Reading Time: 7 minutes I wondered, “What could I do as a local church pastor to exalt Christ, proclaim gospel truths, and heal hardened and hurting hearts?” . . .
Results for "pray"
New Search:
The State of Elder Teams in Independent Restoration Churches
Reading Time: 5 minutes An honest assessment of where we are as a movement when it comes to elders and their leadership. . . .
Leading Through Preaching
Raising the Strongest Generation
Reading Time: 8 minutes The Youth Worldview Ministry of Connection Pointe Christian Church
A Church-Planting Church: The Legacy and Impact of East 91st Street Christian Church
Reading Time: 8 minutes E91’s church-planting impact and legacy have added mightily to the Restoration Movement’s tremendous growth. . . .
Finding the Beauty in a Sunset: What We Can Learn from Organizations that No Longer Exist
Reading Time: 4 minutes What can we learn from Restoration Movement organizations that no longer exist? . . .
Reuniting Our Movement
Reading Time: 8 minutes Is it still possible to honor our Lord’s prayer for unity and thus carry out his Great Commission? . . .
CIY’s Vision for Raising Up Tomorrow’s Leaders
Reading Time: 9 minutes Starting this summer, we will begin a multiyear process to ensure that every decision made at a CIY event is a resourced decision. . . .
The Restoration Movement Today
Reading Time: 5 minutes Where is the Restoration Movement today and why do I even need to know this? . . .
May 5 Study | Integrity
Reading Time: 4 minutes The apostle Paul experienced unjustified criticism of his integrity from the church in Corinth. . . .
Longtime Minister, NCC Educator Dr. Richard Brown Dies
Reading Time: < 1 minute Dr. Richard E. “Dick” Brown, 86, who served many years as professor and academic dean at Nebraska Christian College, died peacefully, with his wife by his side, at Atlantic (Iowa) Specialty Care on April 17, 2024. Dr. Brown also serve many churches throughout the Midwest. . . .
Bodies Found in Oklahoma ID’d as Missing Kansas Women
Reading Time: 3 minutes The Office of the Oklahoma Chief Medical Examiner has positively identified the remains of two people found Sunday as Jilian Kelley, 39, and Veronica Butler, 27, who had been missing since March 30 when they left their homes in Hugoton, Kan., to pick up Butler’s children in rural Oklahoma. Four people have been arrested in connection with their disappearance and deaths. . . .
April 21 Application | ‘Unselfies’
Reading Time: 3 minutes “In the past,” a friend pointed out recently, “when people were outside enjoying nature, they photographed the scenery. . . . Now, we turn the camera the other direction and take pictures of ourselves.”
Four People Arrested in Connection with Women’s Disappearance
Reading Time: 2 minutes Four people have been arrested in connection with the disappearance of two missing Kansas women—including a Christian church pastor’s wife. All four of those arrested have been booked into an Oklahoma jail on two counts each of first-degree murder and kidnapping, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said. . . .
THROWBACK THURSDAY—’The Restoration Movement: Its Vitality, Quirks, and Needs in the 21st Century’ (2006)
Reading Time: 6 minutes The Restoration Movement is “not liberal, not really evangelical, not fundamentalist—as a group we are generally conservative, but not consistently so,” LeRoy Lawson wrote in 2006. “In fact, critics could accuse us of not being consistently anything” . . .
HLC Team Recommends GLCC’s Probation Be Lifted
Reading Time: 3 minutes A Higher Learning Commission delegation that visited Great Lakes Christian College in late March is recommending that the accrediting agency lift the school’s probationary status. . . .
The Power of an Emphatic Yes
Reading Time: 6 minutes In 1996, Joe Putting and his elders at Tomoka Christian Church (Ormond Beach, Fla.) asked a simple question: “What would saying an emphatic yes to the Great Commission look like?” They came out of that season of prayer and reflection with an almost obsessive desire to profoundly impact all the nations of the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. . . .
Search Continues for Missing Women
Reading Time: 2 minutes The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation is not certain two missing Kansas women—including a Christian church pastor’s wife—are still alive. The women—Jilian Kelley, 39, and Veronica Butler, 27—have been missing since March 30. Kelley is the wife of Heath Kelley, pastor of Hugoton First Christian Church. . . .
‘Evidence to Indicate Foul Play’ in Women’s Disappearance
Reading Time: 2 minutes The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation believes foul play may have been involved in the disappearance of a western Kansas pastor’s wife and another woman. The women—Julian Kelley, 39, and Veronica Butler, 27—have been missing since Saturday. Kelley is the wife of Heath Kelley, pastor of Hugoton First Christian Church. . . .
Preacher’s Wife, Another Woman Missing Since Saturday
Reading Time: 2 minutes A preacher’s wife and her acquaintance who left Hugoton, Kan., together on Saturday morning to pick up the second woman’s children haven’t been seen since. Missing are Jilian Kelley, 39, and Veronica Butler, 27. Jilian’s husband, Heath, has been serving with Hugoton First Christian Church, but recently was called to minister with Willow Christian Church in Indianola, Neb. . . .
April 7 Study | God’s Wisdom
Reading Time: 4 minutes There is a mind-boggling profundity in the message of the cross. What seems to be a picture of weakness actually is the only true power to get us home to God. . . .
March 31 Application | ‘Hidden Gems’
Reading Time: 3 minutes An inquisitive fellow e-mailed me some probing Bible questions. Fittingly, the doubter’s name was Thomas. I couldn’t tell whether he was sincere or just wanted to argue. I wrote back, “Would you like to meet in person to discuss your questions?” . . .
THROWBACK THURSDAY: ‘The Birth of the Restoration’ (Part 3; 1924)
Reading Time: 7 minutes “Not 1804, not 1809,” Ira M. Boswell wrote in 1924, “but that day in January, 1832, when the union between the Disciples of Christ and the Christians was consummated, is the greatest date in religious history between Pentecost and now” . . .
March 24 Lesson | Communion
Reading Time: 4 minutes A secular proverb says, “When all else fails, read the directions.” The Corinthian church had trouble following directions . . .
March 24 Application | ‘Communion: More Than a Routine’
Reading Time: 3 minutes Throughout history, Christ’s followers have placed high value on the Lord’s Supper. Whatever else takes place in our weekly worship gatherings, the bread and the cup focus attention on the central facts of our faith: the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. . . .
The Good Stuff
Reading Time: 2 minutes In the moment, it was hard to see that some “good stuff” was happening . . .
THROWBACK THURSDAY: ‘The Birth of the Restoration’ (Part 2; 1924)
Reading Time: 10 minutes “Their [the Restoration pioneers’] troubles were many. There were enemies without and within,” Ira M. Boswell wrote in 1924. “I shall not have time to notice them all, but will give my attention to those which prevailed before the union between the disciples of Christ and Christians” . . .
March 17 Lesson | Selfless Liberty
Reading Time: 4 minutes Simon Sinek emphasized that “Great leaders sacrifice their own comfort—even their own survival—for the good of those in their care.” The apostle Paul could have written that line. . . .
March 17 Application | ‘Eye Contact’
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s creepy if a stranger looks directly at your face. In some situations, though, the best way to communicate is eyeball to eyeball. . . .
The Bitter Cup
Reading Time: 2 minutes “In the Garden, I do not believe it was a dread of the cross that bothered Jesus” . . .