Articles for tag: Jeremiah

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

February 7, 2011

Christian Standard

Lesson for Feb. 13, 2011: Jesus Is God”s Son (Mark 9:2-13)

This week”s treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson (for February 13) is written by Rod Idle who serves with Journey Community Church in Fernley, Nevada. Jesus Is God’s Son (Mark 9:2-13) By Rod Idle There is a discussion about Jesus still going on today. It doesn”t center on whether he existed. We all can agree Jesus lived 2,000 years ago, and historians accept that he was born in Bethlehem and lived in Galilee. The discussion is not whether or not Jesus really lived, breathed, and died. The question is, “Who was Jesus?” It”s not a new question. This discussion

January 10, 2011

Christian Standard

Lesson for Jan. 16, 2011: Reassurance for God”s People (Isaiah 48:12-22)

This week”s treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson (for January 16) is written by Matt Schantz who serves as director of organizational development with a national building supply company in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Reassurance for God”s People (Isaiah 48:12-22) By Matt Schantz I don”t listen well. Too often I get distracted and I fail truly to hear what someone is saying to me. My daughter has come up with a remedy for this malady. When she senses I am losing focus, she grabs my cheeks and cranks my head in her direction and says, “Daddy, listen to me with

January 5, 2011

Christian Standard

A Book Like No Other

By Ward Patterson For 65 hours one October several years ago, students at Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, read the Bible aloud at a crossing in the heart of the university campus. Standing under a tent and reading into a microphone in 30-minute shifts, they read from Genesis to Revelation. Erica Wothen, a senior student and member of His House Christian Fellowship, led more than 200 students in the event. Erica said, “We came together to read the Word. We didn”t worry about what we would say or do. We just read and watched God move.” God”s Word

December 30, 2010

Christian Standard

Regrafting: A Matter of Motivation

Ken Swatman “Dying on the vine,” it seems to be the new catchphrase among leaders of struggling churches. Often I hear from these ministers and leaders that they do not want to “die on the vine.” Here are some key issues/questions that need to be addressed in order for a church to grow. I do not believe churches just die on the vine. Branches of a vine die because they are either diseased, malformed, infested with parasites, or somehow choked off from their source of nutrition and health. This is also true for churches. Churches wither and die because of

December 20, 2010

Christian Standard

Lesson for Dec. 26, 2010: God Is with Us (Isaiah 43:1-7, 10-12)

This week”s treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson (for December 26) is written by Tom May who serves as discipleship minister with Eastside Christian Church in Jeffersonville, Indiana. God Is with Us (Isaiah 43:1-7, 10-12) By Tom May Isaiah would not have used the word near to describe any part of his life in Judah. Isaiah was not near to his friends and family. His work as a prophet often took him from his home. The burden of sharing an unpopular message from God put a strain on many of his relationships. If the traditional belief that Isaiah was

November 25, 2010

Christian Standard

A Date with God

By Daniel Schantz “For I have espoused you to one husband” (2 Corinthians 11:2, King James Version). Paul describes our relationship with Christ as a kind of marriage, and marriage goes through certain phases. YOUNG marriage starts out with celestial expectations. You see no reason the honeymoon can”t last forever. Every day is a “date.” She makes breakfast for you, then you go jogging together before heading off to work. You buy each other expensive gifts to prove your love. Passion is strong, and nights are interesting. You talk a lot, but some of those talks turn into quarrels, and

November 15, 2010

Christian Standard

Lesson for Nov. 21, 2010: God Is Protector (Psalm 91:1-6, 9-16)

This week”s treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson (for November 21) is written by Don Hamilton who serves with Capital Area Christian Church in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. God Is Protector (Psalm 91:1-6, 9-16) By Don Hamilton I grew up in an Ozzie and Harriet kind of family. For those of you too young to remember, Ozzie and Harriet Nelson were parents in a television series that ran from 1952 to 1966. The program presented a wonderful, well-adjusted suburban family who thrived under the leadership of a good father. My family was kind of like that. I had a really good

October 18, 2010

Christian Standard

Lesson for Oct. 24, 2010: God”s Universal Reign (Psalm 47)

This week”s treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson (for October 24) is written by Brenda J. Lang who serves as professor of music and worship at Cincinnati (Ohio) Christian University. God”s Universal Reign (Psalm 47) By Brenda J. Lang Clap your hands all you people, Shout unto God with a voice of triumph. Clap your hands all you people, Shout unto God with a voice of praise. Hosanna! Hosanna! Shout unto God with a voice of triumph. Praise Him! Praise Him! Shout unto God with a voice of praise. I suspect as you read those words based on Psalm

October 5, 2010

Christian Standard

The Playfulness of Creation

By John Mark Hicks “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” The proverb first appeared in the mid-1600s. Perhaps it originated as a Puritan excuse for recreation. I don”t know. Originally, it was used against parents who did not give their children playful relief from their scholastic studies. The proverb seems like a justification for playfulness, but in God”s world play needs no more justification than work does. Both are built into creation. God created both work and play. God”s Smile Indeed, God embodies playfulness. His wisdom creates with delight, joy, and play. Personified divine wisdom in

October 4, 2010

Christian Standard

Lesson for Oct. 10, 2010: God”s Perfect Law (Psalm 19:7-14)

This week”s treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson (for October 10) is written by Nicolas Cox who serves as minister of small groups and spiritual formation at Community Christian Church, White Marsh, Maryland. God”s Perfect Law (Psalm 19:7-14) By Nicolas Cox Whether it”s the speed limit or regulations of a homeowners association, we tend to dislike laws. Restrictions seem to rankle us. Laws point out what is black and what is white””what is wrong and what is right. It”s amazing how hard we search for a messy gray somewhere in between. We become experts in finding loopholes that will

August 18, 2010

Christian Standard

Prophetic Lessons for the 21st-Century Christian Leader (Part 2)

(This is part 2 of a 2-part article.) By Edward Sanders The calling of Christian leaders today is different and more general than Jeremiah”s prophetic call recorded in Jeremiah 1. But themes reflected in Jeremiah”s call should apply to commitments today”s Christian leaders make, because these commitments came from God. The first commitment asked of leaders appears in the first paragraph of the book of Jeremiah. This paragraph records a superscription, a biographical form of literature that often gives some historical, theological, and religious context for the prophet in reference. Jeremiah”s superscription is the longest of the writing prophets1 and

August 11, 2010

Christian Standard

Prophetic Lessons for the 21st-Century Christian Leader (Part 1)

By Edward Sanders He walked a familiar dusty road. He had traveled this way numerous times throughout his life. But this trip was different, for it would end with turmoil and trouble. The prophet Jeremiah was trying to remain faithful as a prophet of God in the seventh century bc. He had the arduous task of proclaiming warning and judgment to God”s unfaithful people in Judah. I wonder if Jeremiah walked to the temple more slowly than normal that day in 608 bc.1 Or did he take the longer route? Like a nervous young boy walking home from school carrying

June 27, 2010

Christian Standard

Great and Mighty Things

By Chuck Booher What is the best way to conduct a financial campaign when 14 percent of your county is unemployed and your offerings are barely making budget every week? Any sane person would probably say the best answer is, “You don”t!” You just don”t do a financial campaign in a down economy. Several months back, however, I found myself wrestling through this predicament. Truth was, not having a campaign was NOT an option. I had become senior pastor of Crossroads Christian Church three years prior and inherited several obstacles that had been worked through. The last hurdle to jump

May 9, 2010

Christian Standard

Enrolling Our Kids in the Jesus Mission

By Janet McMahon A look of disappointment, frustration, and surprise came over his face. He cried. We had just told our 13-year-old son we were leaving the only town he had ever known to move to another city and begin a brand-new church. The days and weeks that followed were full of questions, not just from our 13-year-old, but all three of our children. “Why?” “When?” “How?” “Are you sure?” At the time our kids were 16, 13, and 7, and moving kids attending high school and middle school seemed less than ideal. No doubt my children are the No.

March 21, 2010

Christian Standard

When You Feel Like Giving Up, Giving In, or Getting Out

By Rick Grover I probably shouldn”t be writing this on a Monday. But deadlines are deadlines, and ministry, as you know, isn”t all about how we feel . . . even (and perhaps especially) when we feel like giving up, giving in, or getting out. I didn”t always feel this way, and I don”t always feel this way now. But it is Monday. And I, like so many other preachers, look back on Sunday with those “woulda, coulda, shoulda” thoughts that drag us downward. Maybe I”m sounding a bit overdramatic, but I don”t think so. Ministers don”t always like to

November 22, 2009

Christian Standard

Christians, Politics, & Ethical Speech

  by Thomas Scott Caulley When we were kids, my brothers and I argued a lot. Inevitably this degenerated into name-calling: “You dirt wad!” someone would yell. “Shut up, idiot,” was the likely response.  Our mother was tireless in her efforts to train such language out of our vocabulary. She quoted Scriptures to us. “Do unto others” and “Each counting others better than himself” were just the beginning of her repertoire, and were among the many Bible verses we boys memorized under Mom”s watchful tutelage. To this day, many Bible passages come to mind in outdated English, even though I

March 22, 2009

Christian Standard

The Greed Factor

  by Karen R. Rees   Money is a great motivator. It has enticed 240,000 women, mainly from the Philippines and now increasingly from Indonesia, to Hong Kong to work as household servants. For the last 27 years my husband and I have served a church mostly made up of these women, so I know their stories well. They come here because the economies in their countries have been ruined by private and governmental greed and corruption. The women, all from the low-income bracket, dream of building a house, helping their husband start a small business, or sending a child

January 11, 2009

Christian Standard

The Power and Potential of “˜Not-Thank-You”

By Ethan Magness   My boys have a regular bedtime ritual. After a story (if there is time), a bath, teeth brushing, donning pajamas, a cup of water, and lights out, the boys and I pray. If I get rushed, there are some steps we can skip, but if I try to skip prayer, I am usually in trouble with my sons. Everyone gets a chance to pray. My youngest (3.75) is on a bit of a strike right now from praying aloud, but my oldest (6) loves to pray. Our evening prayers are mostly thank-yous.  Lately we”ve been talking

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

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