Series: Columns

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,

July 14, 2011

Christian Standard

Share Your Ideas about All-age Worship

Intergenerational worship. All-age worship. Whole-church worship. It goes by many names, but the practice of intentionally creating worship services to involve and include people of every age is revolutionizing worship at some of our churches. This summer Verna Weber, associate professor of educational ministries and family studies at Cincinnati (OH) Christian University, created a Facebook group to discuss questions and share ideas about all-age worship. Sixty people have already joined–click here to join the conversation!

July 11, 2011

Christian Standard

Their Guide, and Yours

By Mark A. Taylor   Haven”t you been enjoying our 2011 Bible feature “The Bible, My Guide”? Many of the entries, although by known writers, share details about their lives or conversions or spiritual practices new to many of us. We can”t list every one of them here, but as I reflect on the columns we”ve printed so far, several stand out in my memory:   Nancy Karpenske Janet McMahon Pat Magness Doug Lucas Chris Travis Tony Twist Diane Stortz Brandon Smith Kay Moll Michael Sweeney Wayne Shaw   If you missed any of these, you”ll do yourself a favor

July 10, 2011

Christian Standard

A Lifetime of New Discoveries

By Wayne E. Shaw As a youth, my only Bible was the King James, and the first 500 verses of Scripture I was challenged to memorize were from that translation. Every day I placed Scripture portions on my knee while milking, repeated my verses to the cows, and later recited them to my mother who tallied what I had memorized. I am amazed at how many of those verses I can still quote, having memorized them nearly 70 years ago. I am thankful for the Bible”s impact on me during those formative years. My parents saw to it my siblings

July 8, 2011

Christian Standard

Our “˜God Is Able” Verse

By Dennis Bratton He walked into the classroom and drew three stair steps on the blackboard. On the bottom rung he wrote “To Know.” On the second rung he wrote “To Feel.” And finally the third rung received the phrase “To Do.” This was J.B. Richardson”s formula for Christian education, and I never forgot it. I like things that are simple, make sense, and work. When preaching, for instance, I would use the “stair steps” to evaluate the sermon. To Know“”what is the truth this sermon exposes? To Feel“”is the truth presented in a way that can reach the heart

July 7, 2011

Christian Standard

Church Hosts Free Sports Camp for Third Year

The Amelia (OH) Church of Christ held its third-annual free sports camp June 19-24. More than 250 kids from kindergarten through fifth grade attended the event to participate in basketball, cheerleading, soccer, martial arts, and other games. ACC volunteers taught kids about being a good sport and children”s minister Marie Young led songs. The week ended with an open house, ice cream, and giveaways on Friday night. The annual camp is sponsored by a number of businesses including Skyline Chili, Sam”s Club, and the University of Cincinnati. Click here to learn more.

July 7, 2011

Christian Standard

Church, City Partner for Fireworks

Central Christian Church of the East Valley”s Gilbert, AZ, campus held its first “Fire in the Sky” Fourth of July fireworks celebration last summer. This year, the city of Gilbert is helping. “The mayor reached out to the church and asked if they would allow the greater community to participate in the church event,” reports the Arizona Republic. “”˜We feel extremely honored,” church spokesman Matt Price said. “˜Our goal as an organization is to partner with the community. . . . It’s a huge win to both of our organizations.”” Gilbert approved $7,500 in expenses for the celebration including traffic

July 4, 2011

Christian Standard

Pantano Christian Battles Poverty with Microloans

By Jennifer Taylor In May, Pantano Christian Church (Tucson, AZ) gave away $25,000″”and asked the recipients to give the same. The money, which the church received as a grant, was offered to members of the PCC community to involve them in a microloan program with Kiva, a nonprofit organization that helps donors provide small loans ($25 or more) to help entrepreneurs around the world escape poverty by starting small businesses. PCC members could participate in the program by committing a small amount of their own money and receiving matching funds from the church. A $12.50 donation would result in $25″”the

July 2, 2011

Christian Standard

“˜God Bless America”

By Mark A. Taylor 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. We sang every patriotic song you know, including one that invited veterans from every branch of the service to stand and receive the cheers of the crowd. Fireworks accompanied the songs, and after the last note, everyone sat with necks craned to the sky and enjoyed 20 minutes of the rockets” red glare. Our

July 1, 2011

Christian Standard

A Church Planting Milestone in Canada

By Jennifer Taylor   According to Jim Tune, senior minister with Churchill Meadows Christian Church and director of Impact Ministry Group (both Ontario, Canada), the area is home to only six other Christian churches””and their combined attendance is less than 500. So CMCC”s new building””and the more than 1,200 people who attended the opening services in March””is a milestone for Canadian church planting. “Churches are closing faster in Canada than any other area, including Western Europe,” Tune says. “Church just isn”t on the radar. In fact, people assumed our building was an industrial complex or school because they don”t have

June 30, 2011

Christian Standard

NASCAR Driver Gives Orphan Care a Boost

Standard Publishing author Beth Guckenberger has teamed up with NASCAR driver Michael McDowell to promote orphan care. Guckenberger, director of Back2Back Ministries, is a veteran of efforts to help impoverished children across the globe, with a focus in Mexico, Nigeria, and India. But this is the first time NASCAR has been a part of the solution. McDowell, an up-and-coming NASCAR rookie, wants to do his part to support Guckenberger”s ministry. That includes putting the cover of Guckenberger”s newest book Relentless Hope on his car as he competes in the Quaker State 400 at the Kentucky Speedway July 9. He”ll also

June 30, 2011

Christian Standard

I Owe It All to a Bad Hoagie Sandwich

By Michael Sweeney I was 18 and had just dropped out of college after my first semester as a music major at the University of Northern Colorado. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life””I just knew I probably would never make a living playing the trumpet. So I moved out of the dorm, joined a small house church, and shared the living quarters in its basement with three equally directionless young men. I found employment on the janitorial staff of an elementary school across town. Each day I would walk the two miles to work,

June 29, 2011

Christian Standard

Author Spending Time in Joplin

Dave Pelzer, author of A Child Called “It”: One Child”s Courage to Survive, has been spending time in Joplin, MO, working with foster families and helping with recovery work. According to an article in the Examiner of Independence, MO, Pelzer has been volunteering at College Heights Christian Church and offering his counseling services. Pelzer complimented College Heights for the “military precision” of its donation center. “People check in at one end, and within an hour, they leave at the other, loaded with nonperishable food, medical and hygiene supplies, baby needs and more,” the article says. “Sometimes the turnaround time is

June 29, 2011

Christian Standard

2|42 Community Church Buys Athletic Club

2|42 Community Church (Brighton, MI) recently announced its purchase of the Brighton Athletic Club and its plans to renovate the building as a multipurpose facility for the community. The new community center will include an indoor/outdoor cafe, gym, auditorium, meeting space, play areas for children, and space for music lessons, tutoring, and more for teens. “We want this to be a facility that extends beyond Sunday morning, reaching out beyond our regular church attendees,” says lead pastor Dave Dummitt. “This is our gift to the community we love and have served for over six years. It is a no-strings-attached gift.

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