Articles for tag: Father

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,

June 3, 2015

Christian Standard

Father Life

By Jim Tune I once heard a preacher tell of a tormented young woman who attended his church. He described her as being broken in ways so shattering he doubted she”d ever get all of those broken parts fixed. Her father had abandoned the family when she was a young girl. Her longing for a father grew so intense that when other dads in the neighborhood mowed their lawns, she grabbed her rag doll and walked next to them, back and forth, while they cut the grass. She remembered being hopeful every time she heard a lawn mower start because

May 29, 2015

Christian Standard

Cruciform Ministry (Romans 5:8)

By Neal Windham Garrison Keiller tells the story of how Clarence Bunson (at least, I think it was Clarence), a mainstay in Keillor”s fictional town of Lake Wobegon, lay cruciform, frozen to the roof of his Minnesota home in the thick of winter. Bunson had gone out to clean the snow off his roof and, tired from his work, had fallen asleep. Meanwhile, his wet clothing bonded to the frozen roof, rendering him immobile. Neighbors asked whether anything was wrong, and with characteristic Norwegian restraint he responded again and again, “No, I”m fine.” We know his character well, don”t we?

March 1, 2015

Christian Standard

Take Advantage of Special Days to Launch New Groups!

By Michael C. Mack There are several key seasons for launching new small groups or classes, says Mark Howell, pastor of communities at Canyon Ridge Christian Church in Las Vegas, Nevada, and founder of SmallGroupResources.net. The end of September/beginning of October is a great time to help new arrivals connect through new groups. The end of January/first part of February is a great time to help New Year”s resolution and “turn-over-a-new-leaf” people take a spiritual next step. Right after Easter is another good time to run a small group connection or launch new groups. Special days like Mother”s Day and

October 13, 2014

Christian Standard

Lesson for October 19, 2014: I Will Call on God (Job 5; 24; Psalm 55:12-23)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. It is published in the October 12 issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Sam E. Stone  Last week”s study focused on Job 19. After that section, more attacks followed by Job”s friends, Zophar (chapter 20) and Eliphaz (chapter 22). They continued to insist that Job was guilty of serious sin. To them, all that happened to him was obviously God”s punishment for wrongdoing. Job, however, declared his wish to have access to God”s presence so that

July 16, 2014

Christian Standard

Father Knew Best

By Don Wilson (From our series “The Best or Worst Advice I”ve Ever Received.”) The best advice I ever received in ministry was from my father. We would talk on the phone every Saturday morning, and the last thing he would say to me was, “Love your wife and preach the Word.” Those words have helped me remain faithful to my wife for over 45 years and preach at the same church for more than 32 years. Don Wilson serves as pastor of Christ”s Church of the Valley, Peoria, Arizona.

July 8, 2014

Christian Standard

My Only Hope

By Jim Tune When I read the Gospels, I encounter a Jesus who proclaims peace for the fringe dwellers. Indistinct and frequently offensive, they reached for his cloak, cried out in desperation, or fell forward to make contact with real love. Convention would treat them as nonpersons, insisting they be kept barely visible and hidden behind a veil of shame. But Jesus was unconventional. Life”s losers sense this. They crash the party and find themselves not only accepted, but favored and blessed as well. With Jesus, they get the seats of honor. For someone with as many opportunities as I”ve

April 18, 2014

Christian Standard

Passion

By Jeff Faull Did you ever try one of those love tester machines at the mall? You drop your coin in and grasp the handle as all your friends watch. The buzzers sound and the lights flash and the machine tells you your “love quotient.” You might be hot, passionate, burning, wild, mild, harmless, clammy, all the way down to cold or blah. Have you ever wasted a quarter on that? By the way, those machines came out in the 1930s and are totally random in their rating selection. Maybe that bursts a bubble for some of you, or perhaps

December 24, 2013

Mark A. Taylor

We Follow Too

By Mark A. Taylor  “Where he leads me, I will follow.” That was Mary”s decision, finally, after she had expressed her confusion about the message the angel brought her. “I am the Lord”s servant,” she said. “May your word to me be fulfilled” (Luke 1:38). Joseph, with his own set of doubts, decided he would obey God, too. When God”s messenger explained to Joseph that his fiancée was pregnant by action of the Holy Spirit, “he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him” (Matthew 1:24). Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, obeyed God”s will, too, although

November 15, 2013

Christian Standard

JUST ONE: Swish!

TRUE STORIES OF WORLD CHANGERS WHO STARTED ALONE: This month we share stories of individual Christians who couldn”t wait for others to tell them when to help the hurting and share the gospel. Their clear vision of a pressing need pushed them to do what they could as soon as they could. HOOPS OF HOPE / www.hoopsofhope.org By Doug Priest Austin Gutwein was just 9 years old in 2004 when he saw a DVD clip about a starving girl named Maggie who lived in Africa with her aged grandmother. Maggie”s parents had died of AIDS. For weeks, Austin could not get

October 7, 2013

Christian Standard

Lesson for October 13, 2013: A Promise to Sarah (Genesis 17:15-17; 18:9-15; 21:1-7)

By Sam E. Stone When God originally called Abram (as he was then known) to leave his home in Ur of the Chaldeans, he summarized the blessings that would follow (Genesis 12:1-3). Abram was 75 years old at the time. He and his family went to Canaan and from there to Egypt to secure food during a famine. He and his nephew Lot separated upon their return to the promised land. Once more God reaffirmed his covenant with Abram (Genesis 15:1-5). Sarai, Abram”s wife, still had borne no children. She encouraged her husband to marry her Egyptian maidservant, Hagar (16:1-4).

April 8, 2013

Christian Standard

Bad Weather at Home

By Charity M. Walker-Byers and John M. Walker The black clouds of church conflict too often create bad weather at home, too. These “clouds” can cause problems that become all-consuming and overwhelming, influencing every aspect of life. When the church leader loses his or her ability to separate church life from home life, the “black cloud” can consume his or her emotions, relationships, attitude, perspective, and all other aspects of human experience. When that happens, the home becomes a battleground and a source of unhappiness instead of a safe haven, a storm center instead of a safe harbor offering rejuvenation

February 25, 2013

Christian Standard

Failing, Fathering, and Falling Toward Maturity

By LeRoy Lawson   The Damnation of Theron Ware Harold Frederic Various editions; first published in 1896 Gilead Marilynne Robinson New York: Picador, 2004 Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life Richard Rohr San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2011 Pastoral ministry can be among the hardest jobs there are””or the easiest. Since pastors are granted freedom to set their own schedules and priorities, the conscientious minister tends to work too hard and the indolent one finds every excuse to take it easy. What this means is ministry attracts””or creates””the finest of characters or the worst. I”m exaggerating of course,

September 10, 2012

Christian Standard

Lesson for September 16, 2012: Faith Empowers Endurance (Hebrews 12:1-13)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone This lesson continues our study of highlights from the book of Hebrews. The early chapters clearly demonstrate ways in which the New Covenant is superior to the Old. The letter was written to urge Christians to remain faithful. Today we are reminded that, like a good parent, the Lord disciplines his children.   Our Task Hebrews 12:1-3 The writer has just concluded what is often called “the faith chapter” in which he uses past heroes of

July 16, 2012

Christian Standard

Lesson for July 22, 2012: A King Acts on a Widow”s Behalf (2 Kings 4:1-37; 8:1-6)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone To fully appreciate today”s text, we need to review what led up to it. God kept his Word to Abraham when he brought him into the promised land and gave him the “promised son” late in his life. His descendants continued to receive the Lord”s blessings as the nation grew in Canaan. Although the Hebrew people spent some 400 years in Egypt at one point, they returned again to the land God had promised as their

May 3, 2012

Christian Standard

Backward, Inward, and Forward

By Bryce Jessup Communion points us in three directions. We look backward, inward, and forward. First Corinthians 11:23-29 was written for troubled people who needed repentance, forgiveness, and acceptance in order to go forward with their lives. The same need exists for us today. The backward look is to Jesus when he said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me” (v. 25). Communion is looking back to the cross and seeing the One who died so that we might live. He hung from the cross not because of

April 18, 2012

Christian Standard

Sacrifice and Balance in a Life of Ministry

By Mark A. Taylor Several readers wrote to thank us for our January 22 issue on preacher”s kids. Their e-mails made me realize we had touched a nerve. With preacher”s kids, as well as with preachers themselves, we live in constant tension: We want them to be everyday folks while we silently feel that, somehow really, they”re different. I thought about this again when I read an intriguing column in the February 8 Wall Street Journal by Richard Cipolla, a married Catholic priest. If you”re like me, you didn”t realize there is such a person, but Cipolla was ordained in

March 17, 2012

Christian Standard

The Family Reunion

By William Baker The original Supper of the Lord took place at a table (Luke 22:21, 30). It was a Passover meal. It was Jesus” last supper with his devoted disciples. In a matter of hours he would be arrested, beaten, and crucified. He treasured these last moments with them because they offered a foretaste of the greatest family festival reunion of all time. They would be back together again like this””at another table, at another time. Next time, gathered around the table would not just be this handful of solemn believers. Next time, every tribe, tongue, and nation would

January 9, 2012

Christian Standard

Lesson for Jan. 15, 2012: God Preserves a Remnant (Genesis 42:1″”46:7)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ________ God Preserves a Remnant (Genesis 42:1″”46:7) By Sam E. Stone This month we are highlighting events from the life of Joseph under the general theme, “God”s Protection.” In last week”s lesson we saw Joseph correctly interpret the Pharaoh”s dream and placed “second in command” over the entire land of Egypt. In that capacity he supervised a program to store up the extra grain from the seven years of abundance, then ration it out during the seven years of famine. The

January 2, 2012

Christian Standard

Lesson for Jan. 8, 2012: Joseph Finds Favor (Genesis 41)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ________ Joseph Finds Favor (Genesis 41) By Sam E. Stone Joseph could have complained when he was sent to prison. Some would declare, “A guy tries to do right and look where it gets him! He gets thrown into jail!” We have no record that Joseph displayed such an attitude at any time, however. What we find is that “the Lord was with him” (Genesis 39:21). God “showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.”

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