Series: Columns

August 20, 2011

Christian Standard

My Favorite Passage

By Tom Ellsworth My favorite passage of Scripture? I hem and haw and generally fumble trying to find the right answer. What about John 3:16? Naw, everyone picks that one””be more original. All right, how about Philippians 4:13? Overused. OK, let”s try the Old Testament””Psalm 23? Did somebody die? That”s a funeral text. Sorry, I”ll say Revelation 3:20. Are you serious? You”re going to pick prophecy as your favorite? The inner deliberation rages while on the outside I try to appear thoughtful and decisive. How does one choose a favorite passage? That”s like asking me to identify which of my

August 13, 2011

Christian Standard

Embracing Mystery, Remembering Churchill, and Reconsidering the Classics

By LeRoy Lawson Einstein”s God: Conversations about Science and the Human Spirit Krista Tippett New York: Penguin Books, 2010 Churchill and America Martin Gilbert New York: Free Press, 2005 Climbing Parnassus: A New Apologia for Greek and Latin Tracy Lee Simmons Wilmington: ISI Books, 2002 There”s no yelling in Krista Tippett”s Einstein”s God, no name-calling. This book is not another shootout of science and religion. Instead, these transcripts from 10 episodes of her radio show Speaking of Faith thoughtfully raise issues that thinking people can”t avoid: Can science and religion get along? Can you believe in God and evolution? What is the primary

August 11, 2011

Christian Standard

Get Ready for the Adventure!

By Mark A. Taylor Believe it or not, many church leaders have already started thinking about NEXT summer”s Vacation Bible School! That”s why Standard Publishing announced the 2012 VBS theme this July. Next year we”ll partner with you to bring “Adventures on Promise Island” to your church, and we can hardly wait. I”m excited about this course because . . . “¢ It”s biblical. Each lesson features a Bible story with powerful reminders of God”s life-saving love: I Am With You (Isaiah 41:10). Look how he protected Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 3:1, 4-28). I Care About You (1 Peter

August 11, 2011

Christian Standard

Consider 9/11 Offering for Church Planting

There”s still time to participate in the Orchard Group“s “Love Prevails” offering on Sept. 11. That Sunday, the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C., churches will participate in a special giving campaign to fund new church plants in NYC and around the country. Some churches will take a special offering, others will give 9.11% of their regular offering that day, and others have committed to making a special gift before the end of 2011. “From New York, the greatest city in the world, we want to plant more churches in more cities,” writes Orchard

August 11, 2011

Christian Standard

College Offers Online Course with Dave Ramsey

Last week, Rochester (MI) College announced a new partnership with financial guru and radio personality Dave Ramsey to offer a seven-week online course in personal financial management. The class, which begins Aug. 29, carries three college credits and features Ramsey, other financial planning experts, college students, and Rochester College faculty members. “Our Personal Financial Management course covers real-life issues every college student needs to understand in order to graduate on sound financial footing and be set up to win with money,” says the college. “It’s entertaining, relevant, and most of all, challenges how students view money. They will complete this

August 9, 2011

Christian Standard

Show Me the Glory

By Tim Harlow “Show me the glory” sounds like a rip-off of a famous movie line””but it”s quite a bit older. Moses was charged with the greatest (and hardest) leadership position in human history. How do you lead people who don”t want to be led? How do you lead people God doesn”t even like anymore? After the golden calf incident, Moses pleaded with God to spare the lives of the members of his “church.” And God did, but he”d had enough of them and decided to send an angel to lead them because he was DONE. (I believe God was

August 7, 2011

Christian Standard

Meeting Others” Needs on Behalf of the Church

By Jennifer Taylor   After studying Nehemiah and the offering recorded in its final chapters, First Christian Church in Champaign, IL, collected its own special offering as a response of gratitude for God”s goodness””then gave some of it back to FCC members. Senior pastor J.P. Jones and his team designated $20,000 of the offering for the local community and involved the church in giving it away. Each week for four weeks, a different group received $5,000 with instructions to use the money to meet the needs of others on behalf of the church. The team selected a variety of people

August 5, 2011

Christian Standard

Making a Difference for Foster Care Kids

Students at Journey Christian Church (Midlothian, VA) recently received a grant from The Community Foundation, a local charitable organization, to help kids unable to live with their parents. On Sunday the teens gathered to learn about the problem from area leaders in social work and protective services; after the event Journey distributed empty luggage for the students to fill and return. The bags will be given to children in their county who have been removed from their homes. “We can make a difference for [foster care] kids in the most vulnerable and tumultuous moments of their lives,” the church writes.

August 5, 2011

Christian Standard

Milligan Recognized as ‘College of Distinction’

Milligan College in Tennessee is one of the 200 colleges and universities nationwide to be featured in the 2011-2012 Colleges of Distinction, a college guide honoring schools demonstrating excellence in education. Institutions featured in the guide take a holistic approach to admissions, consistently excel in providing undergraduate education and have a truly national reputation, according to the guide”s criteria. “One of the things we frequently hear from our students and alumni is how much they appreciate Milligan”s faculty,” said Milligan President Bill Greer. “The caring faculty and the many opportunities students have to serve inside and outside the classroom are

August 4, 2011

Christian Standard

Inexpensive Downloads to Help Your Ministry

By Mark A. Taylor Here”s a reminder about a whole host of inexpensive, downloadable resources available for your church now. As you anticipate the after-summer ramp-up of activities and ministries, which of the following would help your ministry most? For new members and nonmembers””Our most popular “What Kind of Church Is This?” gives you 8 full-color pages that explain the unique and beautiful nondenominational position of Christian churches and churches of Christ. “Simply Christians,” which originally appeared in The Lookout, is a 12-page overview to accomplish the same purpose. One user called “Simply Christians” “the best short-form overview of the

July 29, 2011

Christian Standard

Sacred Moments

By Greg Swinney The white apron covered her faded flowered dress. Breakfast was the first thing on the agenda for my visit, but I stopped eating my cornflakes when I noticed my grandmother reach into an apron pocket and pull out a crumpled piece of notebook paper. Just a few months earlier she had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. “I want you to do my funeral,” she bravely said. “Let”s not talk about that now,” I replied. “Oh, yes we will,” she insisted, handing me the notebook paper. “This is my obituary, and it”s what I want you to read

July 28, 2011

Christian Standard

Florida Church Hosting Three-day ‘Jubilee’

Instead of a traditional Vacation Bible School, this weekend Journey Christian Church (Apopka, FL) will host “Journey Jubilee,” a three-day event designed for families and friends of all ages. In addition to times of teaching and worship, groups will enjoy a challenge course, a geo-scavenger hunt, live music, a prayer walk, and plenty of time to relax. Families are invited to camp on the church property and a nominal fee of $25 per group covers all activities.

July 27, 2011

Christian Standard

Standard Publishing Donates Books, Resources

Standard Publishing has partnered with Matthew 25: Ministries to reach out through church communities ministering in disaster areas around the world. To date, Standard Publishing has donated more than 19 tractor-trailer loads of Christian books and other resources to Matthew 25: Ministries for redistribution worldwide. These messages of hope and Bible truth have gone, for example, to sufferers in the wake of natural disasters in Joplin, Missouri; Alabama; Japan; and Haiti. Each year Matthew 25: Ministries serves more than 12 million individuals in the U.S. and around the world, largely through redistribution of donated goods. “We are pleased to work

July 26, 2011

Christian Standard

Read It for the Stories

By Mark A. Taylor   I”m reading Unleashed, Dudley Rutherford”s brainchild and Standard Publishing”s new release based on the sermons at this summer”s North American Christian Convention. And I”m a fan. I expected the book to be full of solid scriptural teaching. But I didn”t expect the book to draw me in so that I didn”t want to put it down. I didn”t expect it to make me laugh out loud or fight back tears. Unleashed will be purchased for many reasons, but my advice is, get the book for its stories. You”ll share them with your spouse. You”ll use

July 25, 2011

Christian Standard

Believers, the Bible, and Prescriptions for Health

By LeRoy Lawson American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us Robert D. Putnam and David E. Campbell New York: Simon and Schuster, 2010 The Book that Made Your World: How the Bible Created the Soul of Western Civilization Vishal Mangalwadi Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2011 Pause Points: The Mindful Pursuit of Health and Well-Being Gene Harker and Curt Smith Bloomington: WestBow Press, 2011   Well, it”s happened at last. The third-largest “religious” group in the United States is “Nones,” people who claim no religious or institutional affiliation. The group is more numerous (17 percent) than mainline Protestants (14 percent). Only

July 23, 2011

Christian Standard

“˜Fulfill Your Word in My Life”

By John A. Hampton “Come and listen to a young man who read himself into New Testament Christianity.” That”s how I was introduced more than once when I was a 17-year-old preacher boy. I grew up attending a mainline denominational church until that time in my life. While I appreciate the teaching, love, and support that small congregation gave me, I wrestled with the layers of denominational bureaucracy that many of the church”s pastors had to deal with. I also struggled with some of the doctrines and practices that were a part of our proud denomination”s history. So with a

July 17, 2011

Christian Standard

CIY Teams for Movie with Voice of the Martyrs

By Jennifer Taylor Last-minute trips, amazing “coincidences,” and the consistent witness of faithful believers around the world helped Christ In Youth (Joplin, MO) partner with Voice of the Martyrs to create a new feature-length film, Love Costs Every Thing, about the persecuted church. The CIY team started by recording the testimonies of Christians in India. “Then we waited on God,” says Chris Jefferson, director of organizational advancement. “And through my mom I met a Marine, who had married an Iraqi Christian girl, whose brother fled to France after bombs destroyed his church in Iraq. Bill Carroll, a church planter and

July 14, 2011

Christian Standard

Solomon Foundation Offering Church Loans

By Jennifer Taylor The Solomon Foundation, a new church extension fund for the Christian churches and churches of Christ, launched several months ago with headquarters in Englewood, CO. Doug Crozier, formerly president of Church Development Fund (Irvine, CA), serves as chief executive officer of the new organization. Crossroads Christian Church (Grand Prairie, TX) and Christ”s Church of the Valley (Peoria, AZ) worked with Crozier and his team to fund the development and launch of the foundation. Leaders from Mount Pleasant Christian Church (Greenwood, IN), Real Life Ministries (Post Falls, ID), The Crossing (Quincy, IL), and Churchill Meadows Christian Church (Toronto,

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