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.

June 9, 2017

Christian Standard

Written in Blood

By Rick Chromey January 26, 2005, was to be a typical day for 44-year-old John Phipps and millions of other Los Angeles workers. When the father of three boarded his morning train he couldn”t possibly have known a suicidal Juan Manual Alvarez had parked his car on the train tracks several miles away. It was only minutes to mayhem. Details about what happened are sketchy, but Alvarez evidently changed his mind and escaped his car just prior to collision with Phipps”s speeding train. Unfortunately, Alvarez”s selfish act killed 11 people and injured more than 200, including John Phipps, who lay

June 2, 2017

Christian Standard

The Heart of Reunion

By Rick Chromey Everybody loves a reunion. And there”s no better place to observe a good reunion than outside airport security, as various groups congregate and wait for loved ones to arrive. During the wait, some families huddle quietly while others chatter loudly. A woman inspects makeup and hair. Several check the flight board. A mom and two kids look for their soldier dad, while grandparents anxiously wait on grandchildren. A nervous boyfriend clutches chocolates and fingers a ring, while cheerleaders prepare to welcome a victorious team. Others wait, as well, but with noticeably less enthusiasm. These individuals seem apathetic,

May 24, 2017

Christian Standard

A Different Spirit

By Tim Harlow Sure, I serve God wholeheartedly. But even then, sometimes it”s easy to see giants instead of what he wants me to do for him. Different can be a synonym for “weird.” “She”s kind of different” usually means, like, not in a good way. The elevator doesn”t go to the top floor. One taco short of a combination platter. Not the brightest crayon in the box. Every generation of teenagers talks about how they want to be “different,” and then they go buy the same labels and wear the same styles and listen to the same music as

May 12, 2017

Christian Standard

A Picture of the Future

By Randy Gariss A sage wryly commented, “All predictions are difficult to make, but especially those about the future.” He is right, of course, but can you imagine the empowerment if we were able to accurately see the future? For example, what if the junior high teen, distraught over his gangly appearance, could only get a glimpse of the composed, mature young adult he would someday be? Wouldn”t that picture diffuse much worthless worry? Or consider the impact a peek into the future could have on the young couple working through that first rough year of marriage””each of them going

April 28, 2017

Christian Standard

Reaffirming Our “˜Yes”

By Mark Atteberry Some of Jesus” parables are epic in scope, like one about the prodigal son. Others are quite short, like this one about a farmer and his two sons:  “There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, “˜Son, go and work today in the vineyard.” “˜I will not,” he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, “˜I will, sir,” but he did not go” (Matthew 21:28-30). The kingdom of God is hindered by people

April 19, 2017

Christian Standard

Fighting Fear with Fear

By Daniel Schantz I was at a church dinner visiting with a highway patrolman, and he said, “Dan, I deal every day with a culture that has no conscience. These guys don”t care who gets hurt. They are not afraid of the police . . . they don”t fear God himself.” It was a sobering revelation, because fear is vital to civilization, and most normal people have a number of instinctive fears. Typical Fears Surveys of the American public show a variety of fears out there””the fear of public speaking, of dentists, of climate change, for example. Women fear losing

April 16, 2017

Christian Standard

Our Overwhelming Victory

By Mark Atteberry During World War II, ordinary citizens were asked to make a contribution to the war effort in whatever way they could. Many bought bonds, saved and recycled raw materials, assisted friends and neighbors in need, and planted what came to be known as victory gardens. Urban and rural people alike planted fruits and vegetables, not only to provide for their own needs but also to ship to our troops around the world. When people spoke of the “national war effort,” they were right on target. While many were fighting with guns and ammo, many more were fighting

April 12, 2017

Christian Standard

Shame on Jesus

By Jim Tune Three men sat together. After ordering food, one began to open up. Men usually speak about safe topics: work, sports, family. This time the man took a risk and dropped the mask. He felt exposed. He felt shame. Genesis 2:25 describes Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden before the fall: “And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.” Kids and teens snicker at the verse. Later we begin to understand that we long for what Adam and Eve experienced: to be fully known and to be loved at the same

April 10, 2017

Christian Standard

Out of Control

By Jon Kehrer We could have learned to trust almost anywhere. But our adventure happened to be in the Middle East. I remember climbing up onto our roof one night in January, just a few weeks after our family had moved to the Middle East. Cars, with horns blaring, filled the streets below. Windows were adorned with waving flags. People all around were shouting in victory””all because a major political leader in the Arab world had just stepped down. We didn”t know it at the time, but our move had coincided with the beginning of a popular uprising in Tunisia,

April 8, 2017

Christian Standard

The Battle Is the Lord”s

By David Wright With full-scale war exploding all around him, this man moves ahead with his ministry. Zhenia is a minister and church planter. He is married and has a teenage daughter. He earned an MA in practical theology from TCM International Institute in 2012. He now serves as senior minister for five Ukrainian churches near the Crimean Peninsula. As a young Bible student at Tavriski Christian Institute, his desire was to “preach to millions.” “But,” he says, “God told me, “˜If you”re so sharp to preach to millions, you really need to start with something small.” God blessed us

April 7, 2017

Christian Standard

Misfit Convention

By Mark Atteberry The world has little patience for a misfit. Show up at a swanky country club in jeans and flip-flops and you won”t be allowed to play. Let your grass grow too tall or park a junk car in your driveway and the homeowners” association will impose a fine. Cheerfully work above and beyond your job description and your fellow employees will resent you for making them look bad. Let”s face it. Life is less painful if you fit in. We even drill this into our children, starting with the uniforms we force them to wear when we

April 4, 2017

Mark A. Taylor

My Read on a Surprising Remedy

By Mark A. Taylor Readers of a certain age can”t resist a bold, red headline that says, “Live Longer!” And when the caption below it promises “50 Proven Ways to Add Years to Your Life,” an almost-retired guy like me knows he wants to know more. You could probably guess several of the live-longer tips offered by the March 2017 AARP Bulletin: get your sleep, drink water, eat whole grains, exercise. But some of it is less intuitive: get rid of throw rugs (they cause falls), find a woman doctor (statistically their patients have better results), watch your grandkids (regular

April 3, 2017

Christian Standard

Holy Boldness

By Jerran Jackson and Lareesa Jackson “Eighty and six years I have served Him, and never has He done me wrong. How can I ever blaspheme my King who saved me?”1 Around AD 150, Polycarp of Smyrna gave this bold testimony of his faith before he was executed. The official who judged Polycarp”s case tried to convince the old man to swear by Caesar to avoid being burned at the stake. Polycarp could simply have said the words. He could have escaped persecution and a gruesome death. However, Polycarp would not. The reason was faithfulness””Christ had been faithful to Polycarp,

March 28, 2017

Mark A. Taylor

Not Happy? Don”t Worry

By Mark A. Taylor Just when you think the world is beyond hope, here comes the United Nations trying to bring a smile. Did you know that Monday last week, March 20, was International Day of Happiness? Did you know it was the fourth such day, having been “adopted by consensus of all 193 member states of the United Nations” on June 28, 2012? Did you miss your local International Day of Happiness celebration? If so, I”m right there with you. Maybe Americans don”t make much of celebrating happiness, because, according the U.N.”s World Happiness Report 2017, the United States

March 22, 2017

Christian Standard

The Weight of What We Love

By Jim Tune We carry a lot of extra weight with us. No, I”m not talking about the extra pounds around our middle. I”m thinking of our loves. Augustine once described wealth as a weight. “My weight is my love,” he wrote. “Wherever I am carried, my love is carrying me.” This makes sense. We all want money, but we recognize that those who love money must worry about how to accumulate, protect, and manage it. James K. A. Smith helps us understand what Augustine meant. “Our orienting loves are like a kind of gravity””carrying us in the direction to

March 8, 2017

Christian Standard

The Crack in Everything

By Jim Tune In his song “Anthem,” Leonard Cohen writes that everything has a crack. He then adds, “That”s how the light gets in.” Could Philip Yancey have been listening to Cohen as he reflected on the amazing nature of grace? Yancey writes: “Imperfection is the prerequisite for grace. Light only gets in through the cracks.” It”s not easy to acknowledge one”s imperfections. Wherever the line is drawn between right and wrong, between gentle or cruel, between clean or dirty, all too often I find myself crossing over to the wrong side of the line, despite all my efforts to

February 24, 2017

Christian Standard

How to Be a “˜REAL Man”

By Gary Olsby What one church decided about how to help the men they serve in a day when most men are confused about how to be the man God wants.  I have a friend named Nick. He”s a great guy””funny, athletic, a hard worker, a good leader, and a good citizen. He”s a good husband and a great father who provides well for his family. He”s also a loyal Northside Christian Church member (NCC is where these thoughts were developed). You”d like him, too, if you ever got a chance to know him. But Nick has some issues. You

February 23, 2017

Christian Standard

Finding JOY in the Journey

By Rick Chromey How God helped me turn temptation, trouble, and trial into blessing and beauty. Life is a carnival of temptations and troubles. We all walk wounded with hurts, habits, and hang-ups. We”re stuck in moments we can”t escape, desperately addicted to vices and voices we can no longer ignore, resist, or deny. I suffered with my pain for many decades. Life for most of us is tattooed by loss, tragedy, abuse, neglect, or abandonment. Maybe you”ve endured an affair or addiction. Maybe you suffered salacious ridicule, unjust criticism, and unfounded rumors. Perhaps you”ve been unexpectantly fired, forcibly retired, or unfairly

February 16, 2017

Christian Standard

Coping with What Jesus Said

By Bob Mink I Wish Jesus Hadn”t Said That  Stephen Timmis Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2014 The Hard Sayings of Jesus F.F. Bruce Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1983 Some book titles get your attention by implying they are about something you may not agree with. When I was a youth minister in the 1970s, I used Fritz Ridenour”s book How to be a Christian Without Being Religious, and was taken to task by a mother who misunderstood the title. Steve Timmis”s book, I Wish Jesus Hadn”t Said That (Zondervan, 2013), does the same thing. The title is his initial response to

February 10, 2017

Christian Standard

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