Articles for tag: Grace

January 17, 2012

Christian Standard

Cultivating Cultures that Help People Flourish

By Steve Hayner How does a leader shape a culture? Is this even possible? Doesn”t culture just happen as a result of the individual attitudes and activities that each person brings into the community? My strong observation and premise is that leaders can””and do””shape culture. I say that from my experience in various organizations over the years, as well as from the Scriptures. For instance, Joshua”s example of unswerving faith moved the people to stand with him on the day he issued his “choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve” challenge””and they maintained that “culture” for a long time after Joshua

December 31, 2011

Christian Standard

The Word Got Ahold of Me

By Byron Davis “The Bible transforms lives! You better believe it! Don”t let the Bible get ahold of you because when you do, you”ll never be the same! “Amen! Amen “˜Pastuh.” Preach it. Preach the Word!” I was 13 when I heard these words shouted through the cheap sound system at Good Shepherd Baptist Church in East Cleveland, Ohio. That Sunday morning was cold and rainy, and I couldn”t wait for service to start because that”s when the preteens were allowed to actually sit in service with the adults. I was not as excited to hear the sermon as I

December 12, 2011

Christian Standard

Lesson for Dec. 18, 2011: The Lord Provides (Genesis 22:1-19)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson (for December 18) is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ________ The Lord Provides (Genesis 22:1-19) By Sam E. Stone In last week”s lesson God assured Abram that he would actually have a son who would serve as his heir. Abram believed God. In the chapters that follow (Genesis 15:18″“22:1), we read about Hagar and Ishmael, the covenant of circumcision, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot, and Abimelech. Abram”s name was changed to Abraham (Genesis 17:5), literally “a father of many nations.” Finally Sarah gave birth to

December 4, 2011

Christian Standard

Interview with Beth Guckenberger

A mission trip to Mexico in 1996 helped change the lives of Beth and Todd Guckenberger. As Beth tells the story, “We were painting a wall from blue to green and I said, “˜Didn”t we paint this from green to blue last year?”” After that, the Guckenbergers sought out more compelling opportunities of service, and were moved with compassion for the abandoned children of Monterrey, Mexico. One year later, they moved to Monterrey. This was the initial step in founding the international arm of Back2Back Ministries, which provides orphan care in Africa, India, and Latin America. Through this experience, Beth

November 2, 2011

Christian Standard

What a Guide!

By Ben Merold I grew up knowing that the Bible was the Word of God. In retrospect, I consider that fact strange for several reasons. I do not recall reading the Bible in my early life, and my attendance at a Sunday school class or a church youth group meeting was limited to a few short periods of time. I heard very few sermons and remembered none of them, but in spite of these things, I really believed the Bible was the Word of God. Yet, even though I had this conviction about the Bible, it had very little influence

October 31, 2011

Christian Standard

Lesson for Nov. 6, 2011: Living in Harmony with Others (Matthew 5:17-37)

This week”s treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson (for November 6) is written by David Eichenberger, a graduate of Lincoln (Illinois) Christian University who lives in Louisville, Kentucky. ____________ Living in Harmony with Others (Matthew 5:17-37) By David Eichenberger (Note to teachers: The italicized sections are questions designed to help involve your students in the learning process.)   A much-quoted rhyme provides a fitting description of the challenge of living at peace with those around us: To dwell above with saints we love O, that will be glory; But to dwell below with those we know”” Well, that”s another

October 22, 2011

Christian Standard

Getting the Most from the Epistles (Part One)

By Matt Proctor Think of them as love letters. Read them out loud like a sermon. Notice the wide range of literary tools their authors employed. Discover the truth and power waiting for every reader in these inspired letters from God. Some time ago, my wife, Katie, and I were rummaging through a box of old college keepsakes. I reached for a large manila envelope, wondering what was inside. Old love letters! I pulled out a thick stack of envelopes Katie had sent me one summer when we were dating. We had been apart all that summer, and I remember waiting eagerly for

October 20, 2011

Christian Standard

My Opinion about Opinions

By Karen J. Diefendorf I have an opinion about opinions! In the Army we use the Military Decision Making Process (MDMP). One of the steps is to separate facts from assumptions. It isn”t always as easy to differentiate the two as one might imagine. But the reason it is critical to identify assumptions is because of the great risks hidden within them. We put it this way: “The greater the assumption, the greater the risk.” Leaders have to determine how much risk they are willing to assume with any action. It seems to me that opinions in the life of

September 14, 2011

Christian Standard

Teaching Islam and Learning to Love My Neighbor

By Craig Farmer Like most Americans old enough to remember, I have a clear memory of what I was doing on the morning of September 11, 2001. I was standing in the front of Hyder Auditorium administering a humanities exam to some 200 Milligan College sophomores when an ashen-faced colleague entered from the side door and whispered into my ear that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. Little did I know this event would eventually reshape the kind of work I would do as a professor at Milligan. In the months and years that followed 9/11, students

September 9, 2011

Christian Standard

Beauty from Ashes

By Mark A. Taylor Time and again we see and feel God”s presence most clearly in the midst of human tragedy. It”s as if we need to strip away all our pretense of self-sufficiency before we can fully submit to God, who was the only one in control all along. Consider the ongoing reports of Christians at work in the aftermath of the terrible Joplin tornado. What besides such a crisis would have stimulated the outpouring of service and generosity that Joplin residents have received at the hands of Christians from across the continent? What else could have brought the

August 29, 2011

Christian Standard

Campus Ministry Is Critical!

By Justin Wallace My story begins in a rural town in central Indiana. I grew up under the tin roof of a log cabin, listening to my grandmother’s tall tales. All the grandkids would pile into feather beds, laugh, listen, and learn. There were several nights I would like awake after everyone was asleep and listen to the wind howl, my cousins snore, and the acorns fall from the trees onto the tin roof over our heads. Years later, God began speaking through the cadence created by acorns on that tin roof. Each acorn falls as an individual; alone and

August 2, 2011

Christian Standard

What Does God Say About Race?

By Brian Jennings “People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). We usually focus on the second truth in that sentence, but it”s healthy to remember the first: “People look at the outward appearance.” Not only in Samuel”s time, but in all the years since then, people have been looking at the outward appearance. While we”ve come a long way, still today we struggle. My wife and I have two boys. In July 2009, we had the blessing of adopting our first daughter, Shurabe, who is from Ethiopia. Four months later, my

June 13, 2011

Christian Standard

Lesson for June 19, 2011: God Protects His People (Joshua 2:2-9, 15, 16, 22-24)

Read The Lookout every week . . . Two full pages of helps for your Sunday School lesson . . . And inspiration for everyday Christian life. Here’s how. ____________ This week”s treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson (for June 19) is written by Don Hinkle, pastor at Yucaipa (California) Christian Church. ____________ God Protects His People (Joshua 2:2-9, 15, 16, 22-24) By Don Hinkle Joshua 2 would make an amazing film. It has all the ingredients””spies, intrigue, a double cross, humor (“I don”t know which way they went. Go after them quickly”””Joshua 2:5), midnight escapes, secret deals, and

June 10, 2011

Christian Standard

Getting the Most from Old Testament Prophets (Part 2)

Just as a Rubik”s Cube has six sides, six principles will help you understand these often-overlooked books. (This is another in a series of articles titled “Reading the Bible for All It”s Worth” that Matt Proctor is writing this year.) _____________ GO TO PART 1 ______________ By Matt Proctor In Part One of this essay, I pointed out the first four of six principles that can help you grasp the marvelous meanings in the Bible”s prophetic texts. I pointed out that the 17 Old Testament books we call the Prophets””Isaiah through Malachi””contain some of the most powerful passages in all of

June 8, 2011

Christian Standard

Read the Bible

By Jon Weece Of all the books our children will read in their lifetimes, none will prove more valuable than the Bible. But the Bible has been exiled from far too many Christian homes. I love to read. Always have and probably always will. When I was in the third grade my older brother, Jud, introduced me to the book My Side of the Mountain. It chronicled the life of a boy who ran away from home and lived in a hollowed-out tree in the Catskill Mountains of New York. At the age of 9, I did not possess the

June 1, 2011

Christian Standard

Same-Sex Marriage””What Should We Do?

By Ben Cachiaras Editor”s note: As the Maryland state legislature considered a bill to legalize same-sex marriage, earlier this year, Ben Cachiaras encouraged his congregation, Mountain Christian Church, Joppa, Maryland, to respond in a way that honors Christ. (The bill ultimately died without being passed.) Below is an excerpt from what Ben wrote in March. Christians need to think carefully about this issue. Here are a few incomplete thoughts and observations, offered humbly into the discussion: “¢ The landscape in America has changed. Recent polls confirm what we already know””that a growing number of Americans are prepared to recognize gay

May 31, 2011

Christian Standard

A Biblical Response to the Gospel

By Jim Tune Whenever someone is ready to begin a life of faith and discipleship, he or she rightly asks, “What must I do now?” While salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus, most believers in Christ would agree that something must be done. Many modern-day evangelists would encourage the new believer to “come forward” at an “altar call.” Others might encourage the spiritual seeker to say the “sinner”s prayer.” That prayer might go something like this: “Father, I am sorry for my sins and want to turn away from my sinful life. I believe your Son Jesus died

April 5, 2011

Christian Standard

Words Matter

By J.K. Jones God longs for us to know him, so he uses ordinary words to reveal his extraordinary self. And the written Word of God, Old and New Testament Scripture, was fleshed out and made known through the Living Word of God, Jesus. Many of us have heard all the arguments and defenses about words not really mattering. We can recall some of the more famous lines from our childhood: “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me.” “It is not what you say that counts but what you do.” “Talk is cheap.” In

April 4, 2011

Christian Standard

The Sheep I Count

By Jackina Stark As I think about the articles and books I”ve written in the last 30 years, certain themes emerge””themes that are part of my spiritual DNA. No theme is more prevalent in my writings, or more beloved, than the wonder of the abiding presence of God in our lives. I saw God transform my parents” lives when I was 9 years old. But I believe the wonder began a year or two before that when I walked to a nearby church on Sunday mornings with my younger sister and, I think, even my baby brother in tow. As

April 4, 2011

Christian Standard

Lesson for April 10, 2011: Remember the Warnings (Jude 17-25)

This week”s treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson (for April 10) is written by David Ray who serves with Christ”s Church at Mason (Ohio). ____________ Remember the Warnings (Jude 17-25) By David Ray Jude advised his readers to remember what the apostles predicted (v. 17). But the core of the problem was people were forgetting (or ignoring) both the apostles” authoritative word and their clear warning. The apostles had said, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires” (v. 18). Peter warned, just as Israel had its “lying prophets,” so “there will

Help Keep Christian Standard Free & Accessible with a Tax Deductible Donation

We can do more together!

Every gift makes a difference!

No, thank you.
100% secure transactions - receipts provided.
Does Your Church Want to Support Christian Standard?

Would your church consider including support for Christian Standard in its annual missions budget? Your support would help us not only continue the 160-year legacy of this unifying ministry, but also expand the free resources, cooperative opportunities, and practical guidance we provide to strengthen churches in the U.S. and around the world.

We can do more together!

Every gift makes a difference!

No, thank you.
100% secure transactions - receipts provided.
Secret Link