Christian Living

Christian Living helps you follow Jesus in the everyday moments—at home, at work, and in your relationships. Here you’ll find practical, biblically grounded articles on spiritual growth, prayer, discipleship, character, and making wise decisions in a complicated world. Explore guidance for living with grace and truth, building healthy habits, navigating suffering and joy, and pursuing holiness without losing compassion. Whether you’re new to faith or have walked with Christ for years, these resources are designed to encourage you, challenge you, and equip you to live a life that reflects the gospel in real life.

August 28, 2018

Christian Standard

A Rest from Our Labor . . . and in His Work

By Mandy Smith On Labor Day weekend we reflect on both the value of work and the value of rest. The Department of Labor’s statement on Labor Day says, in part, “It is appropriate . . . that the nation pay tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation’s strength, freedom, and leadership—the American worker.” It’s fitting for a nation to show appreciation to those workers by giving them a day off from their work. On Labor Day we rest from our own work. There’s a different holiday we celebrate every Sunday—an invitation to rest

August 25, 2018

Christian Standard

Freshmen Shocked: Bible College Nothing Like CIY

By Caleb Kaltenbach JOPLIN, MO—Record numbers of incoming freshmen are dismayed that Bible college isn’t another Christ in Youth experience. “There’s no morning encounter speaker at Hope International University,” reported Charlie Bowdrey. “I listen to my church history professor every morning, but he doesn’t help me encounter anything other than this angry dude named Martin Luther.” Bowdrey wasn’t the only surprised student this year. For Manhattan Christian College freshman Jessica West, the disappointment started almost immediately. “When I got to my dorm, I was ready to go to the evening session and stay up late, but the other students were

August 19, 2018

Michael C. Mack

Back to School . . . for All of Us

Editor’s Note: Starting today, each Sunday we will publish a new blog post from the editors of and regular contributors to Christian Standard. Our purpose is to encourage and equip leaders with timely and relevant leadership lessons we are learning. We will relate to current events in the church and culture and also provide insider information about Christian Standard Media. And we’d love to hear from you! If you have a reaction to a post, please comment below! _____ By Michael C. Mack As kids in our area went back to school this past week, I started reflecting on those

August 6, 2018

Christian Standard

Pontoon Boat Wedding a First for Minnesota Minister

By Jim Nieman Randy and Michelle Thoennes like to spend as much time as possible on the lake, so when it came time to choose a wedding location, they selected nearby Lake Darling. And not along the shore of Lake Darling in Minnesota, but in a boat on Lake Darling, flanked by about 15 other pontoon boats filled with more than 100 relatives and friends. The wedding party—which included minister John Taplin of New Life Christian Church in Alexandria, Minn.—glided down the middle of the guests’ boats, which were tethered together on either side. It was like they were “coming

July 24, 2018

Christian Standard

Celebrating the Victory

By Jon Wren Good sportsmanship is one of the values we try to foster in our kids. From the time they start playing Little League, we encourage them to shake hands after a game. We talk about the virtue of humility when they win and being gracious when they lose. This value is so ingrained in our culture that many professional sports leagues penalize players who display poor sportsmanship, taunt the other team, or celebrate excessively after scoring. Good sportsmanship, in many ways, is an important character trait and value to live up to. Yet, according to the apostle Paul,

July 20, 2018

Christian Standard

Whatever It Takes

By L. Mackenzie I gawked at the preacher, raised my eyebrows, and asked, “You want a what onstage for the sermon?” He calmly looked at me, fingers interlaced, and replied, “A scapegoat. Oh, and a Passover lamb before Easter. See what you can find.” What was I to do at T-minus-four weeks? What rancher would be willing to lend us valuable and tame animals for a live broadcast in front of 10,000 people? So many things could go terribly wrong: the goat could dive into the crowd, the lamb might pee on power cords; things could explode. Do we have

July 17, 2018

Christian Standard

No More Avoiding

By Jon Wren In his later years, the playwright and poet Oscar Wilde lived in Paris, France. Wilde enjoyed life in Paris with one major exception . . . the recently constructed Eiffel Tower. Wilde considered the tower an eyesore and tried to avoid it at all costs. And yet, due to the tower’s height and central location, no matter where Wilde went, the tower was always in view. This especially annoyed him at lunchtime: He would constantly find himself sitting outside and having to look at the tower while he ate. Finally, after months of unsuccessful searching for a

July 3, 2018

Christian Standard

A Life in Contrast

By Jon Wren Several years ago in Maine, authorities arrested a 47-year-old man after catching him stealing food and supplies from a local camp. Upon investigating, it was discovered the man had a much more complicated and interesting story than originally suspected. Specifically, authorities learned the man had spent 27 years living in the woods in total seclusion, detached from all human contact. The “North Pond Hermit,” as he was called, sustained himself for almost three decades by breaking into and stealing from local campsites, restaurants, and businesses. His entire existence had centered around isolation and theft. Can you imagine

May 29, 2018

Christian Standard

Sinner Anonymous

By Gene Shelburne As God’s people, we have one common bond: All of us have brought our sins to Jesus. And that is what brings us around his table. How sad, then, that many of us spend so much energy trying to conceal our sinfulness! Why does the church often become an exercise in pretending we are perfect? The late Bishop Fulton J. Sheen said, “The modern world does not believe in sin. . . . It used to be that we Catholics were the only ones in the world who believed in the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary.

February 6, 2018

Christian Standard

Liking Things More and More

By Ronald G. Davis               Kate Greenaway was a noted 19th-century English illustrator, especially of children’s books. Though you might not recognize her carefully detailed botanical studies, you would probably recognize her images of happy Victorian children in sunbonnets and pinafores or knickers. In fact, Greenaway’s name is attached to the British literature award presented annually for most distinguished children’s book illustration. In a letter to her friend John Ruskin, recognized art critic and writer, she wrote: I go on liking things more and more, seeing them more and more beautiful. Don’t you think it is a great possession to be

January 18, 2018

Christian Standard

This Isn’t a Test, Praise the Lord

By Jim Nieman If you have ever taken a standardized test in preparation for college, you know they’re not much fun. Years ago, the analogy portion of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (or SAT) asked questions like, “Buzz is to Hum as . . .” and you were provided a list of possible answers, the correct one being, “Tinkle is to Clang.” Let’s try another one: “Parquet is to Wood as Linoleum is to Marble.” (No, that’s not right.) “Parquet is to Wood as Color is to Painting.” (No, wrong again.) Here’s the right answer: “Parquet is to Wood as Mosaic

December 28, 2017

Christian Standard

Memory Is Essential

By Jim Nieman The end of the year is when people typically look back with fondness, regret, happiness, or mournfulness the events and changes that have taken place in their lives during the past 12 months. But imagine we had no memories at all. What would we talk about? What basis would we have for making decisions? We would be adrift, vulnerable, and unable to learn from past successes or mistakes. Memory is essential. Without it, life is empty and living can be dangerous. Jesus held up a piece of broken bread and said, “”˜This is my body given for

December 19, 2017

Christian Standard

Blurring Lines Between Ministry and Marketplace

By Mel McGowan Imagine a pastor­­­”s kid who wants to be a pastor just like his dad. Now imagine that God has a different plan. Some people are called to minister on staff at a church or parachurch organization. Some are called to be real estate developers. Darren Sloniger apparently was called to do both. Darren, founder of West Ridge Community Church, also serves as president and chief investment officer of Marquette Companies, where he has led in the execution of more than a billion dollars of acquisition and development projects. Chris Seay, pastor of Ecclesia Houston and a mutual friend

December 5, 2017

Christian Standard

Dropping the Act

By Chuck Dennie I”ve served in large churches for the past 10 years. These churches do amazing things in people”s lives, their communities, and around the world. They create environments where people”s lives are made whole. The problem is, my life was broken. My mom left when I was 6 months old, and I could tell you about many other sources of my brokenness, but we all have a story we could tell. I came to believe early on that love is earned, and so I began to pursue the approval of others. When you combine these factors and this

November 15, 2017

Christian Standard

The Past, Our Greatest Enemy

By Charles Gerber Everything changes. If you put macaroni and cheese in a refrigerator for a month, it becomes green and fuzzy. It changes into something unhealthy and nonnutritious. But, while most food items will spoil over time, our past has no expiration date! Everyone wrestles with his past. Oscar Wilde said, “No man is rich enough to buy back his past.” But regret is sometimes the reason we try. Juan Ponce de León was a Spanish explorer whose quest was to find the fountain of youth. Was he looking to undo his past mistakes by regaining his youth? The

November 1, 2017

Christian Standard

No One”s Perfect

By David Ray On June 2, 2010, Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga was on the verge of pitching a perfect game””a feat so rare that, in all of baseball history, only 20 pitchers to that point had ever accomplished it. After retiring 26 consecutive Cleveland Indians batters, Galarraga was one out away from joining the rarified ranks. A frenzied crowd was on its feet, with players and coaches in both dugouts craning to see if history would be made. When Cleveland”s Jason Donald smacked a grounder between first and second, it happened. Galarraga raced to cover first and caught the

October 18, 2017

Christian Standard

Lower Is Better

By Mandy Smith Mountaineer Joe Simpson tells his chilling story in the book and movie Touching the Void. Thousands of feet up the side of the 20,814-foot Siula Grande mountain, Joe”s safety line was cut, leaving him to slide, with a broken leg, into a deep crevasse. After several desperate attempts to climb up and out of the crevasse, he realized his injury made that impossible. And so, against all survival instinct, he made the excruciating choice to lower himself deeper into the crevasse, in the hope that there would be other exits further down. All the time he was

September 10, 2017

Christian Standard

#hustle vs #grace

By Chuck Dennie Snap a pic of you getting it done and make sure to include #hustle . . . We live in a world where we compare our lives with the highlight reels we see displayed on our social media channels. The latest buzzword #hustle has been elevated to rock-star status. #hustle has even become a platform on which some leaders are standing . . . at least until that platform crumbles. I have been that leader. I am an ENTJ with a top strength of competition on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator personality inventory. ENTJ + competition = hustle. I

June 23, 2017

Christian Standard

Slowly Savored

By Rick Chromey From mainstream Starbucks and neighborhood bistros, the local coffee cup has evolved into a symbol of connection, companionship, and community. The coffee experience is about family and friends, because great coffee naturally takes time. The beans must be roasted and ground. The coffee is percolated, heated, and even specially flavored. And, of course, every cup is sipped and savored to the last drop. Consequently, coffee is the perfect nonalcoholic drink of choice. It”s the ideal beverage for gathering because great community also happens with time. Friendships are grounded and grown. Relationships emerge through connection and communion. In

June 16, 2017

Christian Standard

Let Us Celebrate

By Rick Chromey Every culture has holidays, but few sanctify more special days than Americans. Perhaps it”s because we embrace our past as good and godly. Perhaps it”s because we hunger for any reason to party or get a day off. Or perhaps it”s because we need another special day to capitalize on our consumerism. Regardless of the reason, Americans celebrate famous people like Martin Luther King Jr., St. Patrick, and Columbus. We memorialize Mondays into three-day weekends to rest from our labor. We throw parties on July 4, October 31, and December 31. We love to give thanks around

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