Articles for tag: Comfort

December 18, 2018

Christian Standard

A Mirror in the Manger

(This Communion Meditation originally appeared in our issue from December 26, 2004.)   By Lee Magness But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons (Galatians 4:4, 5). The scene is a sparse hill in ancient Judea, not far from Jerusalem. Nearby is a cave. Jesus wears one meager garment. Mary watches, wondering what it all means. A man stands by, not the father of Jesus, but the one who will care for her. Beneath Jesus are

October 13, 2018

Christian Standard

Taking Our Q&A to the ‘Next Level’

We sat down with Macon A. Gibe, best-selling author of The Intentional Pastor, Reaching the Next Level, and Isolating Your Church’s DNA, to discuss ministry and church trends and how to best leverage and engage them. _ _ _ QUESTION: Mr. Gibe, you’ve published three best-selling books for churches and church leaders. To what do you owe your incredible success? ANSWER: It was no accident, I can tell you that! Seriously, I would attribute it to three things: intentionality, aspirational thinking, and a cursory understanding of science.   Q: Your first book, back in 2002, was Isolating Your Church’s DNA.

August 20, 2017

Christian Standard

LOVEtheLOU: Demonstrating and Declaring the Gospel in North St. Louis

By Walt Wilcoxson North St. Louis, Missouri, is a place of contrasting realities: rich and poor, black and white, peaceful and violent, hopeful and hopeless. These distinctions are visible and well known. The term “Delmar Divide” neatly sums it up, as Delmar Boulevard divides this area”s poorer, larger African-American community to its north from the more affluent (and largely white) communities to the south. Families and young people who are among the “have-nots” of North St. Louis encounter desperation and despair every day. On this hot and humid morning just before lunchtime, Lucas Rouggly and I stood watching as a

January 29, 2017

Christian Standard

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

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 16, 2016

Christian Standard

Movie Nights

By Glen Elliott The church has struggled to find ways not to settle with the comfort of sameness. Significant portions of the New Testament letters deal with racial division (see Ephesians 2 and James 2 as examples) and the unity that is to be a hallmark of God”s people. That”s why Paul reminds us, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). Paul says those who have been baptized and put on Christ are one in Christ regardless of ethnicity, economic status,

March 10, 2016

Christian Standard

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.

August 1, 2015

Michael C. Mack

4 Simple Reminders for Small Group Leaders This Fall

By Michael C. Mack This is perhaps the busiest time of the year for small group leaders. If you oversee the groups in your church, you”re probably a couple weeks into a fall campaign. If you lead a group, you”re gearing back up for the fall. Either way, where do you go from here? Here are four simple encouragements. 1. Pray! Leaders can get so busy this time of year that their time with God gets crowded out. Don”t let it happen! Right now you should be spending more, not less, time with God. Pray for your group. If you

July 22, 2015

Christian Standard

Sweet Sorrow

By Jim Tune One of my favorite books (and I like the movie, too) is the classic The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Czech writer Milan Kundera. In his book, the heroine, Teresa, struggles to be at peace with life when it”s not heavy, when it”s too much lightness, sunshine, and seemingly carefree””when it”s devoid of the anxieties that hint at darkness and mortality. She feels the constant need for gravitas, for some heaviness that says life is more than simply the present flourishing of health and comfort. For her, lightness equals superficiality. Most of us prefer sunshine over shadow,

July 8, 2015

Christian Standard

God Tastes Like Fire

By Jim Tune German Anabaptist teacher Hans Hut endured the heat of persecution when he refused to have his child baptized. He was arrested in 1527 during a meeting with other Anabaptist leaders in Augsburg, Germany. Hut was tortured horribly, and died of asphyxiation during a fire that consumed the Augsburg prison on December 6, 1527. The next day, the authorities sentenced his dead body to death and burned him. A man of deep convictions and reverence for God, Hut described the holiness of God: “God tastes like fire.” God appears as flame frequently in Scripture, consuming at one moment,

May 22, 2015

Christian Standard

To Comfort All Who Mourn (Isaiah 61:1-3)

By Neal Windham The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners . . . to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion (Isaiah 61:1-3). Jesus loved Isaiah. Again and again, our Lord turned to the trusted old prophet to help orient his disciples in the compassionate ways of the kingdom. For example, he began the Sermon on the Mount

March 14, 2015

Michael C. Mack

The Ministry of Encouragement

Author Rob Bentz describes encouragement as “a blast of gospel-centered truth into a mundane and murky situation.” As Christ followers, and especially as those who seek to minister to others, we need encouragement. “It”s something we must passionately pursue for ourselves and intentionally seek to offer to others on the journey,” Bentz says in his book, The Unfinished Church: God”s Broken and Redeemed Work-in-Progress (Crossway Books, www.crossway.org). What can we do about this tremendous need in our lives? Bentz provides three straightforward suggestions: 1. Seek it out. Invite close friends, mature believers, and people whose faith journey you admire to

May 2, 2014

Christian Standard

Cleansing from Heaven

By Nancy Karpenske What does a car wash have in common with Communion? I”m not talking about the do-it-yourself car wash. Picture instead the one where you pull up, align your car correctly, and drive in. You sit in the comfort of your car, proceeding slowly through first the water, then the soap, then the powerful spray, then more rinsing, perhaps even blow-drying. Your car emerges spotless and shiny. You haven”t really lifted a finger. It reminds me of a popular Christian song by Todd Agnew. In “Grace Like Rain” he says God washes away all our stains, just like

August 21, 2011

Christian Standard

A Clear Choice in a Coarse Culture

By Mark A. Taylor How do God”s people live in an ungodly world? The answer we”ve repeated most often usually includes the formula, “In the world, but not of the world.” Not as often have we enunciated specific guidelines for how to know whether the church is influencing culture more than culture is influencing the church. Perhaps there was a day when the issue wasn”t as critical as now. Some of us remember a time when the messages of our culture seemed to reflect biblical values. People didn”t swear or shack up on television. Unwed mothers and gay activists weren”t

June 12, 2011

Christian Standard

Sustained by the Word

By Kay Moll I was 22 years old. My husband of eight months had left our home in Illinois to travel to Homecoming at Johnson Bible College in Tennessee early on a snowy February morning with five teenagers from the small congregation we were serving in Illinois. A small group of us from the church had prayed with them for safety on the trip and watched them drive away. A little while later I went to the junior high school where I was teaching English and history and began my workday. Around 10:00 a.m., a fellow teacher stuck her head

March 17, 2010

Christian Standard

Life is Hard, and That”s OK

By Mark A. Taylor I”ve thought a lot about the churches I know, the parachurch ministries I”ve seen, and the work situations I”ve experienced. My conclusion: There”s a problem with all of them. To one degree or another, they”re all broken. In fact, some are shattered messes. Every senior minister or elder or boss or chief executive has a blind spot. And some at the top are plagued by self-interest, paranoia, or a true incompetence they”re frantic to hide. Every organization chart, while conceived to solve problems, thereby creates new difficulties for those who must function within it, bound by

January 21, 2009

Christian Standard

Notes From a Trip to a Place I Never Thought I”d Visit

By Mark A. Taylor The notion of visiting the nation of Jordan had never entered my mind. But now that I”ve gone, I”d recommend the trip to anyone. In eight days last November, almost 20 Christian writers, editors, and reporters had the chance to taste the delights of Jordan in a tour arranged just for us. For many it was a first-time visit. For most, it won”t be the last. Many readers of Christian Standard might wonder whether to include a visit to Jordan in a Holy Land tour itinerary. Definitely, I”d say, “Go there!” Visit to see biblical sites

September 21, 2008

Christian Standard

NACC Viewpoints: Teens Need the NACC

By Phyllis Fox The 2008 NACC Teen Convention renewed my hope in God”s promise to “send more workers to the harvest field” as the students in our churches pursue his call for their lives. Here are five reasons why the NACC and our fellowship of churches should be pleased to continue their investment in our students and those who are called to lead them: “¢ Teens want and need to be challenged. On Wednesday night of the convention, the young people heard the message that God”s call isn”t just a career choice but a lifestyle. Following him will take us

March 23, 2008

Christian Standard

How to Maximize Your Power of Love

By Victor M. Parachin One day in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a car was stolen. As the thieves began stripping the vehicle they came across papers identifying the owner as Fred Rogers, host of the children”s television program Mr. Rogers” Neighborhood. They quickly reassembled the car, cleaned and vacuumed it, and returned it with this handwritten note of apology under the wiper: “We”re sorry. We didn”t know it was your car.” Who else could have had such an effect on a group of thieves? What was it about Fred Rogers that could make criminals reconsider their actions? What did those thieves see

October 28, 2007

Christian Standard

Extraordinary Living

By Lisa Jernigan How did you celebrate your last birthday? Did you have a big party, or maybe a quiet celebration with family and friends, or was it just another ordinary day? Was it a time of reflection of the past or anticipation of the future? I recently celebrated a birthday that kinda” stopped me in my tracks! Though it wasn”t a “milestone” birthday (that”s next year!), it did grab my attention and cause me to take inventory of my life. People are often asked who their heroes or role models are. When I am asked that question, several people

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