Articles for tag: Compassion

June 26, 2017

Christian Standard

Lesson for July 2, 2017: Moses (Exodus 3)

Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teaches preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri. This lesson treatment is published in the June 25, 2017, issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott  One of the great characteristics of God is his interpersonal capacity. He communicates. He called judges to rescue his people (last month”s lessons). He also called prophets to prosecute his people (this month”s lessons). “Prophets don”t prepare messages. Prophets are messages” (Spirit, Word, and Story by Calvin Miller). Moses is often viewed as the great

March 31, 2017

Christian Standard

Good Funerals & Neighbors, Troubled Times

By LeRoy Lawson The Good Funeral: Death, Grief and the Community of Care Thomas G. Long and Thomas Lynch Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2013 A Tale of Two Cities Charles Dickens First published in 1859 The Neighboring Church: Getting Better at What Jesus Said Matters Most Rick Rusaw and Brian Mavis Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2016 The Good Funeral is about the importance of funerals in “getting the dead where they need to go and the living where they need to be.” Authors Thomas Long and Thomas Lynch like this maxim of Lynch”s father so well they made it the theme of

March 19, 2017

Christian Standard

Uphold the Cause

By T.R. Robertson When I identify myself with the outcasts of society that too many condemn or ignore, I am prepared to serve them in a way that pleases God. This past fall, during the heat of the presidential campaign, yet another political link appeared on my Facebook feed. The gist of the headline was that Muslims were threatening to leave the United States in protest. Typical clickbait””it didn”t tempt me to keep reading for the details. But I did notice the comments from people on Facebook, most of whom probably didn”t read beyond the headline either: “Good-bye!” “Thank the

October 25, 2016

Mark A. Taylor

Nice Advice

By Mark A. Taylor “Wow, it seems like Niceville is a place all of us would like to visit these days.” The radio host made a joke about the name of the Florida town where the call-in questioner lived. She was responding to a panel of newspaper reporters who had just commented on the unprecedented bitterness and divisiveness of the current U.S. presidential campaign. “It”s rare today to find an advocate for either candidate who can understand any good reasons to vote for the other,” he said. “Family members aren”t talking to each other,” another said. “People are shutting down

September 5, 2016

Christian Standard

Lesson for September 11, 2016: The Mountain of God (Isaiah 25:6-10a)

Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teaches preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri. This lesson treatment is published in the September 4 issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott  God does some of his most important work on mountains. God”s wrath against humankind”s evil was averted when the ark rested on Mount Ararat (Genesis 8:4). God”s test of Abraham”s faith took place on the mount he named The Lord Will Provide (Genesis 22:14). God”s law was given to his people on Mount Sinai (Exodus 19,

August 26, 2016

Christian Standard

Competition and Compassion

By Joe Boyd We live in a competitive culture. We see this at every turn, but are more aware of it every four summers when two cycles converge””the presidential election and the Summer Olympics. Both, in very different ways, show us that deep in our core we can”t help but compete. Of course, we don”t need these macro-events to know this. We”ve all been to a Little League game or a dancing competition where, seemingly, the kids are having a good time but the parents and coaches are driving the competitive fervor. It can seem we grown-ups spend a lot

August 14, 2016

Christian Standard

Why Them?

By Jennifer Johnson In her memoir Lit, Mary Karr quotes her father speaking about the well-off: “Born on third base, . . . and they think they hit a home run.” I was born on second base, at least, and when I was a kid the game was black and white. People who don”t have jobs should get them, if you”re a responsible and hard-working person you will be able to afford a place to live, and only those with lesser character would need a hand up or a handout. I never heard things put so starkly by my parents,

August 5, 2016

Christian Standard

The Summer of “66

By Victor Knowles It was the summer of 1966, and I was set to enter my junior year in Bible college in August. Three shocking events transpired that sultry summer 50 years ago. On June 6, civil rights activist James Meredith was shot while traveling in Mississippi. Fortunately, he survived. A few days later, on July 14, the city of Chicago became the scene of a horrific mass murder when Richard Speck killed eight student nurses. And just when I thought things couldn”t get worse, on August 1 an ex-Marine, Charles Whitman, barricaded himself atop the University of Texas Tower

July 31, 2016

Michael C. Mack

5 Steps for Getting Your Group or Class to Invite New People

By Michael C. Mack How do you get members to invite people to their groups? Here are five specific principles you can use to help the people in your group or class, even the shyest ones, extend invitations: 1. The leader must go first! Don”™t go to your group with the ideas below until you have personally done these things yourself. As a leader, you are an example, a model, for those entrusted to you (1 Peter 5:3). 2. Don”™t do anything else until you”™ve spent time with God. Every strategy you use, every word you say, everything you do

July 27, 2016

Christian Standard

Embracing the Imperfection of Being Human

By Jim Tune Those around men like Jean Vanier usually anticipate they will do great things. He is the son of Major-General Georges Vanier, who became the 19th governor general of Canada, serving from 1959 until his death in 1967. And his early years wrote a resume that depicts greatness. In his youth Jean Vanier received an elite education in Canada, England, and France. He served admirably in World War II and was a close companion to members of England”s royal family. After resigning his naval commission, he went on to complete a PhD in philosophy from the Institut Catholique

July 14, 2016

Christian Standard

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

March 23, 2016

Christian Standard

Ingenuity

By Jim Tune One of my favorite stories in the Bible is of the paralyzed man and his four friends. We aren”t told much about him, but we know he had four deeply compassionate friends who were determined to place him at the feet of Jesus (Mark 2:1-11). This man could do very little to help himself. He was completely dependent on others to feed him, bathe him, clothe him, and care for his other needs. Fortunately, the paralyzed man had friends who cared for him. Better yet, his friends also had initiative and ingenuity. They took him to the

February 7, 2016

Christian Standard

Thinking Theologically Changes Everything

By Jeff Faull The Book that Made Your World suggests that the Bible provided the framework that orders most of Western society today. Whether we realize it or not, most of us think theologically. The things we believe or fail to believe about God and his will shape our worldview and how we react to situations in life. Author Vishal Mangalwadi is so attuned to this concept that he published an entire volume entitled The Book that Made Your World with the subtitle How the Bible Created the Soul of Western Civilization (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2012). His thesis is that

October 1, 2015

Christian Standard

Pray for My Muslim Neighbors . . . and Yours

By Name Withheld When I was getting ready to leave my home church, I shared openly with a group of women about some of the unique struggles Islamic women face. I asked these ladies to consider covering me in prayer as I entered into the world of Muslim women. One woman came up to me after the service and told me her husband once said Muslims were the one people group he felt he could never love or accept. She asked me to join her in praying that the Lord would soften (and humble) his heart. Christianity Today recently published

September 9, 2015

Christian Standard

Paralysis, Condescension, or Love?

By Jim Tune How do you view the world? Too often I think our churches tend to see the world only as a mess””caught up in mindless trivialization, bereft of moral values, anti-church, and anti-Christian. Indeed, it is common today for many churches to see the world as the enemy. Unfortunately, rather than feeling heartbroken about it, we feel smug and righteous as we gleefully witness its downfall. Godlessness is its own punishment! The world is only getting what it deserves! That”s what it gets for not listening to us! In this, our attitude is the antithesis of Jesus” attitude

July 7, 2015

Mark A. Taylor

Still Painful

By Mark A. Taylor All the news about conservative churches and their response to those with same-sex attraction reminded me of a post I wrote three years ago. That week I challenged  the church to demonstrate both grace and truth as we discuss this difficult issue and reach out to those celebrating and seeking gay marriage. Follow the links in the below post to even older posts, and you’ll see a constant message urging us to find ways to show gays that Jesus loves them. More than once in recent years, CHRISTIAN STANDARD has advocated for compassion toward homosexuals. We

March 20, 2015

Christian Standard

“˜Whiter Than Snow”

By David Ray Rising to an elevation of more than 9,000 feet, Mount Hermon is a commanding presence at the northern edge of Israel. Its towering summits are usually snowcapped throughout the winter. In fact, today these mountains are home to Israel”s only ski resort. The melting snows help feed the Sea of Galilee and Jordan River valley far below. A psalmist poetically describes it as “the dew of Hermon” (Psalm 133:3) that falls toward Mount Zion. Snow is fairly rare in most of Israel. Jerusalem and its environs receive an occasional dusting, but seldom is there any real accumulation.

December 3, 2014

Jim Tune

perplexity

Mary, Most Perplexed

Jim Tune, Mary, Luke 1, MMPI, Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, perplexity, doubt, authenticity, Abraham and Sarah, Elijah, Jezebel,

Help Keep Christian Standard Free & Accessible with a Tax Deductible Donation

We can do more together!

Every gift makes a difference!

No, thank you.
100% secure transactions - receipts provided.
Does Your Church Want to Support Christian Standard?

Would your church consider including support for Christian Standard in its annual missions budget? Your support would help us not only continue the 160-year legacy of this unifying ministry, but also expand the free resources, cooperative opportunities, and practical guidance we provide to strengthen churches in the U.S. and around the world.

We can do more together!

Every gift makes a difference!

No, thank you.
100% secure transactions - receipts provided.
Secret Link