More than 80 years ago, several Christian fathers wrote on the topic, “Why I encouraged my son to be a minister.” Today, we dust off and share two of those responses. The first is from Victor E. Hoven, father of Ard Hoven. The second is from R. C. Foster, father of Lewis Foster.
The former financial director of Pikes Peak Christian Church in Colorado Springs, Colo., is accused of stealing more than $340,000 from the church, according to a news report. An arrest warrant charges her with 896 counts of financial-related crimes. . . . Plus briefs from Minnesota, Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri.
Charlie McMahan says SouthBrook Christian Church in Miamisburg, Ohio, took a major step forward last year in its recovery from COVID-19—an event that he compares to the 9/11 terrorist attacks . . . but which had an opposite effect on the church in this country. . . .
Central Park Christian Church in Topeka, Kan., is planning a “Rooftop Revival” this weekend to bring the community together and help raise funds for the church’s youth ministry. Also briefs about funeral arrangements for Nell Stacy, a new book on Hebrews by Chad Ragsdale, and more. . . .
A baptistery can make a world of difference. Ocala Christian Church discovered this during 2022 when the small church in central Florida baptized 31 people. That translated into a 27.9 percent baptism ratio (baptisms per 100 in average attendance). . . .
In the fall of 2020, as COVID restrictions were being eased, my wife and I were church “free agents.” I suggested we try an a cappella congregation I knew in Louisville, Ky. We jumped in, and two years later I joined the staff as involvement minister—a lifelong Christian Church guy now teaching, discipling, and worshipping in four-part harmony. Here are five observations from my experiences serving in an a cappella church. . . .
“It is my conviction that the day of Pentecost is the focal point in the history of the world,” Wm. E. Sweeney wrote in 1929, “. . . that all the lines of history before that time converge to that great day, and that all the lines of history since that time have diverged.” . . .
Tim Keller, renowned pastor, speaker, and best-selling author, died Friday. Several Christian Church leaders shared with us how Keller impacted their lives and ministries. . . .
“The word of the Lord” (a phrase that appears more in Jeremiah than any other book of the Bible) came to Jeremiah during the reign of good King Josiah. . . .
People adopt a posture of solitude while waiting, which is not only a good spiritual discipline, but also a great help in waiting. To sit alone in silence can be very redemptive. . . .
The Lord acts like a physician who must hurt the patient to produce healing. He seems violent, but the Lord knows something about wounds, and he knows how redemptive they can be. . . .
God administered deserved punishment to the Israelites for their unfaithfulness. The result was Lamentations, which we are working our way through. . . .
