Articles for tag: Gratitude

March 4, 2012

By David Soucie They sit quietly in our auditoriums. Numbering in the untold thousands, they border on invisible. Unknown to most, they are the marginalized. Some are new attendees. Because they are naturally reserved, they have not ventured out beyond their pew. Most of the congregation is content to allow them to be a part of their services, but never make the effort to get acquainted. The new people wait for someone to reach out, and remain disappointed. Some have been around for years. Most are introverts, and they have long given up waiting for the extroverts to notice them

January 16, 2012

Christian Standard

Church Leadership

What Makes a Culture Good?

By Steve Hayner Cultures that work, and that ultimately help people accomplish a community”s mission, are ones in which people flourish. In healthy cultures, people become more of what God intended for them to be. They grow in being more like Jesus in character. And their gifts and abilities are intentionally developed, mobilized, and honored. One of the best ways to discover what healthy cultures look and feel like is to ask people about their own experiences. Almost anyone who has thought about what helps him or her to flourish as one of God”s beloved is able to point to

October 23, 2010

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Leadership Development

A Challenge for All of Us

By Mark A. Taylor I”m grateful for a preacher who did what Bob Russell didn”t. In his interview this week, Bob says he wishes he”d started a “Preacher Boys Club” as a part of his local-church ministry. When I was in junior high and high school, the minister did exactly that. Actually two ministers led our group at the Christian church in Waukegan, Illinois. It was started by Robert Sheets and continued by Steve Willis who followed him in ministry there. We met before Sunday-evening youth group and learned about different kinds of sermons and how to deliver them. We

November 19, 2008

Christian Standard

Money & Debt Stewardship & Generosity

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 21, 2007

Mark A. Taylor

Discipleship & Spiritual Formation Spiritual Disciplines

Natural Thanksgiving

A reflection on why abundance can dull gratitude—and how Scripture points to thankfulness rooted in Christ, prayer, reverence, and joy “in all circumstances,” even when life changes through loss or hardship.