Articles for tag: Grace

January 4, 2009

Christian Standard

Servanthood Without Star Power

By Jim Herbst   May I suggest another cable channel (since we don”t have enough already)? Let”s call it The Extreme Compassion Channel; its slogan can be, “Total Compassion Reality 24/7.” The catch with all reality shows, of course, is that they have little to do with reality. Like others, I”m moved every time Ty Pennington shows a homeowner his brand new home on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Afterwards, however, I begin to wonder why my life isn”t more sensational. My life is reality, after all. And I am compassionate. But no one applauds, cries, or hugs me when I

January 4, 2009

Christian Standard

Small Groups that Give and Live Graciously

By Brian Mavis What would happen if a church gave back to her small groups half of what the groups tithed and asked them to invest the money in ministry? I had pondered this for a few years. I wondered whether the people in the small groups would be motivated to give more, and what they would choose to do with the money. When I joined the staff at LifeBridge Christian Church, Longmont, Colorado, I shared some of these thoughts and questions with the leaders and elders, and I was floored when they said, “Let”s find out.” Before I share

December 31, 2008

Christian Standard

Obituaries from 2008

(Listed alphabetically) Paul J. Banta, 80, of Holiday, FL, died Sept 7, 2008. He had Parkinson”s disease. He is survived by his widow, Jean; three children; Philip of Indianapolis, IN, Paula Hoelle of Ormond Beach, FL, and Rebecca Engel of Sylvania, OH; eight grandchildren; two stepgrandsons; four step-great-grandchildren; and one sister, Margie Fleenor of Washington, IN. He was a 1950 graduate of Cincinnati (OH) Christian University. He was ordained at First Christian Church, Washington, IN, in 1948 and retired in 1988. He served full-time ministries in Centerville, Scottsburg, and Indianapolis, IN; Lincoln Park, MI; Clearwater, FL; and with the Christian

November 19, 2008

Christian Standard

Thankful for Our Riches

By Mark A. Taylor When Sam Stone wrote this week”s “Reflections” column earlier this fall, he couldn”t have known a cataclysmic financial crisis and stock market roller coaster would become headlines. But his advice rings true as we finish this issue and the country remains in the throes of economic uncertainty. No one in October is predicting what the state of the economy will be by the Thanksgiving holiday. (Except, that is, to say that retailers are bracing for less than usual consumer spending in December.) If the situation has righted itself by the time you read this, we”ll all

November 9, 2008

Christian Standard

Keys to Teamwork (Part 4): Wise Decision Making

By Stephen Bond   Steve Bond and his wife, Pam, launched Summit Christian Church in March 1998. The church met in the Sparks YMCA for 3½ years before moving to a new permanent facility on a 36-acre site. Summit”s vision is to “Love God, Love People, and Serve Others.” Over the past 10 years the church has grown to more than 2,000 people in weekend worship attendance. Approximately 1,000 adults are also involved in life groups. One of the keys to this growth has been a high level of teamwork among Summit”s staff and elders. This is the fourth of

November 2, 2008

Christian Standard

Keys to Teamwork (Part 3): Conflict Resolution

By Stephen Bond Steve Bond and his wife, Pam, launched Summit Christian Church in March 1998. The church met in the Sparks YMCA for 3½ years before moving to a new permanent facility on a 36-acre site. Summit”s vision is to “Love God, Love People, and Serve Others.” Over the past 10 years the church has grown to more than 2,000 people in weekend worship attendance. Approximately 1,000 adults are also involved in life groups. One of the keys to this growth has been a high level of teamwork among Summit”s staff and elders. This is the third of four

October 26, 2008

Christian Standard

Sin Among the Shepherds

By Name Withheld   In a perfect world there would be no articles like this. The leaders in our churches would be solid, stable, and blameless. You wouldn”t need the testimony “of a leader who failed.” And I wouldn”t be that leader. In a serious understatement, I was asked to describe for you “what happens when a shepherd “˜stubs his toe” and it is handled well by the church.” I was asked because I am that shepherd, but I didn”t feel I had “stubbed my toe”””it felt like I had cut off my legs. While the elders of my church know

October 12, 2008

Christian Standard

The Ultimate Purpose in Evangelism Is Not Church Growth

By David Bycroft Smitty was arrogant, opinionated, selfish, and a regular at the local coffee shop. Three mornings a week, I would go there before my morning jog. I had known Smitty for years, but he recently had moved a block from our church building. His house was across the street from where we parked our church buses. One morning, in front of the six or seven guys gathered for the morning coffee ritual, Smitty blurted out, “Preacher, I want you to move your buses because I can”t see the highway from my front porch.” I returned with a challenge.

September 14, 2008

Christian Standard

Keeping God in the Worship Planning Process

By Tim Foot A worship service, without divine intervention, is going to be some nice music, maybe some creative elements, and a feel-good message at best! It”s only when we surrender to God”s presence and his ultimate plan that amazing moments happen. So while I like to see the creative process of service planning as a partnership with God, it”s certainly weighted heavily in the heavenly direction! As worship leaders our role, as I see it, is to facilitate a connection with God through worship. It is to do what we can to help folks discover grace, grow, and be

September 14, 2008

Christian Standard

He Is “˜I AM,” I am “˜I”m Not”

By Mandy Smith We”ve heard about the Spanish Inquisition and the Salem witch trials””moments in history when, with the blessing of the church, Christians stood in judgment of one another. But that”s all history, isn”t it? Why is it, then, that in national surveys of young people, the authors of the book UnChristian found that 87 percent believe modern-day Christianity is judgmental? On the other hand, their surveys showed “only a small percentage of outsiders strongly believe the labels “˜respect, love, hope, and trust” describe Christianity.”1 We may not be hunting for witches anymore, but we point out believers who

August 3, 2008

Christian Standard

A Community for the Unchurched

By Russell Jarvis The Samsons of Waterford, Michigan, are a typical American family. So are the Ortegas of Tularosa, New Mexico. The Sulemans immigrated to Centerville, Virginia, last year. The Bakers retired to Bradenton, Florida, and the Kovalenkos bought a house in Wheaton, Illinois. The Ibangas started their twins in kindergarten in Havre de Grace, Maryland. Today”s Americans are multiethnic, formed into families of various definitions, young at heart, and older on the average. They enjoy reasonably good health and hope for pleasant retirements. They have found friends at work, at dance lessons, and at the fitness center. They may

July 20, 2008

Christian Standard

A Simple Response With Incredible Impact

By Andy Hansen Are you weary of the never-ending swirl of bickering, negativity, and cynicism that envelopes our culture on a daily basis? Perhaps this attitude is heightened by the presidential election. Maybe the cloud we”re under grew with the ever-increasing cost of gasoline, talk of global warming, the ceaseless debate over the Iraq War, a record number of tornadoes in the United States, and devastating earthquakes in China. BAD NEWS Some of the bad news included recent coverage of an incredibly cruel video showing a group of girls pummeling another student who supposedly had posted insulting comments about them

June 22, 2008

Christian Standard

Let There Be Peace

By Victor M. Parachin During one hot, dry summer in Southern California, a brush fire swept through Topanga Canyon, a suburb of Los Angeles, and destroyed 200 homes. Norman Vincent Peale, famed New York City minister and author, learned one of the burned homes belonged to a friend. Peale called him to offer sympathy: “I”m sorry to hear your house burned down.” Peale expected his friend would be traumatized by the fire and his losses, but was astonished that his friend sounded at peace with the tragedy. “Yes, the house did burn down,” he said, “but my wife and children

June 15, 2008

Christian Standard

Elders: The Church”s Lead Caregivers

By Knofel Staton Year of the Elder What is an elder supposed to do? As a part of our 2008 Year of the Elder features, we”re looking at this question from two angles. This week, New Testament scholar and popular teacher Knofel Staton offers practical answers from a thorough Bible study. Next week, Arron Chambers shares answers to the question from hundreds of elders he surveyed earlier this year. The New Testament designates church elders with two different Greek words. Presbuteros was normally used to identify an older person (such as in John 3:4, 21:18; Acts 2:17; 1 Timothy 5:1;

May 11, 2008

Christian Standard

CHURCHES WITHOUT STEEPLES: Planting a Workplace Church in China

By Janet C. Smith In September 2004, Maya Morgan left the United States to take an engineering position at an American company”s Chinese manufacturing facility. By January 2005, this intelligent and hard-working young woman, by God”s grace and her own initiative, had taken the first steps toward planting a small church of Chinese nationals within the company walls, and with the full knowledge and consent of her American boss in China. That”s the short version of this remarkable story that began several years earlier in the Marketplace Ministries division of Christian Missionary Fellowship (CMF) in Indianapolis, Indiana. Background In the

May 4, 2008

Christian Standard

The Biblical Basis for Externally Focused Ministry

By Eric Swanson If you look long enough, you can find a “biblical basis” for almost anything. That”s what my friends and I discovered years ago when I was in college. We entertained ourselves by finding obscure passages to justify a wide and wild set of behaviors. (All of these are from the New American Standard Bible, my version of choice back then): “¢ Not wearing sweatshirts: “They shall not gird themselves with anything which makes them sweat” (Ezekiel 44:18). “¢ Sleeping in church: “I heard the sound of his words; and as soon as I heard the sound of

May 4, 2008

Christian Standard

The Church: A Place to Belong

By Jud Wilhite “What do you do in Vegas?” the waitress in Virginia asked me. “I”m a pastor at a church,” I said. “No you aren”t,” she fired back. “Yes, I am,” I replied. “No, you aren”t,” she said matter-of-factly. “There are no churches in Las Vegas.” Her certainty was absolute. After five minutes I gave up trying to convince her that churches can and do exist in unlikely places and minister to unlikely people. Her perception of the church just could not make room for Vegas. When you hear the word church, what comes to your mind? Do you

April 6, 2008

Orrin Root

public prayer

Public Prayer

What does it mean to lead a congregation in prayer? This classic piece urges leaders to pray clearly and specifically, awaken shared gratitude and need, and prepare thoughtfully so the congregation can truly say “amen.”

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