Articles for tag: Grace

November 18, 2017

Michael C. Mack

Stand: When You Did Not Receive Your Father”s Blessing

By Michael C. Mack “Stand up if you grew up without a father . . . if you never knew him . . . if he was abusive or inept or spiritually vacant and unavailable . . . even if he was around, but not really there . . . if you knew him but weren”t known by him . . .” I and six other members of my men”s group had traveled to the RCA Dome in Indianapolis for the Promise Keepers conference, joining some 62,000 other men worshipping God and being inspired to live godly lives. On the

November 13, 2017

Christian Standard

Lesson for November 19, 2017: Mediator of the New Covenant (Hebrews 12:14, 15, 18-29)

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 November 12, 2017. issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott  Technically a covenant (or testament) is not a book; it is an agreement in a relationship. And relationships change due more to people than events. This in no way denigrates the event of the cross, which signaled the change of covenant (Hebrews 9:16). But is the cross the key to the covenant shift or

November 1, 2017

Christian Standard

No One”s Perfect

By David Ray On June 2, 2010, Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga was on the verge of pitching a perfect game””a feat so rare that, in all of baseball history, only 20 pitchers to that point had ever accomplished it. After retiring 26 consecutive Cleveland Indians batters, Galarraga was one out away from joining the rarified ranks. A frenzied crowd was on its feet, with players and coaches in both dugouts craning to see if history would be made. When Cleveland”s Jason Donald smacked a grounder between first and second, it happened. Galarraga raced to cover first and caught the

October 18, 2017

Christian Standard

Lower Is Better

By Mandy Smith Mountaineer Joe Simpson tells his chilling story in the book and movie Touching the Void. Thousands of feet up the side of the 20,814-foot Siula Grande mountain, Joe”s safety line was cut, leaving him to slide, with a broken leg, into a deep crevasse. After several desperate attempts to climb up and out of the crevasse, he realized his injury made that impossible. And so, against all survival instinct, he made the excruciating choice to lower himself deeper into the crevasse, in the hope that there would be other exits further down. All the time he was

October 9, 2017

Christian Standard

Lesson for October 15, 2017: Obeying God’s Law (Exodus 20:18-26)

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 October 8, 2017. issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott  Obedience is not Testament specific. Both the Old and New Testaments call God”s people to obey. The Old Testament contains at least 613 commands to obey. The New Testament contains well over 1,000 commands to obey. Obedience is a response to redemption (Exodus 20:2). Obedience helps us learn the mind of God (John 7:17).

September 10, 2017

Christian Standard

#hustle vs #grace

By Chuck Dennie Snap a pic of you getting it done and make sure to include #hustle . . . We live in a world where we compare our lives with the highlight reels we see displayed on our social media channels. The latest buzzword #hustle has been elevated to rock-star status. #hustle has even become a platform on which some leaders are standing . . . at least until that platform crumbles. I have been that leader. I am an ENTJ with a top strength of competition on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator personality inventory. ENTJ + competition = hustle. I

September 6, 2017

Christian Standard

Remember Me

By Diane Stortz With missionaries in the family, she had become pretty good at saying good-bye, although it”s never easy. This time, the leave-taking felt especially difficult, because not only were her daughter and son-in-law returning to the mission field, but this time they were taking their 7-week-old baby, Solomon, her first grandchild. One of the first things Solomon”s grandma did when she got home from the airport was frame some of the many pictures taken during those first seven weeks of Solomon”s life. She placed three in the family room, one on the piano, one in the bedroom, and

August 25, 2017

Christian Standard

Headlines: September 2017

Singer Overcomes Major Obstacle, Wins Over Harshest of Critics Mandy Harvey, 29, a singer-songwriter (who happens to be deaf) from St. Cloud, Fla., won over the judges””including notorious critic Simon Cowell””when she auditioned on NBC”s America”s Got Talent on June 6. Mandy”s father, Joe Harvey, an associate professor of ministry with Johnson University Florida in Kissimmee, wrote about his daughter in “Mandy”s Story” in the April 2015 issue of Christian Standard. Mandy became deaf during her first (and only) year studying music education at Colorado State University. Joe Harvey accompanied Mandy to the AGT performance and was interviewed as part

July 26, 2017

Christian Standard

The Good Shepherd Lays Down His Life for His Sheep

By Ronald G. Davis John, in his Gospel, borrows the beautiful image of God that permeates the Scriptures: God is our shepherd. And that image may be the most common symbolic image reproduced through the Christian era. From mosaics in the second-century catacomb resting places of those first Christians in Rome to magnificent stained-glass windows in hundreds of 20th-century church buildings from Europe to Australia, the shepherd shows himself ready to protect and feed. When Jesus applies that image to himself, in John 10, he pictures the absolute devotion the shepherd maintains in every circumstance. His whole existence is given

July 21, 2017

Christian Standard

At Eye Level

By Ronald G. Davis A few years ago, a well-known preacher”s morning sermon was titled “God at Eye Level.” That”s a provocative title, isn”t it? In that Jerusalem upper room long ago and at this table today, we are at eye level with God. That”s an intriguing thought to me. Imagine those men who were at the table in the upper room, eye-to-eye with Jesus. Could each look him in the eye? Or did each try to hide his face in the shadows of that dimly lit room, not so much as daring to catch his eyes with their own?

July 7, 2017

Christian Standard

Kidnapped by the Taliban

By Ron Davis Many Americans were introduced to one of the stories of the Afghanistan war when they saw the 2014 CBS interview of Dr. Dilip Joseph regarding his experience and the book he had just written with James Lund, Kidnapped by the Taliban (Thomas Nelson Publishers). Dr. Joseph was the medical director for Morning Star Development, active in Afghanistan, serving locals with medical care and training. Returning from a mission of mercy, Dr. Joseph and his party were captured by the Taliban and held for several days. Their captors kept them moving constantly, and they were in moment-by-moment fear

June 30, 2017

Christian Standard

Holes Are Fascinating

By Rick Chromey Holes come in all shapes and sizes, from pinpricks in paper to massive holes in the ozone. There are knotholes, peepholes, and sinkholes. If there”s a hole in your story, you”re not telling the whole story. Our food is filled with holes. Swiss cheese is among God”s holiest. Doughnut holes are delicious. Some of God”s finest holes are tourist attractions, such as the Grand Canyon, Royal Gorge, and Mammoth Cave. Space tourists, however, would think twice before visiting a black hole. A Google search of holes produced 87 billion results. That”s a lot of holes. I”m not

June 20, 2017

Christian Standard

The Restoration Ideal Still Works

By Ben Merold The Missouri River””the “Big Muddy”””runs past the city of Omaha, Nebraska. If we wanted to get pure, unpolluted water from this river, we have two basic choices. We might, as Omaha has done, install a filter to remove the mud that has accumulated in the water during the river”s meandering path south and east. But that treats only a small portion of the water, and the great body of the river runs on as muddy as before. If, however, we go to the source, we would find pure water that comes fresh from the wellspring. Similarly, if

May 28, 2017

Christian Standard

Called to Forgive

By Eddie Lowen If vengeance comes easier than forgiveness, I understand. But for every Christian, and most certainly for church leaders, there is a better way. Have you seen the movie The Revenant? In the gruesome film, Leonardo DiCaprio”s character, a fur trader named Hugh Glass, is attacked by a grizzly, assaulted by his companions, and left for dead. He somehow recovers, tracks down those who abandoned him, and takes violent revenge. But the real-life events that inspired the film may have played out differently. Glass was, in fact, mauled by a bear and left for dead. Historians believe he

May 23, 2017

Mark A. Taylor

Failure, Formation, and a Hopeful Future

By Mark A. Taylor It”s a principle of leadership whose impact we may not have grasped for our spiritual lives: failure is often the prelude to success. In fact great success may not happen unless it”s built on a foundation of failure. In a way, this is nothing new. We know about Thomas Edison”s thousands of efforts to find a filament for the electric light bulb. “I have not failed,” he said. “I”ve just found 10,000 ways that won”t work.” History teachers tell us how Abraham Lincoln suffered defeat after defeat only to rise to greatness. Others describe J.C. Penney”s

May 22, 2017

Christian Standard

When Modern Ministry Gets Messy

By Jessie Clemence “Messy” is the only choice for a ministry that opens the door for God”s power to change lives. Here”s a frank look at our situation today, with a challenge to demonstrate attitudes and actions worthy of Christ. What would you do if you walked into church on Sunday and found a new couple sitting in your usual pew, holding hands and envisioning how lovely their wedding ceremony would look in the room? What if they were both men, or both women? How would you feel if a transgender person handed you the Communion tray or a bulletin?

May 22, 2017

Christian Standard

Lesson for May 28, 2017: Pervasive Love (Jonah 4)

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 May 21, 2017, issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott  God”s love is pervasive (expanding, spreading, and permeating). Jonah”s love was narrow, miserly, and shrunken. The angry prophet desperately needed to get on the same page with the Lord when it came to his wide embrace of all people. That is the story of Jonah 4. Last week”s lesson dealt with forgiveness. Jonah could announce

May 19, 2017

Christian Standard

Communion with You

By Randy Gariss If the idea of a one-person wedding seems bizarre, so too does the idea of personal Communion. There are many things in the Christian life you can do on your own. You can study, pray, fast, sing, worship, and serve all by yourself. But why is there not even a hint in Scripture about taking the Lord”s Supper alone? When Christ initiated Communion, it was in a group (Matthew 26). When Communion is described in the book of Acts, it is in a group (Acts 2:42). The same is true in 1 Corinthians. A study of Scripture

May 15, 2017

Christian Standard

Preaching to the Post-Nuclear Family

By Ian DiOrio Confronted with the confusion and diversity in family arrangements today, how does a minister preach and teach biblical values that offer true help and real hope? On a trip to Boston, I had the opportunity to tour the Old North Church, a National Historic Landmark. The beautifully constructed church, built in 1723, still carries powerful resonances of the spiritual climate of America before the climatic year of 1776. One of the most notable features of the church are the pews, many of which are sectioned off by family. Families who attended the church had their own small,

May 5, 2017

Christian Standard

The Unexpected Place Setting

By Randy Gariss It must have seemed an odd table. David was king of Israel, and when he sat down to eat he had his family and his sons. As king, he naturally would have included some friends and perhaps a favorite servant or two. And also a crippled man by the name of Mephibosheth. The backstory has all the human interest we can handle. Years before, Saul had been the king and he had made the young David”s life miserable””repeatedly attempting to cut it short! Saul”s despotic life and desperate panic were all an ill-fated attempt to keep David,

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