Articles for tag: Gift

July 26, 2012

Christian Standard

What Are They Saying about Baptism? (Samples from Church Websites We Visited)

By Daniel Overdorf An extended discussion that presents a solid biblical argument with a positive tone: “¢ Hazelwood Christian Church, Clayton, Indiana; See downloadable three-page document about the church”s view of baptism at www.hazelwoodchristian.org/hcc/about_us.   An exemplary medium-length discussion: “¢ Westerfield (Ohio) Christian Church; www.westerville-christian.org/about-us/what-we-believe.aspx In the New Testament church, once people believed in Jesus were willing to turn from sin (repentance) and publicly confess Christ as Lord, they were then baptized for the forgiveness of their sins and the indwelling gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38, 41; 22:16). In the original Greek language, baptize meant to dip, plunge,

May 31, 2012

Michael C. Mack

Eight Vital Characteristics of a Life-Changing Small Group Leader

By Michael C. Mack One of the fundamental differences between healthy and unhealthy small groups is the spiritual vitality of the leaders. Healthy leaders have a soft heart that God can use to accomplish his will. While imperfect, they are highly committed first to God, and then to the group. Healthy leaders have the following attributes:   Healthy small group leaders have been transformed. One of your main functions as a small group leader is to build an environment where spiritual transformation is experienced. This happens best when you have first experienced transformation yourself. What happened to Peter and the other

April 19, 2012

Christian Standard

The Unwanted Gift

By Eddie Lowen Am I a bad father? On Christmas morning, I felt like one. My son decided his gift to me would be more than the usual gift card. He settled on a name-brand protective case for my name-brand smart phone. He was pleased with his thoughtfulness and generosity. I was pleased with the selflessness and gratitude he displayed. There”s just one problem: I don”t want it. More precisely, I don”t want to use it. Why? First, it”s designed to clip to my belt. Social science has irrefutably shown that a belt-clipped phone case increases a person”s dork factor

February 24, 2012

Mark E. Moore

How Should the Church Relate to Those with Same-Sex Attraction?

By Mark Moore Individuals with same-sex attraction make up as much as 6 percent of the male population and 4.5 percent of females (though some studies estimate half that). Those are not insignificant numbers, especially when same-sex attraction involves you or someone you love. The church traditionally has not been particularly welcoming of such individuals, and a number of Scriptures have been cited to validate responses that are sometimes violent””verbally, emotionally, occasionally even physically. Because I am a follower of Jesus Christ, it is unconscionable for me to reject in the body of Christ some of the most spiritually sensitive

October 14, 2011

Christian Standard

Savoring the Conversations

By Jan Johnson People talk about having a “personal relationship” with Jesus. In fact, if you use the word religion, some will correct you and say that they have a “relationship, not religion.” And relationship is the right word because God is not an impersonal hovering mist or cosmic cloud, but a relational being who created us and desperately wants to be with us and interact with us. How does relationship work? The nature of a relationship””if it”s a good one””is typically conversational. Beings in relationship talk together, work alongside each other, and develop the “same mind” about things. That”s

July 28, 2011

Christian Standard

A Place at the Table

By Ethan Magness   Many of Jesus” stories and parables center on parties and feasts. A consistent theme in these stories is that many who attend are unworthy. We see this in the parable of the great banquet (Luke 14:15-24). Many on the initial guest list refused to come, and so many others were then invited. And those invited later were people one would never expect to be invited to a noble event. The great parable of the wayward son (Luke 15:11-32) ends with a surprising feast. The elder son in the parable gives voice to our confusion when he

May 25, 2011

Christian Standard

Well Gifted

By Mark A. Taylor “What do you want for your birthday?” Believe it or not, I always have trouble answering the question. It”s not that material things don”t turn my head. But, with all my physical needs met and so many of my wants provided, nothing”s pressing for a place on my wish list. Just bake me a chocolate cake and shower me with funny cards””that”s enough to make my birthday happy. I guess I”m at that stage of life where smaller gifts””the kind usually given at birthdays””aren”t really necessary. I have more socks and shirts than I can wear

February 15, 2011

Christian Standard

Pray Expectantly

By Sheila S. Hudson Dr. Karen Jones made her way to my ground-floor office. As she blinked back tears in her hazel eyes, she broke the news that funding from the State Department of Education hadn”t arrived. What she didn”t say was, without those funds, my job would go away. But both of us knew that was true. I was stunned. Neither of us could believe it. For seven years, Karen and I had worked hand in glove providing summer workshops for special education teachers. Now it seemed our partnership was coming to an end. Not only that, but at

December 26, 2010

Doug Redford

Return of the Gift

By Doug Redford Now that Christmas Day has passed, it”s time to move from thinking about giving gifts to the matter of returning them. Many of us will need to spend some time during the upcoming week returning a Christmas gift that happened to be the wrong size, color, or style. Stores usually offer tips to keep in mind when returning a gift, including: keep all the tags and original packing when giving and opening gifts (especially electronics, computers, appliances, and games), keep receipts, and check the time limit on returns (some stores limit returns to 30 days after a

October 15, 2010

Christian Standard

Embracing Esperanza

By Mark A. Taylor Trapped in the coal-dark underground of a Chilean mine, Ariel Tacona Yanez made a decision that will live beyond the rest of his life. Along with 32 fellow miners, he was cut off from the watching world for 17 days until a probe penetrated their dungeon and the world heard the news that the miners were alive. During that time of isolation and uncertainty, the 29-year-old father of two thought about his wife and their soon-to-be born baby girl. They had agreed on a name, Carolina, for their daughter. But there in the depths of the

August 8, 2010

Christian Standard

Safe, to Lost, to Saved? (A Response)

This article is a response to John Mark Hicks’s “Safe, to Lost, to Saved?” __________ By Jeff Faull John Mark Hicks”s thought-provoking article in this week”s “Reflections” column leads me to sympathize with him about the ambiguity that appears to exist in regard to the process of our children coming to Christ and the timing of their baptisms. His line of reasoning questions our historically accepted assertions about the entrance of children into the kingdom of God. He questions “the theological underpinnings of the notion that our children move from safe to lost to saved (once baptized).” I respect and admire brother Hicks,

June 27, 2010

Christian Standard

Church Ladies Spotted at Strip Clubs

By Jani Lewis Anyone sitting outside a strip club on Wednesday nights in Lexington, Kentucky, is likely to see three or four women piling out of a van with armloads of food and being welcomed by bouncers who yell, “Here come the church ladies!” For five years the managers and owners of these establishments have allowed us to serve a warm, home-cooked meal to the dancers and staff weekly. Not everyone “gets it”””there are folks in our church who don”t understand why we go, and many people inside the clubs who are just as confused by our presence. We go

April 4, 2010

Christian Standard

When God Prompts

By George Ross As I write this, the television news is saturated with graphic updates of the devastating earthquake in Haiti. It is mid-January, and first reports estimate about 200,000 people will die as a result of the disaster. The surrounding world looks on and aches with and for those Haitian families who lost loved ones. I know the church will come through and help bring assistance to one of the poorest countries on earth. We, as God”s people, have proven again and again we can step up in tragedies like this and Hurricane Katrina. My focus in this article

March 10, 2010

Christian Standard

We Want to Help You Extend Your Ministry

By Mark A. Taylor Here”s one thing we”ve learned about recessions and local churches. Local churches may be slow to feel the impact of an economic downturn, but they”re also slow to acknowledge a recovery from one. This means even if the economy is picking up (and the experts don”t agree on that point), budgets at your church are likely still tight. Here”s one thing we know about ministry during recessions: It never slows down. In fact, needs usually multiply when finances fail. We want to help. We”ve come up with a plan that allows you to extend your ministry

January 24, 2010

Christian Standard

It”s Just Like Fishing

By Rick Chromey Children”s ministry in the smaller church has the same amazing potential to grow and thrive as a mustard seed. It”s all in how you cultivate it. This practical guide provides insights that will encourage you in your children”s ministry, along with ready-to-use tools for evaluation, budgeting, and teacher training. Energize your children”s ministry! Use these innovative strategies for mega-impact with limited resources, people, and money. Energizing Children”s Ministry in the Smaller Church (item 42311) is available from your local supplier or at www.standardpub.com. “”˜Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “˜and I will make you fishers of men”” (Matthew

December 16, 2009

Christian Standard

Interview with Jerl Joslin

By Brad Dupray Forest Hill Christian Church in Oklahoma City is a solid, midsize church making a major Christmastime impact on its community. Forest Hill runs about 500 in weekly attendance, but more than 7,000 attend its “Journey to Bethlehem” one weekend each Christmas season.  “Journey” leads people on a path toward a figurative Bethlehem where they ultimately encounter the Christ child. Attendees don”t just watch a Christmas story, they live the Christmas story. The church is in its ninth year of leading the program. Senior minister Jerl Joslin, who has served at Forest Hill for 18 years, tells the

November 8, 2009

Christian Standard

God”s Pleasure Principle

By Karen Diefendorf I have a practice of concentrating on one of the shorter epistles or books of prophecy when I”m away from home and its usual routines. I can read through a whole book in one sitting each day or I can thoroughly concentrate on smaller sections of the smaller book each day while still completing the whole book by the end of the stay. Recently I decided to concentrate on Paul”s letter to the Ephesians. However, this time I found myself somewhat bored with what should have been a stimulating text. Perhaps you”ve had similar dry spells in

August 26, 2009

Christian Standard

Leading the Trends

By Mark A. Taylor Sometimes church leaders are more like followers. As Paul Williams wrote, “Like lemmings, churches follow one another into the latest trends, whether proven or not, desperate for that bump in attendance and increase in per-capita giving.” It”s true there”s no new idea under the sun, including the ones I”ll share below. And there”s no virtue in ignoring a successful method or ministry just because it”s new. But the Bible suggests dozens of ideas that could breathe fresh air into our ministries””and set a good example for others to copy. Wouldn”t it be great, for example, if

May 10, 2009

Christian Standard

Serving with Cultural Intelligence

  By Gayla Cooper Congdon    Amor Ministries began taking groups on short-term mission trips in the summer of 1981. That first summer, four churches with about 100 students traveled to serve in Tijuana, Mexico. Since then, more than 250,000 students and adults have gone on short-term mission trips to six locations in Mexico, and most recently, in South Africa. Last year, I heard about a book making waves in the short-term mission world. David Livermore”s Serving With Eyes Wide Open upset quite a few people because of his critique of short-term missions. When I learned about it, I just

September 14, 2008

Christian Standard

More Than Music

By Danielle Frankland For many churches worship has become largely about what happens on Sunday, and specifically about music. We may not want to admit it, but the amount of time, attention, and resources given to the musical portions of our gatherings suggest this. Furthermore, our language betrays us. When we are “led in worship,” we generally sing. The Bible, however, in no way equates worship with music. There is very little singing mentioned in the Old Testament until the time of David. Because music was important in ancient cultures, Israelite gatherings probably included it, but they were centered on

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