Articles for tag: Healing

May 22, 2019

Christian Standard

Vested in Our Leaders: The Pastor’s Project

Vested in Our Leaders: The Pastor’s Project By Richard Creek In 1975 I was standing in the lobby of the Veteran’s Hospital in Cheyenne, Wyoming, waiting to see Dr. Bruce Howar. Howar was the chief physician/administrator of the hospital, but he previously had been my family doctor back in Iowa. He had brought me into the world with the help of his nurse, my grandmother. From that time he had cared for all my broken bones, bumps, and bruises. “So, tell me,” he asked after we had greeted each other with hugs and smiles, “What are you doing with your

January 29, 2019

Jerry Harris

Jesus’ Ability to Transform

By Jerry Harris I walked into the quiet room where a mom and dad sat stunned. Their only son, Mark, a boy of about 5, had been playing T-ball and complained he was having trouble seeing the ball. His mother took him to an eye doctor thinking he might need glasses. The concern on the face of the optometrist was obvious when he referred them immediately to Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis. Further tests revealed a very serious brain tumor. I sat with mom and dad as doctor after doctor came into the little room to report ever graver

January 2, 2019

Christian Standard

‘Pastor’s Project’ Offers Help to Struggling Ministers

By Chris Moon Dick Creek has been busy lately—and it’s the result of having knee surgery. A year and a half ago, he launched The Pastor’s Project, an initiative to help struggling pastors. The effort has grown since then to include a “Rapid Response” ministry for pastors who find themselves in crisis and a “Rural Church Initiative” to connect thriving churches with those that might be struggling, in hopes of sparking a revitalization. And all of this emerged from the time Creek was stuck in his chair, healing up from knee replacement surgery. “I had a lot of time on

November 29, 2017

Christian Standard

Lesson for December 3, 2017: Faith in Jesus (Acts 3:11-21)

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 issue no. 46″“49 of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott  Jesus said to his disciples, “Have faith in God” (Mark 11:22). The disciples said to Jesus, “Increase our faith” (Luke 17:5). Few things in the Bible are as important as faith in Jesus. Our lessons for this quarter focus on faith””the faith proclaimed by the early church, the example of faith evident in the life of

August 2, 2017

Christian Standard

A Vision of Otherness

By Jackina Stark I once had a vision. It was not as glorious as Isaiah”s””I can”t imagine one more glorious than that””but for me, what I saw one morning during a worship service was profoundly important. We were singing a medley of songs that ended with a beautifully melodic chorus that repeated the word holy over and over and over. I closed my eyes and got lost in the word and found, quite unexpectedly, a new understanding of who Jesus is and what holy means. Twice in the hymn “Holy, Holy, Holy,” God is perceptively called merciful and mighty. These

July 29, 2016

Christian Standard

Better Than a Lesbian Lifestyle

By Roger Worsham Michelle was raised in an abusive home by an extremely narcissistic mom. When she was 9 her mom married for the fifth time. This stepfather was abusive, like some of the others, and molested Michelle from age 9 to 13. When she told her mother about the molestation, her mother refused to believe her. She told Michelle, “You are too ugly for him to be interested in having sex with you.” Later Michelle”s mom remarried again. This marriage didn”t last. Michelle”s mom stole a check from her estranged sixth husband, and he sent another woman to collect

March 8, 2016

Mark A. Taylor

Surgery and Other Sickness

By Mark A. Taylor “I have visited and prayed with many sick people,” Professor Sherwood Smith told my class at The Cincinnati Bible Seminary more than 40 years ago. “But never did I pray like I did when the patient was my wife.” For some reason that insight has stuck with me all these years, and now it comes into sharper focus as I anticipate my own surgery Thursday this week. “Lord, heal him,” the elders prayed in December, not long after my diagnosis of prostate cancer. “Lord, keep him in the palm of your hand,” the men in my

November 24, 2015

Mark A. Taylor

Why Weren”t They More Thankful? (Part 2)

By Mark A. Taylor As we bustle through Thanksgiving with our eyes on Christmas, many of us Americans are counting the cost of our Christmas gift-giving. “Please bring a $25 item for the gift exchange.” “How much does your brother spend on us for Christmas?” “What will we give Sue and Bill? I can”t remember what they gave us last year.” The thread through most of this is a concern to “stay even,” a compulsion coming largely from pride (we don”t want to be seen as cheap) and selfishness (we have our own expenses, after all; we can”t let this

July 22, 2015

Christian Standard

A Conversation with John Perkins

John Perkins, one of the leading evangelical voices coming out of the U.S. civil rights movement, spoke with contributing editor Jennifer Johnson at the North American Christian Convention, June 2015. In this exclusive interview, he explains why many efforts toward racial reconciliation are like trying to cure cancer with Tylenol and what the church’s role in racial healing must be. See the interview here.

May 29, 2015

Christian Standard

Cruciform Ministry (Romans 5:8)

By Neal Windham Garrison Keiller tells the story of how Clarence Bunson (at least, I think it was Clarence), a mainstay in Keillor”s fictional town of Lake Wobegon, lay cruciform, frozen to the roof of his Minnesota home in the thick of winter. Bunson had gone out to clean the snow off his roof and, tired from his work, had fallen asleep. Meanwhile, his wet clothing bonded to the frozen roof, rendering him immobile. Neighbors asked whether anything was wrong, and with characteristic Norwegian restraint he responded again and again, “No, I”m fine.” We know his character well, don”t we?

January 19, 2015

Christian Standard

Lesson for January 25, 2015: Powerful Prayer (James 5)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. It is published in the January 18 issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Sam E. Stone  This month”s theme, “Learning to Pray,” helps us consider the topic of prayer as found in the books of Luke, John, Hebrews, and James. We have already reviewed Jesus” model for prayer, his prayer for his disciples, and his intercession for us.  The letter of James is one of the most practical books in all of Scripture. The writer emphasized not

November 25, 2014

Mark A. Taylor

How to Cope with Grief at the Holidays

By Mark A. Taylor In the wake of several deaths close to my family in recent months, I”m especially sensitive to the grief some friends are facing this holiday season. And I”m grateful for one way my church offers to help. Late in November every year, our seniors ministry conducts a service of remembrance for families whose deceased loved one attended our congregation. It”s a simple service, with hymns and Scripture. But the unique touch is the Christmas tree in one corner of the chapel. Beside the tree are boxes of white ornaments, each bearing a different name, handwritten in

January 28, 2014

Mark A. Taylor

After the Fall

By Mark A. Taylor Did you ever fall without anticipating it? No slow-motion loss of balance before your arm flew out to break the impact””you didn”t even realize you had fallen till you were on the ground. That was my experience last week in a restaurant parking lot on a frigid morning. “Oh, I”ve hit my head,” I said, moving to stand up as soon as I landed. I raised my hand to the pain on my pate and brought back a bloody palm. I have to wash my hand, I thought, and walked back inside. Thankfully, a couple of

November 1, 2013

Christian Standard

What on Earth?

By Neal Windham Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:22-24). Even believers sometimes struggle with the fact that an instrument of execution is the dominant symbol of the Christian faith.1 So it should come as no surprise that many ancient Jews and Greeks found the cross unacceptable. Generally speaking, the religious quest is, after all, about life, not death. It is

June 2, 2011

Christian Standard

Deo Est Amo””God Is Love

By Sheila S. Hudson “Mrs. Hudson. Your husband”s chances are about 50-50. He”s a very sick man. His body has been through a lot. To be perfectly honest, I”m not sure he”ll make it.” Dr. Morris”s face was grim. His eyes stared into mine, making sure I got the message. My hands trembled. The words burned into my brain. Panic overwhelmed me. Angela, interim director at Christian Campus Fellowship, and I held each other. I sobbed as she prayed. In the ladies” room as I dried my hands, I took off my wedding band and read the inscription. Deo Est

February 15, 2011

Christian Standard

Pray Expectantly

By Sheila S. Hudson Dr. Karen Jones made her way to my ground-floor office. As she blinked back tears in her hazel eyes, she broke the news that funding from the State Department of Education hadn”t arrived. What she didn”t say was, without those funds, my job would go away. But both of us knew that was true. I was stunned. Neither of us could believe it. For seven years, Karen and I had worked hand in glove providing summer workshops for special education teachers. Now it seemed our partnership was coming to an end. Not only that, but at

August 18, 2010

Christian Standard

Breathtaking Servanthood

By Wynne Gillis It was a new church in a midsized Montana city””a seeker”s church””dedicated to taking the gospel to outsiders who have never heard it or who are not even sure they want to hear it. Like many such churches, it was meeting in temporary quarters””a school auditorium or a vacant storefront. But as it grew and strained the capacity of its meeting place, the church dreamed of a building all its own. A good deal of money had been carefully saved and dedicated toward that end. Then the community around the church got into a big fight. Most

February 14, 2010

Christian Standard

NACC Women”s Conference Will Help You “˜Survive and Thrive”

By Karla McElroy Believing that faithfulness to one”s kingdom call requires welcoming all of life”s experiences as gifts from God, this year”s NACC Women”s Conference leadership team chose the theme “Survive and Thrive” to help guide the choices for speakers and topics. Here are some highlights: Thursday Main Event“”This special session for women has been expanded to include lunch, worship, and testimonies. Carol Kent, founder of Speak Up With Confidence and also a best-selling author, will be the guest speaker. Carol knows what it means to live with an unthinkable circumstance that will never change””and still to make hope-filled choices.

August 20, 2006

Christian Standard

Beyond the Puppet and Puppeteer

By Paul E. Boatman God is omnipotent. As a little child, I knew God could just say a word, and anything would change: “Let there be light!” and there it was. “I will send a flood,” and the whole earth was flooded. He parted the Red Sea and knocked down the walls of Jericho. Add the miracles and resurrection of Jesus, and we have a powerful God! However, as I grew older, that confidence in a powerful God faced tests: I remember praying that George, a nasty kid from “the project,” would quit picking on me, but his meanness continued.

May 21, 2006

Christian Standard

Broken Mirrors

By Name Withheld Picture a mirror (maybe an ordinary hand-held one or a fancy wall mirror with an ornate frame like the one in Snow White). Now imagine that mirror is cracked and broken. Maybe pieces are missing. Maybe the glass is lying on the floor. Maybe it”s still in the frame but so damaged it looks more like a spider”s web than an instrument of reflection.     I SOUGHT HELP when I realized I had a sexual addiction problem. Throughout my life fantasy, masturbation, and pornography (sexual “acting out”) were my way of existing and escaping reality. So,

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