Series: Featured

March 1, 2009

Christian Standard

Mexico Family Camp: Families Building Homes, Homes Building Families

By Gayla Cooper Congdon In his book, Ordering Your Private World, Gordon MacDonald encourages families to make memories rather than investing in the accumulation of things. This was the premise that sparked a discussion 15 years ago with my longtime friends from Pacific Christian College, Dean and Amy Mathis, to impact families by taking them on a short-term mission trip. We recognized we lived in a culture where a constant spiritual battle was waged for the family. We noted all the factors that made it difficult for families to connect. It begged the question, “How much quality time do families

February 22, 2009

Christian Standard

Just What Is Christian Spirituality?

by Neal Windham In 1993, while returning from a Society of Biblical Literature meeting in San Francisco, I had a deep encounter with the living God. Having picked up Henri Nouwen”s In the Name of Jesus, I was confronted very directly with a question of terrifying significance: Had my life and work counted for anything, anything at all, or was I just playing games? That night, somewhere around 35,000 feet, God used one of the truly great Christian spirituality writers of the 20th century to begin stripping away layer upon layer of my selfishness and conceit. Since then I have

February 22, 2009

Christian Standard

What the Monks Can Teach Us

By J.K. Jones I acknowledge the title of this article is strange, perhaps even offensive to some. Our Christian church and church of Christ ears are not accustomed to such unusual language.  I also admit that the title sounds very Catholic. Of course, this may cause some to react negatively and stop reading. I hope not. I am a Christian whose heritage is found in and among Restoration churches. I am an immersed believer who holds no creed but Christ and has no book but the Bible. I don”t claim to be the only Christian, but I simply seek to

February 22, 2009

Christian Standard

Spiritual Growth at Manchester Christian Church

by Josh Peigh I was a junior in college when I heard Keith Ray, president of Lincoln (Illinois) Christian College, say, “Almost nothing happens by casual affair. It is by intentionality that things get done.”Â  That statement has lingered with me ever since. As a graduation gift, my father had the quote framed. It sits today in my office as a reminder of the mission that has been given to every church across our globe. Jesus said, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the

February 22, 2009

Christian Standard

To Swell a Progress

By Robert Wetzel     As a young man, I heard an enthusiastic evangelist say, “Don”t think you are serving God by coming to a worship service. The worship service is an occasion of refreshment and fellowship. Serving God begins when we leave here and go out and win people for Christ.” I have come to see that he was mistaken. Although his enthusiasm for evangelism was commendable, he unwittingly depreciated what happens when we gather to worship God. If worship is not a service to God then how do we account for all of those passages in the Psalms

February 15, 2009

Christian Standard

Still Amazed! The 2009 North American Christian Convention

By Jeff Stone A few years ago I was returning with a carload of ministers from another minister”s funeral. We stopped for lunch at a Ponderosa. As I opened the back door to climb out of my friend”s car, I accidentally clipped the truck beside it. I surveyed the damage. The door had left a white mark on the gleaming pickup. I winced, in part, because I am a truck lover. I determined I needed to locate the truck”s owner and offer to pay to have it buffed out at a body shop. As we ate, from my window seat,

February 15, 2009

Christian Standard

Why Is the NACC Important? I Go for My Family

by Brent Storms   Our family attended the North American Christian Convention in Louisville in 1981 when I was 8 years old. My brother was 6, and our sister was a baby. My parents wanted to attend the Ozark Bible College reception to reconnect with some of their classmates and friends. They did not want to keep my brother and me up late. So they locked us in our hotel room. Really, they did. They explained to us that they were not leaving the building. They would be right downstairs in one of the hotel ballrooms. We were instructed to

February 15, 2009

Christian Standard

Why Is the NACC Important? Let Me Count the Ways

by Ken Idleman   I have participated in the NACC every year since 1964, with the exception of one. Through the ensuing years, I have transitioned from attending to frequently serving on the continuation committee, on seven executive committees, and as president in 1992. I can answer the question above these articles in a single statement: “The North American Christian Convention is important to me because of the significant influence it has been on me in six areas over the past 45 years.”   Domestically In 1964 the convention was hosted in St. Louis. My family camped at Cahokia Mounds

February 15, 2009

Christian Standard

The NACC Minister & Spouse Retreat

Maybe the most amazing thing about this summer”s North American Christian Convention isn”t the convention itself, but a convention-sponsored event later in the summer. We”re talking about the 2009 Minister and Spouse Retreat, Tuesday, August 11, through Thursday, August 13, at the Lifeway Conference Center, Ridgecrest, North Carolina. This getaway offers a tranquil setting nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, just north of Asheville, North Carolina. It will be the perfect spot for ministry couples who would like to relax together at a program planned just for them. And what a program it is! “¢ Debra and Daniel Smith, authors

February 15, 2009

Christian Standard

Great Leaders Are Broken

By Glen Elliott In January 2007, I became lead pastor at Pantano Christian Church in Tucson, Arizona. It was the culmination of a carefully planned three-year transition. Tim Coop, who had been senior pastor for about 15 years, was ready to pass the proverbial baton (see the CHRISTIAN STANDARD article “A Unique Transition,” January 27, 2008). In preparation for the transition, my wife and I attended a rigorous leadership assessment and development event. It was an intense three days, preceded by 40 hours of preparation work that was just as intense. We filled out self-assessments, completed life and ministry history

February 12, 2009

Christian Standard

NACC Women”s Conference Returns for a Second Year

by Jennifer Taylor Last year, Judy Russell led a team that planned a new event at the 2008 NACC””a “conference within a conference” just for women. This first NACC Women”s Conference included special events, a “Gathering Place” for conversation and connection, and special promotion. From the workshops to the tea just for minister”s wives, the 2008 team did a great job creating something new for ladies at the North American. Because of the positive response to this programming, the women”s conference will continue at this year”s convention! We”re keeping the best from 2008, adding a few new touches, and planning

February 8, 2009

Christian Standard

How Our Church Uses Elder Governance

By Gary L. Johnson The psalmist got it right when he wrote, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14). God created our bodies in remarkable ways. For example, the average heart has a cardiac output (i.e., volume per minute) of 1.1 gallons of blood. That means the heart moves more than 1,500 gallons of blood each day””that”s roughly 30 million gallons in a lifetime. We are fearfully and wonderfully made.       When I play with my grandchildren, I am also reminded that God created us to grow. My grandchildren run faster and jump higher with every week that

February 8, 2009

Christian Standard

Why I No Longer Dread Elder Meetings

by Randy Nation “I feel like a drowning man being thrown a life preserver.” I said that more than two years ago when I realized there might be an answer to the frustrations the elders and I were experiencing. Over the last 25 years, I have served as senior minister in three Restoration Movement churches. Through the years, I have worked with many good leaders who love the Lord and the churches they lead. But I have been dismayed and frustrated that these good men, myself included, have struggled with so much dysfunction in our structure and meetings. I presently

February 1, 2009

Christian Standard

A Great Gathering for God”s Glory (The National Missionary Convention)

By Ziden Nutt From across the Americas and around the world nearly 4,500 people gathered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for inspiration, information, and instruction at the 61st National Missionary Convention, November 20-23. They came to praise God for what he is doing among those who dwell in every tribe and nation. They came from the smallest of language groups and the largest world-class cities, and places in between. Well over 100,000 registered in support of the convention. The program was designed for all ages, from little Johnnie in a stroller to Harland Cary in his 90s who had spoken at the

February 1, 2009

Christian Standard

Restoration Revolution

By David Empson What could happen if all of us worked together in a special emphasis to reach the lost? That”s the challenge of a number of people who have been working together on this dream for several months. Their vision: to set aside the years 2011 to 2020 for a new move of God in our churches, college ministries, and mission agencies. Dave Linn, who will serve as president of the 2010 National Missionary Convention in Lexington, Kentucky, proposed this idea to the NMC Continuation Committee during the most recent convention in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Inspired by Acts 13:2, Linn

February 1, 2009

Christian Standard

The Honeymoon Express (A Sojourn with the National Missionary Convention)

By Ziden Nutt All three couples scurried around with excitement to make the long journey from Ozark Bible College in Joplin, Missouri, to the 1958 National Missionary Convention in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Jim and Mary Moreland had been married for three days, Kent and Betty Mechem had been married for three weeks, and Helen and I for three months. It is no wonder the students at OBC named it the “honeymoon express.” Tibbs Maxey was president of the convention that year, and the program was extremely challenging. Men like Isaiah Moore, for instance, spoke on “Here Am I, Send Me.”

February 1, 2009

Christian Standard

Is It Time to Move Beyond Truth? (Part 3)

by Robert C. Kurka In the first article in this series, we explained a nonfoundationalist approach to theology given shape by Stanley Grenz”s and John Franke”s 2001 book, Beyond Foundationalism. As we noted then, their work contributed a number of helpful insights to those committed to making an impact upon the postmodern world. But it is also fraught with a number of serious problems restorationists should consider. Last week we looked at two areas where Beyond Foundationalism encounters critical difficulties: the Bible itself and church history. We conclude this week by considering two more of these areas: philosophy, and missions

February 1, 2009

Christian Standard

War . . . What Is It Good For? (Part 1)

By Karen J. Diefendorf   Maybe you remember the protest song from a generation ago, “War (What Is It Good For?).” The answer, of course, was . . . “absolutely nothin”!” I would debate that, as would many other veterans and citizens. The song points out many horrors of war, while assuming there are no horrors in “peace at any price.” No one longs for peace and the absence of war more than the men and women serving in the armed forces””the people who fight the wars. In my years in the military, I never knew any military leader who

January 25, 2009

Christian Standard

Stop! in the Name of Love!

  By Patti Cappa I am sure most of us remember the old Supremes” song “Stop! In the Name of Love.” In the 1960s I would stand on my fireplace hearth wildly singing it, just like Diana Ross, using a metal spatula as a microphone, but that”s not the story I want to relate hereSo often through the years at the clergy care center where I work, I have heard men and women say “they have been working so hard at ministry.” In fact, many are putting in 80 hours a week. They are counseling, organizing, going to meeting after

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