Articles for tag: A Better Story

From Vile to Victory

By Matt Proctor “I remember being in the bars at 3 years old with my mother singing in the bands,” says Juliet Rose. Juliet was born into addiction. Her mother drank heavily, and her dad was a drug addict. Her mother married another man when Juliet was 4, and “that”s when monsters became real.” Her new stepdad molested her for the next five years. She always felt alone. “I had no friends, so I quit school in the ninth grade. I had no education, no life skills.” At 16, she fled to Las Vegas, where she survived as a prostitute.

July 15, 2016

Full Circle

By Raymond Bodley His name was Larry, a 20-year-old soldier who came into the church in Frankfurt, Germany, in the 1980s. When he arrived, he seemed to be running from what he thought was expected of him, while also searching for where God could use him. I wondered how he fit into the U.S. Army mold, though he was really smart. When I met Larry, he was a “gun bunny” who carried howitzer shells from point A to point B. After he dropped two or three shells, however, the command decided to make him a driver for a captain. That

July 15, 2016

Care & Counseling Grief & Suffering

A Child Named Faith

By Tim Spivey Greg came to live a better story even through the tragedy of losing an infant child just hours after birth. Greg and his wife (who was a Christian) suffered that unspeakable loss. After I preached the funeral for their dear child, Greg surprised me by asking to study the Bible, and I was thrilled to baptize him into Christ a couple of months later. He eventually became a drummer in our worship band, sporting a large, lifelike tattoo of his recently passed daughter on one arm. He and his wife conceived a second child but were told

July 14, 2016

From the Mess to a Message of Hope

By Dave Stone Lindsay Knight remembers the hopelessness. It stalked her as a college student, when she had seen too much and been loved too little. It was in the back of her mind as she chased self-worth in being pretty, thin, a good athlete, popular, and successful. After a long string of abusive, destructive relationships left her homeless, alone, and broke, she took the one “yes” she found””to work at a local strip club. It didn”t take long for her to see life at the club wasn”t so glamorous””she didn”t make a lot of money and she didn”t like

July 14, 2016

Transformed by God”s Grace

By Pat Magness The before and after photographs probably wouldn”t look that different. Both pictures would show a handsome, tall, athletic young man with a big smile. Unlike the transformation depicted in before and after pictures for a weight loss promo or exercise video, this transformation was not in looks, but in attitudes and actions. When I knew him “before,” he was self-absorbed, careless with the feelings of others. Some might have called him arrogant, and while he was never lazy, he often looked for the easy way. Perhaps most disturbing, he treated his sweetheart of a girlfriend with a

July 12, 2016

Mark A. Taylor

Your Story Is Not About You Alone

By Mark A. Taylor Like every great novel or memorable movie, your story has a cast of compelling characters. And no matter how much you may hear about telling or improving your story, it will never be about you alone. These other characters in your story set its plot even before you were born. Your parents and theirs, your siblings and your childhood have all colored and directed your story, probably in ways you don”t realize. This is why your counselor pokes and prods to know more about your family and your growing-up years. Your story is not about you

July 11, 2016

Christian Living

Bad News or Good News?

By T.R. Robertson The narrative of bad news dominates our culture, a cultureÂ that increasingly sees religion as a major purveyor of bad news. “We”re living in a day and age that the news media is a drug-pusher. And negative news is their drug,” says Dr. Peter H. Diamandis. “And on every device that we get””our cell phones, our smart phones, our laptops, our newspapers, our radios””we are fed negative news 24 hours a day, seven days a week, over and over and over again.” Diamandis, speaking in 2013 at a conference called “Global Future 2045: Towards a New Strategy for

July 10, 2016

Theology & Bible

The Gospel: God”s Better Story

By Rubel Shelly The BibleÂ is a six-actÂ dramaÂ reflectingÂ the lightÂ of our Creator. Ivan Illich (1926″“2002) was an Austrian philosopher and former Catholic priest. As he became increasingly critical of modern education, consumerism, health care, and Western social values in general, he pondered the larger question of how to change society. When asked whether violent revolution or gradual reform was the better way to effect change, he replied: Neither revolution nor reformation can ultimately change a society, rather you must tell a new powerful tale, one so persuasive that it sweeps away the old myths and becomes the preferred story, one so inclusive

June 22, 2016

A Better Story

By Jim Tune In just a few weeks Claudia and I will be on our way to Anaheim, California, for the 2016 North American Christian Convention. President Dave Stone has put together a great program, and the theme, “A Better Story,” is especially appropriate considering the convention is happening in Walt Disney”s backyard. Walt Disney loved a good story and devoted his life to helping people imagine a better world and a magical future. He was tireless in his optimistic vision of a better tomorrow. The creation of Tomorrowland at Disneyland (and later at Walt Disney World) was the realized

February 21, 2016

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

NACC 2016: The Destination Is Worth the Journey

By Arron Chambers This past summer, instead of traveling across the country, we decided to have a staycation and experience some of the beauty and wonders close to home. My wife, who apparently also wanted us to experience a great deal of pain and discomfort, was intent that we all climb the Manitou Incline. The Manitou Incline is a popular hiking trail rising above Manitou Springs, Colorado. The 2,744-step trail is the remains of a railway whose tracks washed out during a rockslide in 1990. The incline is as steep as 68 percent in places, making it a difficult fitness

February 19, 2016