Series: Columns

March 17, 2010

Christian Standard

Life is Hard, and That”s OK

By Mark A. Taylor I”ve thought a lot about the churches I know, the parachurch ministries I”ve seen, and the work situations I”ve experienced. My conclusion: There”s a problem with all of them. To one degree or another, they”re all broken. In fact, some are shattered messes. Every senior minister or elder or boss or chief executive has a blind spot. And some at the top are plagued by self-interest, paranoia, or a true incompetence they”re frantic to hide. Every organization chart, while conceived to solve problems, thereby creates new difficulties for those who must function within it, bound by

March 14, 2010

Christian Standard

FROM MY BOOKSHELF: Politics, Commerce, and Religion: All About Us and Them

By LeRoy Lawson Fareed Zakaria, The Post-American World (New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 2009). James A. Morone, Hellfire Nation: The Politics of Sin in American History (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2004). David Domke and Kevin Coe, The God Strategy: How Religion Became a Political Weapon in America (New York: Oxford University Press, 2007). Love of country can be beautiful. I remember returning from my first extended trip to Europe. When we landed I almost kissed the ground, I was so glad to be home again. I”ve since had that experience over and over. I”m proud to be

March 10, 2010

Christian Standard

We Want to Help You Extend Your Ministry

By Mark A. Taylor Here”s one thing we”ve learned about recessions and local churches. Local churches may be slow to feel the impact of an economic downturn, but they”re also slow to acknowledge a recovery from one. This means even if the economy is picking up (and the experts don”t agree on that point), budgets at your church are likely still tight. Here”s one thing we know about ministry during recessions: It never slows down. In fact, needs usually multiply when finances fail. We want to help. We”ve come up with a plan that allows you to extend your ministry

March 3, 2010

Christian Standard

Some Who Read This Are Homosexuals

By Mark A. Taylor Several years ago a friend asked me to read an opinion piece about homosexuality he had written for a Christian audience. Frankly, I don”t recall what he wrote, but I do remember his reaction after one comment I made to him. “We need to keep in mind that some who see this will be homosexuals,” I said. The look on his face told me he”d never thought of that. He”d probably react differently today. So would I, because as one writer this week indicates, homosexual may not even be the best word to use when we

February 24, 2010

Christian Standard

Share the Joy of Simple Christianity

By Mark A. Taylor It”s one of the greatest joys I have in life. Nothing compares to the experience of baptizing people who have become so enamored by the person and work of Jesus Christ that they choose to receive him as their Savior and leader. Their enthusiasm is genuine. Their joy is infectious. Their faith is simple. And their lives and souls are transformed forever.     That paragraph, written by Gene Appel, begins one of six articles in a new 12-page downloadable resource from Standard Publishing. It”s called Simply Christians, and it offers a winsome and persuasive apologetic

February 17, 2010

Christian Standard

My Own Holy Land Testimony

By Mark A. Taylor When I returned from my trip to Israel, my wife said, “You are NOT going to begin speeches or sermons with, “˜When I was in Israel . . .” Right?” And I guess I never have. I don”t think I”ve ever written about that trip, either. But I couldn”t resist adding my testimony after reading Marshall Hayden”s and Tom Jones”s moving pieces this week. Their experiences help me remember my own special time there. I think the majestic Sea of Galilee was my favorite stop. Although it is usually still, wind churned it into waves the

February 14, 2010

Christian Standard

FROM MY BOOKSHELF: Group Projects and Real People

By LeRoy Lawson Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers: The Story of Success (New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2008). I had already read Malcolm Gladwell”s best-selling books The Tipping Point and Blink, so when Outliers appeared there was no question that this one, also, would be a must-read. I was not disappointed. The Tipping Point is a “big picture book”; Gladwell outlines the macro rules that govern social change. I”ve discovered that many ministerial friends have read the book or at least are familiar with its basics, since these fundamentals are so helpful in figuring out how to lead their sometimes obstreperous

February 10, 2010

Christian Standard

A New Look at What We Need

By Mark A. Taylor Read carefully, and you”ll see there”s something different about this summer”s North American Christian Convention. President Ben Cachiaras has done more than plan a meeting of substance with excellent content””although he has certainly done that. He has done more than inject some creative and fresh elements into a program that may seem the same from year to year””although this year”s new touches give everyone a reason to attend. No, Ben hasn”t sought to polish an existing template. Instead he”s asked, “Suppose we had no North American Christian Convention? What do we need that a weeklong conference

February 3, 2010

Christian Standard

What Will Make My Next Decade Different?

By Mark A. Taylor Her question has stayed with me for weeks. At a family gathering between Christmas and New Year”s, she challenged the group at the table, “Think back to the beginning of the decade that”s about to end. What would the person you were then think of the person you are today?” A day or two later I read a Facebook update from a friend anticipating a family meeting with her husband and two school-age daughters. The agenda: to discuss individual and family goals and dreams for the coming year. As simple as this is, it strikes me

January 27, 2010

Christian Standard

Ever Heard a Minister Talk About Himself?

By Mark A. Taylor Usually he”s talking to us about us. He”s asking us about our health or commenting on our children”s good looks. He”s thanking us for our solo or help with the food drive or leadership of VBS. Or he”s telling us why we”d be perfect for the job he has in mind. Sometimes he”s listening to our latest complaint about volume, color, people, or policies. But seldom does the minister talk to us about himself. His job is to serve us, after all, and we”re usually glad to just let him. Either we don”t know him well

January 20, 2010

Christian Standard

Don”t Let Us Forget

By Mark A. Taylor When I was a young parent, I cared a great deal about the children”s ministry at my church. Every week I asked my kids what they”d learned in their classes. I fretted over the issue of child care vs. Bible teaching for young children. I questioned whether lessons were appropriate for their ages. When I was a Christian education staff member at my church, I gave a great deal of attention to children”s ministry. I struggled to find enough workers, and the right workers. I labored over choices of curriculum. I tried to figure out how

January 13, 2010

Christian Standard

Time-Consuming . . . and Effective!

By Mark A. Taylor One of the most time-consuming methods for developing volunteers is also one of the most effective””and most overlooked. Some call it discipleship. Lately the popular word has been mentoring. Both terms describe a similar approach: ongoing, individualized attention to a person for the purpose of helping him or her grow spiritually and discover his call to Christian service. A number of methods, strategies, and approaches are out there. But I”ll never forget the advice Dr. Steven Hancock gave me and the rest of his Christian education students in seminary many years ago. “Whenever you do anything

January 10, 2010

Christian Standard

FROM MY BOOKSHELF: Forgotten, Free, and Faithful

By LeRoy Lawson Amity Shlaes, The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression (New York: HarperCollins, 2007). Chris Anderson, Free: The Future of a Radical Price (New York: Hyperion, 2009). Harvey Cox, The Future of Faith (New York: HarperOne, 2009). Here”s the thing about reading: it”s addictive. Read a good book and it whets your appetite to read more on the subject, or by the author, or to satisfy your curiosity. This month”s column is mostly about that curiosity. Bearing the Brunt The Forgotten Man is a good example. In a recent column I reviewed David Wessel”s In

January 6, 2010

Christian Standard

All Work and No Play?

By Mark A. Taylor “The brain in its relaxed state is more creative, makes more nuanced connections and is ripe for eureka moments.” In other words, according to author Carl Honoré, boredom can be good, especially for children. That”s one of many golden points in Time magazine”s November 30 cover feature, “The Case Against Over-Parenting,” by Nancy Gibbs. Honoré, who wrote Under Pressure: Rescuing Our Children from the Culture of Hyper-Parenting, says boredom gives children “space to think deeply, invent their own game, create their own distraction.” That usually takes the form of play, the kind of play not stimulated

December 30, 2009

Christian Standard

Leading the Discussion

By Mark A. Taylor As the new year begins, here at CHRISTIAN STANDARD we”re gearing up to serve you with 48 issues full of thoughtful insight, encouraging news, and prodding analysis. We”re committed to leading the discussion among Christian church readers about what”s happening in our movement and what it means to all of us. For starters, we”re once again planning 12 special, thicker issues to deal with timely themes: January 10: Vacation Bible School and Children”s Ministry February 14: NACC Preview March 14: Christian Colleges April 11/18: Megachurches May 9: Family June 6: Preaching July 18/25: “Beyond”””NACC Theme Issue

December 20, 2009

Christian Standard

FROM MY BOOKSHELF: Taking the Lead

By LeRoy Lawson Bill Hybels, Axiom: Powerful Leadership Proverbs (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008). As a rule, I don”t promote leadership books. Most of them seem like the same old same old, prettied up in new packaging. Sometimes, though, rules are made to be broken. So I”m breaking one. If you are looking for an easy-to-read, common-sense set of principles that can lift your effectiveness to a new level, try Bill Hybels”s Axiom. PROVERBS, NOT TRUISMS My appreciation rose when I learned from these pages that Hybels holds in high regard another of my favorite books on the subject, Steven Sample”s

December 16, 2009

Christian Standard

We Can Be the Gift

By Mark A. Taylor Some readers will say we”ve saved our best “Get Your Hands Dirty” article for last. The feature appearing this week, “Season of Love,” makes more than 30 “Get Your Hands Dirty” articles we”ve published in 2009. The good deeds these pieces have reported are a thrilling overview of outreach and service performed by members of our fellowship: everything from overseas sacrifice to inner-city outreach. Browse through the items listed under this heading in our index, and you”ll be reminded how churches everywhere are serving the oppressed and helpless. But the Christmas stories in this final feature

December 9, 2009

Christian Standard

Surrender Comes Slowly

By Mark A. Taylor Surrender Comes SlowlyI”m keyboarding this column with an Ace bandage wrapped tightly around my right hand. It covers a small incision in my palm, an area responding to the pressure of my fingers on the keyboard with a small ache to accompany each keystroke. Tomorrow the bandage and dressing come off, to be replaced by a smaller, store-bought, self-applied variety. It will be the third day since the carpal tunnel surgery that most likely was required because of many earlier computer keyboarding sessions. This is only the latest in a series of coincidental maladies that convinced

December 2, 2009

Christian Standard

An Issue to Discuss, a Resource to Consider

By Mark A. Taylor We like to think every issue of Christian Standard is a winner, of course, but we believe this week”s content is especially useful. Church staffs, elders, evangelism committees, or anyone interested in reaching the lost will find help here. Read Kent Hunter”s strategies for evangelism and decide which of them is most urgent for your church to adopt. Look at the experience of Marcus Bigelow and Paul Williams and agree on the implications for your congregation and for your personal approach to non-Christians. Consider David Bycroft”s experience and approaches and how you could use them where

November 29, 2009

Christian Standard

FROM MY BOOKSHELF: From Mathematics to Mystery

  By Leroy Lawson Marvin L. Bittinger, The Faith Equation: One Mathematician”s Journey in Christianity (Indianapolis: Literary Architects, 2007). The Faith Equation is one book I”d have never picked up on my own. I don”t like being reminded of my ignorance. I may know a little about a few things, but I know nothing about mathematics. But what do you do when the author gives you an inscribed copy? He wasn”t trying to get into this column; he doesn”t know I write it. He just wanted to share his faith with another believer and, because of his vocation, his faith

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