Series: Columns

January 18, 2013

Christian Standard

Deeper Hunger for God”s Story

By Brian Mavis Eighty-five percent of American households have at least two Bibles. Eighty-five percent of Americans say they want to read their Bibles more.1 There”s an old saying, “Figures don”t lie, but liars figure.” Even so, the stats look promising, and it seems to me that Americans have the necessary ingredients””Bibles and motivation””to know God”s story better. Maybe having a deeper hunger for God”s Word isn”t “what”s next”; maybe it”s just what I wish was next. But if we listen to what people are saying, I do think it can be what”s next. In its REVEAL study, Willow Creek”s

January 17, 2013

Christian Standard

Afraid of Change

By Mark A. Taylor Most crucial attributes of the Christian life are more easily discussed than demonstrated. All of us want to be forgiven, for example. But when wronged grievously, most of us struggle to forgive. In the same way, we laud grace, chastity, love, and perseverance. But when faced with another”s failure, our own temptation, a difficult coworker, or an overwhelming trial, how often do we react with something less than the ideal we”ve studied and taught? This disconnect between belief and behavior is universal. Realizing that sanctification is a process and not an event, we need not beat

January 12, 2013

Christian Standard

When You Can”t Find Your Donkey

By Tim Harlow One day, Kish lost some donkeys, so he sent his son Saul out to find them. Saul looked for days but couldn”t find the donkeys anywhere, so he went to Samuel the prophet for advice. Little did Saul know God orchestrated the whole thing so that he and Samuel would meet, because God decided Saul would be the new king of Israel. When Samuel told Saul about God”s vision of leadership, Saul was understandably reluctant. One minute he was out looking for some stubborn animals, and the next he was being told God had picked him for

January 12, 2013

Christian Standard

The Knife Wasn”t Even Sharp

By Robert Kitchen One day Vic came into my office to discuss a construction project at our church. Vic is a retired executive from a large machinery manufacturer, gentleman farmer, elder, and willing volunteer. Me? I”m a semiretired accountant, writer, woodworker, elder, and part-time business manager. I said, “Vic, you”re my friend and a willing volunteer. I need some surgery and I think you can do it. Do you have a pocketknife?” Vic knew my off-the-wall manner, so he played along. He pulled out his knife, held it to the light, and said, “It may need some sharpening.” I was

January 10, 2013

Christian Standard

Quality People, Challenging Content

CHRISTIAN STANDARD”s contributing editors will enjoy their annual retreat January 16-18, a meeting that is a highlight of the year for many of us who attend it. The discussions each meeting focus on the magazine”s and this website”s content and appearance. What are the topics and who are the writers that must be included in coming issues?  Which are the events and trends that our readers want to read more about? This is all very serious stuff, but in the midst of it there”s plenty of laughter, an abundance of good-natured kidding, and the brand of hilarious true stories that

January 5, 2013

Michael C. Mack

How Small Is a Small Group?

By Michael C. Mack QUESTION: What size should a healthy small group be? ANSWER: This is one of the most frequently asked questions about small groups, and as with many questions, the answer is, “It all depends.” Here are three factors to consider when determining group size.   Group Types Small groups come in a variety of types with different purposes and needs. An accountability group, for example, works best with about 2 to 4 members. A serving group, and some more socially oriented groups, can be quite large, in the 20s or 30s. Holistic groups, discussion-based groups, and a

January 3, 2013

Christian Standard

Focusing on Under-40 Leaders

By Mark A. Taylor This summer CHRISTIAN STANDARD wants to profile leaders in the Christian churches and churches of Christ who are 40 years old or younger. We”re focusing especially on church leaders””paid or volunteer, working for local churches, on the mission field, in a Christian college, or some other parachurch ministry. Maybe this leader is a local church minister, or the president or dean or teacher at a college, or the head of a missions agency, or a writer or missionary or musician. Whatever their calling, the younger leaders we”ll feature all will have this in common: These influencers

January 2, 2013

Christian Standard

Church Returns Favor by Helping Victims

By Jennifer Johnson In April 2011, Alabama was hit by more than 170 tornados””one of the largest outbreaks of tornadic storms in the area”s history. Although Huntsville (AL) Christian Church“s building wasn”t affected, its community was. “People went without power for weeks, and we used part of our building as a huge food pantry,” says associate minister Andrew Ellingwood. “We get tornadoes every year, and people always pull together. But this was so big we all needed help. Churches across the country sent food and water, and mission teams visited to participate in the cleanup efforts. Every week there was

December 30, 2012

Christian Standard

Great Open Doors

By Brian Mavis Where do you think God is asking us to join him? What great doors of effective work has God opened in the United States? It”s a question based on a biblical concept. In John 5, Jesus said the Father is always at work, and he, Jesus, looks to see where God is working and joins him in that work. In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul said he would stay longer at Ephesus because a great door of effective work had opened up (16:9). In Jesus” instructions to the church in Philadelphia, he said he had

December 27, 2012

Christian Standard

Your Best First Step

By Mark A. Taylor As we finish 2012, many are deciding their Bible-reading plan for the new year. While there are dozens, if not hundreds, of plans out there, here are three that deserve special attention. The first is published by our daughter publication, The Lookout. The plan takes users through the whole Bible in a year, but not straight through Genesis to Revelation. Instead, each day”s selections include readings from the Gospels, another New Testament book, the Wisdom books (Job through Ecclesiastes), and another Old Testament book. Next year”s plan begins January 6. Each Sunday The Lookout will devote

December 21, 2012

Christian Standard

Examples of Collaboration, Sacrifice

By Jennifer Johnson Earlier this year, as part of a project with Kairos Legacy Partners, I researched stories of dying churches that merged with another congregation or recycled their resources and energy into a new church. Many, like Central Christian Church in Tampa, FL, were once-thriving churches that had declined due to aging members and changing neighborhoods. Others, like Capital City Christian Church in Raleigh, NC, knew major change was needed to reach a young, growing community. In each case, the story was worth telling because the church wanted to be part of something bigger than slowly dwindling while hanging

December 20, 2012

Christian Standard

Merger a Reunion of Mother, Daughter Churches

By Jennifer Johnson In November, Eastside Christian Church (Fullerton, CA) moved into its new building, a former Boeing defense site (complete with helipad!). On the same weekend, more than 100 members from Community Christian Church in nearby Yorba Linda joined them. Community Christian launched 27 years ago as an Eastside church plant, and offered a strong ministry with intergenerational worship and a car clinic providing free auto services to more than 150 single-parent families each year. But the struggling economy, a building located far from its core members, and declining attendance prompted Community Christian”s senior pastor Greg Curtis and Eastside

December 19, 2012

Christian Standard

We Still Can Celebrate

By Mark A. Taylor Some residents in the small, close-knit community of Newtown, Connecticut, took down and put away their Christmas decorations this weekend, and we probably can”t blame them. In the wake of Friday”s trauma and loss, many residents of that small town can”t face holiday festivity. Any of us, even those far from Connecticut, have trouble sorting out our feelings after nonstop news about the horror. The Muzak cycle of “Holly, Jolly Christmas,” “Jingle Bells,” and “I”ll Be Home for Christmas” rings hollow””especially when we think about so many who will never again be home for Christmas. But

December 16, 2012

Christian Standard

Choosing to Love, Discovering the Enemy

By LeRoy Lawson   I Shall Not Hate: A Gaza Doctor”s Journey on the Road to Peace and Human Dignity Izzeldin Abuelaish London: Bloomsbury, 2010 Son of Hamas Mosab Hassan Yousef, with Ron Brackin Carol Stream: SaltRiver, an imprint of Tyndale House, 2010, 2011 For many years I led tours to the Holy Land. It never failed that as we prepared to go, someone would ask, “Don”t you think you should wait until there”s peace in the Middle East?” My answer? “We have been waiting for 4,000 years now. I don”t think we can wait any longer.” Flippant, admittedly. But

December 13, 2012

Christian Standard

The “˜Merry Christmas” Flap

By Mark A. Taylor Before I say what I want to say, let me say what many readers will want to hear: I happily greet waiters and store clerks and anyone else (not just Christians) with “Merry Christmas.” Likewise, my Christmas cards this year, as they have every year, will proclaim “Merry Christmas.” I avoid “Happy Holidays” and “Season”s Greetings” and flinch whenever I encounter either greeting, whether at Wal-Mart or on the radio or from a smiling car salesman in a TV commercial. To me it”s just silly the lengths to which some will go to avoid the word

December 8, 2012

Christian Standard

God”s Love on Display at Sex Show

By Jennifer Johnson Building wheelchair ramps for the disabled . . . leading VBS sessions in South America . . . digging wells in Third World countries . . . all of these are popular short-term mission trips. But volunteering at a trade show for the sex industry? Although this type of mission experience is far less common, it was the focus of a four-day trip for several women from SouthBrook Christian Church (Miamisburg, OH) last month. “For the last four years we have partnered strategically with XXX Church, an organization that offers resources and support to fight porn addiction,”

December 7, 2012

Christian Standard

Knowing Jesus and Why He Matters

By Jennifer Johnson For the past few years I”ve become concerned about the huge lack of biblical knowledge among many people professing to be Christians. Some of this is the fault of the individual, of course; we”re each called to learn and study for ourselves. But the church is also responsible for helping believers to grow, and our current approach to programming has resulted in several generations of biblical illiteracy. (As just one example, a 2005 Barna survey reported that 25 percent of Christians rated themselves as “immature” in their knowledge of the Bible.) Instead of equipping adults to understand

December 7, 2012

Christian Standard

Church”s Leaders Recast Gospels into 14 Chapters

By Jennifer Johnson After working through The Story, a popular new curriculum that organizes Scripture into 31 chapters to tell the story of the Bible, Chandler (AZ) Christian Church was ready for more. “We wanted to study Jesus for an extended amount of time,” says pastor of changing ministries Matt Myers. “It makes new disciples out of seekers and better disciples out of believers.” Instead of buying another ready-made resource, Myers, senior pastor Roger Storms, and executive pastor Don Anderson used the research of Robert Thomas and Stanley Gundry (A Harmony of the Gospels), as well as The Chronological Life

December 6, 2012

Christian Standard

Documentary Film about Joplin Tornado Premieres

On Nov. 19, College Heights Christian Church (Joplin, MO) hosted the premiere of Steadfast, a full-length documentary about the May 2011 Joplin tornado and the response of local churches. Gregory Fish, an Ozark Christian College graduate, directed the film, and 50 percent of the profits go to rebuilding efforts in Joplin. Watch the trailer and learn more at www.steadfastdocumentary.com.

December 6, 2012

Christian Standard

Find a Baby This Christmas

By Mark A. Taylor The producers of our church”s annual Christmas pageant accompanied one song several years ago with a video I have never forgotten. It was simple, just four minutes or so showing a tiny infant wrapped in white cloth in a cow”s feeding trough. And for the length of the video, the baby on the straw was crying””arms flailing, feet kicking, face scrunched in discomfort. I had a small part in the pageant and was there for the final week of rehearsals. One night, as the soloist came to the end of the song, the video”s soundtrack was

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