December 20, 2025
Who’s That Guy?
Chad Broaddus tells us about reading the Christmas story with his family and how Quirinius reminds him of the authenticity of Jesus' birth.
Articles for tag: Bible Reading
November 5, 2025
The Missing Piece of the Great Commission
As those who have been charged with carrying out the Great Commission to go to all the world making disciples, let's remember that baptizing and teaching is not complete if obedience is not also taught and modeled by those who claim to follow Jesus.
May 1, 2024
Let God Speak: Restoring the Practice of the Public Reading of Scripture
When God’s people let God speak, lives are changed. . . .
July 1, 2023
Spiritual Formation 101: Three Guidelines for Meeting Our Moment
By Tyler McKenzie Spiritual formation has become a buzz phrase. It sounds sophisticated, all the influencers use it, and it’s a way to signal my friends that I am one of those neo-monastic types who reads poetry and welcomes strangers into my home. But what does it actually mean, and why does it matter? I believe this is an important discussion in our cultural environment. A spiritual formation mindset can help us reframe the discipleship conversations we are having in our churches to meet our moment. When I’m asked to talk about spiritual formation, I boil it down to three
July 1, 2022
Bible Genealogies: More Than Just Lists of Names
By Megan Rawlings In a new trend among Christian users of TikTok, videos show the faces of people reading genealogies from the Bible. The readers often appear to be trying to stay awake, or they skim through the lists pretending to be interested. There is a sense of, “Skip the names; it’s no big deal. What do they have to offer anyway?” And to an extent, I understand that. Reading or listening to a long list of unfamiliar, multisyllabic names of people you don’t know begetting more people you don’t know can be daunting. But we need to read those
January 11, 2022
In Farewell Sermon at Plainfield, Steve White Shares ‘Why I Love the Church’
Steve White preached his farewell sermon Sunday after serving with Plainfield (Ind.) Christian Church for 34 years. In that sermon, he shared the reasons he loves the church, and specifically, why he loves Plainfield Christian.
July 11, 2018
Church Doubles Scripture Reading Goal (Plus News Briefs)
By Chris Moon Redemption Christian Church in Jasper, Ind., discovered a powerful way to spur its members to begin reading the Bible. On the final Sunday of 2017, senior minister Darrel Land challenged the church to read—as a group—at least 500,000 verses of the Bible during 2018. The church created an online form so that members could submit the number of verses they read each day, week, or month. (To provide context, there are 31,102 verses in the Bible: the Old Testament has 23,145 and the New Testament has 7,957, according to various online sources.) “Here’s the deal: If we
February 27, 2017
Raise the Sails to Lead Your Group or Class
By Michael C. Mack As sailing is a partnership between man and nature, spiritual growth is a collaborative effort between you and God. The term for Spirit is the same for that of wind in both the Old and New Testaments. The Holy Spirit is the wind that provides the driving force of all spiritual growth. You cannot bring about spiritual growth in your own life or the lives of those you lead, but neither are you a passive bystander. As the Holy Spirit moves, you must become engaged in that driving force. As a small group leader or teacher,
January 6, 2015
The First Answer
By Mark A. Taylor Is your church healthy? Unfortunately, our quest to answer that question may send us looking in the wrong direction. Our tendency is to consider symptoms, not causes, of church health. We analyze statistics about giving or growth or participation, externals that may indicate how we”re doing but don”t tell how to make it better. What can we do to make our church healthier? The best answer””certainly the first answer””is to look in (not out), to cast our gaze upon ourselves. The function of any individual part affects the health of the whole. A quick look at
October 1, 2014
A Bad Year, a True Hero, and an Invitation to Wonder
By LeRoy Lawson Diary of a Bad Year J. M. Coetzee London: Harvill Secker, 2007 The Ruby Ring: Tyndale”s Battle for an English Bible Karen Rees Crosslink Publishing, 2013 Unwrapping Wonder: Finding Hope in the Gift of Nature Carol O”Casey Greeley: Gladach Publishing, 2013 I suppose it is because “misery loves company” that books by or about other old people get my attention, but that”s not the only reason. Sometimes old people write very good books. And younger people sometimes write very good books about old people. In the case of J. M. Coetzee”s Diary of a Bad Year, we
July 5, 2014
5 Things to Do at the NACC
By Susan Lawrence As usual, the North American Christian Convention is packed with possibilities. You might not know where to begin. If you”ve attended for years, you might drift through this year”s event””July 8 to 11 in Indianapolis””on autopilot. Or, perhaps you want to take in as much as possible, so you”ve highlighted your program to maximize every day from sunrise to well past sunset. Take a deep breath. The NACC isn”t just a program for you to power through. 1. Make eye contact. Notice people around you. Stroll. Sit. Savor. Don”t rush from one session to another and miss
April 22, 2014
How Would Jesus Use a Smartphone?
By Mark A. Taylor Scene One: We sit in a restaurant and look across the aisle at a young woman and her husband, out for dinner together. He”s playing with the digital ordering device at the table (it includes games), and she”s intent on her smartphone screen. They”re eating in the same booth, but they”re really not together. Scene Two: We”re at a beautiful time-share at the beginning of a weeklong vacation with Christian friends. After dinner we settle into comfortable chairs and the sofa in the living room, each of us with a laptop or tablet computer in our
February 27, 2014
What I”ve Learned About Teens and the Bible
By Curtis Booher What will it take to turn the tide of biblical illiteracy among young people? I contend it will require us to listen more than we talk. We should listen well to young people from every point of the illiteracy to literacy continuum. I have tried to listen to the students sitting in my Bible survey classes, and this is what I”ve heard: Model a Love for Scripture It”s not that students can”t read the Bible; they can. But really, why would they want to? When was the last time they saw their parents read the
January 7, 2014
Reading Again for the First Time
By Mark A. Taylor “Do professors have to be boring?” Dan Ariely”s answer to the college student who asked that question offers insight for Christians as well as academics. I can imagine a secular neighbor or friend asking, “Do Christians have to be “˜churchy”?” The student”s problem, posed to the Wall Street Journal advice columnist, was this: He had recently attended a lecture by a well-known professor and “was amazed and baffled” by the teacher”s inability to communicate even basic concepts in a compelling and understandable way. The student”s question, which got me to thinking about lifetime Christians like me:
December 31, 2013
A Spiritual Checkup
By Mark A. Taylor “What a difference a day makes.” We”ve all experienced the truth of that proverb, but when you substitute “year” for “day,” the changes can seem even more dramatic. Think about the year we”re finishing. In just those 12 months: Someone close was diagnosed with disease or cured from one. Romances blossomed or marriages dissolved. Neighbors came and went. Job layoffs or promotions changed a family”s lifestyle. Babies were born, and a loved one died. Year”s end can be a wonderful time to reflect on the rhythm of life. “We”re used to seeing the doctor for an
February 9, 2013
Living in Rhythm with Jesus
By Casey Tygrett Let”s face it. We can”t dance. Most of us, anyway. Perhaps you are one of the chosen few who can actually dance, but that takes rhythm. And the kind of rhythm involved in dancing is a gift I was not blessed with. There is no rhythm in this overcommitted and under-paused culture, either. But Jesus offers a solution for that. The rhythm we create for ourselves is fragile and broken and built on selfish foundations that turn and fade with the seasons of our lives. It”s not that our seasons aren”t important, but when we travel the
February 7, 2013
Seeking God
By Mark A. Taylor Throughout the month of February, you’ll find many articles on this site around the theme of spiritual formation. And you may wonder why. Barney Wells, a professor at Lincoln Christian University, says there”s a widespread “recognition that we need to go deeper in our preaching, teaching, and community life.” Jody Owens, professor of Bible and pastoral ministries at Johnson University, adds, “All ministers are aware this is a pressing need,” but “they”re finding little time to dedicate to intentional discipleship.” Those Christian college teachers, as well as several others included in Jennifer Johnson”s report, are giving their
January 18, 2013
Deeper Hunger for God”s Story
By Brian Mavis Eighty-five percent of American households have at least two Bibles. Eighty-five percent of Americans say they want to read their Bibles more.1 There”s an old saying, “Figures don”t lie, but liars figure.” Even so, the stats look promising, and it seems to me that Americans have the necessary ingredients””Bibles and motivation””to know God”s story better. Maybe having a deeper hunger for God”s Word isn”t “what”s next”; maybe it”s just what I wish was next. But if we listen to what people are saying, I do think it can be what”s next. In its REVEAL study, Willow Creek”s
October 9, 2012
An Aid to Cultural Context: Find This Book and Read It! (Part 5)
By Beth Guckenberger  Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus Ann Spangler and Lois Tverberg Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2009 This book came across my path several months after I returned from a trip to Israel. I had been talking nonstop about the insights I had gained while there and was fascinated by the cultural context I hadn”t understood before my visit. I read Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus in two days, taking notes on my laptop, thinking of all the people I wanted to read it. The book outlines Jewish culture and historical context for the lay
November 19, 2011
Vinyl Records Have Made a Comeback
By Josh Tandy The big black discs you put on a turntable and place a needle on to play are suddenly cool again. Maybe you”ve seen them only at Goodwill or garage sales. Maybe you were holding on to your collection and your mom sold it while you were at college, but vinyl is in. LP lovers seem to always talk about the full sound that is absent in digital formats. Or they rave about the album experience, hearing the entire piece as the artist intended. Digital music available on iTunes is popular because of the vast selection, near-perfect quality,
