Series: Featured

June 13, 2010

Christian Standard

Broken People Change the World

By Janet McMahon “Now with God”s help, I shall become myself.” “”Soren Kierkegaard When the phone rang, I was sitting on the couch taking care of my 4-month-old baby girl. Since my hands were full, my husband got up to answer the phone. The call was short; my husband listened a lot and finally said, “OK, I”ll talk to her.” He hung up, looked at me, and smiled. “Dave has an idea, and it involves you.” Dave is the lead pastor of Community Christian Church where my husband was on staff. Troy couldn”t wipe the quirky smile off his face.

June 13, 2010

Christian Standard

Responses to Lawson and Alexander’s Articles

By Our Readers These letters are in reaction to two articles that appear in the June 13, 2010, issue of CHRISTIAN STANDARD: “Two Views About the Future of the Restoration Movement: Let”s Keep Moving!” by LeRoy Lawson “Two Views About the Future of the Restoration Movement: Dissolve or Thrive?” by Dick Alexander Of Principles and Principals The principles of the Restoration Movement have remained firm and strong, but many of the principals of the Restoration Movement have not. A quote from Carl Ketcherside of some 30 years ago: “The Restoration Movement has become the Restoration Monument.” Why was/is that? We have pursued the leadings

June 13, 2010

Christian Standard

Two Views About the Future of the Restoration Movement: Let”s Keep Moving!

By Leroy Lawson This January, Standard Publishing”s Publishing Committee, CHRISTIAN STANDARD”s contributing editors, and a few other key leaders met in a retreat to discuss the future. Key questions included, “Why does the Restoration Movement exist? What do we contribute? What is our vision for what Christian churches and churches of Christ should be and accomplish in the next decades? What do we want to look like 50 years from now . . . and what can we do today to begin painting that picture?” Although much time was given to freewheeling dialogue, two speakers set the tone with their

June 10, 2010

Christian Standard

The Hero HeadQuarters Field Test

By Joni Sullivan Baker Workers in lime green shirts scurry by carrying chairs, lariats for name badges, handfuls of markers, and pizza boxes. There”s a hum, a vibe, voices with some energy, maybe even nervous energy, laughing and talking. Early arriving boys whiz by and chase each other in the hallways. Equally early girls cluster and clog doorways, whispering loudly. The atmosphere is one part preparing for children”s church and one part backstage tension at five minutes to curtain. And then they start arriving. Parents holding the hands of little ones with big eyes who can”t decide what to look

June 6, 2010

Christian Standard

Preparing to Preach

By Bruce E. Shields Who is your ideal preacher? Think about a preacher who has had a positive impact on you. Can you recall a single sermon he preached? Was it the sermons or the character of the preacher that left the lasting impression? I often ask student preachers these questions, and invariably it is character they recall and not individual sermons. I hasten to add that this does not mean sermons have no lasting value, but rather that the sermons make up just one part of the overall impression that preachers leave. This means the preacher needs to pay

June 6, 2010

Christian Standard

The Priority of Preaching

By Wayne Shaw Preaching has always been important in the culture and curriculum of our Bible colleges and seminaries. Earl C. Hargrove championed a theme that has been echoed in the charters of schools across the brotherhood when he launched Lincoln (Illinois) Bible Institute in his inaugural sermon with the promise, “The Preachers Are Coming.” For 45 years I have taught preaching, mainly at what is now called Lincoln Christian University, but also in special courses throughout North America and around the world. I speak with the confidence of experience when I assert that preaching is in the DNA of

June 6, 2010

Christian Standard

Status Quo

By Terry O’Casey The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem is one of the world”s holiest sites, at the place where many believe Jesus rose from the dead. On that sacred spot, a stalemate has occurred between warring Christians. A ladder rests on the Greek Orthodox Church portion of the building, beneath the right window that is controlled by the Armenian Church. A drawing from 1834 shows the ladder fossilizing even back then. The ladder is a statement of power and control. A law called “the status quo” enacted in Palestine, first by the Turkish Ottomans in 1757 and reaffirmed

June 6, 2010

Christian Standard

Five Ingredients Sir Winston Churchill Used in Every Speech

By Max R. Hickerson A glance at The Sir Winston Method by James Humes gives us an insight into what made Churchill a compelling speaker. Churchill”s approach can help every Bible teacher and preacher. The following outline, borrowed from the book, shows us how. 1. A STRONG BEGINNING Refuse to start your message, “It is a pleasure to be here to speak.” Invent your own quotable line. Start with a quotation or a question that provokes thought: “What would you do for a million dollars?”; “What is your favorite adventure story?”; “Which is more important to you, 9/11 or 11/9?” “A

June 6, 2010

Christian Standard

What Is a Sermon? A Survey of Scripture . . .

By Mark Scott A preacher mounted the pulpit and began, “I have so much to say, where should I begin?” A young boy from the back said, “How about somewhere toward the end?” Most churchgoers like sermons, especially “toward the end.” Defining the Word What is a sermon? That depends on whom you ask. John Stott said it is a bridge from the biblical world to the modern world. Fred Craddock said it is a short interpretative story. Haddon Robinson said it is a big idea extrapolated from a text. Bryan Chapell said it is Christ addressing our fallen condition.

June 6, 2010

Christian Standard

What Is a Sermon? My Definition Has Changed Over the Years

By Jud White A wise and seasoned leader said to me once, “Jud, stop trying to preach great sermons. Preach good sermons and love your people, and they will love you for it.” That may sound like odd advice. He could tell I was trying so hard to preach well that it was suffocating my loving well. His advice freed me to be more concerned about caring for people and getting God”s truth out there week in and week out, rather than hitting a grand slam each weekend in my preaching. Ultimately, it freed me to make my preaching more about

June 6, 2010

Christian Standard

God at Work in the Middle of the Week

By Barney Wells Fred turned off the highway onto the fourth of the eight streets that make up Harpersville. Seven of them are five blocks long, and the eighth, Main Street, runs out of town as a county road. The setting sun shone on the three things that rise above the treetops in town, the old grain elevator (now closed), the water tower (which has needed a coat of paint for 20 years), and the steeple of the Harpersville Church, Fred”s destination. As he drove down Main Street toward the church, he recalled the names and faces of the folks

June 6, 2010

Christian Standard

What Is a Sermon? Three Words Describe . . .

By Jeff Walling “Now that was a great sermon!” Every preacher wants to hear that comment when the service is over on a Sunday. But what really makes a great sermon? How should we measure the success of the minutes a congregation gives to hearing us open up God”s Word for them? I”ve often told the old, borrowed preacher”s story of speaking at a revival for a small rural church. Standing at the door after the morning services the preacher was greeted by member after member who praised the lesson. But then one gentleman shook his hand and said, “That sermon

May 30, 2010

Christian Standard

List of Campus Ministries (2010)

By Greg Swinney and Staff Click here to download the 2010 Campus Ministries List for more than 100 campus ministries in the United Stands (and a handful of international campus ministries). For your convenience, we are also listing the campus ministries below (with active links). ALABAMA Auburn University Auburn Christian Fellowship 334-821-3963 Perry Rubin www.auburnchristianfellowship.com au**@*****er.net ARKANSAS Northwest Arkansas Community College Christ on Campus 479-521-8358 Jeff Miller www.christoncampus.org je**@************us.org University of Arkansas Christ on Campus 479-521-8358 Mike Armstrong www.christoncampus.org co**@************us.org University of Arkansas”“Fort Smith Christ on Campus 479-521-8358 Jeff Miller www.christoncampus.org je**@************us.org COLORADO Colorado State University”“Fort Collins Impact@CSU 970-449-3716 Matt and

May 30, 2010

Christian Standard

What I Have Learned in 50 Years as a Theologian (Part 2)

By Jack Cottrell Previously (in the February 7 issue) I discussed what I have learned in 50 years as a theologian under two headings: Fads vs. Fundamentals, and Truth vs. Relativism. Here I will conclude by discussing Law vs. Grace. In six years of seminary work (at Westminster and Princeton), I was especially drawn to Reformation studies and was thus introduced to the doctrine of grace in ways that were new to me. I also spent much time studying the book of Romans. In my first semester of teaching at Cincinnati Bible Seminary (fall 1967), Lewis Foster asked me to teach

May 30, 2010

Christian Standard

From the Campus to the World

By Greg Swinney Short-term mission trips are part of the meat and potatoes of campus ministry. In the past 20 years these trips have grown by leaps and bounds to become massive global efforts. During summer months, winter break, and spring break, university students travel the planet to offer all they have for the glory of the Lord. They work in orphanages, inner-city churches, medical clinics, children”s homes, and in countless Third World regions. Hundreds will go this year. Thousands of dollars will be spent. And lives will be transformed for eternity. This article intersperses how campus ministries make short-term

May 30, 2010

Christian Standard

Leading People Toward Redemption and Restoration (Part 3)

By Ken Swatman “People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone.” “”Audrey Hepburn, American actress Everything about Jesus””his birth, life, ministry, death, and resurrection””shouts redemption and restoration to a lost and broken world. Jesus” foundational purpose was, and still is, to seek and save the lost, to purchase back that which was bartered, sold, or stolen, and to reestablish and heal our relationship to his Father. As pastors and leaders, we are entrusted with the position and responsibility of helping people navigate the deep waters of sin, repentance, redemption, and

May 23, 2010

Christian Standard

Leading People Toward Redemption and Restoration (Part 2)

By Ken Swatman Read part 1 of this 3-part series “He that falls into sin is a man; that grieves at it, is a saint; that boasteth of it, is a devil.” “”Thomas Fuller, The Holy State and the Profane State On the Day of Pentecost, Peter stood before the thousands who had gathered and confronted them about two great truths: that Jesus was indeed the Son of God and that they had sinned against Jesus. When the people heard Peter”s confrontational words, they were “cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “˜Brothers, what shall we

May 23, 2010

Christian Standard

The Night the Rocks Cried Out

By Tracie Stanley On January 7, I traveled to Grand Goâve, Haiti, for a 10-day mission trip with Lifeline Christian Mission. The trip”s objective was to serve through hosting a day for the ladies from Lifeline”s churches, distributing Christmas gifts to children sponsored by the ministry, working in the infant nutrition program, and distributing shoes to Haitian children. By midweek we learned the Lord had a different objective in mind for this trip. My first glimpses of Haitian life were as we flew into Port-au-Prince””houses made of cement block and scraps of metal were stacked on each other and against

May 23, 2010

Christian Standard

The Revolutionary Relevance of Christian Hope in Communion

By Ash Baker Last October 17, I shared Communion in Klong Prem prison (aka “The Bangkok Hilton”) for the first time. I now visit each week with Chris McCartney, a member of our team who has been going there for more than a year. It”s become a high point in my weekly routine, though not without challenges. When Chris first asked me to accompany him, I was outwardly thrilled, but quietly uncertain about how to meaningfully share Communion with these guys. Francis, for example, is in his 60s and has been in jail more than 40 years. What could we

May 23, 2010

Christian Standard

After the Earthquake in Haiti

By Reggie Hundley By now all of us know the facts of the story. On January 12, 2010, a destructive earthquake rocked the nation of Haiti. The magnitude 7.0 earthquake occurred 16 miles west of the capital city of Port-au-Prince, and at a depth of approximately eight miles. The United States Geological Survey reported at least 33 aftershocks in the hours following the event. But these details do little to describe the trauma suffered by the people of Haiti. According to the International Red Cross, an estimated 3 million people were affected by the earthquake and aftershocks. Ninety percent of

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