Articles for tag: Elizabeth Gilbert

June 15, 2016

By Jim Tune Just over two years ago Mark Taylor asked if I would write for Christian Standard regularly. He offered me the back page and the opportunity to write on a weekly basis online and once a month for the print edition. That”s 450 words, 52 times a year. Occasionally I sail up over the 500-word mark. Brevity is always a tough challenge for me. Mark and I kicked around a couple of possible titles for my column. I submitted four or five suggestions, but we ended up going with Mark”s title: “A Different Tune.” It really is a

June 8, 2016

Christian Standard

Worship Worship & Prayer

“˜American Idol” Comes to Church

By Jim Tune The tension was almost unbearable. Fourteen anxious people awaited their turn to perform. The audition would be rigorous. Most of them had been through tryouts before. Nearly all of them were young, fit, and attractive. Every single one of them could sing or play an instrument proficiently, but only one would make the cut. After all, this was the church and only the exceptionally gifted would be chosen to perform on Sundays with the worship team. I think our contemporary culture has developed an unhealthy obsession with discovering talent. From youth sports to spectacular TV shows like

March 14, 2016

Christian Standard

Discipleship & Spiritual Formation

Eat, Pray, Love?

By T.R. Robertson Is there a difference in the way we Christians talk about calling versus how the rest of our culture pursues calling?Â It”s certain many outside the church today have great interest in calling and identity. How can Christians be missionally purposeful in relating to that interest, especially when non-Christians may talk about calling with the same words Christians use? Oprah Winfrey is a touchstone of all that is popular in the culture at large. If it”s cool, she”ll be talking about it. If it”s not cool yet, she makes it cool by bringing it up. Winfrey has

March 4, 2015

Christian Standard

Devotionals

Life Starts Now

By Jim Tune Most people live their whole lives on either side of now. In her memoir, Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert writes about a friend who, whenever she sees a beautiful place, exclaims in a near panic, “It”s so beautiful here! I want to come back here someday!” Gilbert writes, “It takes all of my persuasive powers to try to convince her that she is already here.” Often we”re so trapped in thoughts of the future or the past that we forget to experience, let alone enjoy, what”s happening right now. Most negative thoughts concern one”s past. Most anxious