Articles for tag: Brian Jennings

June 14, 2020

Ben Cachiaras

Why Are We Shooting at Each Other?

(This article is a sidebar to Ben Cachiaras’s “The Separation of Church and Hate”; that article and this sidebar both appear in our July 2020 issue.) Three Changes We Must Make to Stop the Infighting and Get Back to the Mission By Ben Cachiaras In his excellent book Dancing in No Man’s Land, Brian Jennings describes the elaborate bunkers used in World War I. Soldiers hunkered in deep trenches for months, close enough to shoot at their enemies but separated from them. They might raise up their head to hurl a grenade or take a shot, but they had to

February 2, 2019

Christian Standard

Rewritable

By Brian Jennings “Man, I don’t have any rewritable CDs. I don’t think anyone still has rewritable CDs.” My words failed to calm him down. De-escalation seemed impossible. He got louder and angrier. He took a step forward and I was thinking, It’s about to go down—right here, right now. Twenty minutes earlier I’d asked my friend, José, if he wanted to walk from our office to my favorite lunch spot in the neighborhood. I was in the mood for Korean food—I’m always in the mood for Korean food. About a half-mile of worn-out parking lots and side streets separated

March 30, 2017

Christian Standard

The Best Sermon I”ve Ever Heard (21)

By Arron Chambers These Christian leaders tell about sermons you might like to hear too.   David Springer David Springer grew up as a preacher”s kid in Mount Vernon, Ohio, with his four siblings and parents, Ken and Mel Springer. He graduated from Johnson University, Knoxville, Tennessee, in 2011. He met his wife, Brittany, their freshman year at Johnson. He serves as associate minister for youth with Northside Christian Church in Georgetown, Kentucky. Brittany and David have two children, Lyla and Landry. David”s Best Sermon: The best sermon I have ever heard for youth was by Jeff Walling, director of

November 12, 2016

Christian Standard

When God Brought the Homeless: An Interview with Ed Taylor

By Brian Jennings Ed Taylor took the leap of faith to plant a church in Arlington Heights, an upscale suburb of Chicago, three years ago. My soul was blessed to hear how Quest Church opened her arms to the people God surprisingly sent their way. If I had a nickel for every friend who went from overseeing university standardized testing to planting a church, I guess I”d have one nickel. How did you get from there to here? I”d worked at the University of Iowa for about 10 years when I started leading worship at Iowa City Church of Christ.

September 16, 2016

Christian Standard

Lead to Freedom

By Brian Jennings When Israel returned home after 70 years of captivity, their walls lay in ruins, their memories of God”s Law had faded, and their citizens were vulnerable. Without leadership, everything might have crumbled again. Ezra and Nehemiah emerged as two of the greatest leaders in Scripture. While dozens of leadership principles ripple through this story, here are four essential ones for leading people to freedom. 1. Lead by Studying “For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel” (Ezra 7:10). The word

June 25, 2016

Christian Standard

A Church Family for All People

By Brian Jennings and José Heredia If you walked around our urban neighborhood, you”d find a mix of ethnicities, cultures, and skin colors (about 30 percent minority and growing). You”d meet widows who”ve lived in their homes for 40 years and couples restoring the floors of their first home. You”d also see lots of apartments, several of which house people with poverty, hunger, disability, or struggles with mental illness. A few years ago, the Holy Spirit began compelling us to take steps toward ethnic, generational, and socioeconomic diversity. We have a great church of loving people, but we acknowledged that issues

May 16, 2016

Christian Standard

Trading Places: Learning from a Unique Staff Transition

By Brian Jennings Dave Dunson and Brian Jennings didn”t exactly exchange places on their church staff. But Dunson gave up the senior ministry to move to another staff ministry position while Jennings moved from youth ministry to become the lead minister. Here”s why and how it happened. Highland Park Christian Church has been ministering to people in the heart of Tulsa, Oklahoma, for almost 60 years. In 2004, we first began talking about a future staff transition. Everything about our situation felt unique; we weren”t planning on anyone leaving or retiring. Dave Dunson came to the church as senior minister

January 9, 2016

Christian Standard

Equipping Parents to Lead Their Family

By Brian Jennings Most scholars agree that Hannah brought Samuel, her son, to the temple around the age of 3 or 4. Even though Samuel was a boy, 1 Samuel 1:28 says, “He worshiped.” Even children can worship, but is the church equipping parents to lead their children to worship? If you are a parent, the sacred responsibility of spiritually leading your children rests primarily on your shoulders. However, life wars against your ability to lead your family well. Busyness wars against you. Frustration wars against you. Stress wars against you. Self-doubt wars against you. Laziness wars against you. Past failure

November 30, 2015

Christian Standard

Why White Christians Just Don”t Get It

By Brian Jones If you”re angrier with rioters for looting and pillaging than with the event that preceded it””the killing of an unarmed black man by police officers””there”s a really good chance you just don”t get it. Let me explain. One of my favorite memories growing up was going to the police station with my grandfather, who was a Franklin County sheriff in Columbus, Ohio. He pretended to lock me up in cells, fed me prison food, introduced me to all the guards, and allowed me to sit in his cruiser and turn the siren on. My grandfather was a

June 28, 2015

Michael C. Mack

Best Practices for Elders Discipling Younger Men

By Michael C. Mack QUESTION: We, as elders, are looking at discipling some of the younger men. Can you suggest some of the best programs or curriculum?  ANSWERS: “Start an authentic personal relationship with them. If this doesn”t happen, nothing else will. I work in corporate America, in addition to my roles in the church. I have seen in both entities efforts to “˜assign” mentors, and this just doesn”t work. You have to have a relationship with someone before you can mentor them.” “”Michael Fountain, elder, Minerva (Ohio) First Christian Church “My most fruitful times of discipleship have been very

January 19, 2015

Christian Standard

Carpet Splitting

By Brian Jennings As a young man still in Bible college, Chuck Thomas was invited to preach at First Christian Church in Gotebo, Oklahoma. The church was searching for a new preacher. Chuck accepted, and drove to the small town the following Sunday. Chuck noticed the church (both the building and the people) seemed split down the middle. Both sides had their own Communion table, and their own elders, who separately prayed and served their half of the congregation. This strange division bewildered Chuck and his wife, Anita. A friendly family invited them over for Sunday lunch. After eating, Chuck

December 19, 2014

Christian Standard

From Jaded to Joyful

Brian Jennings I knew how the game worked. Someone would walk into our church office, request to speak to a preacher, ask for prayer, and then tell a dramatic story of misfortune. They needed money and they needed it now. Their sister was dying of cancer in Nebraska. Their job interview started in 20 minutes on the other side of town. Their friend betrayed them and they needed a hotel for just one night. Each new crisis dealt me two options: cruelty or gullibility. Would I shun compassion or stewardship? The scenario repeated daily. The issues of poverty defeated me.

March 30, 2014

Christian Standard

Reclaiming Preaching

By Brian Jennings I recently sat down, opened a magazine, and read the following quotes: “If you could change people”s minds about something, what would it be?” “Until you know the truth you”re trying to convey to an audience, your work isn”t finished.” You could probably find similar statements in a dusty book on preaching, but I found them in the January/February 2008 issue of Creative Screenwriting. I did not start reading this magazine to search for sermon tips (at least, not at first). I read it because I love video production. My love for video production started with a comedic,

March 1, 2014

Christian Standard

Five Questions to Ask if Your Child Wants to Be Baptized

By Brian Jennings 1. Has your child studied intently? Encouraging your child to study on her own (along with learning in special classes or church settings) is a great step. You should be studying too, but allow her the responsibility to study some on her own. 2. Does your child feel guilt from sin and love of God? Motives matter. A child may want to be baptized because he saw a friend receive attention, he desires to please his parents, or maybe he really just wants to take Communion. Obviously, these are not the best motives. My experience teaches me

August 2, 2011

Christian Standard

What Does God Say About Race?

By Brian Jennings “People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). We usually focus on the second truth in that sentence, but it”s healthy to remember the first: “People look at the outward appearance.” Not only in Samuel”s time, but in all the years since then, people have been looking at the outward appearance. While we”ve come a long way, still today we struggle. My wife and I have two boys. In July 2009, we had the blessing of adopting our first daughter, Shurabe, who is from Ethiopia. Four months later, my

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