppling . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
October 9, 2020
The U.S. Senate race to represent North Carolina between Cal Cunningham (D) and Sen. Thom Tillis (R) took an unexpected turn when it was revealed that . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
October 2, 2020
Most of us thought that the debate between President Donald J. Trump and Joe Biden would include fireworks. Still, few of us anticipated the cage fight . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
September 18, 2020
Do you ever think America has gone crazy – that too many now have bats in their belfry; that much of our leadership has lost its way with no true . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
September 11, 2020
In an egregious ruling by the L.A. Superior Court, Grace Community Church, where John MacArthur pastors, is now prohibited from “conducting, . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
September 4, 2020
In her Princeton undergraduate thesis, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan wrote ten years ago:
Through its own internal feuding…the SP . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
August 29, 2020
According to recent data, the coronavirus crisis is taking a tremendous toll on people’s mental health. That’s certainly to be expected in an . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
August 22, 2020
His mother described him as having the most prominent eyes and smile. He “touched everybody he knew,” she said. She hopes his death will somehow . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
August 14, 2020
The late and renowned evangelist, Dr. Billy Graham, once said: “There are many who sit in churches week after week, year after year, without hearing . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
August 8, 2020
In their book, What If the Bible Had Never Been Written, the late Dr. D. James Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe wrote:
The impact of the Bible on our culture, on . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
July 31, 2020
Back in 1967, there occurred a raging furor over remarks made by an Episcopalian rector, Dr. Cotesworth Pinckney Lewis. Lewis was then serving at Bruton . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
July 24, 2020
Perhaps one of the most moving texts in the whole Bible is Genesis 50:20, where Joseph says to his brothers, “But as for you, you meant evil against . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
July 18, 2020
One of the most significant passages of Scripture is one in which Luke calls attention to a habitual practice of Jesus. Luke says that when our Lord came to . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
July 10, 2020
On July 1, a statue of Christopher Columbus is removed from Columbus City Hall in Ohio, where it had been for more than sixty years.
July 4, a statue in . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
July 3, 2020
In his fascinating book Takedown: From Communists to Progressives, How the Left Has Sabotaged Family and Marriage, Paul Kengor introduces his readers to . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
June 27, 2020
There is violence throughout our land, and most of it in the name of eradicating racism. Any statue with the slightest perception of some racist . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
June 20, 2020
A second-grade class was asked to write about their personal heroes. A father of one of the girls in the class was surprised and flattered to discover . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
June 12, 2020
When I heard the city of Minneapolis was pledging to disband its police department in the wake of George Floyd’s outrageous and unfortunate death, I . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
June 5, 2020
Martin Luther once said, “None can believe how powerful prayer is, and what it is able to effect, but those who have learned it by experience.” All that . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
June 2, 2020
The Facebook posts that ran across my thread said, “Anyone feeling like we’re back in the 60s again?” I was just a boy during the sixties, but I . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 30, 2020
In his classic work, Christianity and Communism, which was first printed in 1948 and later revised in 1960, Christian social ethicist John C. Bennett . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 23, 2020
One of my favorite quotes is by Benjamin Rush, who once shared his thoughts on patriotism as a moral and religious duty. Rush said:
. . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 18, 2020
Sometimes I get perplexed, frustrated, and disgusted at some church leaders. It seems an injustice to both the church and society that they have the platform . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 8, 2020
The headline from CBS News reads, “More than 12,000 Catholic Churches in the U.S. Applied for PPP Loans – and 9,000 Got Them.” The same story also reports . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 2, 2020
Former state Senator Tony Rand, a political legend in North Carolina, passed away Friday morning. In its headline, the Raleigh News and Observer rightly . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 24, 2020
Many who know me, and regularly follow my writings, remember a report from me about a health scare that I suffered in July of last year. After finishing . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 13, 2020
It may sound a bit hyperbolic to say that alcohol policy is some of the most complicated legislation lawmakers consider, but the statement is not an . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 10, 2020
American Methodist missionary to India and global evangelist, E. Stanley Jones, once contended that he thought the church of his day was "living between . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 3, 2020
Most have seen the newsreels of the ticker-tape parades of yesteryear, with the president of the United States, a war hero, or an astronaut as its grand . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 28, 2020
The Oxford Dictionary defines religion as "belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power... a particular system of faith... a pursuit or interest to . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 27, 2020
Our country has entered the place of the unknown, unchartered territory. We need wisdom, strength, and hope for the days ahead. God knows our comings and . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 20, 2020
There is a concern of more considerable significance than any of those commonly gleaned from the current coronavirus crisis. It is the possibility that a . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 13, 2020
Coronavirus fears are intense. USA Today Health reports, "As the number of confirmed cases grows, so too does the nation's collective uncertainty. Psychologists . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 6, 2020
During the 1980s, North Carolina's U.S. Senator, the late Jesse Helms, wrote an interesting article about America's drift from her religious and political . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
February 29, 2020
West Asheville Baptist Church in Asheville, North Carolina, prominently flies the Christian flag above the American flag. When asked about it, Stan Welch, the . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
February 21, 2020
More than thirty years ago, Christian author W. Phillip Keller, in his book Predators in our Pulpits, wrote an indictment of most preachers today. He . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
February 13, 2020
A few weeks ago, an antique dealer pulled me aside at his place of business and said, "I've got something special you ought to see." He then showed me two . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
February 7, 2020
A few months ago, I was reading from my signed copy of W. A. Swanberg's biography, "First Blood: The Story of Fort Sumter." It's a marvelous account of . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
January 31, 2020
Recently, I attended a worship service in a small rural church in North Carolina with a segment of our country's citizens, who, by the standards of many today, . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
January 24, 2020
On MLK Jr. Day, N.C. gubernatorial candidate, N.C. Lt. Gov. Dan Forest (R), spoke at the predominantly black church, the Upper Room Church of God in Christ . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
January 17, 2020
It seems providential that Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, January 19th, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, January 20th, fall so close together. Both days . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
January 11, 2020
After a gunman opened fire in the West Freeway Church of Christ during a worship service last month, the Associated Press noted that 2019 was "one of the . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
January 3, 2020
Thomas Jefferson said, "Experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms of government those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 27, 2019
"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 21, 2019
Wednesday, December 18th, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to impeach the 45th President of the United States, Donald J. Trump. After hours of . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 14, 2019
Perhaps the most sublime of Jesus' parables is the one about the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). Wanting to get away from home and spread his wings, a young . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 8, 2019
A couple of weeks ago, Michael Bloomberg announced he was entering the race to become the next Democratic nominee for President of the United States in 2020 . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 25, 2019
The Psalmist admonished, "Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name" (Psalm 103:1).
"The Bible is like a melodious . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 22, 2019
This week the Human Rights Campaign, which touts itself as the "nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 15, 2019
A couple of weeks ago, the Campaign for Southern Equality, in partnership with Western NC Community Health Services, released results from their 2019 Southern . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 8, 2019
"Scientists have a moral obligation to clearly warn humanity of any catastrophic threat to 'tell it like it is.' On the basis of this obligation and the . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 1, 2019
In May, Americans United (AU) for the Separation of Church and State highlighted a poll conducted by the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding in . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
October 26, 2019
It was several years ago when the young woman confided in me. In a pastoral capacity, I listened as she told a sordid story involving a party with friends. . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
October 18, 2019
Did you see that ad, the one that ran during the commercial break of the last Democratic debate? It featured Ron Reagan, the son of former President Ronald . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
October 11, 2019
Thursday, at a CNN Townhall meeting hosted by Don Lemon, Lemon asked Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke, "Do you think that religious institutions . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
October 4, 2019
A couple of weeks ago, President Trump hosted the first meeting on religious freedom at the United Nations, calling on nations from across the globe to end . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
September 28, 2019
Only just a few days ago, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a measure which protects banks that want to work with legal marijuana businesses. The . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
September 21, 2019
In recent years, it's alarming the number of pastors who have taken their own lives in suicide. Now there's been another. Megachurch associate pastor . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
September 14, 2019
J.D. Greear is the pastor of Summit Church in Durham and the current president of the largest Protestant denomination in America. He is a fellow North . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
September 6, 2019
I am a registered lobbyist for the Christian Action League in the North Carolina General Assembly. The following thoughts stem from an experience I had this . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
August 30, 2019
There is a story (supposedly true) concerning a preacher who read about a character in the Gospels called "Simon the Leaper." He imagined all sorts of . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
August 23, 2019
Only a few days ago, North Carolina's Governor Roy Cooper vetoed HB 370 – An Act to Require Compliance with Immigration Detainers and Administrative . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
August 19, 2019
According to Governing, during the last election Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) backed 40 winning candidates at the state, county, and municipal . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
August 9, 2019
A prominent CEO in real estate services and investment management, a business leader and tremendous philanthropist in Raleigh, North Carolina, posted . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
August 4, 2019
Summer months for the Christian Action League of North Carolina can be fiscally challenging. It's the period when contributions are the lowest.
As the League . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
July 27, 2019
It's a fantastic eye-opener from the past revealing our current condition.
The language is lofty and somewhat cumbersome for today's readers. And in a few . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
July 19, 2019
This week the Washington Examiner reported that Pastor Andrew Brunson said he was "astounded at the speed with which the U.S. is imploding" and that he . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
July 3, 2019
July 4th – it is the main national holiday of the United States. We call it Independence Day. Alan Keyes, former ambassador during Reagan days and . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
June 29, 2019
As a clergyman and registered lobbyist in the North Carolina General Assembly for the Christian Action League, a question put to me over and again in my . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
June 22, 2019
There is a matter that somewhat afflicts my spirit every day. It is the observation that so many of the people with whom I associate hardly ever give God a . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
June 16, 2019
The observance of Father's Day was initiated by a grateful daughter, Mrs. Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington. Her father, Henry Jackson Smart, had raised . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
June 11, 2019
Many years ago, the late Dr. Billy Graham was on an airplane. He was sitting behind a drunken man who was flirting with the flight attendants, using . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
June 6, 2019
Unfortunately, on Wednesday, the Born-Alive Abortion Survivor's Protection Act did not secure enough votes in the N.C. House to override Governor Roy Cooper's . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 24, 2019
On my commute home after a long day, the 1970s hit song "War" by Edwin Starr came over my Serius radio station. I can remember passionately singing its . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 17, 2019
Rev. Benjamin Morris was a Congregational minister, who lived from 1810 to 1867, pastored churches in Indiana and Ohio, and other places. When his health failed . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 3, 2019
A few days ago, I preached for a community Revival service held in a convention center in Goldsboro, North Carolina. Several churches participated. The . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 28, 2019
Shadows are gathering over North Carolina. Clouds are approaching. The passion for gaining riches is set to cast a pall across the land. But our eyes have grown . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 21, 2019
Clive Sinclair once said that he saw the world as a place of bitter irony. Irony, I think, can be defined as incongruity between a situation and the action . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 13, 2019
Having church in a bar is a new phenomenon, but a growing one. It's largely an informal movement started in recent years that has spawned hundreds of church . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 5, 2019
According to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, since 1910 when the state assumed responsibility for executing criminals, the number of people sent . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 26, 2019
There is an ancient story about a Greek athlete who lost a race and was filled with envy towards the winner. The people acknowledged him as the victor. A statue . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 22, 2019
J.C. Knowles writes a short column titled, North Carolina Minute, which provides some of the most interesting tidbits about North Carolina history and other . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 15, 2019
Last month, Rainer Schimpf, 51, was snorkeling off the coast of Port Elizabeth, South Africa. As a dive operator, he was observing and documenting a sardine run . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 8, 2019
In one of the greatest movies ever made, Frank Capra's 1946, "It's a Wonderful Life," there is a scene where George Baily, played by Jimmy Stewart, is living an . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 5, 2019
Most people can appreciate a practical joke. Some people are really good at setting them up.
During Hollywood's golden years, there was a fellow in the . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
February 26, 2019
Every year since 2007, the American Psychological Association has commissioned a nationwide survey to determine Americans' state of stress. The survey . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
February 19, 2019
Someone, who was something of an institution in North Carolina, died on Sunday, February 10th. Sunday too is an institution and a sacred one at that. And it was . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
February 12, 2019
I admit it. I am a hater. Numerous people have tried to saddle me and other conservative evangelicals with that label over the years. They are right. I am a . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
February 5, 2019
Much of America was shocked to learn about New York's passage of a law that allows for an abortion during all nine months of a woman's pregnancy, and for . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
January 23, 2019
There is a youngster I know who is a beautiful human being. He's getting taller with each passing day as he grows into a fine young man. Still in his early . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 28, 2018
The Psalmist prayed to God, "Give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments" (Psalm 119:73).
I've met a lot of people in recent years that I . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 22, 2018
I once heard that there are three kinds of church members. There are the "Old Faithfuls." What would churches be without them? God bless their souls! Second, . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 16, 2018
The late Dr. Billy Graham once said, "The Christian life is not a constant high. I have my moments of deep discouragement. I have to go to God in prayer with . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 3, 2018
President George H.W. Bush led our country with some impressive achievements.
During his four years, Bush 41 offered Poland special assistance, which . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 1, 2018
A little more than 40% of millennials today say they prefer socialism. To me, this is the most troubling indicator of a dark future for America if it's not . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 30, 2018
A little more than 40% of millennials today say they prefer socialism. To me, this is the most troubling indicator of a dark future for America if it's not . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 20, 2018
A millennial, she introduced herself to me as my server at one of my favorite restaurants where I'm a regular. I asked her a few questions about her background . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 16, 2018
After suffering a heart attack and having quadruple bypass surgery, a man awakened to find himself in a Catholic hospital with Nuns taking care of him. As . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 4, 2018
The late Milton Berle used to say as a part of his comedy routine:
"Since perestroika and glasnost, the Russians have changed their electoral system. A man . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 3, 2018
Thursday morning on my way to work, I looked toward the Eastern sky and saw the sun in its splendor breaking the horizon. So taken by the sight, I snapped a . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
October 20, 2018
Six proposed amendments to North Carolina's constitution will be on the ballot during the 2018 general election. Citizen Christians diligent about their civil . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
October 8, 2018
Even the best people are vulnerable to duplicity. Joseph Bayly said that "Hypocrisy is a terrible sign of trouble in our hearts – it waits only for the . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
September 29, 2018
In reference to the allegations of sexual assault against him, Judge Brett Kavanaugh said in an interview with Fox News' Martha McCallum, "I did not have sexual . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
September 19, 2018
While the winds of Hurricane Florence howled and the torrents of rain fell, I happened upon Psalm 93:3-4 in my daily reading of Scripture.
. . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
September 1, 2018
It's a holiday to celebrate work. Labor Day had its start in 1869. The Knights of Labor came up with the idea. They were the most important labor organization . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
August 31, 2018
Socialists, Communists, and Antifa have been prominent at the pulling down of Confederate monuments. Listening to the vulgar-laden chants of these activists, . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
August 24, 2018
Lately, a lot of emotion has been spent over Confederate monuments in the Tar Heel state.
Silent Sam, the statue on the campus of the University of North . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
August 20, 2018
One of America's favorite radio and television commentators, the late Paul Harvey, once told the story of a city that burned down, October 8, 1871.
The city . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
August 11, 2018
In a column distributed by the Elon University Writers Syndicate and published by the Raleigh News and Observer, the Durham Herald-Sun, WRAL, and the Burlington . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
August 5, 2018
The Vatican announced on Thursday that Pope Francis had approved formal alterations to Catholic teaching that
clarify the death penalty is unacceptable.
. . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
July 29, 2018
The prophet Isaiah was a towering figure in his day. He was not only a prophet of God but a tremendous statesman. A consultant to Kings Ahaz and Hezekiah of . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
July 21, 2018
Earlier this month, Episcopal Church leaders, at a meeting in Houston, Texas, decided same-sex couples will now be
allowed to marry in any diocese, even . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
July 14, 2018
During the last session of the North Carolina General Assembly, proposed alcohol legislation would have lowered the criteria for Movie Theaters to obtain a . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
July 8, 2018
Farewell speeches can be extraordinary moments for public servants leaving office. In a farewell address, the person giving it usually speaks about something . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
June 29, 2018
Proverbs 11:3 tells us how critical integrity is. It says, "The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
June 24, 2018
Suicide has certainly been in the headlines lately. First was the death of American fashion designer and businesswoman, Kate Spade. Quickly on the heels of her . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
June 17, 2018
Before Jesus, God was
commonly referred to in impersonal ways. He was largely understood by expressions such as the Creator, the Almighty, the King, the Judge . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
June 9, 2018
Reclaiming Jesus is a
document signed by some leading progressive evangelicals which, as Jim Wallis, founder and President of Sojourners, claims is meant "to . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
June 1, 2018
There are some luxury apartments not far from my office with about five floors to each building. Not long ago, I looked up from my computer where I was writing . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 27, 2018
The Forum in Rome was central to its civic life. It was surrounded by temples, legislative chambers, the marketplace, and other public accommodations.
. . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 15, 2018
The U.S. Supreme Court struck down a federal law today that prohibits sports gambling.
I strongly disagree with the High Court's decision based in a state's . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 12, 2018
Pastor and radio Bible teacher, Chuck Swindoll, once shared a story about a good friend who was raised by a godly pastor's wife. The friend said his mother used . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 6, 2018
By the time most of you read this editorial, the Workers World Party will have celebrated on May 5th the birthday of Karl Marx at locations across the . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 30, 2018
More and more states are now toasting new laws that allow for alcohol sales on Sundays. Indiana, Minnesota, and Tennessee are some of the latest. Even my own . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 23, 2018
Because he will be away from home in June, and knowing my love for old books, my son recently gave me my Father's Day gift early. It's a first edition copy of . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 16, 2018
Several years ago, Life magazine interviewed dozens of people to learn their feelings about prayer. One interview was with a twenty-four-year-old prostitute who . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 9, 2018
Is it true? Did the Pope actually say that there is no hell?
That's what some news sources reported. Eugenio Scalfari, an atheist journalist who recently . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 1, 2018
Ravi Zacharias said at a conference that he and his wife once had dinner with a leading television preacher. Sitting across the table, the preacher told . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 26, 2018
According to a new report published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control conducted a study to . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 17, 2018
There is an old legend about the creation which says God allowed all the seeds of the earth to come before him and choose their destiny. Some wanted to . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 11, 2018
You may have heard the old story about a legendary politician in Western North Carolina who ran unsuccessfully several times for public office. He was a . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 3, 2018
During the memorial service for her father, Anne Graham Lotz, Dr. Billy Graham's daughter, said she believed her father's passing could have prophetic . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
February 26, 2018
Among the dozens of things written about Billy Graham, after his passing earlier this week, was something I found on the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
February 19, 2018
Seventeen teens dead from another school shooting. This one in Parkland, Florida on Wednesday – Valentine's Day – Ash Wednesday.
It's the kind of . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
February 11, 2018
According to the Associated Press, Researchers at East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C. say the midlife white death rate in 40 of the state's . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
February 2, 2018
They scoff. They groan. They glower. They pout. They walk or run away. They sulk. These are some of the annoying ways children react to displeasure, anger . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
January 13, 2018
During the 1930s, the Federal Writers' Project sponsored remarkable interviews with former slaves. The project was based on the premise that no one could better . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
January 1, 2018
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus told a parable about a son who took the inheritance bequeathed to him and wasted it on "riotous living" until he became destitute. . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 29, 2017
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus told a parable about a son who took the inheritance bequeathed to him and wasted it on "riotous living" until he became destitute. . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 22, 2017
During Christmas time, my father loved making this season of the year magical for children.
As children, every year Daddy would remind my sister and me to . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 18, 2017
John Oxenham has written, "He [God] writes with characters too grand/For our short hand to understand/We catch but broken strokes, and try/To fathom all the . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 11, 2017
"The best work usually meets the strongest opposition," said D.L. Moody.
It was this principle at the forefront of my thinking while watching CNN's Anderson . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 3, 2017
Charles de Montesquieu, the French lawyer, writer, and political philosopher, whose works had a profound influence on America's founders, once said, "There is . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 22, 2017
It was on a Thanksgiving Day a grouchy man was grumbling away as usual. "Can't you find some reason for which to be thankful?" a neighbor asked.
"Nope, don't . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 19, 2017
Conservative evangelicals are divided over fellow Alabama Senate candidate and champion of Christian values, Judge Roy Moore.
Moore is facing multiple . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 13, 2017
First, athletes across the country took a knee during the national anthem to protest the mistreatment of minorities in America. For most, the action was deemed . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 6, 2017
Dizzy Gillespie, the great jazz trumpeter, is remembered not only for his stupendous talent but also for the way his cheeks would puff out when he blew his horn . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
October 28, 2017
This week, six-term North Carolina Democrat legislator, Rep. Bill Brisson of Bladen County, announced he was changing his voter registration to Republican.
. . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
October 22, 2017
October 18th, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, issued an Executive Order that will allow men into women's restrooms, locker rooms, and showers.
The order . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
October 14, 2017
Genesis chapter 22 is one of the greatest chapters in the entire Bible. It records the supreme test of Abraham's faith. God called upon his servant to sacrifice . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
September 25, 2017
I was called to preach at the tender age of 15, spoke at youth events throughout my teens, provided supply for pastors up until I was ordained, and served my . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
September 16, 2017
Just a few days ago, our country commemorated the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, and the Pentagon. That morning, September 11, 2001, death, . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
September 10, 2017
Following close on the heels of the devastation brought about by Hurricane Harvey on the Gulf Coast is Hurricane Irma. Currently trekking its way as a category . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
September 3, 2017
It was Peter J. McGuire, a leader in the Knights of Labor back in 1882, who proposed Labor Day as an occasion for a parade to be followed by a picnic, a holiday . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
August 27, 2017
Following close on the heels of the mayhem in Charlottesville, Virginia, upheavals over statues associated with the Confederacy in North Carolina have taken . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
August 21, 2017
I would like to share something taken directly from The American Patriots Almanac by William J. Bennett and John T.E. Cribb.
"The Civil War came to an . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
August 14, 2017
Harry was a caretaker of a recreation lodge on Spirit Lake about five miles north of Mt. Saint Helens. For two months there had been a series of small . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
July 22, 2017
Recently, on MSNBC's AM Joy, Rev. William Barber, head of the North Carolina Chapter of the NAACP, indicted a group of evangelical pastors who met in the Oval . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
July 15, 2017
It was back in the early seventies that I first fully surrendered to Christ. When I joined the fellowship of believers whose influence had made a profound . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
June 26, 2017
I've been reading the book of Genesis lately and the story of Joseph is a fascinating one.
Unjustly despised by his brothers and secretly sold to a band of . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 26, 2017
War is a terrible thing. It's the feast of death.
Many years ago, the Duke of Wellington said, "Take my word for it, if you had seen but one day of war, you . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 21, 2017
Last Sunday, I listened intently as my Sunday School teacher taught from St. John chapter 18 about Peter's denial of our Lord. Peter never meant to do it. He . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 15, 2017
His mother was born in 1667, and his maternal grandfather was one of the first settlers of New England. His father owned a small business making candles and . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 8, 2017
Cameron Diaz, a former model, is one of the most sought-after actresses in Hollywood. The critically acclaimed performer once said something very astute about . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 3, 2017
Not long ago I read these remarkable words from authors George Grant and Mark Horne, in their book, "Unnatural Affections:"
"The Gospel's message of the . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 30, 2017
I give no quarter to alcohol in my personal life.
Though I love and respect them, and acknowledge some of them as better followers of Jesus Christ than me, I . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 22, 2017
The deterioration of national moral character means inevitable tragedy.
That was the message to Belshazzar, the Babylonian King, who was celebrating in . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 17, 2017
Few Americans truly understand to what degree our way of life is being challenged. We are threatened by forces from without, but worse still by forces from . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 3, 2017
Thursday, the North Carolina General Assembly repealed the controversial HB 2, commonly known as the "bathroom law." Lawmakers had been under horrendous . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 26, 2017
This week, the NCAA ratcheted up the pressure on North Carolina lawmakers to repeal HB 2, "the bathroom law." The collegiate sports group has laid down a . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 18, 2017
Like the North Carolinians who passed HB 2, Texans are now considering legislation that would require individuals to use public facilities based on "biological . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 11, 2017
Not long ago I had a speaking engagement at a relatively small church in North Carolina when five families moved their membership that Sunday morning from . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 6, 2017
There is a finding from a new national survey by the American Culture and Faith Institute (ACFI) that's very encouraging. The survey shows that SAGE Cons, which . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
February 25, 2017
Certain lawmakers in the North Carolina General Assembly are in a tizzy to reach a compromise on HB 2 to satisfy the NCAA, and other sports entities. They're . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
February 4, 2017
During the late 1960s and early 70s my mother was a country music singer. She had one top ten hit on the Billboard charts – a country version of "The . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
February 2, 2017
For more than 100 years, it's been the Boy Scouts. Its purpose was to grow and develop young boys into good men who become great citizens. Churches by the . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
January 28, 2017
The office of the Christian Action League, the organization I represent, is located in a building that houses several Christian counseling ministries.
. . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
January 23, 2017
Tom Carr, an educator from Hillsborough, North Carolina, who now serves on the Orange County Board of Education, wrote a little book published in 1998, titled, . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
January 16, 2017
It was April 1969. One hundred black students had taken over the student union on the campus of Cornell University in a protest for civil rights. The Associated . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 31, 2016
Last year, Judson Phillips wrote in the Washington Times something apparent to anyone politically astute. He said, "It is beyond debate that America has a
. . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 18, 2016
It was both disappointing and frustrating recently to learn what the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) had done. Their bullying tactics, threatening . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 3, 2016
Although I cannot remember where I first read the story, several years ago when the Soviet Union was still alive, a group of Seminary students took a tour of . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 24, 2016
In the mid-1990s, Christian writer Philip Yancey wrote in Christianity Today:
"I remember my first visit to Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park. Rings . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 21, 2016
The votes for advancing alcohol sales across the Tar Heel state were alarming this year. A total of 27 alcohol referendums were held in Alexander, Bertie, Burke . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 12, 2016
"Thousands across the USA Protest Trump Victory," said the headline of USA Today on Thursday. The news source said the protestors had taken to the streets in at . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 6, 2016
This week, the Trump Campaign invited me to give the Invocation at the Trump Rally in Selma, North Carolina. The Johnston County Sheriff's Department estimated . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
October 30, 2016
Tim Walter, in a sermon titled, Filled with God's Grace and Power, said, "Golden calves are built in every generation..."
We don't seem to see it that way. . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
October 24, 2016
WATCH THE VIDEO HERE
The following is the manuscript from Rev. Creech's video shoot about this year's Presidential . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
October 9, 2016
Barbara Bartocci, a Kansas City inspirational and motivational speaker, once wrote that betrayal can be like an earthquake. "The very ground beneath you is . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
September 25, 2016
There has always been a deficit in the trust factor between the American people and politicians. According to recent Gallup polling, however, trust in political . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
September 10, 2016
We had been to see the new Dinesh Desouza documentary, Hillary's America, when afterward a woman and her husband recognized me with my wife, Kim, on the . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
September 5, 2016
It rolls around every first Monday in September. It's that day in the year when we pay homage to the dignity and necessity of work. It's that day on the . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
August 29, 2016
A few weeks ago, my wife, Kim, and I visited a nonprofit conservancy in our state that houses approximately 20 species of exotic animals. The Conservators . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
August 22, 2016
In Psalm 1, the Psalmist provides a beautiful picture of a tree bearing abundant fruit because its roots continually draw nourishment from the river next to . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
August 16, 2016
There is a quote from England's Prince of Preachers, Charles Spurgeon, of the late 19th century that has been a guiding light for my work. Spurgeon wrote, "The . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
August 6, 2016
Was it simply a faux pas? Was it ignorance? Or was it intentional? These were the questions running through my mind as I listened to Hillary Clinton's . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
July 31, 2016
Last week, the well-known former pastor of NewSpring Church in South Carolina announced via a Facebook video that he was checking into a treatment center. Perry . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
July 24, 2016
Under the direction of Adam Silver, a man who has advocated for the legalization of the evil and immoral practice of sports betting, it comes as no surprise . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
July 17, 2016
The NBA's Commissioner, Adam Silver, said at a recent press conference that the league hasn't made up its mind whether the 2017 All-Star Game will be held in . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
July 11, 2016
I never really noticed it before. You know, when you're on a flight and the airplane you're on takes a steep bank turn – even if the wings are . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
June 25, 2016
Instruction, advice, given seasonably, is a beautiful thing. That's what the writer of Proverbs was saying when he wrote, "A word fitly spoken is like apples of . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
June 19, 2016
I adored my father. Everything I have ever written about my relationship with him has been positive. Still, our bond was not always so tight. In fact, it was so . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
June 11, 2016
According to recent media reports, the Southern Baptist Convention experienced its ninth straight year of decline.
Denominational statistics reveal that . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
June 5, 2016
Compromise, compromise, compromise. Over the years, we've seen so much of it and heard so many calls for it by some on the "Right"; it's nauseating.
. . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 28, 2016
In 1993, Don Wyman, a mustached, burly mining company employee, was using his chain saw to cut up a fallen tree. It was late in the afternoon, and he was alone . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 14, 2016
There's an interesting story from the New York Times dating back to the summer of 1994.
A Virginia state trooper, who was a member of the bomb squad, and his . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 8, 2016
President Theodore Roosevelt once said, "There are always politicians willing, on the one hand, to promise everything to the people, and, on the other, to . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 3, 2016
There's a great story about Tonto and the Lone Ranger riding across the plains together. Suddenly they see a dust cloud rising up before them. Thousands of . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 18, 2016
To smear someone means to sully, vilify, or soil a good reputation. It carries with it the idea of smudging or blurring the truth.
Since the North Carolina . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 4, 2016
The very concept of a free press was first introduced to the world in the Scriptures.
J. Lee Grady in Journalism and the Gospel contends that when Nathan, . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 19, 2016
The true strength of men is not determined by muscle, militarily, or political might, but by the kind of heart carried inside of them. Nothing can ever . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 12, 2016
Abraham Lincoln once said, "I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My wisdom, and that of all . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 10, 2016
RALEIGH – The Christian Action League of North Carolina, Inc., the oldest state-wide Christian public-policy organization in the Tar Heel state, is . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 5, 2016
Since the serpent, Satan, lied to Eve about the forbidden fruit (Gen. 3:4-5), mankind has played fast and loose with the truth. But as Sir Walter Scott once so . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
February 29, 2016
Back in 1994, Reuters reported on an incredible story about a man that lived in the northern province of Chaco in Argentina. Alberto Gauna had become so . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
February 20, 2016
James Lowell wrote in a poem, "Once to every man and nation, comes the moment to decide, in the strife of truth with falsehood, for the good or evil side."
. . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
February 14, 2016
The words of the late Vince Lombardi, former coach of the Green Bay Packers, seem immortal. "Winning isn't everything; he once said, "it's the only thing." But . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
February 6, 2016
At the recent National Prayer Breakfast held in the nation's capital, President Obama gave a speech using the text, 2 Timothy 1:7, which reads "For God has not . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
January 31, 2016
Dr. George Sweeting, Chancellor of Moody Bible Institute, once said, "The Christian
life is not a matter of following a list of 'dos' or observing a longer . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
January 26, 2016
Innumerable it seems are the issues facing the nation. Abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, self defense and ownership of guns, marriage, parental rights, . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
January 24, 2016
Innumerable it seems are the issues facing the nation. Abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, self defense and ownership of guns, marriage, parental rights, . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
January 16, 2016
Maxine Marsolini says in Blended Families, "Revisiting the past...is a privilege. When we look at it as a healthy thing, we are able to appreciate what it has . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
January 10, 2016
It's called "Dry January." It only got started in recent years and is practiced largely in the United Kingdom. To be more exact, in 2014, the charity, Alcohol . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
January 1, 2016
Several years ago I had a vivid dream that made an impression on me. I saw a vision of a man in a white robe, whose face I could never see. He stood before four . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 23, 2015
Why would God wrap himself in human flesh to dwell among men? Some would argue that he did it to save those who are lost in sin. Some would contend to destroy . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 19, 2015
Recently, WTVD News ABC 11 for Raleigh-Durham reported that the mayor of Franklin, North Carolina, Bob Scott has a long tenure of public service. He was in the . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 12, 2015
The late Dr. James Montgomery Boice in his commentary on Christ's Sermon on the Mount tells the story of a young boy from England walking along the streets of . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 6, 2015
Back in October, sixty-five legal experts of high repute issued "A Statement Calling for Constitutional Resistance to Obergefell v. Hodges" – the Supreme . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 27, 2015
On my ride to work, the church sign jumped out at me. It read:
"We pray for the atheist, who has no one to thank on Thanksgiving Day."
Not more than five . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 22, 2015
Recent weeks have clearly shown that Islamic terrorists are successfully recruiting, growing their networks, and executing their carnage around the globe. Can . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 15, 2015
Last month, the North Carolina Child Fatality Task Force released a report that said youth suicides increased more than one-third between 2013 and 2014. It said . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 1, 2015
Two weeks ago on a Saturday afternoon, approximately 10,000 people attended the "We Stand With God" rally on the Halifax Mall behind North Carolina's . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
October 24, 2015
Proponents for the legalization of recreational marijuana have said over and again that marijuana is less harmful to society than alcohol and tobacco. Thus, it . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
October 17, 2015
In the great model prayer that our Lord gave to his disciples, we are provided with perhaps the most perfect desire in a prayer that one could ever entertain . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
October 10, 2015
Since I was a boy, I have always loved the literary genre of fables – fictional stories featuring animals with human qualities meant to illustrate some . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
September 26, 2015
Pope Francis' historic visit to America has the entire nation a-buzz with energy. The news media has covered his every move. Social media is on fire with . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
September 21, 2015
The story of Jonah is one of the most meaningful texts in the Bible for me. It tells not only of the great miracle of a man being swallowed by a great fish and . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
September 12, 2015
In 1993, freelance photojournalist Kevin Carter from South Africa went to cover the civil strife in famine stricken Sudan. After his flight touched down in the . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
September 8, 2015
The Charlotte Observer reported on Monday that Governor Pat McCrory was distancing himself from language in a full page ad in the Charlotte Observer. The ad . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
September 6, 2015
Since the dawn of time, labor has been a part of God's economy. Work is inherent to our purpose, meaning and dignity.
In 1999, the New York Times reported an . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
August 30, 2015
Edwin Hubbel Chapin once said, "Through every rift of discovery some seeming anomaly drops out of the darkness, and falls, as a golden link into the chain of . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
August 24, 2015
During a visit to the Holy Land, Mark Twain and his wife stayed in Capernaum near the Sea of Galilee. One beautiful night, he decided to take his wife on a . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
August 8, 2015
This week Japan marked its 70th anniversary of the Hiroshima atomic bombing. Thousands of people stood silently at 8:15 a.m. marking the time of the blast at . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
August 1, 2015
Certainly one of the most bitterly fought laws was a New York statute that passed June 4, 1888. It substituted the electric chair for the gallows as a means of . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
July 25, 2015
Donald Trump is certainly commanding a lot of attention in his run for the Presidency. Trump is a real mover and a shaker. A man like him with his business . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
July 18, 2015
Earlier this month, the New England Conference of United Methodist, a group of 600 churches spanning six states, approved a resolution calling for an end to the . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
July 11, 2015
Thomas Jefferson once wrote, "If a law is unjust, a man is not only right to disobey it; he is obligated to do so."
Without question, it was this principle . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
July 3, 2015
The lady at the Cleaners where I take my shirts said to me as I was leaving, "Thank you, Rev. Creech, have a great Fourth of July." Her intentions were good, . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
June 29, 2015
For many who still believe that marriage is defined by God as one man and one woman, today's decision by the Supreme Court to arrogantly redefine the . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
June 21, 2015
There's a story about a family that talked the Mother into getting a pet hamster. They promised that they would take good care of the little creature.
Two . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
June 13, 2015
"Fundamentalists and evangelicals (both of whom have been traditionally committed to an infallible or inerrant Scripture) have long been noted for their . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
June 6, 2015
William Penn once said, "A true friend freely, advises justly, assists readily, adventures boldly, takes all patiently, defends courageously, and continues a . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
June 1, 2015
There is a story of yesteryear about a great and wise king who was always looking for effective ways to teach his people about good citizenship.
He once said . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 25, 2015
Dear National Rifle Association,
I want to begin this correspondence by saying that I believe very much in what you've stood for over the years. Your . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 17, 2015
I once knew a pastor who has since passed away, who was always concerned his parishioners understood and appreciated the privileges of religious liberty. One . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 10, 2015
Someone once said of Jesus, "When he came – there was no light; when he left – there was no darkness."
Good mothers are a lot like the Lord who . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 2, 2015
The origin of the statement is unknown; nevertheless, someone once said that our great grandfathers called it the holy Sabbath. Our grandfathers called it the . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 26, 2015
This week in North Carolina, legislation passed in the state House that extends the waiting period for a woman to have an abortion from 24–72 hours, . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 11, 2015
It's tax time again and most people are dreading it.
Back in the 1980s, I was an associate minister in charge of the children's ministry at a church in . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 4, 2015
I'm always amazed at God's timing, his providential allowance of events at certain times and the way they can speak to us.
As we approached the Easter . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 29, 2015
Wednesday, March 25th, was a rough day for me at the North Carolina Legislative Building. A bill for the legalization of medical marijuana was up for . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 21, 2015
Ron Reagan, son of former President Ronald Reagan, has proudly stated in an ad that he's "not afraid of burning in hell." Reagan did the 30 second ad for the . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 14, 2015
Four Democratic lawmakers have introduced legislation to make medicinal marijuana legal in North Carolina. Eleven other democrats have signed onto the bill. No . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 9, 2015
Friday, March 6, on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the historic march on Selma, Vice President Joe Biden, addressed the Human Rights Campaign Spring Equity . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
February 28, 2015
Matthew 16:25 reads, "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." These words by Jesus are . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
February 22, 2015
When one thinks of myths, the mind typically races to those classical tales of the ancient Greek and Roman gods. In the Roman Pantheon were stories of the way . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
February 14, 2015
When President Obama gave his State of the Union Speech this year, sitting on the front row were the U.S. Supreme Court Justices, as usual, but Justice Ruth . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
February 7, 2015
It's a given that most conservative evangelical Christians are supporters of the Republican Party. In his book, Politics: According to the Bible, Wayne Grudem . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
February 1, 2015
During a recent radio interview on an Iowa-based program, former Arkansas Governor, and Fox Television host, Mike Huckabee, expressed his shock at the way some . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
January 25, 2015
Every year during the month of January, churches along with many other pro-lifers across America reaffirm their commitment to the sanctity of human life. As . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
January 17, 2015
Several years ago, there was a laundry in a small American town that had a monopoly on its type of trade. However, two very enterprising Chinese men opened . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 22, 2014
St. Luke's account says that on that first Christmas shepherds were on a hillside watching their flocks by night, when suddenly, the glory of God shone round . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 13, 2014
"Prejudice, said Mark Twain, "is the ink with which all history is written." [1] We're certainly feeling the import of these words with the Michael Brown case . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 27, 2014
In the mid-1970s, Dr. George Sweeting, now former president and chancellor of Moody Bible Institute, said in a sermon something that has stuck with me through . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 23, 2014
For a little more than two weeks there's been a war of words between North Carolina Senate Republicans lead by State Senate President Pro-Tempore, Phil Berger, . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 16, 2014
Chuck Swindoll tells that great story about the fellow who fell in love with an opera singer. He didn't know her, nor had he ever seen her any closer than the . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 9, 2014
People that feel desperate, for whatever reason, can do the most dangerous things.
Back in the fall of 1993 the country of Armenia was desperate for sources . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 1, 2014
A senator's soul arrived in heaven and was met by St. Peter at the entrance. "Welcome to heaven," said St. Peter. "Before you settle in, it seems there is a . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
October 26, 2014
In his great Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled" (Matt.5:6). Bible commentator . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
October 21, 2014
When the US Supreme Court on Monday October 6th said it wouldn't take up any of the marriage cases on appeal. I expected that the legalization of same-sex . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
October 11, 2014
The US Supreme Court's decision to deny review of all marriage cases striking down state constitutional marriage amendments has produced considerable sadness . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
October 5, 2014
It may come as a surprise for many, but just within the lifetime of most Americans, legal casino gambling existed in only two places in our nation: Nevada and . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
September 28, 2014
The Psalmist wrote, "Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
September 21, 2014
While visiting Oklahoma City recently for a convention, I had an unusual experience. I'm typically a slow riser in the morning. So the night before I had set . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
September 15, 2014
Shopping along one of the isles of a local grocery store, I noticed a mother harshly handling a child. She had raised her hand to strike the youngster across . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
September 6, 2014
During a recent Sunday morning worship service, I noticed something a little unsettling. Although the church I was attending was a more traditional congregation . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
August 31, 2014
On the first Monday in September (September 1), Labor Day, our nation will once again celebrate the dignity of labor. There will be parades, picnics, and . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
August 23, 2014
Christian philosopher Peter Kreeft once said, "A measure of your insanity is the size of the gap between what you think you are and what you really are." [1] . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
August 9, 2014
Recently, President Obama marked the celebration of Eid-al-Fitr – an Islamic holiday that is also called Feast of Breaking the Fast. It's celebrated by . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
August 2, 2014
In a recent editorial, the Raleigh News and Observer said that state attorney general, Roy Cooper, "made a sensible decision" to stop fighting several federal . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
July 19, 2014
There is a great restaurant near my office that I visit for dinner at least five days a week. The staff has become like family to me. When they're not so busy, . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
July 4, 2014
About a year ago, I stood on the deck of one of America's great naval vessels. When I looked up, I noticed the flag was not flying proudly, but twisted in the . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
June 28, 2014
The 2-1 ruling by the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, on Wednesday, June 25th, knocked down the state constitutional amendments to protect marriage in Utah, . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
June 21, 2014
Several years ago, the famous PEANUTS cartoon depicted Schroeder, the piano playing intellectual, being interrupted by his infatuated admirer, Lucy. Lucy said . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
June 13, 2014
During the second century, the Greek poet Babrius penned an Aesop-like fable that seeks to show that no pain inflicted by an outsider is ever so terrible as the . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
June 7, 2014
A week ago, I had the privilege of participating in a whirlwind speaking tour across the Tar Heel state with a new developing organization known as the North . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 31, 2014
I once read where the proprietor of a business shared a hypothetical with his staff. He said, "Suppose a young man was to buy a very costly diamond ring and . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 24, 2014
In 1939, near the end of the Spanish Civil War, outside the city of Madrid, the rebel General Mola was about to launch his attack. When asked which of his four . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 10, 2014
Keke was born during the mid-nineteenth century in a Georgian village. She came from a poor background of serfs. After the abolition of serfdom, her family . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 4, 2014
There are certain people in the evangelical community for whom I have profound respect. I feel more a student of their knowledge and expertise than a peer. Such . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 27, 2014
If I've it heard it once, it seems I've heard a thousand times, "Alcohol and Tobacco are legal in this country. Marijuana isn't as harmful as either one of them . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 20, 2014
My wife and I walked into the dark theatre near the small town where we live. As we walked up the elevated floor with the large screen in sight, we rounded the . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 12, 2014
Today conservative evangelicals are being told the fight to protect traditional marriage is essentially over. Many are saying we need to get on the right side . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 15, 2014
The story of the Tower of Babel in Genesis chapter 11 is a historical narrative of the first recorded form of government gone awry. The apostle Paul wrote, "Now . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 8, 2014
Someone once said, "I don't understand Christianity. I don't understand electricity either, but I don't intend to sit in the dark until I do." That's a profound . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 2, 2014
North Carolina's new Voter ID law came under assault last week from Van Jones, a Democrat and host of CNN's Crossfire. During the broadcast, which featured . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
February 16, 2014
In an irony of ironies, during the week of Valentine's, two federal judges overturned the marriage protection amendments of Kentucky and Virginia, single . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
February 9, 2014
Last week approximately 3 million people tuned into to watch the debate on evolution between Bill Nye, "The Science Guy," and Ken Ham of the Creation Museum. . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
February 2, 2014
Two Sundays past (January 19, 2014), in a sermon the media described as "fire and thunder," [1] Rev. William Barber, head of the NC NAACP mounted the pulpit of . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
January 11, 2014
You may have heard the story about the two Navajo Indians who were having a conversation across an Arizona valley by smoke signals. While they were speaking, . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
January 4, 2014
Another beloved television celebrity has "come out" and said to the world, "I am gay." This time its ABC's Good Morning America host, Robin Roberts. CNN says . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 29, 2013
The book of 2 Kings, chapters 22 and 23, tell us about a reformation that took place in Judah during the reign of King Josiah. If we consider the general . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 15, 2013
Rev. Teddy Parker Jr., 42, pastor of Bibb Mount Zion Baptist Church in Macon, Georgia, discovered by his wife in the driveway of their home, dead from a self . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 7, 2013
If one should think that politics is just politics and one's worldview has nothing to do with it, then he or she should consider the circumstances facing the . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 28, 2013
Try to imagine this situation. It's been an exceedingly difficult year for you and your family. In fact, half of your relatives recently died. You've been . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 23, 2013
It was heartbreaking to learn that U.S. Rep. Trey Radel, a Tea Party favorite, was in a courtroom Wednesday answering to a misdemeanor charge for cocaine . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 17, 2013
Kevin and Jason made their way down the steps after 1 a.m. Kevin led his friend into the corner room that the family called the study and opened his Dad's . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 10, 2013
Last year, my father, who was a veteran, passed away. As mourners stood along with my family at his grave side, a soldier blew the strains of "Taps." That . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 3, 2013
I remember once reading about a Sunday School teacher who was trying to teach her children that we all need God's forgiveness. After sharing the Bible story, . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
October 27, 2013
There is a place in western Chatham County, North Carolina, approximately 10 miles from Siler City that has baffled folks for many years. In a wooded area there . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
October 21, 2013
One of the most trusted men in America once expressed the way he saw the danger of gambling to our nation. In the program, The Dice are Loaded; Walter Cronkite . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
October 6, 2013
Two good old boys were driving a semi-truck through the back roads when they came to an overpass with a sign that read, "Clearance 11'3."
Both of them got . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
October 1, 2013
Note: The following article is North Carolina specific. However, it begs the question of how underage drinking may be affecting one's own state.
North . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
September 22, 2013
Last month, US Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe said the US Postal Service should be allowed to start delivering, beer, wine and spirits. He contended the . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
September 15, 2013
Our nation's forefathers strongly believed they were called into a new Promised Land for the purpose of establishing a New Israel, a model of the Kingdom of God . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
September 8, 2013
You may have heard the story about the drunk who was paid to sit up all night at a funeral home in a viewing room with an open coffin. He was to be there should . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
August 31, 2013
Before he ever became a National Football League broadcast analyst, Glenn Parker, who at the time played for the Buffalo Bills, once speculated as to why NFL . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
August 3, 2013
This week, North Carolina's Governor Pat McCrory, flanked by four security guards, walked through the gates of the executive mansion and over to a group of . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
July 15, 2013
Listening to some of the railing by pro-choice legislators against SB 353 – Health and Safety Law Changes – the abortion bill considered recently in . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
June 29, 2013
When most people think of government, they think of civil government with its various laws and controls. But in the most basic of terms, there are essentially . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
June 22, 2013
It is considered a landmark announcement, proof that the cultural winds are shifting in favor of the acceptance of homosexuality by the evangelical
community. . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
June 1, 2013
According to Recent Natural Disasters, a web site that reports on ecological cataclysms around the world every day, approximately 75 natural disasters
have . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 29, 2013
"Sloboda!" "Libertad!" "Emanzipation!" "Independenza!" "Freedom!" It doesn't matter whether the language is Croatian, Spanish, German, Italian or just . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 21, 2013
Whether there is life after death is a question that humans have pondered for centuries. Today there is a great deal of interest in the subject with people . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 14, 2013
It's been said that Martin Luther while at Wartburg was translating the Bible; the Devil came to visit him. Satan, who was vehemently opposed to the divine . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
May 7, 2013
In January, Christians everywhere were saddened to learn that Pastor Louie Giglio, founder of the Passion conferences and Passion City Church in Roswell, . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 27, 2013
One time baseball great Joe Garagiola stepped up to the plate when his turn to bat came. Before assuming his stance, however, fervent Roman Catholic Joe took . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 23, 2013
In 1972 an earthquake destroyed the city of Managua, the capital of Nicaragua. More than a decade after the tragedy, the city remained a sea of rubble. But the . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 14, 2013
The late comedian, Milton Berle, once said he had a friend who swore the Bible condoned getting drunk. He argued the Scriptures taught that the one who sins . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 10, 2013
Last week lawmakers in the North Carolina Senate took steps to restore the death penalty in our state. North Carolina hasn't conducted an execution since 2006 . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 30, 2013
Auguste Comte, a French philosopher and skeptic, was once belittling English writer, Thomas Carlyle, for his faith in Jesus Christ. Comte suggested that he . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 24, 2013
It is said that when hymn pollsters report which hymn is most frequently requested, "The Old Rugged Cross" is hands-down the most popular. The author of that . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 10, 2013
When wickedness abounded in the world, the Lord came to Noah and said, "Noah, in a short time I'm going to make it rain until the entire earth is covered with . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 2, 2013
Tertullian once said, "Just as Christ was crucified between two thieves, so this doctrine of justification is ever crucified between two opposite errors." . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
February 23, 2013
Recently in a blog of comments underneath one of my op-ed pieces a well-meaning person wrote: "Mark, I love you like a brother, but these social issues are just . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
February 16, 2013
The First Amendment to the Constitution reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
February 9, 2013
In my home state of North Carolina, legislation has been introduced making it illegal for women to fully bare their breasts in public. The bill was introduced . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
February 3, 2013
Comedian Robin Williams once argued, "If women ran the world, we wouldn't have wars...just intense negotiations every 28 days." Apparently that's no longer true . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
January 28, 2013
There is a feature of "Peanuts" where Lucy says to Charlie Brown: "You know what I don't understand? I don't understand love?!" Charlie Brown says, "Who does?" . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
January 18, 2013
Most that know me well understand I love looking for rare and old out of print religious books. I've found some real treasures in antique stores over the years. . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
January 17, 2013
There once was a congregation too poor to buy any new hymnals. So they were offered a sufficient quantity by a pharmaceutical firm in exchange for a little . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 29, 2012
You may have heard that humorous story about Phoebe, a 50-year-old widow from Beverly Hills. Phoebe suffered a heart-attack and was taken to Cedars Sinai . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 22, 2012
Most people know the story of Damocles sword, or at least they've heard the expression. Damocles, a courtier of King Dionysius, was enamored with the great . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 15, 2012
Recently I saw a t-shirt that said, "The Virgin Mary was an Unwed Teenage Mother." That's true and it reminded me of an interruption that took place at a Quebec . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 8, 2012
Archie Ratliff, currently the pastor of Bethel Free Will Baptist Church in Kinston, North Carolina has rightly said, "David Paramore is one of the greatest . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 1, 2012
It was once an activity that was outlawed for decades. Today, however, it's officially sanctioned, easily accessible, popular, and has gained a strong foothold . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 21, 2012
In 1921, Dr. J.C. Fitzpatrick noticed an interesting document being auctioned off at an art gallery in New York. What Fitzpatrick bought for the Library of . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 17, 2012
You may have heard that story about how the whole world dies and an endless line waits to get into heaven. Suddenly there's a loud roar from the front of the . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 10, 2012
Sometimes I sit and work for hours on end at my desk in Raleigh, North Carolina. So a couple of years ago, I placed a number of bird feeders directly in front . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
November 3, 2012
Most people have heard the expression, "playing the race card." The concept has been bandied about in the media for several years. It typically refers to . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
October 26, 2012
As we rapidly approach Election Day, I've heard a number of my friends say that they just can't vote for the lesser of two evils. They will neither support . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
October 20, 2012
Perry Noble is a choice servant of Christ, passionate for the souls of men. He is the founder and senior pastor of NewSpring Church in South Carolina — a . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
October 18, 2012
Are you afraid of dying? You don't have to be in a life-threating situation to be afraid of death. Most people whenever they contemplate dying are afraid of it. . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
October 6, 2012
Since the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in Joyner v. Forsyth County that prayers offered in Jesus' name are unconstitutional and the U.S. Supreme Court . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
September 29, 2012
Sometime ago I read about a woman that lived out West, who looked out her window one day and saw a dead burro on the sidewalk in front of her home. So she . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
September 24, 2012
A man was pulled over by a police officer for speeding. As the officer was explaining to the driver that he was breaking the speed limit, the officer noticed . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
September 16, 2012
There's an old story about a former President who was jogging one morning when he noticed a little boy on the corner with a box. Curious, he ran over to the . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
September 11, 2012
An aspiring politician gave his best shot at a campaign speech. He felt that it was a stirring, fact filled speech. Then the candidate looked out on his . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
September 3, 2012
It's been said that Oliver Wendell Holmes, the eminent Supreme Court Justice, was on a train reading his newspaper when the conductor came by punching tickets. . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
August 28, 2012
A small businessman from the old country kept his accounts payable in a cigar box, his accounts receivable on a spindle, and his cash in the cash register. One . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
August 21, 2012
Having been assigned in school to write a story with the word "adult" in it, Little Freddie penned: "Adults don't have any fun. Adults just sit around and talk. . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
August 14, 2012
A hurricane had struck, and people were huddled together listening to an old preacher praying with great oratorical effects in the midst of the violent storm. . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
August 7, 2012
It is said that once a young man was walking through town while eating a baloney sandwich. A piece of baloney fell from his sandwich and was immediately pounced . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 10, 2012
Once there was a wayward family, who had no interest in God, his church, or the things of God. There was the father and his three sons, Jim, John, and Sam. The . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
February 25, 2012
Once there was a lion that was proud of his supposed mastery of the animal kingdom. So he decided to make certain all of the other animals knew he was the king . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 23, 2011
A school teacher in England tells the story of the time she supervised the construction of a manger scene in the corner of her classroom. It was all there . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
August 3, 2011
I am still experiencing sporadic moments of jubilation and tears of joy concerning the 'Woman's Right to Know Act' becoming law in North Carolina. Governor . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 22, 2010
Dear Senator Burr,
I want to begin by thanking you for your service to the people of North Carolina. More specifically, thank you for always being a vocal . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 2, 2010
News of victory is always an exciting experience, but news of a victory after news of what appears to be a loss is even better.
For instance, consider the . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
January 20, 2010
There are two precious names given for God in I Peter 2:25, where Christ is referred to as the "Shepherd and Bishop of our souls."
Most Christians are . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
October 14, 2009
In his book, Character and Destiny: A Nation In Search of its Soul, the late Dr. D. James Kennedy tells about a speech given by Gary Bauer at the 1994 . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
October 6, 2009
In the year 1858, the city of Philadelphia experienced a spiritual awakening that the press called "the work of God in Philadelphia." Churches of every . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 26, 2009
In Becoming a Contagious Christian, Bill Hybels and Mark Mittleberg tell the story of a newly promoted colonel who moved into a makeshift office during the Gulf . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
January 26, 2009
It's unfortunate, but America now has the most pro-abortion president in the nation's history. He has pledged to protect abortion rights and has wasted no time . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
January 19, 2009
For the last six months, North Carolina's Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh has been host to an exhibition of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Dead Sea Scrolls are . . .
Rev. Mark H. Creech
December 21, 2008
"It is supremely fitting that every man should approach the infant Jesus upon his knees."
In Bethlehem, the Church of the Nativity originally built by the . . .
The views expressed by RenewAmerica columnists are their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of RenewAmerica or its affiliates.
