October 13, 2025
The Poor Rich Church
This is the second in a series of weekly articles based on Christ’s letters to the seven churches in the book of Revelation. This week’s church is Smyrna.
Articles for tag: Abuse
June 17, 2025
Twentysomething … An Uncertain Age
The sooner we embrace our God-given identity, the sooner we will feel comfortable and confident in adulthood. However, the longer we look anywhere else for identity, the longer we will feel anxious and uncertain about life.
May 27, 2024
June 2 Application | ‘Daniel’s Graduation Speech’
"If he were around today, the prophet Daniel would be a natural choice for a graduation speaker," David Faust writes. "According to Daniel 1, he was intelligent and good looking, filled with leadership potential. Here are some points I think Daniel might have emphasized in a speech to young adults. . . ."
January 1, 2024
‘I’m Fine!’
By Jim Estep Upon seeing a familiar person in the church lobby and asking them, “How are you doing?” we all know the answer that is expected: “Fine!” . . . even if it is not true. I have often wondered what would happen if someone were open and honest about their struggles. “How’s it going?” “Well, do you really want to know?” I remember a church member calling to share about a family member who had suffered a heart attack. They asked for prayer and whether someone from the church could visit with their loved one and the family.
April 10, 2023
April 16 | Application (‘The Messiness of Ministry’)
Do you ever shake your head and sigh, 'Why is this world such a mess?'” David Faust asks. "Do you wish everyone would just get their act together and do what they’re supposed to do? . . ."
March 20, 2023
March 26 | Lead Me to Righteousness
Amos, the farmer prophet, pleaded with Israel to seek the Lord and live. Several unrighteous deeds were identified as needing to be eradicated. The most pronounced was idolatry. . . .
February 13, 2023
February 19 | Courage to Deny Oneself
Post-exilic Israel had returned home. The people had learned their lesson about idolatry following their 70-year spanking in Babylon. But they had fallen prey to other nuances of selfishness and would need to learn again the benefit of self-denial.
August 8, 2022
August 14 | Application (‘Don’t Lose Your Bearings’)
Long ago the prophet Ezekiel identified several danger signs of moral failure. How can we tell if our leaders are losing their bearings? Ezekiel 22 identifies five leadership pitfalls—ways the “princes of Israel” were veering off course.
April 20, 2022
News Briefs for April 20
News briefs from churches in Illinois, Florida, Missouri, West Virginia, and Tennessee, plus a Ukraine update from Glen Elliott.
March 16, 2022
News Briefs for March 16
A Florida church helped the Tavriski Christian Institute in Ukraine purchase a bus that enabled many to flee advancing Russing troops. Also, briefs about an upcoming leadership summit, a women's retreat, and more.
February 7, 2021
Strangers Start Path to Healing at Emotional Bible Study
By Dee Ann Billings On a recent night I got a glimmer of what a church would be like if Jesus were here in the flesh sitting amongst us. We often refer to Jesus as the giver of freedom—freedom from our sins and freedom from our pain. Unfortunately, the church oftentimes has become the opposite of that. That night was the first of a six-week Bible study called “In the Middle of the Mess.” We opened the class to the community, knowing there were hurting and struggling women who needed freedom from their pain. But we didn’t expect a roster
September 22, 2020
Beyond the Pandemic: How the Church Can Respond to Three Urgent Needs in Their Communities
By Kent E. Fillinger The full impact of COVID-19 goes well beyond the number of confirmed cases, the death toll, and the unemployment rate that many are tracking. The pandemic has exacerbated several preexisting problems like anxiety, depression, suicide, child abuse, drug abuse, and others. These often overlooked “killers” are affecting scores of Americans today, and some experts say these conditions have reached epidemic proportions. Dr. Elinore McCance-Katz, assistant U.S. secretary for mental health and substance use, said in late May, “The increase in the number of suicides, fatal drug overdoses and instances of domestic abuse will be broad, deep
April 19, 2019
How the Mighty Pastors and Preachers Fall
By Jerry Harris The announcement came in mid-January. James MacDonald, founding pastor of Harvest Bible Chapel, based in the Chicago area, was taking an immediate and indefinite sabbatical from all preaching and leadership in his ministry. The elders took this action in response to mounting criticism concerning leadership overreach, financial questions, and alleged abuse of staff and members over a 12-year period. Stories of this sort are becoming all-too-common among megachurch pastors . . . and they show no sign of slowing. The churches that provide platforms for these leaders represent tens of thousands of people. High-visibility, powerful-personality pastors and
January 30, 2019
Jay Craig Retiring after Long Career with Shiloh Christian Children’s Ranch
By Jim Nieman Jay Craig, who has served Shiloh Christian Children’s Ranch almost since its beginning in 1977, is retiring this week after nearly 40 years of service to about 700 youth who were once abused or neglected, but found refuge through the years at one of Shiloh’s six homes. Craig came on as the ranch’s administrator on Jan. 1, 1980, and later transitioned to direct fund-raising for the Christian nonprofit. Shiloh has a $2 million budget and operates primarily through the generosity of churches and individuals. (The ranch receives virtually no government funding.) Today about 50 children, ranging in
October 2, 2018
Christopher Columbus: Fellow Sinner in Need of God’s Grace
By Tom Claibourne Christopher Columbus was a lot like us, but his reputation and the holiday that bears his name have fallen on hard times. Not so many years ago, Columbus Day (October 8) prompted thoughts of daring adventure and the pursuit of new horizons. In recent times, it has become an occasion for divisive rhetoric and historical revision. Columbus the hero has become Columbus the villain. In reality, neither extreme is completely accurate. Was Columbus a man of faith? Yes. Did he desire to bring “the Word of God to unknown coastlands”? Yes. Was his Book of Prophecies filled
June 19, 2018
Our Link to Jesus
By Gene Shelburne In a very special way, Jesus is present in our pain. When Jerry Yamamoto was growing up as a Japanese boy in a mostly white neighborhood in California in the 1950s, he absorbed unimaginable abuse. He tried to explain to his playmates that he was innocent of Pearl Harbor, but none of them believed him. At times, he said, when the abuse got really rough, he went home and tried to wash his skin white. In early adulthood, Jerry faced a serious faith decision. Buddhism beckoned him to withdraw from the strife and struggle of this world
June 5, 2018
Blood Relatives
By Gene Shelburne The son born to Robert and Suzanne Massie was a normal baby in most respects. He had the correct number of fingers, toes, eyes, and ears. He was intelligent, probably a brighter-than-usual child. He cried, sucked, yowled, and wet his diaper just like other babies. Only one thing made Bobby Massie different. He was a hemophiliac. A bleeder. Little did Bobby’s parents suspect how crushingly cruel that difference would be—the abuse they would suffer from doctors, the fear that caused schools to refuse to educate Bobby and made the couple’s friends forbid their children to play with
January 29, 2017
Fostering the Good News
By Jon Hembree The county where I live has a serious problem. By all appearances, Barton County, a rural area that”s almost precisely the geographical center of Kansas, is a nice place to live. It”s population isn”t quite 30,000, and the people who live here are, in many ways, hardworking and kindhearted. This county, driven by agriculture and oil, offers quite a bit for the people who live here. The county enjoys a small zoo, a number of restaurants, a local water park, and, perhaps, the pièce de résistance: a 24-hour Walmart Supercenter! Woo-hoo! When digging beneath the surface of
February 16, 2016
Creating the Integrity of the Church
By Mark A. Taylor Peggy Noonan wrote in Saturday”s Wall Street Journal about “the general decline of America”s faith in its institutions,” and you can guess the institutions she listed: “the professions, the presidency, the Supreme Court,” and the one she mentioned first, the church. I”m assuming Noonan, a Catholic, thinks first of the church she knows best, and statistics suggest the Catholic Church in America is in trouble. According to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), a national nonprofit research center affiliated with Georgetown University, attendance at Mass in the U.S. declined from 55 percent of the
January 5, 2016
A Welcome””and More
By Mark A. Taylor It”s tough to be a child in America these days, especially if you”re one of the children described by statistics like these: “¢ One in 45 children in America experience homelessness each year, a total of 1.6 million children.1 “¢ More than five children die every day as a result of child abuse, and about 80 percent of these are under the age of 4. A report of child abuse is made every 10 seconds.2 “¢ One-third of American children””a total of 15 millions””are being raised without a father. Nearly 5 million more live without a
