Series: Featured

My Call Has Shaped My Ministry

By Weston Williams Too often we think of call solely in terms of a personal leading. It definitely includes that, but a true call from God is so much more. In Acts 13, the Holy Spirit issued a call to Paul and Barnabas for a mission, which was affirmed (and heard) by the entire church. It wasn”t just Paul”s personal desire to go into ministry; the entire church heard and supported that call. My call, while not as dramatic, was amazingly affirmed by my ordaining church. I”ve talked with many other ministers in our tradition and have learned that not

March 11, 2016

The Church, the Heart of My Calling

By Guthrie Veech Olin Hay preached at South Louisville Christian Church near the University of Louisville in Kentucky. He loved football. Periodically, he would leave the office early to watch the Cardinals” football practice. One day a freshman quarterback rushed the ball down the muddy field only to be tackled by a huge linebacker. The quarterback stood up, covered in mud from head to toe, and said to Hay, “You gotta love the game, gotta love the game.” The freshman quarterback”s name was Johnny Unitas, who became perhaps the greatest quarterback in NFL history. That story reminds me of my

March 11, 2016

My Opus

By David Smith “Just stay around long enough to get a little experience and then move on to “˜greener pastures.”” That statement, among others, was what I heard when I moved to Moreland, Kentucky, in 1993 to start a ministry with Moreland Christian Church. What that actually means is, put in a little time, and then move to a more “reputable” church in our brotherhood with a higher salary. Well, 23 years later, God is still blessing our little church in the cornfield. In fact, after building a multipurpose building in 1999 and a new sanctuary in 2014, we bought

March 10, 2016

Our Challenges, My Peace

By Dan Lang Since my youth, the burning conviction to be a preacher moved me in the direction God wanted me to go. There was no escaping it. I was compelled. During training at Lincoln Christian University, Jesus” commission to make disciples of all people jelled for me as the simple but profound strategic mission that would shape the way I carried out my personal call to leadership ministry. A picture materialized of what my ministry in a local church might look like. I never dreamed I would be in my 28th year leading an increasingly diverse urban church with

March 10, 2016

Lessons from Limestone

By LeAnne Blackmore For the past 16 years my husband, Ron, and I have led, taught, cast vision, and ministered to many in our city megachurch, First Christian Church, Johnson City, Tennessee. From college ministry to missions, greeter to elder, we have stepped into roles as variegated as the fall foliage on the Blue Ridge Parkway. By man”s standards, we experienced great successes and toyed with the temptation to take the credit. But God, in his grace, also allowed us to face colossal failures. In merging the two extremes, and through immersing ourselves in the Word, a mutual mind-set surfaced.

March 7, 2016

I Look to Stay

By Casey Tygrett In 2007, I encountered a book that changed my life. The book was Hannah Coulter, a novel by Wendell Berry. I had previously read a Berry poem called “Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front.” With a title like that, how could you forget? In fact, one line stays with me even today: “Praise ignorance, for what man has not encountered he has not destroyed.” Even with that poem in mind, I wasn”t prepared for Hannah Coulter. The characters, the life, the unspoken but ever present faith””Berry”s book drew me in, and I couldn”t put it down. Once

March 7, 2016

Are You Sure It”s Time to Move On?

By Susan Lawrence Sometimes we think we”re done. It”s time to move on. We”re ready to be finished with a season because we”re exhausted or we see a better offer. Things aren”t going well, or things are going exceptionally well. For whatever reason, we assess (or rationalize) that God is prompting us to take a step away from where we are and move on to something else. When this is the case, and we”re ready to go, it”s hard when we sense God saying, “Wait just a minute.” It happened to Simon in Luke 5. Simon and other fishermen had

March 5, 2016

Bigger Than “˜Bigger and Better”

By Chris Travis On the one hand, I get it. If you want a picture of what a church is like, then the number of people who come on Sundays fills in a lot of information quickly. But does it tell the whole story? I think we all know it doesn”t, and yet, we”re really not sure how else to define success. “What are you running on Sundays now?” Three different people asked me that question within five minutes. This was not at a church planting conference. This was at my home church! People didn”t ask how my wife was

March 1, 2016

Mark A. Taylor

Why We Celebrate

This Easter editorial was written by Mark A. Taylor, CHRISTIAN STANDARD’s editor, the 11th in its 150-year history. It first appeared in the April 8, 2007, issue of the magazine. ____ By Mark A. Taylor Today Christians celebrate the resurrection of Christ for two reasons. First are the logical and historical evidences: “¢ Confused and afraid disciples became bold proclaimers of Christ”s resurrection after they saw it was true. Their testimony never wavered, even when it cost them their lives. Even if one man might have died for a lie or a fantasy, no one can explain why so many

March 1, 2016

“˜If a Man Die, Shall He Live Again?”

This Easter editorial was written by Sam E. Stone, CHRISTIAN STANDARD’s 10th editor. It first appeared in the March 30, 1986, issue of the magazine. ____ By Sam E. Stone When Eve stood with tear-filled eyes beside Abel”s grave, the question of the ages must have been in her heart. Will I see him again? Is there life beyond the grave? But it remained for that patriarch whose name is synonymous with human suffering to ask, “If a man die, shall he live again?” (Job 14:14). All of us have thought about this. We think of it when we stand

March 1, 2016

They Were Excited

This Easter editorial was written by Edwin V. Hayden, CHRISTIAN STANDARD’s ninth editor. It first appeared in the April 21, 1962, issue of the magazine. ____ By Edwin V. Hayden They were excited people””those folk who saw Jesus after He rose from the dead. They couldn”t contain themselves from telling what they had seen and heard. Their excitement didn”t wear off; it stayed with them as long as they lived. Because of it we in our land and time have access to Christ”s church and His gospel. Others now and generations to come will have that church and that gospel,

March 1, 2016

Now Is Christ Risen

This Easter editorial was written by Burris Butler, CHRISTIAN STANDARD’s eighth editor. It first appeared in the April 20, 1946, issue of the magazine. ____ By Burris Butler Now is Christ risen! This fact is more far-reaching in its implication than any other fact in history. As to Jesus himself, it proved beyond the possibility of doubt all His claims to be the Messiah of Israel, the son of God, and the Saviour of the world. Through it He was vindicated at the bar of justice. His death alone of all who have died was by it proved to be

March 1, 2016

The Unchanging Gospel of the Resurrection

Fifty years ago, in 1966, inÂ the centennial issue of CHRISTIAN STANDARD, theÂ editor reprinted Easter editorials from each of the nine editors who had served up to that time. This is one of those editorials. It was written by Isaac Errett, CHRISTIAN STANDARD’s founding editor, and one of 11 editors who have served the magazine during its 150-year history. This editorial appeared in the April 16, 1881, issue. ____ The Resurrection By Isaac Errett In the church of Christ the resurrection is a weekly, not an annual, festival. The soul”s interest in it is too vital to allow it to be

February 27, 2016

Book Reviews Reviews

Finding the Right Answers

By Matt Johnson Everyday Theology, as its subtitle promises, tells us How to Read Cultural Texts andÂ Interpret Trends.Â How does your faith speak to human rights, pop music, or designer funerals? Is there any benefit to buying a ticket for the latest Hollywood blockbuster? When should we embrace the hurry of modern American culture, and when should we slow down? What does the proliferation of the blogosphere mean to our culture and the church? Complicated questions have complicated answers, and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling you something less than the gospel. So I appreciated Everyday Theology (Grand Rapids:

February 25, 2016

Worship Worship & Prayer

The Upright

By Daniel Schantz It was a covert invasion of the world. Pianos began showing up everywhere, beginning inÂ the 1920s, quietly infiltrating homes and schools, churches and clubs, theaters and malls, bars and restaurants. Even wilderness camps, remote mission fields, and sod hutsÂ on the prairie soon had pianos. Little wonder the 20thÂ century was called “the golden age of the piano,” andÂ the piano was dubbed “the most popular musical instrument in the world.” Learning to play the piano was a rite of passage for many American children back then, a part of fine breeding, before our children were seduced by soccer and

February 25, 2016

Culture & Public Square

Theology in the Public Square

By T. R. Robertson Polarization. Insults. Railing against wrong. The apostle Peter showed approaches better than these for Christian response to injustice in government and society. A once great nation is in the throes of transition from a democratic republic to a de facto dictatorship. A neophyte has been given the reigns of power, to which some critics maintain he has no birthright. The gap between the super rich and the middle class is widening. People from other countries covet the benefits of citizenship, yet the nation”s reputation among the rest of the world is declining. Christians find themselves increasingly

February 22, 2016

Stewardship & Generosity

An Interview with Mike Prior

By Jennifer Johnson The president of Financial Planning Ministry since 1994 explains what FPM does and why it”s important.Â So let”s start with an overview of what Financial Planning Ministry is all about. Ultimately FPM is about helping people be better stewards. We accomplish this by educating people about their estate planning options and providing an estate planning solution called a living trust that allows them to easily avoid huge costs in probate and pass that “saved” money along to family members and ministries they care about. What”s a living trust? How is it different from a will? A will

February 21, 2016

Miscellaneous

2016 NACC Is Offensive!

By Wendy Fitzgerald A good defense isn”t enough to help us score against the enemy. Every year, Americans gather to watch two teams battle for the title of Super Bowl Champion. While the defensive, offensive, and special teams units are all important to a team”s success, the offense scores the most points. The same is true of our faith. As Christians, we are in a battle that can be won only if we engage offensively. As long as we have strong defense, the enemy will not score against us, but we need a good offense to score against him! When

February 20, 2016