Series: Blogs

August 3, 2016

Christian Standard

Ending the Shame of Mental Illness

By Jim Tune In the early years of our church plant in Toronto, one of our staff members preached a message about mental illness and faith. He made himself vulnerable as he shared about a season of significant depression in his life. The story he told was courageous and honest. I remember it as a defining moment in our new church”s development. Mental illness was, and still is, a topic that rarely is discussed head-on in churches. In sharing his story, our speaker brought mental illness out from behind the curtain of shame and exposed it to a liberating light.

August 2, 2016

Mark A. Taylor

Beyond Fear

By Mark A. Taylor Gene Appel spoke of fear at Eastside Christian Church (Anaheim, California) July 10. This was the first Sunday after two black men, one in Louisiana and another in Minnesota, were shot by white police officers and later in the same week five officers were killed by a black sniper after a peaceful rally in Dallas, Texas. These tragedies were on everyone”s mind that week, along with the continual staccato of news about global terrorism and political upheaval. “When the disciples huddled in secret after Christ”s crucifixion, they were afraid, too,” Appel said. And then he introduced

July 27, 2016

Christian Standard

Embracing the Imperfection of Being Human

By Jim Tune Those around men like Jean Vanier usually anticipate they will do great things. He is the son of Major-General Georges Vanier, who became the 19th governor general of Canada, serving from 1959 until his death in 1967. And his early years wrote a resume that depicts greatness. In his youth Jean Vanier received an elite education in Canada, England, and France. He served admirably in World War II and was a close companion to members of England”s royal family. After resigning his naval commission, he went on to complete a PhD in philosophy from the Institut Catholique

July 26, 2016

Mark A. Taylor

NACC””You Didn”t Have to Be There 

By Mark A. Taylor Of course, if you had attended the North American Christian Convention in Anaheim, California, July 12-15, you would have experienced many good things . . . We enjoyed dry, warm days amid the beautiful palm-tree setting of the Anaheim Convention Center We shared the enthusiasm of California Christians, many of whom had never experienced an NACC before. Over half the crowd at the packed opening-night assembly were Californians. A similar number said this was their first NACC. Gene Appel, minister with Eastside Christian Church in Anaheim, praised convention President Dave Stone for the hard work he

July 20, 2016

Christian Standard

Risk or Rust

By Jim Tune You probably haven”t heard of Andrew and Debbie Jones. Together, they have five kids. They”ve served all over the world. In 2015 alone, they worked in Jordan, Israel, Turkey, Egypt, Serbia, Croatia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Bosnia, Hungary, Poland, and Germany. They”ve done some work recently with Syrian refugees. Andrew calls himself a thinker and a nomad. He was an early and influential voice in Christian blogging. Debbie worked with hippies, refugees, social activists, and spiritual seekers. As I write this, Andrew is recovering from African diseases, including malaria. He”s had four blood transfusions and countless needles.

July 19, 2016

Mark A. Taylor

10 Reasons to Attend the Global Gathering in New Delhi Next January

By Mark A. Taylor As I”m reflecting on the soul-refreshing experience of last week”s North American Christian Convention in Anaheim, California, I”m filled with anticipation for another similar opportunity. Similar, because it promises rich fellowship and unique worship with committed believers. Similar, because it offers the chance to learn from Christian leaders extending the gospel in ways I may not have considered. But the convention I”m anticipating is different in many special ways from the NACC just finished. This month I”m encouraging Christians from across America to go with me to the 19th Global Gathering of the World Convention January

July 13, 2016

Christian Standard

Give Yourself a Break

By Jim Tune I heard about a pastor who took a day off. He set his e-mail to respond automatically with this message: “I”m out of the office today. I”ll respond to your e-mail upon my return.” When he returned to work, he found this e-mail: “Don”t bother. You”re a loser for taking a day off. People will probably die and go to Hell because you thought you needed a day off. Do you think God takes a day off? Are you better than God?” Of course, the e-mail was a joke. The man who wrote that e-mail is a

July 12, 2016

Mark A. Taylor

Your Story Is Not About You Alone

By Mark A. Taylor Like every great novel or memorable movie, your story has a cast of compelling characters. And no matter how much you may hear about telling or improving your story, it will never be about you alone. These other characters in your story set its plot even before you were born. Your parents and theirs, your siblings and your childhood have all colored and directed your story, probably in ways you don”t realize. This is why your counselor pokes and prods to know more about your family and your growing-up years. Your story is not about you

July 6, 2016

Christian Standard

Ministry Success

By Jim Tune “I experienced success in ministry,” the speaker said, “but it wasn”t worth it.” I was attending a church planting conference. The speaker had served as pastor and as a leader of two national church planting networks. He had written books. At one point, he worked 364 days a year. (He took most of Christmas off.) This guy is, and was, a big deal. In hindsight, he said, it wasn”t worth it. He wanted us to learn from his mistakes. In the years I”ve served as pastor and leader, I”ve seen many rise to the top. They are

July 5, 2016

Mark A. Taylor

Prayer for America

By Mark A. Taylor Last Sunday, the day before the Fourth of July, I had the chance to lead worship in my home congregation. While I don”t believe Sunday-morning worship is the place for patriotic rallies (I”ve written about this before), I do believe we should be praying for our country as Christians gathered. So I wrote the following prayer as a responsive reading for the service I led. Maybe it will encourage some readers today. And some might even personalize it to use in their own congregations. Leader: Dear God, as we think about the freedoms, privilege, and possibilities

June 29, 2016

Christian Standard

An Enemy at the Gate

By Jim Tune Paul Kalanithi, a nonsmoking neurosurgeon, was diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer at the age of 36. He chronicled his experiences in his memoir, When Breath Becomes Air. Kalanithi wrote: Death, so familiar to me in my work, was now paying a personal visit. . . . Standing at the crossroads where I should have been able to see and follow the footprints of countless patients I had treated over the years, I saw instead only a blank, a harsh, vacant, gleaming white desert, as if a sandstorm had erased all trace of familiarity. Death makes life seem

June 28, 2016

Mark A. Taylor

Where Patriotism Belongs

By Mark A. Taylor The below piece, first posted here five years ago, still resonates with me as we approach the Sunday before the Fourth of July. As one commenter said when it first appeared, “Our patriotism is for our freedom and way of life in a free country; our worship is reserved only for our Creator God.” More than a decade ago, my congregation hosted a patriotic pageant each year called “Sea to Shining Sea.” We had a huge adult choir, a children”s choir, a live orchestra, actors, and dancers. We welcomed color guards from all the armed services.

June 22, 2016

Christian Standard

A Better Story

By Jim Tune In just a few weeks Claudia and I will be on our way to Anaheim, California, for the 2016 North American Christian Convention. President Dave Stone has put together a great program, and the theme, “A Better Story,” is especially appropriate considering the convention is happening in Walt Disney”s backyard. Walt Disney loved a good story and devoted his life to helping people imagine a better world and a magical future. He was tireless in his optimistic vision of a better tomorrow. The creation of Tomorrowland at Disneyland (and later at Walt Disney World) was the realized

June 21, 2016

Mark A. Taylor

Three Ways Churches Can Address Biblical Skepticism

By Mark A. Taylor Americans are less engaged with the Bible than ever, according to research released by the Barna Group last week. The trend is “toward biblical skepticism,” Barna President David Kinnaman reported. The report shows, for example, that only a third of Americans agree strongly with the statement, “The Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches,” down from 48 percent in 2011. Only 45 percent agree with this statement: “The Bible contains everything a person needs to know to live a meaningful life,” down from 53 percent in 2011. “With each passing year, the

June 15, 2016

Christian Standard

Number 100!

By Jim Tune Just over two years ago Mark Taylor asked if I would write for Christian Standard regularly. He offered me the back page and the opportunity to write on a weekly basis online and once a month for the print edition. That”s 450 words, 52 times a year. Occasionally I sail up over the 500-word mark. Brevity is always a tough challenge for me. Mark and I kicked around a couple of possible titles for my column. I submitted four or five suggestions, but we ended up going with Mark”s title: “A Different Tune.” It really is a

June 14, 2016

Mark A. Taylor

Just a Beginning

By Mark A. Taylor We know at least two things about our posts about racial justice at this site this month. First, we know they are inadequate. They do not convey the scope or the whole burden of the race problem in America. “¢ They only hint at the fact that America”s fortunes were built and wealth was created on the backs of those enslaved in a land that abused them while proclaiming “All men are created equal.” “¢ They barely mention the long history of egregious statements from both church and state claiming that Africans and African-Americans are somehow

June 8, 2016

Christian Standard

“˜American Idol” Comes to Church

By Jim Tune The tension was almost unbearable. Fourteen anxious people awaited their turn to perform. The audition would be rigorous. Most of them had been through tryouts before. Nearly all of them were young, fit, and attractive. Every single one of them could sing or play an instrument proficiently, but only one would make the cut. After all, this was the church and only the exceptionally gifted would be chosen to perform on Sundays with the worship team. I think our contemporary culture has developed an unhealthy obsession with discovering talent. From youth sports to spectacular TV shows like

June 7, 2016

Mark A. Taylor

Fresh Air This Summer

Mark A. Taylor Summer”s here””or almost, anyway. And by June, most of us, unfortunately, have given up on all those resolutions we considered January 1. Well, how about a fresh start? Summertime is the perfect time to try something new or do something special. Break the routine and give your spiritual life a boost. Here are six possibilities for fresh air this summer. 1.  Spend the summer with Jesus. If you”ve bogged down on the Bible-reading plan you began in January, set yourself a summer goal. The Bible books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John contain 89 chapters. Start this

June 1, 2016

Christian Standard

Perfectly Executing the Wrong Vision

By Jim Tune In his acclaimed book Why Smart Executives Fail, Sydney Finkelstein describes a fictional situation about a meticulously planned military operation. In his scenario, a special forces unit moves in with devastating efficiency and successfully accomplishes every objective; the forces kill or capture everyone in the base they were attacking. The unit suffered very few casualties. There was only one problem. The target they had attacked and captured belonged to friendly forces. Central command launched a massive investigation to figure out what went wrong. Several missteps were eventually identified. Operational protocols were reviewed, changed, and corrected. The only

May 31, 2016

Christian Standard

It”s Time to Talk About Money

By Mark A. Taylor Do a Google search for “minister dropout statistics” and you”ll find a sea of bad news. Sorting out fact from fiction can be a challenge, but even conservative estimates say half of all ministers leave that calling for some other career. The reasons for this are many, but research conducted by the Center for Church Leadership in Cincinnati found financial concerns as the top challenges facing the ministers they interviewed. Heading the list was personal and educational debt; 71 percent of those interviewed mentioned this concern, according to a report to be published in the July

Help Keep Christian Standard Free & Accessible with a Tax Deductible Donation

We can do more together!

Every gift makes a difference!

No, thank you.
100% secure transactions - receipts provided.
Does Your Church Want to Support Christian Standard?

Would your church consider including support for Christian Standard in its annual missions budget? Your support would help us not only continue the 160-year legacy of this unifying ministry, but also expand the free resources, cooperative opportunities, and practical guidance we provide to strengthen churches in the U.S. and around the world.

We can do more together!

Every gift makes a difference!

No, thank you.
100% secure transactions - receipts provided.
Secret Link