Series: Columns

November 25, 2015

Christian Standard

All You Can Do

By Jim Tune (This column was first posted November 26, 2014.) In Star Wars: Episode V””The Empire Strikes Back, Luke talks to the ever-wise Yoda about the enormity of his mission. Luke finally says, “All right, I”ll give it a try.” Yoda sagely offers his famous advice: “No! Try not. Do . . . or do not. There is no try.” Yoda was wrong. Sometimes there is no do. There is only try. I am frequently discovering that try is enough. What”s more, there are many things not worth trying or doing! Not everything is up to us. We are

November 24, 2015

Mark A. Taylor

Why Weren”t They More Thankful? (Part 2)

By Mark A. Taylor As we bustle through Thanksgiving with our eyes on Christmas, many of us Americans are counting the cost of our Christmas gift-giving. “Please bring a $25 item for the gift exchange.” “How much does your brother spend on us for Christmas?” “What will we give Sue and Bill? I can”t remember what they gave us last year.” The thread through most of this is a concern to “stay even,” a compulsion coming largely from pride (we don”t want to be seen as cheap) and selfishness (we have our own expenses, after all; we can”t let this

November 20, 2015

Christian Standard

My Thoughts on Paris

By Joe Boyd I was in New York City for business meetings the Friday night of the attacks in Paris. After returning home, my wife and I began to discuss things. I wasn”t a very good conversationalist. (She”s used to that.) I was tired from a long week at work. I was also, like so many, confused about the state of the world and afraid that things would escalate. She asked me to write what I was thinking, suggesting it might help people process. (Maybe she just wanted me to process.) I quickly jotted my thoughts down in my personal

November 19, 2015

Christian Standard

Race, Unity Topics at Stone-Campbell Dialogue

On Nov. 14 about 90 attended a daylong seminar titled “Addressing Race and Racism Within the Church and Society” at Mountain Christian Church, Joppa, MD. Sponsored by the Stone-Campbell Dialogue, and partnering with the Racial Unity Leadership Summit, the event shared insights on how to develop sustainable steps for greater racial unity and justice. The event was the centerpiece of this year”s annual meeting of the Stone-Campbell Dialogue. The Dialogue continued Nov. 15 with debriefing and planning among 17 members of the Dialogue”s national team, followed by a unity Communion service that evening, hosted by Westside Church of Christ, Baltimore,

November 17, 2015

Mark A. Taylor

Why Weren”t They More Thankful? (Part 1)

By Mark A. Taylor I love the family times, the meal times, the kick-off-the-holiday-season times that usually surround Thanksgiving Day. But every year as the holiday approaches, I”m tempted to wonder if we should change its name. Considering how most Americans actually celebrate, maybe we should call it Have a Crowd for Dinner Day or Shop Early for Big Savings Day or Watch Some Football Day. Don”t misunderstand. I don”t mean to be a grump. As I said, I”m grateful to have the day off and to spend it with people close to me. But I am a bit chagrined

November 11, 2015

Christian Standard

The Secret-Driven Life

By Jim Tune (This column was first posted November 5, 2014.) To be real is to risk. I know many preachers who feel a deep reluctance (often well-founded) to reveal who they really are to those they lead. Henri Nouwen suggests that pastors are the least confessing people in the church. The expectations demanded of pastors in our Western culture are often unattainable, unsustainable, and soul-withering. I admit that I have sometimes allowed my own fear of vulnerability to push me into hiding. The trouble with life in the shadows is the double life it promotes in the shadow dweller.

November 10, 2015

Mark A. Taylor

Changes for the Better?

By Mark A. Taylor Every missions leader and missionary watcher will tell you missions is different these days. A generation or two ago, missionaries departed for a foreign field with the intent to spend their lives there. Now “long-term missionaries” stay for maybe two or three years. Those days, and in the generations before, missionaries went from the West to the rest of the world, and most American church members assumed “we” had the solution to the problems suffered by “them.” Now missionaries from Asia, Africa, and South America are going all over the world with the gospel. And some

November 6, 2015

Christian Standard

Fire Balloons and Fairness

By Jennifer Johnson During World War II, the Japanese were so incensed by America”s brazenness in dropping bombs directly over Tokyo they decided to seek revenge in a creative way. The government transformed many of the country”s schools into factories and employed thousands of children in creating ingenious bomb-carrying balloons with sophisticated temperature sensors that could travel, not via airplane, but on the jet stream over the Pacific Ocean. Their goal with these “fu-go,” or “fire balloons,” was to orchestrate a terror operation and create panic among the American people. They were so angry at the United States they devoted

November 6, 2015

Christian Standard

Christ Redeems Story of Man Who Exposed Rose

By Jennifer Johnson Paul Janszen did not want to have dinner with a pastor. Janszen is the successful owner of a fitness equipment company, a proud Cincinnatian””and the man who told Major League Baseball that Pete Rose had bet on the game. Today he”s also an active member at Whitewater Crossing Christian Church in Cleves, OH. “I was in a dark place when I met Rose and began placing bets for him,” Janszen says. “I was an aggressive guy, always ready for a fight. My girlfriend Danita, who is now my wife, joined me on a trip to Florida with

November 5, 2015

Christian Standard

Pennsylvania Church Leading Public School Assemblies

By Jennifer Johnson Many churches lament their inability to impact the public schools or serve their students. But this fall, Discovery Christian Church is presenting anti-bullying programs in three local elementary and two middle schools in Cranberry Township, PA. “A few years ago we did a summer outreach camp for kids in the community,” says Discovery lead pastor Toney Salva. “We held the event in a park instead of in our church building, and one of the school counselors became aware of us and thought we might be able to help with their anti-bullying initiatives.” Discovery did one very successful assembly in

November 4, 2015

Christian Standard

Listen

By Jim Tune Earlier in my ministry, I viewed evangelism as almost entirely an act of proclamation. Evangelism meant “telling.” It was shaped by modernism and was largely “proof” oriented in its content and approach. A logical argument would be presented following defined lines of traditional apologetic thought. Equipped with the facts and bolstered by books such as Josh McDowell”s Evidence that Demands a Verdict, I could boldly offer “five arguments for the existence of God” or “seven reasons why we can believe that Jesus really did rise from the dead.” The problem with this approach is its reliance on

November 3, 2015

Mark A. Taylor

Beyond the Ballot Box

By Mark A. Taylor Once again it”s Election Day in America, and as Christians march to the polls to express their convictions, it”s time to remind ourselves why we go and what we hope to accomplish. Do we expect to change America through the ballot box? As candidates bob and weave to attract the Evangelical vote ahead of caucuses, primaries, and the presidential election a full year from now, how much hope are we hanging on their positions and pronouncements? Jennifer Johnson offered her answer in her message Saturday morning at the International Conference on Missions (ICOM) in Richmond, Virginia.

October 31, 2015

Christian Standard

The Best Sermon I’ve Ever Heard (4)

By Arron Chambers Christian leaders, some of them preachers themselves, tell us about a sermon they can”t forget””and maybe you won”t either.  ____ Marie Jobe Marie is an avid reader, running enthusiast, and a passionate pursuer and supporter of Brian Jobe, lead pastor at Harvester Christian Church, St. Charles, Missouri. Marie”s Best Sermon: The best sermon on what it means to be a temple of the Holy Spirit by John Mark Comer, pastor for teaching and vision at Bridgetown Church in Portland, Oregon (https://vimeo.com/90938239). Why Marie likes this sermon: “I am very passionate about inspiring others to take responsibility with

October 29, 2015

Christian Standard

Choosing the Best Story

By Joe Boyd The world is a dangerous place. Issues like extremist terrorism, systemic racism, and constant political backbiting seem insurmountable. As a Christian, I believe there is a way through God to a better future. But how? Where is that way? And how do I walk in it? I”ve come to believe that the kingdom (the Way of Jesus) comes in only one form: story. The problems I see associated with the world today all boil down to the big stories, the metanarratives we all live within. For many people, the biggest story they live inside is their personal

October 27, 2015

Mark A. Taylor

Nothing More Valuable

By Mark A. Taylor Maybe most wouldn”t suspect that loneliness, discouragement, temptation, and insecurity are companions of the person leading their church””especially growing, dynamic ministries like those led by the four guests in our most recent Beyond the Standard podcast. But each of them””Ben Cachiaras, Tim Harlow, Eddie Lowen, and Greg Nettle””admitted to at least one of these problems. And all four credited their association with each other as a key to rising above barriers to emotional and spiritual health. They”ve created a group where they”ve found the freedom to confess sins, share doubts, discuss problems and possibilities, and discern

October 25, 2015

Christian Standard

The Book that Saved My Ministry

Seven leaders tell how reading made all the difference for them. ____ TODD CLARK, teaching pastor, Christ”s Church of the Valley, Peoria, Arizona Too Busy Not to Pray: Slowing Down to Be with God by Bill Hybels (InterVarsity Press, 1998) Choosing to Cheat: Who Wins When Family and Work Collide? by Andy Stanley (Multnomah, 2003) The Life You”ve Always Wanted: Spiritual Disciplines for Ordinary People by John Ortberg (Zondervan, 1997) Soul Keeping: Caring for the Most Important Part of You by John Ortberg (Zondervan, 2014) A Tale of Three Kings: A Study of Brokenness by Gene Edwards (Tyndale House, 1992) As I

October 24, 2015

Christian Standard

Books Too Good to Miss

What should I read my children? What should my children read? This teacher”s answers to those questions just may point out books you”d like to read for yourself! By Pat Magness Reading is one of the greatest gifts parents can give their children. It is especially crucial for Christian parents for whom the reading of the Word is central to their faith. The love of reading is best nurtured long before children are reading for themselves: the best reading teacher is the one with a child on his or her lap, reading aloud in a total context of love and

October 22, 2015

Christian Standard

New Testament Church, New Insights on Ministry

By LeRoy Lawson Renewal for Mission: A Concise History of Christian Churches and Churches of Christ W. Dennis Helsabeck Jr., Gary Holloway, Douglas A. Foster Abilene: Abilene Christian University Press, 2009 A Dresser of Sycamore Trees: The Finding of a Ministry Garret Keizer HarperSanFrancisco, 1991, 1993 Priest, Prophet, Pilgrim: Types and Distortions of Spiritual Vocation in the Fiction of Wendell Berry and Cormac McCarthy Todd Edmonds Eugene: Pickwick Publications, 2014 When I was 9 years old, I made my nervous way down the aisle of my home church. I confessed my faith to our minister in front of all those people.

October 21, 2015

Christian Standard

Making the Grade

By Jim Tune Mark Twain spoke in 1900 on the value of an education. “Every time you stop a school, you will have to build a jail,” he said. “What you gain at one end you lose at the other. It”s like feeding a dog on his own tail. It won”t fatten the dog.” We need our schools in this movement of ours, perhaps more than ever. As president of the 2015 International Conference on Mission in Richmond, Virginia, October 29″”November 1, I”ve had the unique privilege of personally visiting nine of our Bible colleges and Christian universities. As I

October 20, 2015

Mark A. Taylor

Entrepreneurship ≠ Leadership

By Mark A. Taylor Big ideas. Bold initiatives. Novel thoughts and new approaches. Replacement strategies and structures and processes to eliminate the out-of-date. Change. Growth. These are the fruits produced by all good leaders, right? Maybe. It”s certainly true we hear all of these described in leadership seminars and discussed among many ministers and their advisers. But lately it has dawned on me that what some see as leadership is really entrepreneurship. And they are not the same. The entrepreneur is, at least at first, a lone ranger. He (or she) pushes forward compelled by a new idea or a

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