December 2, 2025
Recent studies contend that the joys of Christmas can be carried beyond December and result in good mental and physical health by regularly going to church.
June 26, 2023
"Do you ever feel like your life is a shapeless mass of clay?" writes David Faust. "The Lord can make something beautiful out of the mess . . ."
March 24, 2017
By Becky Ahlberg One of the universal truths we consider when we gather around the Communion table each week is to remember the amazing love of God. “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sin” (1 John 4:10). God incarnate showed his love in his willingness to bear the shame, endure the cross, and be the bridge that brings us back into relationship with him. All these things are illustrations of his indescribable love. One of the first Scriptures most of us memorized is
January 22, 2017
By Becky Ahlberg “When I survey the wondrous cross, on which the Prince of glory died, my richest gain I count but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride.” Isaac Watts penned those words in 1707. He was a masterful preacher and poet and was known for writing hymns as part of his sermons. This particular hymn has lasted more than 300 years precisely because it captures the ethos of the cross for each of us personally. Watts was known to have three “rules” for writing: make it personal, make it sensuous (as in appealing to the senses), and
January 7, 2017
By Rick Chromey I love the church. I love going to church. I love hanging around church people. I love experiencing church stuff””from camps to conferences to cantatas. I love that I grew up in church within earshot of the saints and under the watchful eyes of the “brethren,” many of them little old ladies with blue hair, quaint dresses, and perfect attendance pins. I love the smell of a hardwood pew, the taste of church coffee, and the sound of steeple bells. I can still sing the first and last stanza of many hymns, including favorites like “Revive Us
February 25, 2016
By Daniel Schantz It was a covert invasion of the world. Pianos began showing up everywhere, beginning in the 1920s, quietly infiltrating homes and schools, churches and clubs, theaters and malls, bars and restaurants. Even wilderness camps, remote mission fields, and sod huts on the prairie soon had pianos. Little wonder the 20th century was called “the golden age of the piano,” and the piano was dubbed “the most popular musical instrument in the world.” Learning to play the piano was a rite of passage for many American children back then, a part of fine breeding, before our children were seduced by soccer and
October 23, 2015
By Greg Swinney Advertisers for software applications constantly remind us “There”s an app for that!” A simple Internet search will find more than 200 million websites with apps for everything we need””computer games, grocery shopping lists, gasoline prices, travel maps, and more. Floating messages across a crowded computer screen try to convince us there”s an app for every need of our lives. Still, can a multicolored icon on an iPad or smart phone really meet our deepest need? Our struggles with past failures and shortcomings seem to haunt us. Sometimes doubt threatens our certainty of God”s unconditional love for us.
October 31, 2014
By C. Robert Wetzel Have you ever found yourself worshipping in a congregation in a country where you did not know the language? Perhaps occasionally you recognized a melody of a hymn and tried to sing the words that you associated with that tune. Or saw Scripture was being read, but could only guess what it might be by looking to see how the Bible was opened. Was it about halfway? Then maybe it was a Psalm. Was it near the back? Probably a New Testament reading. But what? It becomes even worse during the sermon. Why is the preacher
July 10, 2012
By Mark A. Taylor “We”re inviting you to be refreshed by our amazing God,” said Tim Foot as he opened the first worship gathering of the 2012 North American Christian Convention in Orlando, Florida, Tuesday evening, July 10. Several thousand had gathered at the Marriott Orlando World Center Resort in two expansive ballrooms that had been turned into a worship center. The worship was heartfelt and substantive. Foot”s team augmented their music with creative video that portrayed the spirit and the message of each song we sang. The music was a comfortable mix of newer and older worship choruses, highlighted
February 3, 2011
By Nancy Karpenske It”s just a purple spiral notebook, well-worn and nondescript. But it contains my personal history with the book of Isaiah. All I really knew about Isaiah was that it held precious prophecies””a virgin shall conceive, unto us a child is born, despised and rejected, a man of sorrows. And the famous vision of God”s throne room that resulted in Isaiah crying out, “Here am I, Lord, send me!” I set my sights on becoming more familiar with Isaiah””not the facts and time lines and interpretations; I intended to look for God in the pages. I decided to
March 9, 2008
By David Bycroft Many congregations today are being seriously damaged and sometimes even destroyed by Christians who are more led by their own desires than by the Spirit of Christ. Some Christians, both in leadership and in the pew, are becoming roadblocks to reaching our communities for Christ. Many are most concerned with their own comfort, desires, and wants. They say things like, “Well, I like small churches,” or “I think we ought to use hymns and hymnbooks,” or “I don”t think we need coffee and donuts.” This selfish talk always begins with “I think . . .” Does anyone
May 7, 2006
Worship renewal isn’t mainly about better music. Jack Reese traces early Christian worship from Scripture to prayer, peace, and the table—arguing revival begins with hearts quiet enough to hear God’s Word.
Sponsored
Sponsored
Sponsored
April 28, 2026
Rick Cherok
April 28, 2026
David Faust
April 28, 2026
Rick Cherok