Articles for tag: Gift

March 17, 2015

Giving & Fundraising Stewardship & Generosity

Most to Jesus I Surrender

By Mark A. Taylor Is anybody still using the slogan “Not equal giving, but equal sacrifice”? It used to be standard verbiage in stewardship campaigns raising money to underwrite a budget or build a new auditorium. If the expression is no longer used, I”m not disappointed. Although the phrase does touch the Bible”s principle of proportional giving, I”m a little suspicious of that word sacrifice. After I”ve given a tithe and more, I still can pay for food, clothes, cars, the mortgage, and a vacation. How much would I have to give before the gift would qualify as sacrifice? Perhaps

December 30, 2014

Giving & Fundraising Stewardship & Generosity

New Steps and a New Gift

By Mark A. Taylor Every year at Christmastime I look for a way to give something to someone who can”t or won”t give me anything in return. Usually this means an extra offering to a favorite mission, a check written to a local shelter, or gifts purchased for our church”s project to “provide Christmas” for needy children. I do this because it”s always seemed to me that exchanged gifts are trades, not really gifts. They”re fun, and they can be a good part of office or family celebrations. But true generosity doesn”t happen with rules about dollar limits or gift

December 22, 2014

Christian Standard

Christian Living

What to Give the Person Who Has Everything

By Daniel Schantz The stubborn conundrum of Christmas is, “What will I get for everyone on my list?” Males, for example, are oblivious of female needs. That explains why your husband got you a new chain saw and some radial tires for Christmas last year. Some people just give everyone the same thing, like a homemade fruitcake, but one has to wonder if there is not some symbolic meaning behind all those fruits and nuts. Without a doubt, the hardest person to buy for is the one who has everything, like your boss, who drives a Lamborghini and gave Super

December 1, 2014

Michael C. Mack

Church & Ministry Youth & Children's Ministry

Five Ways for Youth to Serve This Christmas Season

By Michael C. Mack Remind your youth that Jesus came into the world to serve (Mark 10:45). Here are five ideas you can use to serve others together: 1. Give the Gift of Cookies. Youth expert Bill Nance (billnance.org) shares this idea: Set aside three hours one evening. Tell all your teens to bring in some homemade Christmas cookies. Sort them into plastic bags and label each one with something like, “Merry Christmas from the First Christian Church youth!” Divide up a nearby neighborhood (or apartment complex or nursing home, for instance) and have the students go two-by-two to the

September 20, 2014

Christian Standard

Church Leadership

Quitting Time

By Linda Ahlgrim Ever wonder if it”s quitting time? Every church volunteer has probably faced a time when they felt that way. More often than not, these frustrations arise from interpersonal conflict and should be seen as opportunities to practice humility and become more like Christ, not as reasons to quit.Â But sometimes we do need to step away from our ministry. Sometimes quitting is the most unselfish choice we can make.Â IT MAY BE QUITTING TIME IF . . .Â You need to say “no” to a serving opportunity to make room for God”s bigger “yes” in your life.

September 17, 2014

Christian Standard

Salvation Theology & Bible

Gospel Confidence

By Jim Tune I”ve often been asked, “Isn”t this the only thing that really matters to God in the end: whether or not you”re a good person?” This sounds great, and being good and doing good are central to what it means to be human, but this question masks a subtle belief system. Just below the surface of this sensible and conventional way of seeing God is the flawed idea that God operates according to a merit system. Do the good or right or religious thing and you will get the points you need to get on God”s good side.

August 25, 2014

Christian Standard

Bible Study Theology & Bible

Lesson for August 31, 2014: Generosity in the Midst of Poverty (2 Corinthians 8, 9)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. It is published in the August 24Â issue ofÂ The LookoutÂ magazine, and is also available online atÂ www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Sam E. StoneÂ Despite the problems noted in 1 Corinthians (such as division, pride, and immorality), the church had many good qualities. Generous giving, however, was an area in which they needed to improve. In today”s text Paul used various appeals to encourage them to grow in generosity. An Example 2 Corinthians 8:1-5 Paul introduced a new subject in this letter by saying,

July 21, 2014

Christian Standard

Bible Study Theology & Bible

Lesson for July 27, 2014: Seek the Good of Others (1 Corinthians 14:13-26)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. It is published in the July 20 issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Sam E. StoneÂ From the day that the church began in Jerusalem, God endowed certain members with miraculous gifts. These were needed in that day. When the apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, they began to preach in tongues (Acts 2:6-11). These were languages that they did not know and had not studied. As

May 25, 2014

Christian Living

Clear Desks and Clean Hearts

By Mark A. Taylor No one has ever accused me of being neat. Every year for Christmas, my college roommate (everyone knew he was neat) gave me some new device for organizing my desk or dresser. It always included compartments, cubbyholes, or drawers designed to contain the clutter that filled most of the flat spaces in my room. Later, when I moved a step or two out of young adult self-absorption, I realized how patient he had been. Pilers have no trouble living with filers. My roommate”s ordered desk and organized closet never bothered me! But the well-put-together among us

February 22, 2014

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Small Groups

The Perfect Gift for a Small Group Leader

By Andrew Mason I was working hard at my desk earlier this week when I heard one of my small group members walk into the main church office and ask whether I was in. Those moments always increase my heart rate because I don”t want to ignore people, but I”m always afraid of being derailed for 45 minutes or so when I”m already running out of time to get my work done for the day. I erred on the side of friendliness (plus my door was open and he could see me sitting there). He walked in and handed me

January 9, 2014

Christian Standard

Anxiety & Depression Care & Counseling

Hakuna Matata

By Rick Chromey Like most Americans, I love to spend, consume, and accumulate. But my whole outlook on capitalism and cash was turned upside down by just three weeks in Africa. Americans are addicted to affluence. We love our money. We hoard cash in retirement plans, savings accounts, and safe boxes. We love to spend and accumulate. We buy boats, Buicks, bikes, televisions, toasters, sofas, and super-sized stuff like it”s everybody”s business. We take grand vacations to exotic locales and pamper ourselves with spa treatments. Our garages are so full our driveways display a lineup that looks like a used

January 6, 2014

Christian Standard

Money & Debt Stewardship & Generosity

The Consumption-Poverty Connection

By Neal Windham As the distance between the haves and the have-nots grows greater, Christians have an obligation and an opportunity to respond. “The good news is the market has won,” remarked well-known religious scholar Martin E. Marty at the close of the 20th century.1 By this, of course, he meant the global market had defeated the many closed antimarket systems of formerly communist countries. “The bad news [is]” he continued, “we . . . have not the faintest grasp of a social philosophy to animate, monitor, and inspire this market.” I could not agree with him more. It is

November 8, 2013

Christian Standard

A Distant Engagement (Matthew 26:29)

By Neal Windham God warned Israel in various ways to follow him, but not to come too close. For example, Moses demanded a full disclosure of God”s glory, but was allowed only a glimpse from the safe vantage of shielded rock. Israel was to approach God”s holy mountain, but not touch it, which of course led to certain death. Similarly, the ark of the covenant could be seen but never touched. Isaiah”s peek at God”s fantastic holiness left him totally undone, a man of “unclean lips” dwelling among people of similar spiritual darkness. And only the high priest ascended the

April 5, 2013

Christian Standard

Promises to Keep

By Tom Lawson The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep. The last stanza of Robert Frost”s poem holds us balanced between reflection and the unnamed promises we must keep. In Scripture, the faithfulness of God is a transcendent theme from Genesis to Revelation. God is faithful to his promises. He promised that one day all the families on earth would be blessed through Abraham”s faith. He promised David that the kingly rule of one of his descendants would be forever.

February 18, 2013

Christian Standard

Discipleship & Spiritual Formation

Why Dwell in a House of Fear?

By Neal Windham A word may not mean what we think it means, especially if our emotions or preconceptions get in the way. Nowhere is this more true than when we talk about words associated with Spiritual formation. At age 2, my grandson Whit sometimes misunderstood the words of the songs he was learning. For example, “Jesus loves meat, this I know, for the Bible tells me so,” and “You make all things beautiful out of dups” (not “dust”). Not surprisingly, as a 5-year-old, his father, Luke, used to sing, “Elsha died, Elsha died” in a minor key, dirgelike, weeping

January 27, 2013

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Leadership Development

Get in the Game! Why I Love Volunteers!

By Eugene DePorter While visiting a church recently, I heard a young preacher say, “I hate volunteers.” It shocked and distracted me so much I wasn”t able to grasp what he was trying to communicate. In my 26 years of ministry at Southeast Christian Church, Louisville, Kentucky, I have depended greatly on the faithful, unselfish efforts of volunteers. They have contributed to helping many people know Jesus, and I will always be grateful for their impact. Most churches appreciate the value of volunteers, but recruiting these servants is a continual challenge. Jesus told his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but

January 7, 2013

Christian Standard

Church Leadership

How Do You Define Your Leadership? Jeff Faull

By Jeff Faull Defining your leadership style is a difficult assignment. There is what you think you would say, what you could say, and what you should say. I am certainly not a typical type A leader, and do not possess some of the traditional leadership gifts seen in strong leaders. However, when pressed by commitment, deadline, and the work of honest self-assessment, I believe I can reduce my leadership definition to two concepts. There is the power of following and the power of standing. Simply put, the extent of my capacity to lead anything or anybody is directly related

December 31, 2012

Christian Standard

Bible Study Theology & Bible

Lesson for January 6, 2013: Proclaiming Christ (Philippians 1)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone Philippians is a letter of encouragement. Although Paul wrote it while a prisoner of Rome, it is not a “Woe is me!” message. The Christians in Philippi and countless believers since have found in this letter reason to rejoice, no matter what life”s circumstances may be. Pat Edwin Harrell called today”s text “a picture of the gospel”s progress.” He notes that Paul reveals how his imprisonment has directly (1:12-14), indirectly (vv. 15-18), and unfailingly worked to

September 24, 2012

Christian Standard

Christian Living

What Would It Mean to Live Simply?

By Eleanor Daniel Most of us have heard the old Shaker tune encouraging simplicity. And all of us are familiar with Paul”s affirmation in Philippians 4:11, 12: “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation.” For the last couple of months, Paul”s affirmation and the song have echoed in my mind. It all started because I had decided to move. When I began preparing to move into a

September 23, 2012

Christian Standard

Gifts that Make God Smile

By Jeff Anderson Autumn Joy toddled across the room and stood at the edge of my laptop-centered view. I was in task mode, typing away in my living room recliner. My 18-month-old daughter looked up at me, her Shirley Temple curls bouncing around her face. Then she handed me a plastic doughnut from her kitchen play set. I looked at the doughnut my toddler had just given me and then back at her again. She was waiting for a response. So I lifted the doughnut to my mouth and said with great animation, “Yummm, ymmm . . . thank you,